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2009-08-06T21:40:00.001-07:00

Krysztof Soszynski Vs Brandon Vera @ UF 102?

2009-07-24T00:11:00.001-07:00

Even though I hate spelling his name, Krysztof Soszynski is one of my fav fighters. He's got the Bas Ruttn bald headedness and love of the kimura. According to mmamania.com and Inside MMA, Soszynski is Brandon Vera's opponent at UFC 102. KICK ASS!

I like Sossyykkksnsszi and I'm psyched to see him at UFC 102 since I have tickets, and it'd be lovely to see him whip up on the overrated Vera.

Krysztof Soszynski Vs Brandon Vera @ UF 102?

2009-07-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

Affliction: Trilogy Thoughts

2009-07-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

Shame on Josh Barnett. This the match hard core fans have wanted for a long time. Had Pride FC lasted, this match very well might have happened. Thanks to Affliction for booking it. But Josh has to fuck it up.

OK. I'm over it. Somebody's got to fight Fedor. Vitor Belfort has stepped up to the plate along with Josh Monson, Fabricio Werdum, and Brett Rogers... all legitimate heavyweights. But more than likely, it'll be Vitor Belfort, a guy who recently called 185lbs his home. Xtreme Couture coach Shawn Tompkins gives him a good chance and so does Randy Couture. Whatever.

Belfort may be quick, but I don't think he's got what it takes. Belfort has been in some drag out wars and he's lost them all (although he did well in a decison against Tito Ortiz). Fedor Emelianenko is not a walk in the park and he will break Belfort's heart.

I also think Fedor beats Brett Rogers, Jeff Monson, and Fabricio Werdum. Heck, I think he beats Barnett, steriods or not.

Just watched Final Conflict 2003 Again

2009-07-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

... just saw Big Nog come from behind to beat Cro Cop. Randy Couture was in the announcer's booth on and off through the night.

If someone would have said that Big Nog and Randy would fight....oh that'd be such a great match. Fast forward 3 years. Is it still a great match at UFC 102? Yes, but not quite the same since they're not at their peak. Especially with Big Nog aging quick. I'm still psyched and I bought a ticket. Damn you Joe Silva.

I don't see GSP moving to 185

2009-07-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

I don't think Georges St Pierre wants to move to middleweight. Everybody wants him to, but he isn't stoked about the idea. Post fight interview, GSP was saying that he's 185 before his cut to 170.

I'm perfectly content with GSP wiping out the rest of the up and comers at 170.

2009-07-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

"He's married to Sable, you'd they do it all the time".

Couture vs Lesnar: Biggest Fight in UFC HIstory?

2008-11-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

To call a fight the biggest fight in history before it's happened is sometimes presumtious and setting it up for failure. I hope not. I hope it doesn't end on a freak accident like Cote vs Anderson Silva. That out of the way, this is a big fight because it involves Randy Couture, possibly the greatest, odds defying, and charimatic UFC champ of all time. Anytime he fights, it's a big deal. Not just because of the above mentioned attributes, but because he only takes challenges. Nobody gave him much of a chance before he fought Tim Sylvia, Chuck Liddell (1st time), Gabriel Gonzaga, and the list goes on. This guy wakes up to fight mean guys he's not supposed to beat.

Enter Brock Lesnar. An absolutely huge person. So big his shoulders look like hillsides leading up to an ugly menacing face. He has no neck. Not only is he huge, he's fast and a wrestling force. He's only had 3 MMA fights (2-1), but looked dangerous even in the fight he lost. It's early in his career, but his sheer athleticism, speed, strength, and hunger may tip scales in his favor even against MMA veterans. He may very well be the face and/or champ of the heavyweight division in the near future.

Couture at 45 has been the underdog many many times. He's an oddity. He's never been out of shape in his life, he continues to study and learn the fight game. The Couture we've seen is NOT the Couture of 6 years ago when he lost to Ricco Rodriguez and Josh Barnett. Like I said above, I think Lesnar may be the future champ, but his time isn't here yet. Experience over youth and strength. Not sure how it will look, but the Couture machine will be prepared and survive the early onslaught of Lesnar. Lesnar will fatigue and get lost.

What Happened To Mike Brown?

2008-11-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

Last night Mike Brown defeated Urijah Faber in the first round. Impressive display of power. It was a close fight that until Faber tried a reckless back elbow (ala Anderson Silva vs Tony Fryklund) and ran into a mean right hook from Brown. From there Brown pounded on Faber until the ref stopped it.

After the post fight interviews, the camera shows Brown being helped to the dressing room noticebly in pain and holding his side. I was expecting someone to comment on it today, but I've seen nothing. If Mike Brown was able to break a rib and finish the fight and look and talk normal through post fight interviews, he's one tough SOB.

The Ultimate Fighter Still Blows

2008-11-06T15:17:00.001-08:00

I've dissed the Ultimate Figher Reality show on Spike TV before. I've tried to watch it because I was interested in the coaches (Couture, Forrest Griffin, Rampage, BJ Penn). However, I just could not stomach degenerate behavior and too much Dana White. I stopped watching. Many other blogger have had the same sentiment in the past, but I just TUF really fell on it's face last night.

From Bloodyelbow.com:

I realize Spike TV has to get edgy in order to get ratings, but this is beyond the pale. They trap bored young men in a house, fuel them with alcohol to their hearts' content, encourage them to find ways around their boredom but do not mind when these fighters act in such a way as to cause revulsion to anyone with any sense of decency.

From Fightlinker.com:

I wish that words alone could describe not only my physical disgust, but my intellectual outrage at the sight of such low grade cruel pranks. The animosity, the cruelty, and the blatant disrespect made me embarrassed to be a fan of MMA.

On that note, what are some of the sucessful reality competition shows out there?

I've been subjected to a some of America's Next Top Model lately. As weird as Tyra Banks and her posse are and for a whiney and childish those girl models are, it is STILL a better show than what I've seen of the Ultimate Fighter.

Tapout puts together a nice little reality show. It follows up and comers in the sport of MMA. It shows the day to day life of fighters, their training camps, and finally the fight itself. Of course it's not competition show where participants get eliminated, but it's thoughtful and done well without excessive amounts of public urination and alcohol.

RIP Elite XC

2008-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Damn. I had high hopes for Elite XC. They had done a few dumb and questionable things. Not exactly anything any org hasn't done. However, they really got under the microscope after their first CBS Saturday Night Fights. It appeared obvious they were protecting their "stars", and lacked in matchmaking, and hadn't a long view. Despite all that, they emerged as the only org capable of competing with the UFC. They consistently put on fight cards on Showtime and 3 free events on CBS. RIP, Elite XC.

Rather than mourn, let's remember the highlights:

1) Robbie Lawler vs Anybody. Dude kicked ass. Stopped Murilo Ninja Rua and Scott Smith brutally. Would have loved to see him against Joey Villasenor.

2) Frank Shamrock vs Phil Baroni. Sure Baroni was tailor made for Shamrock, but it was an excellent fight and the first real fight we'd seen Shamrock in for a looooonnnnggg time.

3) Women's MMA on the big stage. Admirable. The ladies deserve some of the pie from MMA. There isn't significant money or sponsorship for women to fight. They're there because it's what they want to do, much like the early days of MMA for men. Gina Carano emerged as a huge star. Elite XC was criticized for protecting her with tailor made fights, but there's something to be said in winning the fights you should win, and in convincing fashion.

Other notables: Jake Shields, Paul Daley, Feijao, Nick Diaz, Yves Edwards. I'm missing several, but what the hell. I hope these guys find a good home. Hope they don't face the Zuffa wrath of leaving.

Brandon "The Hype" Vera

2008-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Results from UFC 89.

I got to watch some fights before heading out to party my ass off for a birthday. The first thing that came to mind was that Brandon Vera's nickname needs to be changed from "The Truth" to the "The Hype". He has looked dominant at Heavyweight against mid level opponents and looked mediocre otherwise. No, defeating a post motorcycle accident Frank Mir is not a big win. Tim Sylvia beat him, Fabricio Werdum beat him and that was enough to send him scurrying off to a Light Heavyweight.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt in his first LHW fight. Maybe he lackluster performance was due to a hard weight cut. Not uncommon. But last night against Keith Jardine, he plain stunk it up. He didn't fight. He ran. Granted Jardine didn't perform stellar, but he was pushing the action and deserved the split decision win. And now Vera wants a raise? Please.

2008-10-09T22:57:00.001-07:00

EliteXC is getting a lot of shit for favoring their stars. Namely Andrei Arlovski and Kimbo Slice. Gina Carano gets notable mention.

But were we to think anything different? At the very beginning of the CBS broadcast, they featured Arlovski, Kimbo, Gina Carano, and Jake Shields. Nothing whatsoever about their opponents. It was very transparent and their actions before the fight are coming to light.

EliteXC has it's problems. It seems like they are making some huge blunders and may not be able to fight their way out of it. Some of it is just plain bad luck. We tend to stay on the negative outrages and controversies, but there things I do enjoy about it.

Benji Radach vs Murilo Ninja Rua was an awesome fight. Just fucking awesome! Both guys went for it. They were willing to trade and they traded HARD. Both guys went down at the same time twice. The second time, they hit the ground for some slopperknocker jiujitsu with some heel hook attempts. It's obvious these guys are well rounded. Second begins with Ninja kicking Radach's legs. Radach tentative and then Ninja overextends himself on a knee to Radach's head and falls. Radach hits Ninja hard, passes a limp guard and nails Ninja twice and knocks him out.

Carano was cool. She fought and beat Kelly Kobold, who she should have beat, looked decent doing it. It's still obvious that she can be beat on the ground, if someone can get past her striking. She needs to make weight.

Jake Shields vs Paul Daley was a throwback to style vs style days. Daley had the sprawl and brawl style and Shields was the submission fighter with weak stand up.

In November EliteXC's back on Showtime with Eddie Alvarez vs Nick Diaz for 5 rounds. That's going to be an awesome fight. Alvarez is going to explode out the gates while Diaz will start slow like always. Hopefully Diaz doesn't get cut or get put in a position where the ref will stop the fight. Diaz is tough and as the fight goes on, it'll be a real battle with the favor going his way. If it makes it to decision, it'll be a very close if controversial decision for Alvarez. Don't forget the normal Nick Diaz chip on the shoulder drama.

2008-09-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

How long have you thought Couture would lose his next fight against whoever?

BJ Penn at UFC 87

2008-08-15T12:37:00.001-07:00

Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Were you wondering what he had in his hand when he entered the cage to challenge GSP? Little hand held recorder that followed BJ Penn around UFC 87. Pretty damn cool.

Randy And Fedor Meet Again.

2008-08-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

With Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko meeting again this week, it seems more like the two are buddies more than potential competitors. They both talk highly of each other and recently “...[Fedor] had both breakfast and dinner with Couture on Monday [8/11/08]”. There’s a serious lack of tension for two of the best heavyweights in MMA. It’s almost like they want to race their cars against each other or play board games rather than hit each other in the face. It’s just coldwater for those out there that want to recreate Ivan Drago vs Rocky Balboa.

I want to see this fight. Couture's a stud and Fedor is just a killer. I also admit that as time goes on, I wonder how Couture will fight at 45 years old. Also with Couture asking for $6 million, I wonder if he’s setting the price so high that nobody can host the superfight between him and Fedor.

2008-08-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

She may be Crazy Corrie, but she's watched the sport for a while and doesn't gobble up the Dana White sound machine puts out. Steve Cofield's genius mind grabs her for an interview.

While she's definately a chatterbox and passionate about the sport and it's athletes, I don't think she's crazed as labeled.

Thanks to Fightlinker for the Cofield interview.

Did anyone else see Lyoto Machida against Roger Huerta?

2008-08-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

Resume Writing Blues

2008-07-29T22:18:00.000-07:00

I've been buried updating my resume and putting together a cover letter. While it's not entirely a drag fluffing up my skills on paper, I wish I could put in hyperlinks and bold keywords like I do here. Paper is soooo yesterday. Of course, I've been absent here. But I did watch the Elite XC's second installment of Saturday Night Fights and reading up here and there. So here's just a quick MMA brain fart.

Nick Diaz needs to stop getting hit.

Nick loves to stand and bang. His boxing isn't super crisp, but it's a high output and eventually it just frustrates his opponents with that constant yet predictable jab. As the fight goes on, the jab and combos land with more consistency. Thomas Denny was on the receiving end of those well placed punches. But Diaz could do without getting hit so much in the early part of the fight. It's like he fights at only one speed and it's not gangbuster out the gate, but most people can't hang by the end.

I want to see more Jake Shields.

Dude's just been laying waste to whomever he fights. It's really too bad the 170 lb talent pool in Elite XC is so shallow. Rumble on the Rock in Hawaii had a grand prix (it was either 170 or 185 lbs) back in '06. It was the same grand prix where Anderson Silva got disqualified for upkicking Yushin Okami. Okami would advance in the grand prix to face and lose to Jake Shields. We were that close to a fight between Shields and Silva. Oh well. It's 2008 and I've like to see Shields fight some studs. That one handed guillotine choke on Nick Thompson this weekend was baaaaadass.

Rampage, you're breaking my heart.

Quinton Rampage Jackson is really one of my favorite fighters. Guys got heart and never gives up. I watched him improve each time in Pride and mature as a fighter. Pride seemed to match him up to lose every time, but he came out looking good and winning until he ran into Wanderlei Silva. And he's just damn funny. It's just someone I want to see succeed. I hope he gets his head in order and shut those voices out of his head.

Arlovski vs Fedor? YES!

Affliction says they're going to match Andrei Arlovski against Fedor Emelianenko. Awesome. I stated not too long ago, that's the best guy on the roster, considering Josh Barnett's last performance against Pedro Rizzo. Andrei's quick and could give Fedor problems, but I still think Fedor takes it. My prediction, Arlovski gets taken down with Fedor in his guard pounding away and we'll see Fedor utilizing elbows for the first time.

Back to the resume.

More MMA This Weekend. Elite XC This Time.

2008-07-22T22:46:00.001-07:00

I just write about MMA here and there. There's so much MMA now that it's almost hard to have a life (job & chores, really) and watch all the MMA out there. I have to really pick and choose which ones I have time to watch. I had my eyes on the Affliction Banned card this past weekend. Of course the UFC counter programed with UFN 14, Silva vs Irvin (which was a decent card), but when the weekend came, it was Affliction I watched first. It was more important to me. Then UFN 14 and the DREAM 5 card in Japan.

This coming weekend, we have EliteXC on Showtime and CBS. There's a shitload of MMA out there and the competition has made the UFC better for the fans. We have at least one UFC event a month, and Ultimate Fight Nights on Spike TV, and random other free UFC when Elite XC or Affliction puts a show on.

I remember in my early days of being an MMA involved combing Sherdog or MMA Weekly or InsideFighting for any news tidbit or new interview. The events were spanned too far apart. Then it's 2008 and there's... yet another event with fighters I want to see. There were 18 UFC events in 2007. there were 10 UFC events in 2005, and 7 UFC events in 2002.

These are nice times to be an MMA fan. As fans, we really have the ability to choose what we want to watch and because there's just so much, we might stumble upon reruns too.

Mark Hunt Submitted By Allistair Overeem

2008-07-22T21:55:00.001-07:00

So I was singing the praises of Mark Hunt and how unappreciated his is... blah blah blah. Well guess what he got his ass submitted by Alistair Overeem. He's submitted Igor Vochanchyn and Vitor Belfort prominantly in Pride FC, very recently mauled Paul Buentello. He's putting the fight game together nicely. It's not exactly terrible to lose to him, but it's dumb for a bad ass striker like Mark Hunt (with minimal ground skills) to sit in Overeem's guard. Mark, you need to stand up out of the guard, you're a kickboxer!

A Little Hellboy Never Killed Anybody

2008-07-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen wins the DREAM lightweight grand prix. Let me say first that this lightweight grand prix has been a loooong time coming. PRIDE first annouced their intentions of the lightweight grand prix right before they ran out of money a year and half ago. Zuffa then bought PRIDE and it never happened. DREAM has since surfaced from the ashes and resurrected the lightweight grand prix.

In the semi final round a few weeks prior, Joachim Hansen was defeated via decision by Eddie Alvarez (and what a fight that was!). This Sunday Alvarez went on the final this weekend by defeating Tatsuya Crusher Kawajiri, but could not continue into the final round due a cut and swollen golf ball eye. Unable to continue, Hansen replaced him in hte finals because he defeated Kultar Gill in the lightweight reserve match.

Shinya Aoki defeated Caol Uno in his bracket that same night to advance to the finals awaiting Alvarez, but in came Hansen. Hansen beat up Shinya Aoki in the finals to win the grand prix. Even though it tastes a little weird since Hansen was defeated in the semi finals by Alvarez, it was sweet revenge for Hansen who was gogoplata'd by Aoki at Pride 33. Super class by Alvarez in congradulating Hansen in the ring and Hansen to declare his first defense of the belt to be against Alvarez.

Shinya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen - Dream.5 LW GP 2008 Finals
Uploaded by moltisanti87

Who's Next for Fedor?

2008-07-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

From this weekend's Affliction event, I'd say that the best looking potential opponent and challenger to Fedor Emelianenko's WAMMA belt would be Andrei Arlovski. Nope, not Josh Barnett. I'm sure Barnett will get his crack somewhere down the road. However, based on Arlovski's and Barnett's performances this weekend, Arlovski deserves a shot at Emelianenko.

Arlovski appeared much sharper and faster. His hands were quick and his footwork nimble. Barnett however, seemed plodding. He threw 2 punches and backed off if nothing connected. Even though Barnett did knock out Pedro Rizzo, it wasn't a dominant performance. He's not fast enough to match Emelianenko.

Arlovski might have a chance against Emelianenko on the feet, but I think that Emelianenko is smart and quick enough to defeat Arlovski. Should this match happen, I expect Fedor to ground and pound his way to a win.

Fedor Crushes Tim Sylvia

2008-07-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

While I expected Fedor Emelianenko to beat Tim Sylvia, I didn't expect to go down so quick. I was a little concerned seeing the 2 stand next to each other because of the size difference, thinking that Fedor would have to be super quick to get in on Tim. Well... Fedor WAS super quick and Tim Sylvia never had a chance.

fedor Emelianenko vs Tim.Sylvia
Uploaded by chuteboxe57

Remember Mark Hunt?

2008-07-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Mark Hunt was more than a large heavywieght in Pride. Primarily a stone headed kick boxer that transitioned to MMA, he's done alright for himself. Dude is hard to knockout, quick on his feet, but lacking knowledge on the ground. Nonetheless, an exciting fighter who has faced tough heavyweights in Pride.

So what happened when Zuffa bought Pride?

MMAWeekly: After the Pride sale it was believed your contract was held by the UFC. Tell us about that period and maybe clear up a little about what exactly was happening there?

Mark Hunt: Well, after the sale of Pride, I thought I was unemployed. Apparently that wasn’t the case. I wanted to get work elsewhere, but I couldn’t because (the UFC) had my contract and said I couldn’t go anywhere while they had it. But they said they were going to put on a show in Japan that I could go on and all that stuff. I don’t know what happens in the office, but what I was told was that I couldn’t go and do (professional) wrestling because it would be considered as one of my fights. So you know I just had to wait it out. And the thing was that I waited it out for a year and a half and I got nothing for it. At first they denied my contract being with them, but my manager showed them some things that showed my contract followed over to them.

MMAWeekly: So they really pushed the no fight clause?

MH: Yeah, well, the worst thing about that no fight clause is that I got no money for the contract. So I sat out waiting for no real reason. And even if I could have got a fight, they have the weight limit and I couldn’t have made that anyway.

We may never know all that happened in the Pride FC Sale to Zuffa, owners of the UFC. But it looked like they kept Hunt's contract without the intention of ever using him, thereby potentially keeping other orgs from signing him and restricting Hunt from making money.

If I were Hunt, I'd be pissed about having a contract, but unable to earn any money. Hunt (at least in the interview), is surprisingly easy going about the way things turned out.

Thanks to MMAWeekly for the interview.

Jesus Didn't Tap....Dot Com

2008-07-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Holy shit. Did anyone else see Marcus Aurelio's t-Shirt when he entered to fight Tyson Griffin?

Does anyone else find it way beyond obvious that Jesus didn't tap while he was stuck on a crucifix?

Griffin Over Rampage

2008-07-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Big bold letters. I was wrong. Forrest Griffin defeated Quinton Rampage Jackson. However, it was a much closer fight that I thought. I was loaded up on whisky while I watched the fight, so the last thing I was doing was keeping score round by round. I just watched and enjoyed it.

Cruising through Bloodyelbow and Five Ounces of Pain, all of which are great blogs, there's talk of whether the decision could have gone Rampage's way. My gut feeling, while totally trashed, was that Forrest won. He didn't exactly dominate Rampage, but Rampage never really got off. Griffin's rhythm was on and he fought a fight he wanted to fight. His bright moments in the fight outshone Rampage's bright moments.

I was impressed with Griffin's use of his legs to hurt Rampage's lead knee and then control the distance after he had Rampage hurt. It wasn't going to finish Rampage, but he couldn't do anything to close the distance with that knee hurt. I was impressed that Rampage kept going and even got better after that knee buckled on him. In the end, both guys were good and class acts after the fight. Let's not ruin it with talk of whether Griffin deserved to win, he did, and he looked better that night. And let's hope Rampage's knee is ok, because I can't wait to see him fight again.

Rampage Over Forrest Griffin

2008-07-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised that many people have Forrest Griffin picked to upset Quinton Rampage Jackson. While I know that Griffin is tough as boulder, I don't think that he can beat Jackson no matter that he trains at Xtreme Couture with Wanderlei Silva, who has beaten Jackson twice. Nor do I think that Jackson getting subbed at a grappling match on The Ultimate Fighter reality show means anything.

The reason I liked Jackson so much was from getting to see his fights in Pride. He fought a lot on short notice, was always set up to lose, but came out on top against good submission guys and top strikers. On experience alone, I think it edges Jackson over Griffin. The only way Jackson loses this fight is if he underestimates Griffin, who's tough as a bolder. On Forrest's first pro win (scroll 1/3 down page):

"Forest Griffin also fought a great fight against the 15 time South African freestyle wrestling champion. His opponent came out and slammed Forest into the mat with probably the most impressive take down I have ever seen in an MMA match. From there Forest held guard, and cooked his opponent. Within two minutes his opponent was completely gassed, and Forest got to his feet, used the clinch to stop a second takedown, and take his opponents back. As his opponent laid in quarter position forest dropped knees to the head, and then finished with a rear naked choke. After the fight I discovered that Forest had actually dislocated his shoulder in the first few seconds of the match when his opponent slammed him into the ring. Forest ignored the dislocation, continued to fight anyway, and won the match! Look in the dictionary under tough, and there should be a picture of Forest."

I don't see Jackson gassing, but I see it as a tough fight for him, but his to lose.

Affliction May Not Be Joke Afterall

2008-07-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about Affliction's plans to enter the world of MMA promotions, I thought it was a joke. Not a practical joke, but a laughable affair to go from T-shirt maker to organization MMA fights and everything that goes with it.

When Affliction got Donald Trump as a partner, I began to think otherwise. They're putting on a great card on July 19th, and they're now talking about their next event in Oct/Nov. I hope this T-shirt company can pull it off, and I apologize for any previous post making fun at them.

I also like that they will be showing undercard fights on FSN, which is free. Megadeth is ok too and would have been killer if I was still 17.

Another Shamrock Enters MMA

2008-06-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

There appears to be another Shamrock entering MMA. This is what we know. It's 18 year old Jeff Shamrock, nephew of Ken Shamrock. He's signed with San Jose based fight org, Strikeforce, and he's been training at the Lion's Den.

If Jeff is a nephew to Ken, then would he also be a nephew of Frank Shamrock? It's interesting that all the articles I've found make no mention of Frank Shamrock, especially when Jeff has signed with Strikeforce, which is Franks hometown and backyard fight org.

Hope the kid does well. May the Shamrock/Gracie rivalry continue.

Nick Diaz to NOT Fight KJ Noons

2008-06-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Bummer. Nick Diaz will not be fighting KJ Noons for the Elite XC lightweight title. He'll be fighting Thomas Denny on July 26th on Elite XC's second showing on CBS.

Well this is a blog, so damn here's my opinion! Thomas Denny is famous recently for kicking Malapeit's butt. Malapeit is a bad ass kickboxer who has no business on the ground. Denny is alright, but he's not in Diaz's field. I'd much rather see Diaz fight Noons just because or I'd like to see him fight Hayato Mach Sakurai for the Dream Belt.

Second, Nick Diaz is not going to be fighting in California with Armando Garcia at the helm of the Cali Athletic Commission. Back in Feb of 2006, Diaz's submission win over Takanori Gomi got ruled a no contest after he test positive for smoking ganja. Then a year later, he got axed from Elite XC's card for ganja issues again.

Since Elite XC's July 26th card is in Stockton, California, I don't see the complications of Diaz's ganja issues being sorted out between Diaz and CSAC nazi Armando Garcia. If Elite XC has it together... they'd have sorted this shit out already, and I'd be ranting about nothing. I have this sinking feeling that it's not sorted out. Damn.

I am one of the few that like Nick Diaz in the ring and out of the ring, and I would love to see him beat the snot out of Denny (or Hayato Sakurai or KJ Noons), but I don't see this fight happening in Cali.

Big John McCarthy in Affliction's Announcer's Booth

2008-06-25T08:16:00.002-07:00

Big John McCarthy will be at the announcer's table with Mauro Ranallo for Affliction's July 19th show. Many of us know McCarthy as the ref for the UFC since UFC 2 till early this year when he retired from reffing and taken a postion with the Fight Network.

I've always just regarded him as a ref until I read his interviews about his early days in the sport, working with the Gracies, his own MMA experience, and decision making in the middle of fight. After watching Dan Miragliotta's performance as a ref, I appreciate McCarthy that much more.

After listening to Bill Goldberg, Mauro Ranallo, and Stephen Quadros as announcers, I've realized what they really lacked was mat time and fight experience. McCarthy may not be an MMA vet, but I think his own MMA training experience and time as an MMA ref will be very nice at the announcer's table.

Gary Shaw Getting the Boot?

2008-06-25T07:58:00.001-07:00

According to MMA Payout, there's speculation about Gary Shaw, Elite XC head honcho, being replaced.

"Multiple sources have told MMAPayout.com that the expected move is another example of CBS's growing influence on the company. Santa Monica Capital Partners, the largest shareholder in the company, is also believed to have taken a more active role in the company of late."

I want to know who CBS is planning to replace him with. The job of a running a fight org isn't as easy as it looks and placing some dude with mass TV credentials.... well it might be good, but we'll see. We've seen Mark Cuban take a stab at an MMA promotion of his own, M-1 Global has big backing of Siebling Corp (or some nonsense) and where are they now? Jury is still out on Donald Trump's partnership with Affliction.

Thanks to Bloodyelbow.

Good Cop Joins the UFC

2008-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Lorenzon Fertitta leaves his post in Station Casinos to work full time on the UFC alongside Dana White. The Fertitta brothers own Station Casinos and the UFC and have Dana White in charge of it as it's president. Much has been said about how this is a good move for the UFC. I agree.

Dana White for all major strides he's made for the UFC, has also made a lot of enemies along the way. He's always come out on top of the fueds with the massive UFC PR machine, but were those fueds even necessary? And could those fueds been avoided in the first place?

Tito Ortiz upon leaving, stated his gratitude to the Fertitta brothers, but gave Dana White the finger. Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Andre Arlovski, and Fedor Emelianenko are all top 10 heavyweights that have chosen not to fight for the UFC, despite the UFC being the dominant fight org in America. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Pat Miletich, Maurice Smith are just a few names that pop into my head that have stated serious problems with the UFC over money and respect.

So maybe Lorenzo Fertitta will bring in some balance to the brash, oversensitive, and grudgey Dana White. Play the good cop, while Dana White plays the bad cop. Maybe they'd stop suing people for using the term "fighting championship".

Challenges in the Cage Elite XC Style... Dong!

2008-06-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Carlos Arias for this Nick Diaz interview. This interview is long and typical of most Nick Diaz interviews, rambly, full of "Fuck", "Shit", and anger. If you are a Diaz fan, it's a good read. If don't like him, it'll give you plenty more reason to not like him.

After watching the KJ Noons post fight interview, I thought it was just a little corny to have Diaz enter the ring. After Diaz had defeated Mushin Corbbrey, he didn't appear to want to stay for the interview. It seemed like it was the last place he wanted to be. So when Bill Goldberg introduces Diaz and it just gets awkward, it didn't seem natural, too WWF like. This is what Diaz said about it:

“T.J. Thompson from Icon Sport. He brought me in there. He told me, ‘It’s time to go to work. Let’s go in there and talk about this rematch.’ So he brought me in there. I don’t know who was crazy enough to let my whole (expletive) crew run up in there with me, but I’m glad because I ain’t going to go in there and get smacked on by this old guy and a bunch of whoever he’s got in there."

Either way, Diaz has a huge chip on his shoulder and it comes through in the interview. What really stirkes me is he fights at such a methodical pace. He seems anything but enraged when he's fighting.

To Elite XC: Just Let MMA Happen

2008-06-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Elite XC made a big lousy splash last May with it's first network MMA on CBS. The fights were stopped too early, bad ref calls, and lots of controversy afterwards. It was a little disaster despite the high ratings.

Elite XC this past June 14th was a much better event. There weren't any controversial stoppages or stand ups or paranoid Athletic Commision people stopping fights. If Elite XC could have shown this as their CBS Debut, it would have been a much better showing. I'd even go as far to say that all other Elite XC events were better than what happen on the May CBS card.

The Athletic Commissions should just relax and let the fights happen. The refs should also just let the fights happen. Don't worry about the way MMA is going to be perceived by the general public. It's a fight. Blood spills and noses get broken.

Elite XC Return of The King Fights

2008-06-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Finaly watched the Elite XC Return of the King Fights. Wayne Cole got schooled by Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Cole definitely looks strong and powerful and a little athletic. He pulled out an armbar last time I saw him, but he just lacked a real flow to his game and Cavalcante exposed him in all aspects of the fight game. First round TKO.

Tony Bonello was introduced to the ring as “The Colorful” Tony Bonello. I thought it was because of his tattoos, but really it was because he’s a little nutty. Murilo "Ninja" Rua may not be as scary as he was when he burst onto the scene 7 years ago, but it’s just stupid to piss off one of those (ex) Chute Boxe guys. In case, you haven’t seen the in ring staredown. Ninja made an excellent transition to using elbow with the unified rules and smashed the shit out of Bonello from side mount, and ended it with a knee ride, rape choke (is there a better name for this?), and multiple punches to Bonello’s face.

During the pre-fight videos, Tony Bonello talked a lot about his submissions and his ground game. When he pulled guard on Ninja, he really didn't show us anything on the ground. He got his guard passed, got mounted, got knee rode, didn't try to recover guard, and generally got beaten into a paste.

Ron Waterman had the right idea against Dave Herman. “Take the lengthy Herman down and do some damage”. Herman stayed cool and got back to his feet each time Waterman got him down. Waterman at 42 years of age, at this point looked worn out and Herman TKO’d him. Waterman has been a tough dude. He may not have been the meanest G n Pounder, but he could get people down, stay on top, and grind away.

Mushin Corbbrey was labeled as a slow starter. Guess what? Nick Diaz is an even slower starter. Cobbrey showed good head movement and nice strikes early, but if you tally up strikes thrown between Diaz and Cobbrey, I’m sure Diaz comes out with more strikes per minute. Now these strikes aren’t exactly the most damaging, but they are distracting enough to any opponent. Opponents have to acknowledge Diaz's jabs with head movement or a slip or a block or just get hit. Second, when Cobbrey got to tired or lazy to slip those jabs, here comes the left hand of Diaz (he’s a southpaw). Third, constantly dealing with those jabs really takes away from his own offense. Diaz may start slow and lacks explosiveness, but he just keeps coming and is more than willing to trade. I’d like to see him explode more with his takedowns and take fewer punches despite his hard head.

I would not have thought the KJ Noons vs Yves Edwards would have ended the way it did in the first round. Edwards thought he had Noons hurt and came charging forward and got caught perfectly by Noons and dropped to the floor. Though Edwards was alert, he couldn’t deal with the Noons onslaught. Noons is an explosive dude.

I expected Edwards to trade some, but I didn’t expect him to get caught early and get followed up on like that. He may not have been hurt too bad, but when multiple light-speed elbows are crashing down like that, the ref has got to stop the fight. That said, I hope to see Edwards fight again sooner than later. He’s still one of my favorite fighters to watch.

Next up for Noons will be his rematch with Nick Diaz. I could see a ref calling the fight with Noons stopping Diaz early. Only because Noons is more explosive and may appear to overwhelm Diaz in the beginning, much like Takanori Gomi did (we all know how that ended). However, if Diaz doesn’t get in too bad a trouble where the ref has to end the fight, I see the slow starting Diaz wearing out Noons and finishing him within the 5 rounds.

Nick Diaz/KJ Noons After Scuffle Thoughts

2008-06-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Life's been too busy to watch MMA. It hasn't exactly sucked, but it's rare that these many fun things happen I can't get to a fight. Or maybe there's just SOOOO much MMA these days.

Anyway, I've heard more about the Nick Diaz and KJ Noons after fight scuffle at this past weekend's Elite XC than about their respective fights (finally tonight, I am going to watch the fights). The Diaz brothers have a huge chip on their shoulders. That translates into perceived disrespect anytime someone doesn't kiss their ass or looks at them wrong. Nick Diaz has already thrown a shoe at Deigo Sanchez and fought in the hospital with Joe Riggs, so it's really no surprise that a huge kerfuffle happened this weekend.

At the core of things, he's more fighter than most other MMA guys out there. Not only does he like to fight MMA, he feels like he needs to fight in every other aspect of his life to get anything. Namely respect and recognition. At least he's a decent fighter in the ring.

Affliction July 19th Card Receives Counter Programming

2008-06-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

So it's official. The UFC will present an Ultimate Fight Night on Spike TV, July 19th. That's the same night as Affliction's debut. Of course if UFC president, Dana White says something, don't expect his actions to follow suit.

White once proclaimed Fedor Emelianenko as one of the best and he was going to have him in the UFC. When that didn't pan out, White went sour grapes and said Emelianenko wasn't even top 5. He's also called all the other fight orgs lousy and unable to last or compete with the UFC.

Am I surprised that the UFC has scrambled to put together a last minute card the same date Affliction's debut? Not at all. Truth is, White deems Affliction as competition. Affliction several top 10 heavyweights (Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, and Andre Arlovski, Josh Barnett) on the same card is competition. Thus, Dana White putting on the fight card the same night IS competing with Affliction despite what he says. He doesn't want MMA fans or existing UFC fans to watch Affliction, much less see recognized UFC fighters outside of the UFC.

Is it a good move? Yes, and it's a very shrewd and calculated move. It's an attempt to undercut Affliction before they even get started. However, Affliction has the better card and they have top heavyweight fighters that the UFC could not sign or have left the UFC.

Another weekend of MMA.

2008-06-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

So I've been damn busy building boards. I'm not even going to be around to watch Elite XC on Showtime. In fact, I didn't watch UFC 85 or Sengoku and caught all the results via MMA bloggers.

Anyway, I have my DVR set for Elite XC, Return of the King (Who is the King anyway?), and I promise to return with some blinding insight.

After Re-watching Saturday Night Fights

2008-06-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

First off, I'm not saying anything another blogger hasn't already reported or what many fans already think. But since I posted NJ Athletic Commission spokesperson, Nick Lembo's response to Elite XC's stoppages, I must follow up.

I re-watched the Gina Carano/Kaitlin Young fight. From seeing it, I was not convinced that the Young was unable to continue. It was a matter of seconds they made the decision. She looked terrible and the round ended just in time for Young. But I thought she had more fight in her. CBS moved on so quick to Gina and didn't show anymore of Young, so it could have been over, couldn't really call Conspiracy on it. However over on Bloodyelbow.com, they have Kaitlin Young denying that she was ever thankful to the Athletic Commission (as Dr Sherry Wulkan said) for stopping the fight. In fact, she says she was ready to rock and roll for round 3 despite the round 2 beating.

I also rewatched Robbie Lawler/Scott Smith. I can't read lips, so I couldn't see what Smith was saying to the doc after the eye poke. But it was just about 2-3 minutes after the eye poke that doc called the fight. Immediately after the doc called the fight, Smith scream NO! several times and jumps around disappointedly waving his hands. He then walks across the cage to Lawler's corner. Pretty good for a guy that supposed that can only see out of one eye.

Kimbo Slice/James Thompson is not even worth talking about. Bad stoppage. I am sure that those elbows against the cage weren't really hurting Slice. I am also sure that Thompson wasn't out of it when they stopped the fight.

Bad decisions at Elite XC's debut on network TV. The NJ Athletic Commission played it all wrong. I understand bad calls by the ref in heat and speed of the moment, but these terrible decisions don't have the luxury of that excuse. They were too worried about a bloody pulp of a girl on primetime, they played it way too safe on Scott Smith's eye, and they saved Kimbo. Docs and refs are there to protect the fighter, not the viewers at home from a bad KO, not a fighter's reputation, not ratings.

It wouldn't have been the end of the world is Kimbo Slice lost to James Thompson. Nor would it be if Kaitlin Young got busted up further and they stop it 1 minute into round 3. Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler... bad decision.

Nick Lembo From NJ Athletic Commission Responds to Saturday Night Fight Stoppages

2008-06-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sam Caplan at Five Ounces of Pain.com interviews Nick Lembo of the New Jersey Athletic Commission regarding the questionable stoppages from Elite XC's Saturday Night Fights. I think Nick is a stand up guy strictly on his honesty regarding the Zuffa Myth. So I will take his comments into serious account and I am watching Saturday Night Fights again.

Here are some Nick Lembo quotes from the interview:

1) Dr. Sherry Wulkan — who is a long-time MMA and kickboxing doctor, who trains herself, she felt there was a possibility of an orbital fracture. Of course, that could not be determined on the spot; there was no machine that could be used to examine the injury at that point. However, she was concerned about the laceration and the hematoma that was forming under Kaitlin’s eye, and she was concerned that it would affect her ability to see and the ability to protect herself and see punches coming from that side... Dr. Wulkan asked Kaitlin where she was three times. The first time, Kaitlin did not respond. During the second and third attempts, the doctor indicated that Kaitlin’s response was garbled.

2) At that point, Scott said “I can’t see out of my eye.” Then at that point Dan said to him “I’m going to call in the doctor to look at you. I’m telling you that if you tell the doctors that you can’t see, they are going to stop the fight.” Dr. Angela Gagliardi went in there first to examine Scott and she said that “He said he could not see.” And then she came back and told me that and I said, “Of course he can’t see, he just got poked in the eye.”

At that point, I called for Dr. Sherry Wulkan, who again, is a top MMA doctor for us and was working as the nearby cage entrance. And I called her in to say “Hey, this is a championship fight, I want you specifically to look at Scott because nobody wants a fighter that can’t continue medically to continue but you have the most experience with MMA.” She goes up to Scott and asks, “How’s your vision?” He goes, “I can’t see at all.” And she said to him “What do you mean you can’t see?” And he responded “I mean I can’t see.” Next, she said to him, “What does that mean? Is it blurry? Is it fuzzy?” And he goes, “I told you, I can’t see at all. I could get knocked out.” At that point in time she asked “Is your vision improving? After a poke in the eye, your vision should be improving by now.” And Scott said his vision wasn’t improving at all and said “I can’t see.”

3) Sam Caplan: The other question pertaining to that fight was the stoppage itself. The feeling by some people, and I guess it’s my feeling too, was that James Thompson could have possibly continued.

Nick Lembo: Well, I say it’s kind of funny because you’re damned if you do; damned if you don’t. Before the fight I received calls from the press and gave interviews to publications like Full Contact Fighter, where I am on record being criticised for allowing the fight to happen because people were telling me that James Thompson had no business being in the cage with Kimbo. And now it’s being criticised that the fight was stopped prematurely because it was such a competitive fight. At the end of the second round, Dan came up to me and said “Both fighters are completely exhausted.” And he didn’t think they were going to complete the next round and basically he stood them up because, again, there was no damage and he thought whoever connected with some decent punches standing that the fight was going to end. At that point, I immediately went into see him and asked him why did you stop the fight? And he said “Thompson’s eyes looked odd. His head went back and he dropped his hands.” And then we he swatted at Dan, I asked him “Do you want me to recommend a suspension for James?” And he said, “Nick, I don’t even think he knew who I was at that point.” And once he regrouped, he immediately apologized.

I know I dropped a whole lot of quotage from the interview, but it's worth reading. Now I'm going to do my own pseudo fact checking via DVR.

2008-06-02T15:24:00.001-07:00

Saturday Night Fights was the first MMA on primetime. While we are sure that Elite XC wanted Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice to win and for MMA to be portrayed in a positive light, it seems like others were also vested in that outcome. The State Athletic Commission’s referees and doctors actively played a part in nipping the fights in the bud. I thought the stoppages were earlier most stoppages and were conservative on the side of not allowing a nasty beatdown on primetime TV.

It could be justified that Jon Murphy was no going to respond to the Brett Rogers onslaught. It could also be justified that Phil Baroni looked out of it enough to wave of Joe Villasenor. But what happened to Kaitlin Young? As round 2 ended, Young was on the losing end of a Gina Carano beatdown. In no way was she done, but Young’s face looked pretty bruised up. The official announcement was that Kaitlin Young could not continue. “Could not continue” and “Don’t want a girl to look all fucked up on TV” are hugely different. Refer to previous post here about Scott Smith getting poked in the eye and the doc calling the fight. Arrrrgggggghhhhhhh.

To top it all off, Kimbo Slice gets his first real test from James Thompson. Thompson’s ear explodes in round 3, eats a couple more, and the fight is… over? This fight could have continued and it could have gone either way. It’s going to be hard to justify stopping the main event on the last Kimbo barrage when Thompson had Kimbo trapped against the fence eating elbows and they didn’t stop the fight. I don’t think the Thompson beating against the fence was good enough for a stoppage nor do I think that Kimbo had Thompson damaged to the point of stoppage.

Funny thing is, the people that had the authority to stop the fights were NOT employees of Elite XC and a member of any fighter’s club. The doctors and referees work for the State Athletic Commission, independent of Elite XC. But their actions this past Saturday shows otherwise. It seemed like they were afraid to let fights play out completely. Were they afraid of the perception from the new audience? Did they unconsciously play into keeping it PG? Were they just waiting for Kimbo Slice to win and got itchy when it played out differently?

Ultimately, more damage was done by trying to censor and steer the product than to let it play out. If MMA is going to be perceived as bloody sport, then that’s just what it is. Elite XC can claim it and be genuine. Instead, it’ll be bad decisions and early stoppages that this monumental event will be remembered for.

Scott Smith vs Robbie Lawler. Argh.

2008-06-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

This was disappointing. The doc ends the fight because Scott Smith said he couldn’t see. Most people would have said that 30 seconds after they’ve been poked in the eye. Ask him after 5 minutes. Give the man time to recover, that’s what the rules state.

The stoppage by the doc was premature. Smith was obviously wanted to continue and looked fine. It really put a wet blanket on the momentum the previous fights had built up. We had a great fight on our hands with the rug pulled out from under us. I personally think that the docs and refs were being waaay too conservative. They were afraid to let MMA play out like it normally would due to prime time stage of CBS.

Up to that point, it was a kick ass fight that had me on the edge of my seat. Scott Smith showed serious heart coming back after each Lawler onslaught. Smith threw with serious power and seemed a little more intense and anxious. Lawler was relaxed and looked like he was just waiting to go in for the kill. He would batter Smith real good and then back off. It really looked like he could have ended it a couple times and was really just having fun toying with Smith.

On the bright side, both fighters get their win bonuses.

2008-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Suki is the connection to MMA in Japan. She pretty much combs the news and blogs in Japan, translates, and posts in English for us. Anyway, she's got this entry about Yushin Okami's visit to the dentist with a picture (his first since elementary school).

What the hell is that?!? If those are his wisdom teeth... he's got some serious problems with that mouth.

CBS Elite XC Fight Night

2008-05-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

We just need to get this event over with. I am so tired of people defending and trashing Kimbo Slice's spot on the main event. He and Gina Carano have got name recognition miles above anyone else on the card, so why not?

Would the Rolling Stones play before Matchbox Twenty? Would Madonna open for Justin Timberlake?

Penn vs St Pierre Anytime

2008-05-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'd like to see a fight between lightweight and welterweight champs, BJ Penn and Georges St Pierre. I don't really care when it happens. The first fight was exciting and close, ending in a split decsion for St Pierre. Both fighters are still young and have mature since.

Both guys also still have plenty of ass to kick in their respective divisions. I think Penn vs Kenny Florian would be the toughest challenger for Penn at lightweight, after that there's nobody there that can touch him. For GSP, I think he beats everyone at welterweight convincingly and it will be fun to watch. If Penn and St Pierre meet this year, great. If they meet later after decimating their respective weight divisions, it'll just make the fight that much sweeter with a great storyline.

Sherk Post UFC 84

2008-05-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yikes. This from the MMAweekly vid section.

Wanderlei Silva Smashes Keith Jardine

2008-05-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the Ortiz/White feud and BJ beating Sean Sherk, there was an excellent knockout thanks to Wanderlei Silva. First round, Jardine moved in with a test kick and got nailed by Silva. Silva lands a couple more before Jardine lands on the canvas. Silva sees Jardine in a daze and mauls him.

I just a had good feeling when I saw Wanderlei in his corner before the fight, rolling his clenched hands and kissing his glove. Thank You, Axe Murderer.

How Bad Does Tito Need to Win?

2008-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone says Tito Ortiz needs a win. It's his final fight on his UFC contract with free agency on the horizon. Entering free agency, you want to look as good as possible. But Ortiz hasn't looked good outside of beating Ken Shamrock, who's well past his prime. Forrest Griffin gave him a hard time, he beat Rashad Evan (despite the judges draw) uneventfully, and he hasn't won convincingly in a while.

People are interested in seeing Tito Ortiz. It's not his just performance in the cage that gets viewership. It's his attitude or mouth or perhaps charisma. People want to see him and a lot of them want to see him beaten up. If Dana White really wanted hurt his free agency only, he would have buried him on the undercard, like Andrei Arlovski. White however, knows the drawing power of Ortiz and smartly places him on the televised card, to be beaten by rising star, Lyoto Machida.

If Ortiz can win against Machida at UFC 87, he's defeated a budding star. That'll only make his mouth more caustic once he is a free agent. However, I don't think a loss here would hurt him as bad as many think. He mouth is too big and he's just too cocky to not want to see him lose. Combine that with his non UFC TV appearances on Celebrity Apprentice and National Geographic and potentially ending up with network exposure on Elite XC, I don't see his career suffering too bad with a loss at UFC 87.

Personally, I don't think Tito has the ability to catch Machida. If he starts reaching with his sub par striking and shooting his takedown from the outside without engaging his hands, he'll get picked apart. I'm sure he'll get Machida down at some point. Although that's where Ortiz wants the fight, it won't be enough as Machida's got some skills to defend himself. With just 5 minutes each round, it may not be enough time for Ortiz to do anything.

I wish Tito luck this fight and hope he ends his UFC career with a win and moves on to better things. It'll be better for him anywhere but the UFC.

George St Pierre to Defend Against Jon Fitch at UFC 87

2008-05-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Mark Coleman is injured and unable to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 87. So we'll have GSP smacking around Jon Fitch as a replacement main event. I'm not disappointed. GSP didn't really suffer much in his fight with Matt Serra, and really didn't have his next fight in the UFC calendar yet. Fitch also hasn't fought since in his win over Chris Wilson early March.

We never heard anything of Coleman's injury until yesterday. At the same time as the announcement, we're also hearing about the replacement bout. Leads me to think that they have known about the injury for a while and kept it hush until they had a replacement bout.

This is a much better fight than Coleman vs Lesnar. Better fighters and championship significance.

What's a Decent Income For Top Level Fighter?

2008-05-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

This from NFL.com. The team owners wish to opt out of their current contract with the players union. NFL team owners want to opt of our their contract with the Players Union The owners say that they are paying players just under 60% of their revenue, which totaled $4.5 billion this year.

I'll guess there are 50 players on a team. With a 50 player roster on 32 teams earning a total of $4.5 Billion, that comes to an average of $2.8 million per player. Who knows how accurate these number are, but anything close to 60% of revenue is a healthy income.

This is what a union does. It advocates for the workers to make sure they are getting a fair share of the pie. In football, it’s the workers include the players on the field. In MMA, it includes fighters in the cage. I’m not sure yet if MMA needs a union. But I will say that there should be some oversight regarding how fighters are being compensated in pay, acquiring sponsorships, and negotiations particularly in the UFC.

Every fight org needs to make money. There’s a lot work going on behind the scenes and it takes money to produce a show. Many fight orgs have come and gone. Elite XC owes money, the IFL owes money. The UFC didn’t fare any better until they landed on Spike TV. But don’t forget about the talent that is necessary for this unique product that is MMA.

If the business side of a fight show needs bodies in the cage to survive, then they should be getting a decent amount of money. The UFC parent company, Zuffa, runs casinos. Showtime is in the TV entertainment business. Affliction does stupid tee shirts. Golden Boy, until they dropped out of MMA, had Boxing. Point is, they all make money doing something else and want to use MMA and it’s fighters as another income outlet.

If the screen actors, writers, ball players have united representation, maybe it’s time for fighters to have it too. What’s a decent amount of money for an MMA fighter? Depends on who you ask and what level they are competing at. I say percentage of revenue is a good place to start. And the UFC or any fight org should not keep fighters from acquiring sponsorships just because they don’t like the sponsor. And finally, these ridiculous contracts that the UFC draws up that are finally seeing the light of day need to be tossed out.

10 Minute Rounds Rule

2008-05-12T00:00:00.001-07:00

I love the 10 minute round. It really allows the fighters to fight and shine.

Joachim Hansen vs Eddie Alvarez

2008-05-11T23:44:00.000-07:00

Round I

Round II

Joachim Hansen is one bad dude. Unfortunately for him he could not afford to start out slow against Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez is fast, powerful, and very versatile. He can put a beating on the feet and if he's on top, he will do damage. Hansen shows great heart and has 1.5 good submission attempts, but really just can't keep up with Alvarez.

With his last 2 wins over Hansen and Andre Dida, I'll have to put Alvarez in the top 10 lightweights. Very impressive performance by Alvarez.

Katsuya Inoue vs Nick Diaz

2008-05-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Diaz has a granite chin and workman like unstoppable cardio. Hayato Sakurai is going to have his hands full with Diaz. In fact, I'll call it now. Diaz wins over Sakurai.

I'm pretty impressed about Diaz's performance considering he wasn't even sure he was going to be fighting and had to cut weight last minute.

Caol Uno vs Mitsuhiro Ishida

2008-05-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Round I

Round II

Nice to see Uno beat out a win. Surprise Ishida didn't force the ground game until he was in trouble.

Jason Miller vs Katsuyori Shibata

2008-05-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Jason Mayhem Miller sporting some very nice zebra leggings in a dominant win over Katsuyori Shibata.

Yawn... More Kimbo Bashing

2008-05-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Surprising. More Kimbo hate as we roll toward May 31st, Elite XC's debut of Saturday Night Fights on CBS. I thought we've hit that tipping point where hating Kimbo would be too trendy, that it's be hip to like him. I was wrong.

SI.com's Ben Fowlkes has an article that almost hates Kimbo but comes around at the end. Personally, I like Kimbo Slice. He handles interviews well, can talk up a fight, and yet is humble enough to realize he's "a little fish in a big pond". I don't see how Fowlkes can claim that "Kimbo is bad -- bad for the sport, bad for his race, bad for the impressionable youth who see him on TV." Let me say something about TV, it's full of shit. Ever watch the local news? I don't see a difference between Kimbo fighting or anyone else fighting as being good or bad for youth to watch. Kids will like what they like no matter what we do to shelter them. If MMA is on TV, be educated about it, don't kill your TV. I'm sick and tired of people throwing an image of a poor little snot nosed kid whenever they are trying to make their opinion stick.

"Instead of working his way up the ranks the way any other fighter would have, Slice was fast-tracked for success because of his drawing power. He fought a series of high-profile fights against opponents with losing records. He spent no more than a few minutes in the cage. And yet the hype would have us believe that he's already arrived".

I have a 3 word response, The Ultimate Fighter. Remember all the hate that TUF cast got? All those veterans putting in time in the dark years of MMA were indeed a little miffed the young kids came into the big show so easily. TUF Cast members had more fans that established UFC fighters overnight. Do we still hate Forrest Griffen or Joe Stevenson or Diego Sanchez or think they were "fast tracked" for success? Do we even remember they were from a reality show? Fowlkes complaint is more that Elite XC is riding the Kimbo wave as long as possible before he tanks.

I agree that Kimbo is still unproven. I don't have a problem with a fight org building a fighter (to a certain point). I certainly don't have a beef with Kimbo Slice being on prime time.

Where is Dan Henderson?

2008-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Since Chris Leben is off the UFC 85 card against Micheal Bisping, I think Henderson is a great choice to fill in. However, it's probably not a good fight to build Bisping. They want to make him look like a contender, not a bear mauling victim.

Henderson's fights so far in the UFC have both been defeats. Once to LHW Champ Quinton Jackson and the other to Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva. Those 2 pretty much beat everyone at this point in their careers. Henderson against Rich Franklin is going to be 50/50, will be a great fight and could easily be a co-headliner.

How about building up Henderson a bit to the US fans? Is that too much to ask. Can't we see Travis Lutter or Jeremy Horn or Dean Lister get torched by Henderson first? Is that too much to ask? Henderson is top 5 at middleweight and I don't understand why he isn't being built up to the US fans.

BJ Penn Shows Up at UFC 84

2008-05-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

“…how relaxed can I be and how little can I do in order to beat this guy? Come on, that's not a fighter! That's not why I got into fighting, to see how easily I can beat a guy without even trying. That's not why I got into fighting. I got into fighting to fucking smash somebody. Not to hurt them because as soon as the fight's over, it's over.”

- BJ Penn 2003, just before defeating Matt Hughes the first time.

BJ Penn is a fighter. But he’s not the kind of fighter that just fights. It’s the challenge of a goooood fight that gets him excited. Perhaps even a grudge. So for those people that say “…it depends if BJ shows up in shape” or “…depends on which BJ Penn shows up”, I say BJ Penn with all his potential and focus shows up against Sean Sherk on May 24th at UFC 84.

When BJ Penn left the UFC 170 pound title in 2004, it wasn’t for nothing. He left because he wanted the challenge of fighting above and beyond his weight class. In that time, he fought as high as 205 against Lyoto Machida, losing the decision. When Penn moved up in weight the first time to challenge Matt Hughes, nobody gave him a chance. I remember reading one particular Penn pre fight interview. I got the sense that not only was he excited about the Hughes fight, he knew he had it in him to beat Hughes, and he wasn't scared. Not only did he win, he went in the cage and took it. Hughes never got started against him.

Penn realizes that if he’s going to shine and seal his place in MMA, now is the time. There is some animosity between Sherk and Penn, mainly stemming Penn commenting on Sherk’s positive steroid test and Sherk responding that BJ smokes dope. But for Penn, I don’t think it’s about the challenge that Sherk presents or what Sherk has said about BJ. This for Penn, I believe, is about establishing himself as the greatest martial artist of all time and Sherk is simply in the way.

Nick Diaz On DREAM Afterall... for now

2008-05-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

So Nick Diaz is going to DREAM 3 to fight Katsuay Inoue. Feels like YAMMA style roller coaster match making.

Diaz already regained all the weight he was to cut for the fight. So they’re doing an overnight weight cut and then a 14 hour plane flight. Not only does he have to cut wieght quick, but travel 14+ hours to the wiegh in dehydrated. I'd hate to sit next to this grouch on the plane.

Diaz always has that “THE WORLD IS AGAINST ME” chip on his shoulder, so he should be fine. At least in Japan it’s more about an entertaining fight than winning.

It's Official. Nick Diaz Fighting on DREAM 3

2008-05-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

I was real skeptical about Nick Diaz actually being on the Dream 3 card. In fact, I called Bullshit on it. Turns out I was wrong. Graciefighter.com confirms that Diaz will fight Katsuya Inoue. The winner fights Hayato Sakurai for the belt.

That's real exciting for Diaz. The kid is talented and young and doesn't like anything better than to fight. It's a shame he doesn't fight more, and the chance to show up on the big stage of DREAM and potentially fight a legend in Sakurai is awesome for him.

As for his appearance on the June 14th Elite XC card just 5 weeks after the DREAM 3 fight, Diaz has this to say:

"I'd like to thank EliteXC President, Gary Shaw, for allowing me to take this fight. I will be going as an EliteXC fighter. I'm happy to be fighting in a ring again and hope to put on a good show for the Japanese people."

Inoue is not going to be a walk in the park for Diaz. Hopefully he comes out without injuries and fights on the June 14th Elite XC card.

Diaz on DREAM 3 Card... Or So They Claim.

2008-05-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Dream has announced that Nick Diaz will be on their May 11th Card. He will face Katsuya Inoue. My head thinks 2 things:

1) Is this for real? Bookings in Japan seems to fluxuate as much as a YAMMA card. I'm not holding my breath until I hear from Diaz's camp that he actually is fighting at DREAM 3. Japanese promotions have been notorious for announcing fights without confirming them with the fighters involved.

2) Elite XC has also announced that Diaz will be on their June 14th card in Hawaii, just 5 weeks after the DREAM card. I have my doubts that despite Elite XC allowing their fighters to fight elsewhere would allow Diaz to fight so close to their CBS network TV show. There's always the possibility of an injury that might keep Diaz out past June 14th.

I want to see Nick Diaz fight again asap. I think he's extremely talented and exciting. His addition to the June Elite XC card is excellent move considering he'll be on CBS. If I were Gary Shaw, I wouldn't want to risk him getting injured before June. I also call BULLSHIT on DREAM getting Nick Diaz for May 11th, maybe another date, but not May 11th.

Kimbo's Big... Here Comes the Hate

2008-05-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Bloody Elbow and Fightlinker (I can't remember where I saw it first), I got to read nice little article about Kimbo Slice by LZ Granderson. Pretty much, he thinks MMA and anything involved with it is only for the white man.

LZ Granderson writes that Slice has "...disregard all sense of honor, pride and history to project an image that can best be described as a cross between Lil' Wayne and Kunta Kinte -- a runaway slave with a mouth full of gold teeth playing up every single stereotype of an African-American male in exchange for short-lived adoration from a soulless media with ADD."

Granderson admits that he hasn't met or talked to Kimbo Slice. I am guessing that he hasn't talked to anyone involved in MMA. Here's a newsflash for you JZ, most the fighters on posters and promos look bad ass with mean looks, black, white, yellow, or whatever. The sport is MMA. It's one on one combat. Competitors of ALL SPORTS try to psych out their competition. This is not a fashion show.

Read the article. It's really off base. If anything it's more a partial guess of future perception that anything worthy. What I am heated about is that Granderson claims that somehow Kimbo Slice has sold his blackness for short lived fame and fortune. Slice has been fighting for years. MMA and being black for Slice isn't a gimmick. Neither is MMA is gimmick for any MMA fighter out there.

Question of the Day

2008-04-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

Are you still be interested to see a fight between Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko?

There are several things that make great fights. Timing is one of them. Just like stocks, you want to sell at peak prices. As times goes on, a fight between Couture and Emelianenko doesn't have the same allure, the fire isn't there, the stock has diminished.

As an example, it wasn't possible for Wanderlei Silva to fight Chuck Liddell until 2007. That match would have been HOT in 2003-2004. Cooler in 2005-06 as Silva lost to Ricardo Arona and Mirko Cro Cop and Liddell had lost to Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine, but still hot. Liddell/Silva was still good and I wanted to see it, but I reeeaaaally wanted it in 2003.

Do I want to see Couture/Emelianenko in 2009? It'll still be great provided that Couture hasn't aged himself out of competitiveness. But how many times have we counted Couture out because of his age? I want to see it, even if Emelianenko loses between now and then.

Shinya Aoki Decisions JZ Calvan.

2008-04-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Going to have to see if I can find Dream 2 fights when I get outta the office.

Kalib Starnes Making a Statement by Not Fighting?

2008-04-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

MMA Forums are generally aggravating for me. So, special thanks to Bloodyelbow for sleuthing the Sherdog forum for this:

"Basically he sets the record straight and backs it up with proof. As many of you know this was his last fight of the UFC contract and he has always voiced his dissatisfaction with his salary. Basically after the Kendall Grove fight where his rib was broken, UFC did NOT cover any medical bills even though it happened on the "work site".

He said that he is one of the many fighters who get injured and never compensated by the UFC. He was well aware that he was on the main card because it was Canada, and this being his last fight he decided to protest in the names of all underpaid fighters and screw over the UFC.
This is NO joke because he claimed that the only reason Dana White officially released the fight bonuses was in order to counter-act the public statement that Starnes is about to make or would have made. However, since the 75k fight bonuses were disclosed Kalib's martyr actions may not be as significant."

I get on the UFC here on this blog for what they do behind the scenes. If this is true that fighters are sent home with injuries and medical bills as a result of the show, that is not cool. In fact, it's downright disgraceful. However, I'm pretty hard pressed to understand how I was supposed to draw that conclusion from Kalib Starnes' actions at UFC 83. The man just ran backwards the entire fight. It's like a Quantum Leap episodes where Scott Bakula becomes conscious in a person unaware of his surroundings and not knowing what to do.

Hold Your Horse, Dana White.

2008-04-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

In the post fight conference, Dana White brought up the possibility of GSP moving up to Middleweight. Now even GSP is "thinking about it". I say hold it. Defeating Serra isn't exactly monumental. Yeah, it was bad ass. It may have seemed like it was much more significant than it was because the crowd in Montreal was crazy.

GSP should have beaten Serra the first time. He lost, he's matured, and now he's closed the book at that chapter of his MMA career. However, it is not yet time to move up in weight. It's time to clear out the 170 division of all contenders, only then will be time to consider a move to Middleweight or at least when GSP's metabolism starts to slow down.

In the meantime, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Karo Parisyan are on the immediate horizon.

UFC 83 Submission of the Night

2008-04-21T12:44:00.001-07:00

Submission of the Night goes to Damian Maia with his top mount triangle of Ed Herman. It's kind of a weird player and not playing great on my browser, hope it works better for everyone else.

Thanks to Pancrase.org for the vid and weird Russan version of Youtube.

UFC 83 Late Quickie

2008-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

UFC 83 in Montreal was huge. Over 21,000 in attendance and it was rockin' loud. Here's what I saw.

Mac Danzig defeats Mark Bocek
Bocek gets Danzig on the ground and controls much of the first round. Bocek looks huge. Round 2 opens and Danzig times an awesome knee to Bocek's face as he changes level. Bocek drops like a zombie. Danzig is on top and all over Bocek, but can't finish him. Bocek is a tough SOB. Finally after having his back, Danzig steps away and lets Bocek up. WTF? Bocek gets up and looks surprisingly alive for getting beaten down. Bocek finally can't hang and gets choked out in the 3rd round. Surprised Danzig didn't finish the fight earlier.

My girl's comments on Danzig being vegan: "That's a waste of a good last name"

Micheal Bisping defeats Charles McCarthy
Bisping looks svelt at 185. He did what he should have done and stopped Charles McCarthy. At one point, McCarthy had the fight on the ground and the beginning of an armbar, but could not finish as Bisping defended by stacking up. There's a counter for the stack, but McCarthy could not pull it off. Bisping gets McCarthy in the Thai Plumb and throws a thousand knees into McCarthy's head. Some get through, but many hit the forearms. Round ends and McCarthy doesn't get up.

McCarthy seemed content to be a punching bag and just cover up. He had one good takedown, and managed to get his back and start and armbar, but it all fell apart at that point. He seemed content to threaten with an armbar, but not finish. Bisping looked sharp on his feet, but then again how can you not when the guy just covers up against the fence. Hole in Bisping's game: the ground, like we know.

Nate Quarry defeats Kalib Starnes
Quarry by unanimous decision. I'd like to say Quarry looked fabulous, but really how can you look bad when Kalib Starnes is constantly running away? Actually, Quarry looked much improved. He's always been a forward moving fighter with heavy heavy hands. Tonight he showed his heavy hands with accuracy and very nice damaging leg kicks. The crowd booed Starnes throughout the fight as he constantly retreated and Quarry literally chased him all over the ring. That also made for some priceless commentary from the announcer's booth.

Kenny Florian (on Starnes): "Very difficult to win a fight by continually retreating"

A minute later:
Kenny Florian:"He looks like he's giving him (Quarry) a sparring practice"
Mike Goldberg: "If this is sparring practice, he needs to stop kicking him so hard"

Quarry wins the decision by the largest margin I've ever seen. 30-24, 30,-26, 30-27.
It was like a popularity contest. As the big screen in the Bell Centre focused on Starnes, boos. When it focused on Quarry a second later, mega cheers. Starnes, boos. Quarry, mad cheers.

Rich Franklin defeats Travis Lutter
Lutter is no nonsense. He's going for the takedown via single leg with Franklin up against the fence. Lutter is moving nicely and all over Franklin, shutting all the doors for escape. Lutter sinks a deep armbar from mount and Franklin pulls off a nice hitch-hiker escape. The round ends with Lutter trying for the takedown but eating punches.

Between rounds, we can hear Franklin's corner tell him to not to use the underhooks as a takedown defense, sprawl, and not to leave his ankle behind. Round 2 opens with Lutter unable to take Lutter down is forced to stand with Franklin. Lutter is getting hit and gassing rapidly.

Georges St Pierre defeats Matt Serra
St Pierre is very focused on the walk to the cage. He does even appear to hear the deafening crowd. Serra enters very confident and calm and getting booed from everyone in the crowd.

Immediate takedown by GSP after Serra lets his hands go. GSP is trying to pass constantly and mixing up strikes. Serra thinks about riding a high guard into a triangle or something... too late GSP is out and drops 2 hard punches to Serra's face and immediately looks to pass again. Good execution by GSP, pressure in many forms. Back to the feet, some striking and just as Serra lets his hands fly commited to moving forward, he gets taken down. Round ends with Serra on knees turtled up and GSP landing a huge knee to the body.

Immediate takedown by GSP in round 2, after a Serra kick. Frustrating for Serra. He's can't do anything on the ground, no offence, and he's getting hit. On the feet, he plants his feet and gets taken down. Serra turtled up on the ground again and GSP is delivers hard knees to Serra's ribs. Ref calls the fight. The blows shouldn't have ended the fight, but watching the replay, Serra's head was rolling around was a bit concerning and the ref took no chances. Serra was OK and didn't dispute it. Man, dude's face looks bad.

Overall, great night. Kenny Florian was good in the booth and good in the post fight interview. I like it much better when booth announcers have fight knowledge from experience. The Bell Centre was rocking loud. They booed the shit out of Matt Serra, but in the end there were no boos. In fact, it was Kalib Starnes that got the most shit from the crowd by running the entire fight. I can't confirm it yet, but I heard he got cut by the UFC.

GSP is Not Mentally Weak

2008-04-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've never thought Georges St Pierre as a mental midget or a mental weakling. For mental weaklings see Vitor Belfort, Bo Cantrell, Gabriel Gonzaga or other fighters that just plain quit. It's no secret that GSP was not in the first fight with Serra. He thought he'd win with ease. He was overconfident and under-trained. He was not mentally weak.

The fact that he sought the help of a sports psychologist is not a sign of mental weakness. It's adding to the arsenal. Ask any top fighter, they will tell you the fight game is overwhelming mental or physical. Perhaps GSP took that "mentally weak" comments to heart and hired the sports shrink. However, I have seen no indication that GSP is mentally weak or lacking in confidence or skill.

What about Sylvia vs Fedor

2008-04-16T23:57:00.001-07:00

It's like a hit and run or amnesia. About a week and half ago, Tim Sylvia vs Fedor Emelianenko for July 19th was posted in numerous MMA blogs and news sources in confidence. The next day, we see that a contract has yet to be signed. Day 3, nobody's talking about it anymore.

What short memories we have.

BJ Penn Calling Out Wanderlei

2008-04-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Bj Penn calling out Wanderlei
Uploaded by psykojojo

This video is titled "BJ Penn Calling out Wanderlei". I was strolling through Dailymotion and found this interview from 2004-05. I had forgotten all about it. BJ was bouncing around fighting above 155 and as high as Light Heavyweight against Lyoto Machida. 2004-5 was the height of Wanderlei Silva's reign. He had just defeated Quinton Rampage Jackson twice.

There's just something about his confidence about every fight that you believe what he says he's going to do, or you think he's just full of himself and unproven.

For me personally, I didn't think he had a chance against Matt Hughes in their first fight. Hughes had been unchallenged 7213 times for the belt, at his peak, appearing unbeatable. But when I read one particular pre-fight interview (which I'll post later), something felt like he might just pull it off, and he did. From then, I was sold! I thought he would do the impossible again and again. After Hughes, he had some bright spots, but also some disappointments even in victory.

Now that Penn plans to put his focus at 155, I am hoping we'll see him dominate the division like he thinks he will.

UFC 83 Fights

2008-04-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

While Georges St Pierre and Matt Serra are eating up the headlines for UFC 83, there's a few other gems on the card. It's not so much that they are great fights with lots of significance, but just really curious about how the athletes will show up. and fighters I haven't seen enough of. Here's what I'm interested in:

Rich Franklin vs Travis Lutter
Both guys coming off loses. Franklin, I think, is a solid fighter and a large Middleweight. Two complete beatdowns by Anderson Silva made him look waaay too human. But the good Christian that he is, I am sure he felt like he was Job toiling away with no love from the lord. I think as long as Franklin thinks he has the power of the lord, he'll be vying for that #2 spot for a while.

Where's Travis Lutter been? We haven't seen him since he got by Anderson Silva. We know his jits is good and his striking.... inferior to Franklin's. But what shape is he coming into this fight? Where's his head? Ring rust? Guy hasn't fought in a year.

Nate Quarry vs Kalib Starnes
Nate Quarry disappeared for 2 years after getting completely outclassed by Rich Franklin at UFC 56. He had some terrible neck injury and had to get a piece of plastic inserted into his neck so he could no longer wet his pants, came back and knocked out Pete Sell at UFC Fight Night 11. Even though he knocked out Sell, he didn't show any ability to keep from getting him in the face.

Kalib Starnes is mostly remembered for sustaining a huge fight ending gash on his forehead from Alan Belcher at UFC 77. For the most part, I don't know what to expect from him and not exactly sure where his real skill set lies.

Just plain curious about how Quarry will fight, with his hands up or down. And I'm curious to see anything I can of Starnes because I can't the image of that cut outta my head.

Micheal Bisping vs Charles McCarthy
Bisping moves to middleweight after his loss to Rashad Evans. Never know what to expect when a fighter cuts down. Will Bisping be depleted from a cut? Or will he be a monster fish in a tadpole lake? I'm was never sold on Bisping being a contender at 205. I think he's kinda sloppy and cutting weight won't clean him up.

McCarthy? I don't really care. I would think that the UFC is making a nice pad for Bisping to land on in the 185 division. Let's see how long he can slop it up at 185. This is Bisping's fight to lose unless he depletes himself on the cut.

Mac Danzig vs Mark Bocek
I just want to see more Mac Danzig. Before his stint on the Ultimate Fighter, I've only seen him at Pride 33 against Hayato Sakurai. The smaller Danzig hung tough and looked good even in defeat. Besides, the guy's a vegan. Aren't vegans supposed to be sickly and preachy?

Jeff Blatnick, YAMMA's Only Redeeming Quality

2008-04-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

I just watched some YAMMA on the Youtube and heard Jeff Blatnick's voice in the announcer's booth. That's pretty cool for me. Jeff Blatnick was the announcer for the UFC in the Meyrowitz days. The guy was the 1984 Olympic Greco gold medalist. Therefore he was the perfect fit in the UFC's early days when Wrestlers dominated the sport. His knowledge and observations were valuable to say the least, and he presented them in a very level headed yet candid manner.

He wasn't overly metaphorical like Mike Goldberg or Mauro Ranallo or weirdly nerdy like Stephen Quadros. Blatnick in the announcer's booth was... just right. I appreciate the observations and perspective of the announcers that have competed and/or participate in some element of MMA. Bas Rutten was valuable not just because he's funny, but he's been in the ring. Joe Rogan is good because he understand grappling and jiu jitsu. Jeff Blatnick was a refreshing and strangely comforting voice despite the mediocre YAMMA event.

PS: Jeff Blatnick can be booked as a motivational speaker, being an Olympian and cancer survivor.

The Art of Fighting Without Fighting

2008-04-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Remember Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee? On the ship there's an incident between Bruce and some tough guy. Tough guy challenges Bruce and the Bruce responds by stranding the guy on a boat, calling it "The Art of Fighting Without Fighting". Here's the vid:

That's the image the enters my head regarding Pete Sell dishing some shit talk to Georges St Pierre, calling him a "mental midget". This how how GSP responds with the higher road.

PS: The meat of the video begins at about 1 minute in. Start from the beginning and see some praying mantis' engage in mantis MMA.

YAMMA Shit Fighting Wasn't Good?

2008-04-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Was it terrible? Before it happened, it had the makings of a disaster. Pat Smith arrested. Gary Goodridge getting knocked out a couple weeks before YAMMA. Don Frye pulls out. Mark Kerr looks just plain fat. I didn't see the event, but SURPRISE! Everyone hated it. Some call it the worst event ever!

With MMA blooming like weeds, I think it's important to have a few shitty events out there. It only makes the front runners shine. All of a sudden, the UFC looks like a real good product and those crazy dancing bitches on Elite XC ain't so bad. That' s production. But it's also quality of fights. Again, I didn't see the fights, but who wants to see a outta shape huge Mark Kerr? Who's interested in Oleg Taktarov, who's been MIA for years. Worse part, former UFC champ, loses via small gas tank again?!?

All in all, YAMMA Shit Fighting probably did nothing to further MMA as a sport. But it did make the UFC and Elite XC look good.

Surprisingly Quiet on the Dana White Front.

2008-04-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

The usually loud and out spoken Dana White has been surprisingly silent considering all that’s happening. Fight Night 13, perhaps one of the best. New season of Ultimate Fighter. Other orgs falling apart (M-1 Global, Affliction/Golden Boy, Yamma Shit Fighting). Tim Sylvia released from his UFC contract. Sylvia fighting Fedor. And most importantly a UFC partnership with ABS/ESPN.

Usually he’s out there tooting his horn, making fun of other fight orgs, acting like he's got Little Man's Disease, or dissing Fedor. Adam Swift at MMA Payout has this, from Rolling Stones Mag:

"He's been very candid about his alcohol troubles and going sober 15 years ago, but he's also been candid about flopping off the wagon now and then. And Rolling Stone caught him in the midst of a four-month bender of drinking and over-eating."

So he’s either depressed or whatever. Who knows what the context is. Personally, I enjoy the UFC a whole lot more when I don’t see or hear Dana White.

Pete Sell Barks at GSP

2008-04-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's not news anymore, nor was it really news last week... but Pete Sell publically calls Georges St Pierre a mental midget. Perhaps Sell is just jumping on the Matt Serra bandwagon and taking potshots at GSP. Sell also says that he's moving down from 185 lbs to the 170 lbs weight class, the same weight class as GSP.

I think Sell is just trying to get himself some attention and a shot at GSP in the future. That's the old "Little Guy Calling Out the Top Dog" trick. Afterall, who the hell is Pete Sell? Last time I saw him fight, he got knocked out by Nathan Quarry, a guy who took massive time off to have a piece of plastic inserted into his neck. Before that, we've seen nothing spectacular from him.

Psych!!! No Sylvia vs Fedor... Yet or Ever or Maybe. Who the Fuck Knows?!?

2008-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

A fight between Fedor vs Tim Sylvia in July was reported yesterday on Sherdog.

Today I see that there is in fact no contract. This straight outta Vadim Finklesteine's mouth.

"At the moment we can't certainly say the bout will take place come July because the contract is not signed. However, the both parties are involved in the negotiation process and we are about to break the finishing tape although we haven't come to an agreement concerning every detail as of yet"

I was pretty excited yesterday, but somewhere in my little head I was just a little skeptical. I had been let down many times before whenever there' s any good news about Fedor. Afterall, there are so many details missing. Who is he signed with? Affliction and/or HD Net? Last we heard Fedor's camp wanted $2 Milltion per fight. I can't imagine that Mark Cuban is enough of a sucker to shell $ 2 Million for one fight, nor do I see a T-shirt company dishing out that kind of money.

You're killin' me, Vadim or Fedor or whoever is keeping Fedor from fighting. World's best heavyweight seeing zero action is just... sigh. Time to kick the dog.

Thanks to Five Ounces of Pain

Plans Laid for Next TUF Already?

2008-04-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Bloody Elbow reports that if Georges St Pierre defeats Matt Serra in the upcoming match, there's a possibility of an Ultimate Fighter with GSP coaching opposite Jon Fitch. I don't enjoy The Ultimate Fighter as a show. It sucks. While it's useful way of bringing in new talent with a look behind the scenes and the personalities, the Fighter as Coach concept is getting old and has drawbacks. Michael Romes @ bloody Elbow states:

"While there's undoubtedly long term value in putting guys on TUF as coaches, locking up the champion in such a competitive division is not a good idea, and I hope we don't see it again."

The drama leading into a title fight between the coaches can be intriguing and create some drama. However, most times it's not enough to carry the show entirely. The show's format has it's own problems, namely holding up fighters and title matches. Additionally, many of the coaches are fighters, not coaches.

Frank Shamrock Private Lesson

2008-04-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Man I'm feeling fucking lazy! Another vid/post. Surprised I didn't see a whole lot about this earlier. Good stuff begins right around 2 minute mark.

Rampage Dancing

2008-04-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

This vids been around for a while and cracked me up. So I'm short on words these days. It's fucking spring time!

Shamrock Post Cung Le

2008-04-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Bloody Elbow:

Whoa. Who is this?

Ultimate Fighter vs Iron Ring

2008-04-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

I thought it was strange to hear the reaction of Forrest Griffin and Quinton Rampage Jackson on being picked as TUF coaches. Both men didn't think of themselves as coaches and have never been coaches. Probably great training partners, but not necessarily coaches.

The fact that they are coaches on the show is purely for entertainment value. Both are charismatic, popular, skilled, and always ready with a quick one liner. What better way to build up the storyline leading into UFC 86 than by having them compete as coaches then as fighters in the cage... for the belt. The fact that they aren't actually real MMA coaches is forgettable.

I haven't seen Iron Ring yet, but it sounds to me like they've already hit on the concept. Bring in the famous stars as coaches or whatever leader and let them sell the show. Unfortunately for Iron Ring, their coaches know very little and from what I've heard are annoying shit talkers. Maybe next Tuesday I'll check out Iron Ring, but there's only so much time... and I have a new longboard to cruise the hood with.

Great UFC Fight Night.

2008-04-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fights. It wasn't just because of the great finishes, it was the fighters performed and the depth they showed.

Nate Diaz started out like a slug and got beat up by Kurt Pelligrino. Diaz hung tough and came back and submitted Kurt Pelligrino. Kurt looked good wrestling with strikes on top. Diaz however was too wiry and Pelligrino made a mistake and it was over. Pelligrino slammed Diaz into a guillotine that set up a triangle choke. Nice step up for Diaz.

Gray Maynard got a convincing decision over Frankie Edgar. Before the fight, Maynard said he'd keep it on the feet, but it was his takedowns and wrestling that edged him over Edgar. It was actually Edgar nailing him, that Maynard decided to go with the takedown. Maynard didn't so too much damage because Edgar was too slick to hold and hit at the same time. But all Edgar could do the ground was escape.

In the battle of the horrific shit nicknames, Ken Flo defeated J Lau. Gutsy gutsy performance by Joe Lauzon. He may have lost, he showed how tough, resourceful, and resilient he can be. Ken Flo just has a higher level of fight seasoness in him. Good jits for MMA and control. Look forward to seeing how far Florian will go. In defeat, Lauzon still won. He won himself a lesson he won't get anywhere else in a battle with Florian.

Mark Hamill got redemption in a stoppage over Tim Boetsch. No doubt he's a wrestler with a takedown you have to respect. Boetsch has power, but Hamill kept him honest with the takedown and good jabs. Very even until the second round, then Hamill pounded Boetsch against the fence to end the fight. Redemption for that shitty decision against Bisping.

Karo Parisyan against Thiago Alves was sucky. It was a great fight and ended too early. Karo was in trouble, but he wasn't up shit creek yet. He did crumple, but he wasn't splayed out like Houston Alexander. Now that was a call I agree with. James Irvin clocks a ghost superman punch and just turns Alexander's chin and he drops. A couple more punches and Alexander's hands just fall along with his head. Jumps right back up, but he was open for more full power punches while has lying there with his hands doing the wave. Irvin gets up and shoots him with his fingers. Classy.

Tommy Speer got completely outclassed by Anthony Johnson. Johnson is too quick and precise to have a chin just blowing in the wind. I've never seen an MMA fight stopped by a ref while the fighter is standing, but this would have been a perfect application of it. Kid was out on his feet and looked dead by the time he fell to the ground.

The UFC has their show down pat. When you compare the little annoyance of the UFC, it's never quite as glaring as the other fight orgs. Good match ups. I like Rogan and he deals really well with unhappy booing crowds while still asking thoughtful questions instead of "How do you feel?" questions. I'm sure he's been heckled way worse being a stand up comic.

$2 Million Per Fight?

2008-04-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

I think Fedor is really one of the best heavyweights out there. His ground and pound is vicious. He ring instincts are on the money and one step ahead of his opponents. He's beaten all the best in the world... up till 2005.

Gary Shaw revealed that Fedor's management was asking for two million dollars per fight. That is just too much to pay at this point in MMA's short existence. That is far above and beyond what anybody else makes in MMA. Can you imagine how bitchy other fighters are going to get they realize Fedor is making twenty times their salary? Especially so when he hasn't beaten anybody of note lately.

Is Fedor's management trying to avoid signing in the US by asking for an impossible salary? From all reports, failure to sign with the UFC was around contractual issues of exclusivity and competing in the Sambo circuit. Never was it about money. Was the UFC willing to pay Fedor 2 Million per fight?

Time to dig up old Pride FC DVD's since I won't be seeing Fedor fight anytime soon.

Thanks to Bloodyelbow.

Another MMA Website For Sale

2008-04-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

MMA Ninja is up for sale. The Ninja stopped posting a while back and now it's up for sale. Too bad. While it wasn't the place I went to for news, I enjoyed his perspective and knowledge of the sport.

That's the second MMA website I've noticed for sale recently. What's with selling a website anyway? I thought having a website was like having a myspace page. You get to BS and post pics and such.

Winning On The Ground

2008-03-31T14:39:00.001-07:00

The ground is a good way to win. This of course in response to Steve Sievert thinking that Frank Shamrock stood with the gound inferior Cung Le for the sake of excitement.

Winning On The Ground Ain't Boring

2008-03-31T11:06:00.000-07:00

"Shamrock had the mindset that it was better to lose in a standup war than to win the fight on the ground - and, Shamrock admits, his career isn’t so much about winning and losing anymore as it is about making big fights and the money that goes along with them."

That from Steve Sievert. That's the dumbest shit ever. Since when was Shamrock ever boring on the ground. Frank would rather get beat up and embarrassed in front of millions instead of smash the shit out of someone?

I can think of a handful of ground beatdowns that would make you sick and puke. It's a fucking bad ass way to win. I'll be finding some vids and posting them of exciting bad ground wars.

Thanks to Fightlinker.

Where is Andrei Arlovski?

2008-03-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell have signed with Adrenaline MMA. Jeff Monson and Mike Russow are also on board. Fedor Emelinenko is being courted by Elite XC. Heavywieghts are moving around. But someone's missing. Where's Andrei Arlovski? The UFC's done a fabulous job of burying him and as far as we know he's fought his last fight on his contract. But yet no word, not even on Arlovski's myspace page.

However, this is this gem:

Matt Serra's Broken Record

2008-03-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

I am getting seriously tired of Matt Serra beating the dead horse about the lack of respect he's getting. True, nobody gave him a chance Georges St Pierre before and he's an underdog going into their rematch. If I were him, I'd be pissed too, but whatever. What Serra is missing most is that GSP actually does respect him.

When GSP defeated Matt Hughes for the interim title last December, he was very gracious in the post fight interview. He took off the interim belt and said something to the tune of:

"Thank you for the belt, it is a very nice token, but I cannot wear it because the true champion is Matt Serra and until I defeat him I am not the champ".

Matt Serra needs some new material or roll with the criticism. He's just droning on at this point.

Nick Diaz Interview

2008-03-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Jason Miller interviewing the very long winded Nick Diaz. In case you haven't heard, Diaz has a medicinal marijuana prescription, which is legal in California. Apparently it's for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. I can't really tell if Nick is ADHD or not. However he has a BJJ blackbelt which requires dedication and he doesn't run around like a spastic kid. But get him in an interview and that kid just doesn't stop talking.

Cung Le Has Jedi Mind Powers

2008-03-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Cung Le defeated Frank Shamrock to capture the Strikeforce belt. In pre fight interviews, Shamrock said he was going toe to toe with Le and beat him at his own game. I thought that was a bluff, or at least he would trade until he decided it was time to take Le down. Surprisingly, Shamrock fought on his feet despite Le picking him apart.

MMA veteran Tony Fryklund had the same gameplan against Le, trade and trade with no takedown. When is someone going to have a good gameplan against Cung Le? Shamrock and Fryklund are not slouches, but both men decided to kickbox against the undefeated kickboxer. That make zero sense unless you factor in that Cung Le has Jedi Mind Powers, tricking fighters into standing with him.

Despite the Jedi Mind Powers applied on him, Shamrock fought valiantly. He was catching Le with some powershots, but Le, the Jedi, recovered nicely. With about a minute and a half left in the 3rd round, Shamrock stunned Le and poured it on strong. But Le recovered and they brawled it out till the end of the round. Between rounds, it was discovered that Shamrock's forearm was broken and could not continue.

Tim Sylvia's Big Announcement

2008-03-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

So Tim Sylvia's got a big annoucement to make. Everyone thinks he's leaving the UFC, which is somewhat huge news. We knew before he wasn't happy with newby Brock Lesnar making more money than him. So I cruised over to his website blog and found this gem:

March 27, 2008
I'm sorry to disappoint everybody but some of the big news is going on this weekend. I'm going hunting with Gary LaVox from Rascal Flats. Driving down to Tennessee tomorrow to start turkey hunting. My hunting DVD comes out in four weeks, but this will be on next year's hunting DVD. Now if you guys were expecting anything else, then you might want to watch HD Net Friday night, Inside MMA. Stay tuned for more. -Tim

Tim's got a hunting video? The Mainiac shooting birds outta the sky? Cool! Oh and you're leaving the UFC? When does the video come out? I'm not going to speculate about Big Tim's next MMA move, I want to see this hunting video.

Chuck, Tito, and Randy Ringback Tones

2008-03-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

So much news these days. Here I am at work unable to really write anything about it. Good thing there's full timers out there like Bloodyelbow, FiveOuncesOfPain, MMAWeekly, etc. to make sense of it all. So here's my contribution:

Whilst I was playing with my phone and ringtones, I came across MMA celebrity ringback tones. In case you've not heard of ringback tones, This tone assures the calling party their phone is ringing or vibrating. In the meantime through your phone, you'll hear Black Sabbath or 50 cent or whatever your friend chose.

It appears that Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, and Chuck Liddell have ringback tones available for you to cheese out your cell phone. Is this another sign that MMA has arrived?

Elite XC's CBS Event Just Got Sexy

2008-03-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

MMAWeekly is reporting that Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young will face off on Elite XC's' inaugural CBS Event. This bodes well for viewership. Gina Carano has had extensive exposure on NBC's American Gladiator as Crush. I can't dig up numbers now, but google had big search numbers for "Gina Carano" even though the show only showcased her as "Crush". Expect some Gladiator viewers to show up despite not being MMA fans.

Bloody Elbow Dowses Cold Water on Me

2008-03-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Michael Rome at Bloodyelbow is raining on my Proelite parade in regards to the possibility of Elite XC signing Fedor Emelianenko.

"Many have suggested that this would be absolutely huge for EliteXC, but realistically it does nothing for them in terms of meeting the business goals they need to meet on their first show. Fedor will not draw a TV rating for them, though he might sell some seats. If anything he would be an additional high-price fighter for a company already losing money at an astounding rate. Frankly, given their needs right now, name value is what they need, not internet icons that made their name in Japan."

He's right about Fedor not going to be cheap and Fedor doesn't have name recognition amongst the casual fan base in America. But guess what, he smashed the shit outta people and he's one helluva fighter. If Anderson Silva can be a star here by letting his fight talk, then I think the same applies for Fedor.

As far as money goes... well I don't know. I can't even manage my checkbook.

Zuffa Gets Busted

2008-03-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

While I've been waxing all poetic about Proelite and all the killer moves they've made, Zuffa (parent company of the UFC) is getting some in court time, for Fraud. They've been a bully for a long time suing littler fight orgs for using the word "cage" or "fighting championship" or "submission" in any capacity. Karma's a bitch, Zuffa.

Fightlinker has been banging the drum of Zuffa's shady biz with Xyience for a while now. Check it out. Well done, Fightlinker.

Golden Boy Affliction Rumor

2008-03-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

MMAPayout.com posted report of a rumor that Golden Boy Promotions is parting ways with Affliction.

I always thought this was an odd pairing. Affliction is a clothing company, the ones with the gothy skull bird T Shirts. A clothing company pairing up with an established fight promotion company? Are they serious? It's more believable that they're not doing business together than actually being partners.