Dissecting MMAMania.com Article on Renzo Gracie

MMA Mania posted an article on Renzo Gracie today, discussing his MMA career and feud with BJ Penn. It was pretty interesting, but I take issue with some of the statements made in the piece.

First, let me say that BJ Penn is my favorite fighter, but I also like Renzo Gracie as from what I've seen and heard, the guy is a total class act. However, let's break down some of MMA Mania's statements:

"Renzo and BJ fought to a very close decision that saw Penn win a battle of positions. Renzo would later get his revenge when his star pupil Georges St. Pierre outpointed Penn in similar fashion at UFC 58."

True, GSP trained under Renzo, but in no way was he Renzo's star pupil. GSP was awarded his brown belt by Renzo, but earned his black belt under another instructor. And if you wanted to pick a star pupil of Renzo's, the logical choice would be either Ricardo Almeida or Matt Serra, the latter of whom is the first American to be awarded a black belt under Renzo. Serra also lost to BJ Penn at UFC 39. BJ also holds a victory over another Renzo Gracie black belt, Paul Creighton. These losses were never avenged, and I seriously doubt Renzo got much satisfaction out of seeing GSP beat BJ, especially since the fight was pretty close.

MMA Mania also says this:

"Penn was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Renzo’s brother Ralph Gracie, who took the gifted Hawaiian under his wing and molded him into a formidable grappler. Penn eventually left the Gracie school and in 2005 went against Gracie tradition by calling out one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most revered pioneers in Rodrigo Gracie."

According to plenty of articles, BJ was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by a neighbor, and only after that did he move to California to train under Ralph Gracie. I have no comment on Gracie tradition, but Dave Camarillo's Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu book paints a pretty damning picture of Ralph Gracie. I don't know if it's all true, but there is a chance that Ralph Gracie is a jackass!

Some of the points I'm making are purely semantics but I still think MMA Mania could have done a better job with the facts.

Introducing the 2009 MMA Blogging Open Weight Grand Prix!

Are you an active MMA blogger? Are you good at picking fights? Do you like to win prizes? If you answered yes to all three questions, then you should enter the 2009 MMA Blogging Open Weight Grand Prix!

In the 2009 MMABOWGP (nice, huh?), MMA bloggers from all walks of life will battle it out for bragging rights and prizes. I'm shooting for a Cadillac for the top guy, but most likely the winner will have to settle for a set of steak knives or a box of Twinkies. Remember, this event will run for all of 2009, so if you're not committed, don't enter.

Here's how it works:

We'll be focusing on the UFC since it's the only promotion that is guaranteed to still be in business at the end of 2009, and to keep things manageable for me. This includes UFC pay-per-view events, Ultimate Fight Nights, and Ultimate Fighter Finales. The champion of the contest will be the blogger who picks the most fights correctly for the entire year.

For each event, I'll send an email to the competitors. All you have to do is respond with your fight picks by midnight Eastern Time the night before the event. If you miss the deadline, you're not out of the contest but you'll lose the chance to score some points. If there are roster changes the day of the event, those fights will simply be ignored. Since I'll be entering myself, I'll be posting my fight picks publicly before the deadline.

Remember, the winner is the blogger who picks the most fights correctly, not the highest percentage of fights picked correctly. This is to keep people committed to the contest for the entire year and to provide an incentive not to skip events.

So if you are still interested in entering, drop me a line at MMAEruption@gmail.com with your full name and the blog you run or for which you write. I'm going to accept about 25 entrants, so respond quickly so I can put together a roster.

Cage Potato Nabs Interview With Genghis Con

Gotta give some props to CagePotato.com, which just posted an interview with Genghis Con, who might be the MMA world's most prolific highlight video producer.

If you watch any MMA videos today, it better be these ones from Genghis Con's blog: They are 100% guaranteed to amaze you!

MMA Eruption Almost Wins UFC Fantasy Contest... ...Again!

UFC 90 marked my second entry in the UFC's fantasy game, and I'm pretty happy with my results. I finished 90th out of 20,411 participants, meaning I did better than over 99.5% of participants. This is pretty close to my performance from UFC 89.

What I Got Right:
I picked 8 out of 11 winners correctly, which got me off to a good start. And I don't think these were particularly bold picks, but I correctly predicted that Hermes Franca and Gray Maynard would win their respective matches by unanimous decisions, giving me the maximum contribution for those fights.

What I Got Wrong
Obviously, my big loser was picking Fabricio Werdum to submit Junior Dos Santos in the first round - we saw what happened there. Also, I picked Josh Burkman and Pete Sell to win.

Oh well, I didn't win the iPod touch but there's always next time!

Anderson Silva Must Move Up to 205, and Other Observations From UFC 90

Overall, I found UFC 90 to be a fairly average event, save for the main bout between Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote which was a bit of a circus. Silva's goofing off and dancing went overboard pretty early, and Cote's freak injury certainly didn't help matters. With decisive finishes over Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin (2X), the UFC simply has zero middleweights that can compete with Silva. Yushin Okami might be an exception but I don't think that would be a very fun fight to watch.

Therefore, unless the UFC wants to spend big bucks on new talent, we can all agree it's time for Anderson to move up to the highly competitive light heavyweight division. The guy's bored - it's no wonder he's talking about retirement! There has been a lot of talk about a match with Chuck Liddell, but I don't think that's such a great idea because Chuck doesn't need any more losses at this point in the career.

The only problem is that most of the UFC's top light heavyweights are booked up for the next few months - Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, and Shogun Rua already have fights set up. Maybe Keith Jardine or Luiz Cane are willing to step in? They could add the match to the UFC 93 card featuring the Franklin/Henderson and Coleman/Shogun fights. Another option is to keep Silva on standby until a match can be scheduled, ready to step in for any light heavyweight that gets injured.

Okay, enough spider talk, let's move on.

I am officially convinced that Thiago Alves is the real deal. He didn't look so hot against Karo Parisyan, and I wasn't terribly impressed with his win over Matt Hughes, given that Hughes is a bit slower these days.

However, Thiago's takedown defense against Josh Koscheck was fantastic and his striking was pretty nasty. I thought there were times that Thiago could have been a bit more aggressive, but he won a very decisive victory over a top five welterweight in Josh Koscheck, and he can't be denied a title shot now.

It's just too bad that in all likelihood, we won't see Thiago fight again until next April at the earliest. He deserves the winner of BJ Penn/Georges St. Pierre 2, and with that fight scheduled for January, the winner won't be ready to fight again for a few months. I do hope the UFC pushed Alves as a star. He is very charismatic, has a great look, and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. He needs some marketing muscle behind him.

We also have to give Josh Koscheck some credit here. He has a pretty damn impressive chin and he recovered from some pretty hard strikes. However, the fans still hate him and that won't change any time soon. Maybe he should shave his head?

The big loser of the night had to be Fabricio Werdum, who was viciously knocked out by UFC newcomer Junior Dos Santos. Prior to this, Werdum was largely considered to be a top heavyweight, but this loss knocks him down the ladder a bit.

Elsewhere on the card, I took special notice of Thales Leites' successful rear-naked choke on Drew McFredries. Thales used the BJ Penn technique where a leg is used to restrain one of the victim's arms, leaving only one arm to defend the choke. BJ successfully used this technique on Jens Pulver and Joe Stevenson. Now why the hell don't more guys use this technique?

Best UFC 90 Prediction Video

Benjamin Charles does by far the best UFC prediction videos on the web. Here's his video for UFC 90: (homophobes beware!)

I Want to Be A Bunny Rabbit or a Witch or Tito Ortiz On Halloween!

My girlfriend and I have been freaking out for the past week because we can't come up with any cool ideas for Halloween costumes! Should we be Palin and McCain? Brandon and Brenda Walsh? Randy and Kim Couture?

Well forget all that, because Punishment Athletics has given me the costume I need to be THE big star at the party. For the price of only $59.99, I can be Tito Ortiz for Halloween!

Here's what the package includes:

Original black flame shorts
Tito Ortiz UFC 84 after fight shirt
Titos trademark yellow beanie
Punishment black socks
2 new Punishment wrist bands

Hmmm, since this is a UFC 84-themed costume, I'll have to do the following at the party:

Complain about my opponent running away
Argue with my boss over which of us is trying to be a superstar
Find someone to play my cornerman Ricco Rodriguez

The only question is, should my girlfriend play Jenna Jameson or Lyoto Machida? Because on Halloween night, I don't want someone that will kick my ass and I don't want any STD's. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Cage Fighter Out, Is Punishment Athletics Next?

MMAPayout.com posted a pretty unnerving news item today, saying that apparel company MMA Authentics, best known for its Cage Fighter Brand, has banned from the UFC. The crime? Beating out the UFC for shelf space at Wal-mart. I really hope this story isn't true.

Here's the dirty sexy part of the story:

Sources told MMAPayout.com that CageFighter/MMA Authentics beat out the UFC for the valuable real estate in the nation’s top retailer. As a result Zuffa pulled the plug on MMA Authentics’ access to the Octagon in retaliation.

The UFC is able to take such measures by exercising Article 22.1 of the Zuffa Standard Contract, which states that “Fighter covenants and agrees that no wording, symbols, pictures, designs, names or other advertising or informational material… ii. of any sponsor in conflict or competition with Zuffa or any of Zuffa’s sponsors.”

According to the UFC Sponsor Request form sent out to all fighters and obtained by MMAPayout.com, “in addition to Affliction and the Xtreme Couture t-shirt brand, Cage Fighter, MMA Authentic, Familia Gladitoria and MMA Elite will also not be permitted. The Xtreme Couture Training Center is permitted provided, however, the logo must clearly refer to the mixed martial arts training centers and gyms.”

While I don't imagine it will be that difficult for big names guys like BJ Penn and Forrest Griffin to find new sponsors for their upcoming fights, but this is a dangerous step towards the UFC monopolizing every possible angle of MMA.

One question I have to ask is, is Tito Ortiz' Punishment Athletics clothing line the next to go? Dana would like nothing more than to see Tito fail and I don't think screwing over some fighters would stop him. Well, I guess they're safe until the UFC decides to get into the Halloween costume business.

UFC 90: Don't Count on Any Surprises

UFC 90 is coming up this weekend, and it's time to preview the action. Even though I only picked 7 out of 11 fights at UFC 89 correctly, I finished in the top 1% of the UFC's fantasy contest. Hopefully, I'll have a similar performance. Okay, let's jump right in;

Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote
Cote is a game opponent and a good striker, but like everyone else in the middleweight division, he's not match for the Spider. Expect Anderson to TKO him in the first or second round.

Josh Koscheck vs. Thiago Alves
Assuming Koscheck comes into this match in good shape, he should be able to take Alves to the ground for three rounds to grind out a decision. Alves' takedown defense was effective against Matt Hughes at UFC 85, but Koscheck is more explosive than Hughes, who may have lost a step over the years. And call me crazy, but Alves' strikigng didn't look all that hot against Hughes or Karo Parisyan for that matter.

Koscheck could get cocky and try to stand with Alves, but he wont' want to blow a a title shot. The conclusion: Alves will get 120% of the cheers but Koscheck will win via unanimous decision.

Gray Maynard vs. Rich Clementi
Clementi's been on a winning streak but it's about to end via Gray Maynard throwing him to the canvas and pounding on him for three rounds. Clementi has a good BJJ game, but if Maynard was able to control Frankie Edgar for three rounds, there's no reason to expect anything but a repeat performance. I'll take Maynard by unanimous decision.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior Dos Santos
I would assume this match-up is some sort of consolidation prize for Werdum, who was left out of the Couture/Lesnar/Nogueira/Mir four-man tournament for the title. Unless he gets struck by a bolt of lightning, BJJ monster Werdum will win by submission.

Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin
Sean Sherk is a mighty big test for Tyson Griffin and this match could either be a barn-burner or it could be the most boring fight since I dreamed Machida fought his evil twin brother. Griffin is a damn good fighter but Sherk is going to come into this match fired up to deliver a hefty dose of his signature smothering wrestling style. Sherk by split decision.

As for the undercard, I'll take:

Leites > McFedries
Fisher > Gugerty
Miller > Horwich
Franco > Aurelio
Burkman > Sell

So to recap, I'm going with literally all the favorites. Not very exciting, but what can you do? Bookmaker.com was kind enough to post the odds, and unfortunately, there doesn't look to be anything worth betting on:

Anderson Silva -630 vs. Patrick Cote +480
Josh Koscheck -165 vs. Thiago Alves +135
Gray Maynard -240 vs. Rich Clementi +190
Fabricio Werdum -850 vs. Junior Dos Santos +600
Sean Sherk -260 vs. Tyson Griffin +210
Thales Leites -445 vs. Drew Mcfedries +365
Spencer Fisher -345 vs. Shannon Gugerty +275
Dan Miller -345 vs. Matt Horwich +275
Hermes Franca -200 vs. Marcus Aurelio +165
Josh Burkman -220 vs. Pete Sell +180

Video Coming Soon

Hello folks, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to begin posting videos pretty soon. I just picked up a pretty bitching webcam (as bitching as a webcam can be) and I'll be previewing UFC 89 in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading!

Mike

Cage Potato Celebrates One Year Anniversary!

I just wanted to wish the guys over at Cage Potato a Happy Birthday. For those you aren't in the know, Cage Potato is one of the funnier and more entertaining MMA sites out there, and it turned one year old today.

Cage Potato is celebrating with the following posts, which should be viewed by absolute every MMA fan out there:

10 Greatest MMA Videos I've Ever Seen

CagePotato.com: A One-Year Retrospective

The UFC Should Sign Nick Diaz , Hold Diaz Bros. Vs. Armenian Top Team Event

While watching my stock tickers at 3:47 p.m. - it hit me. The UFC should run, not walk, to sign Nick Diaz, if only for a three-fight deal. With EliteXC out of business, Nick Diaz needs a place to fight, and there is a particular fight card that could make great use of Nick returning to the UFC.

Imagine this: Ultimate Fight Night XXX, headlined by a rematch between Nick's younger brother Nate Diaz and Manny Gamburyan. The next headlining match? Karo Parisyan vs. Nick Diaz. It would be a total freakshow type of event, but the back story would ensure huge ratings.

If you recall, Nate beat Manny at the Ultimate Fighter Season 5 finale only because Manny injured his shoulder. Up until that point, Manny was clearly winning the bout. And during the season, Nate Diaz had a confrontation with Manny's cousin Karo which nearly escalated to blows. Plus, Karo already beat Nick at UFC 49.

So it would be the Diaz brothers vs. cousins Manny and Karo, a.k.a. Armenian Top Team. The UFC would have to be sure Nick stopped smoking the dope, but otherwise an event like this could draw huge ratings.

Related Content-->>

• 5 Reasons the UFC Should Sign Jake Shields Right Now
• Why the UFC Should Sign Gilbert Melendez

UFC 92 Tickets To Go On Sale Wednesday, October 22

Just got this blast email from the UFC. Tickets for UFC 92 go on sale tomorrow morning for members of the UFC Fight Club. Newsletter members presale is Friday, while tickets for everyone else go on sale Saturday.

Given how tough it's been for the UFC to move tickets for the Brock Lesnar/Randy Couture headlined UFC 91, it will be interesting to see how the UFC prices UFC 92 tickets.

Current headliners for UFC 92:

Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir for interim heavyweight title.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson for the entertainment of every MMA fan on Earth.

5 Reasons the UFC Should Sign Jake Shields Right Now

As the entire MMA world knows, EliteXC is going out of business and a whole bunch of fighters ranging from Robbie Lawler to Kimbo Slice are going to be out of work. The first question in my mind is, who should the UFC sign first? The answer: EliteXC welterweight star Jake Shields.

Here's why:

1) You Can Never Have Too Many Quality Fighters
Jake Shields is an excellent fighter with a very strong ground game that would make the hyper-competitive UFC welterweight division even better. The UFC is THE place to be for welterweight fighters and the stable would be even more impressive with Jake in it.

2) There Are Tons of Great Fights for Jake in the UFC
Jake would likely have to work his way up to a title shot, so along the way there would be plenty of chances for great match-ups. For example, Jake Shields vs. Dustin Hazelett could be a grappling barnburner. He could also face guys like Diego Sanchez, Karo Parisyan, and Dong Hyun Kim as the main event on Ultimate Fight Nights.

3) Georges St. Pierre Needs More Victims
GSP has already beaten Matt Hughes (2X), BJ Penn, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch. And in all likelihood, he'll beat BJ Penn in their January rematch. Plus, I don't think Thiago Alves has a strong enough ground game to have a reasonable shot at taking out Georges. Jake Shields has already expressed interest in fighting GSP, and in all likelihood he'll get murdered, adding another notch to GSP's belt.

4) You Can Take Him Home to Mom
Jake Shields is a likeable, marketable guy that would make a great representative for the sport of MMA, similar to Kenny Florian. He is exactly the type of guy that would look good on traditional sports channels and if the UFC decided to back him, he would go over well with traditional sports fans.

and finally...

5) If Jake Shields Craps Out, the UFC Still Wins
Let's say Jake comes into the UFC and completely craps out. Dana White gets to come out and say "See? Nobody can compete with the UFC's fighters. Jake was the top welterweight outside of the UFC and he couldn't hang with our top guys."

GracieFighter.com, the home of Cesar Gracie's stable of fighters said last night that "Jake Shields in the UFC has now become a real possibility." Let's hope that possibility turns into into reality soon.

**********

Related Content->>

• Why the UFC Should Sign Gilbert Melendez

Ding! Dong! EliteXC is Dead!

MMA news sources including Sherdog.com, GracieFighter.com, and Dave Meltzer's Figure Four Online are reporting that troubled MMA promotino EliteXC is going bust. I have to say, it is good to see that this corrupt, inept organization can no longer give MMA a bad name. The fallout regarding the Seth Petruzelli/Kimbo Slice debacle was just too much to bear, and it looks like CBS just wanted to break away from it all.

Unfortunately, some fighters will be put out of work, and I'm especially disappointed that the Eddie Alvarez/Nick Diaz bout scheduled for November 8th has been cancelled. On the positive side, GracieFighter.com said "Jake Shields in the UFC has now become a real possibility." The UFC's welterweight division is already stacked, but we might finally be able to see just how good Shields is.

Also, it is possible that the UFC will end up on network television now. EliteXC on CBS did pull some decent ratings, and the superior UFC offering might look pretty appealing right now.

Bedazzlers & Knockouts: 5 Observations from UFC 89

Brandon Vera Needs a Break From the UFC
Brandon Vera is making way too much money to put in these mediocre performances. Yes, Jardine is a damn good fighter but he hurt his knee in the second round, and still won. Brandon does have the striking and grappling skills to be a top contender but it's just not coming together in the cage. And frankly, UFC fans are really starting to hate Brandon Vera for his combination of big talk/small execution. The solution: tell him to fight a couple times in smaller promotions then come back at a lower salary and work his way up.

Michael Bisping Will Get Destroyed by Rich Franklin or Dan Henderson
Bisping was smart last night, not playing into the trap of trying to stop Chris Leben, and ended up with a decision victory. However, he's not ready for either Rich Franklin or Dan Henderson, one of whom will be the opposing coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Franklin has more than enough athleticism to trap Bisping and unload on him, and Henderson would break Bisping in two as soon as he got the Greco clinch.

Shane Carwin Needs to Fight Better Competition
With his second first-round stoppage in as many fights, it is painfully obvious that Shane Carwin needs a step up in competition, and a spot on a televised main card so more fans can see him fight. Most of the UFC's thin heavyweight division is booked up, but they could put him up against Gabriel Gonzaga or Cheick Kongo on the UFC 92 card.

The LHW Division Looks Better Every Day
With his impressive performance against Sokoudjou, Luis Cane just added himself to the title mix in the highly-competitive UFC light heavyweight division. Cane looked a little hesitant at first, but his game-plan became evident after Sokoudjou gassed. Most of the contenders in the LHW division are booked up for the next few months, so a match against Jardine or maybe even Chuck Liddell might work for January or February. But I have one question - could Cane drop to 185?
Sam Stout Needs to Go For Now
This is nothing personal against Sam Stout but he is just now well-rounded enough for the UFC's grappler-loaded lightweight division. He was hyped up a bit too much following his victory against Spencer Fisher at UFC 58, but he's now 2 and 4 inside the Octagon. He should train nothing but BJJ and wrestling for a year while fighting in smaller shows, and then come back for another shot at the UFC.

***Special Bonus Observation***

Joe Rogan deserves special recognition for the sexy shirt he wore at UFC 89. According to sources speaking exclusively with MMAEruption.com, Joe bedazzled it himself.

<<-Related Content->>

• Stick a Fork In Brandon Vera, He's Done In The UFC
• MMA Eruption Almost Wins UFC 89 Fantasy Contest
• Brandon Vera Wants Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money!

Stick a Fork In Brandon Vera - He's Done in the UFC!

Last night's decision loss against Keith Jardine marked Brandon Vera's fourth straight disappointing performance inside the octagon, and my spidey sense tells me that he could be finished in the UFC, at least for the time being. Brandon's back has been up against the wall for a while now, which combined with his high salary makes him a good candidate for a temporary exodus from the UFC.

Given his heritage, Brandon is most definitely part of the UFC's efforts to break into Southeast Asia, notably the Philippines, and he's a marketable guy with a good personality. But he's running out of excuses for his uninspired performances. With Sylva it was a broken hand. With Werdum it was a bad ref stoppage. With Reese Andy it was the first weight cut to 205.

We can reasonably say that Jardine is a bad style match-up for just about anyone, but let's remember that Jardine hurt his leg in the second round. That should have given Brandon the edge to take the second and third rounds, and the decision victory.

I don't think the UFC should necessarily cut Brandon permanently. But it might not be the worst idea to suggest a break from the UFC to compete in a few bouts in smaller promotions before coming back. Because with a contract paying him $100,000 to show up and $100,000 to win, giving Brandon chance after chance to prove himself is a slap in the face to guys who go out and give it all for 10 grand and a shot at the big time.

MMA Eruption Almost Wins UFC Fantasy Contest!

So, UFC 89 is over and overall I'm pretty happy with the results of my predictions. In the UFC's fantasy contest, I finished 135th out of 20,737 competitors, which puts me in the top 1% of all those that entered. While I didn't win any prizes, I'm still proud of myself and I'm planning on actually putting some money where my mouth is in the future. But let's forget that for now and look at what I got right, and what I got wrong.

What I Got Right
My most accurate prediction was that Michael Bisping would outpoint Chris Leben for three rounds, and come away with a decision victory. I was really tempted to switch my vote to Leben after Bisping was announced as coach for the next season of TUF due to the potential jinx factor, but I didn't. And Shane Carwin did finish Neil Wain with strikes in the first round, but it wasn't quite the highlight-reel knockout I was looking for. Plus, I correctly predicted upset victories for Luis Cane and Terry Etim.

What I Got Wrong:
I was pretty convinced that Brandon Vera would TKO Keith Jardine in the first round, but Brandon gave his fourth straight disappointing performance inside the octagon and lost the decision. I also incorrectly picked Gono, Schiavo, and Baron to win.

Overall, I'm happy with this performance and maybe next month I'll get a prize!

Video - Robert Drysdale Makes MMA Debut (no spoiler!)

Robert Drydale - BJJ coach at Xtreme Couture, 2005 ADCC champion, and assistant coach to Frank Mir on this season of The Ultimate Fighter - made his MMA debut Friday evening at Tuff-N-Uff’s Future Stars of MMA event in Las Vegas. Here's the video:

Michael Bisping Announced As Coach for The Ultimate Fighter

Fighter's Only Magazine has the scoop:

Michael Bisping will be the UK team captain on season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC president Dana White has confirmed.

Speaking to Fighters Only at the UFC 89 weight-ins earlier, he said that Bisping would be the UK captain regardless of the result against Chris Leben tomorrow night.

“Win, lose or draw, he will coach the British team,” White revealed.

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, standing nearby interjected: “Although if Bisping walks through Leben like he has his other opponents, that is going to be interesting.”

When then revealed that Bisping’s opposite number on TUF 9 will be either Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.

“We’re looking for the right fight,” he said, explaining that the chosen coach would have to be a “step up” from Bisping’s previous opponents.

Asked if Henderson and Franklin were the two names on the shortlist, he confirmed: “That is who we are looking at.”

Franklin is a former UFC middleweight champion, while Henderson held both the middleweight and light-heavyweight belts in PRIDE FC.

While I think Henderson would dominate Bisping, Bisping vs. Franklin has the potential to be a great fight. However, I am getting the feeling that Bisping is about to get his ass kicked by Leben Saturday night because he's just been jinxed.

Dana White Says Anderson Silva May Fight Again By Year End, Against GSP In Future, No BJ/Spider Freak Show

Dana White served up some tasty morsels in this interview with The Sun:

“You never know when a guy is going to say, ‘Hey, I’m done, I want to retire’.

“But is he really going to retire? I don’t think so."

“Why would he quit? He’s got an opportunity right now to make a lot of money - he’s making a lot of money."

“The window of opportunity in this business is very small and you’ve got to ride it for as long as you can."

“Once you retire from the fight game, it’s very hard to make that kind of money ever again.”

“If Silva finishes Cote in the way he normally finishes opponents, he could fight again in two months."

“I could keep him busy all the time and that’s what he wants to do. He wants to keep fighting."

“If Silva wins this fight easily and impressively, he’ll take another fight at 205lbs."

“Then he’ll defend his title again at 185lbs – he’s got a lot of fights in him and he wants to keep fighting every other month.”

"If GSP beats BJ then you’ll see Silva v GSP - possibly at a catch weight."

“But if Penn beats GSP there’s no way I’d let him move up to 185lbs, no way."

“He’ll f***ing fight, argue and cry about it but there’s no way – it ain’t gonna happen, I can tell you that right now – it ain’t gonna happen.”

Assuming Anderson comes out of his fight with Patrick Cote unscathed, they could stick him on the already-stacked New Year's card. My personal preference would be to put him up against the winner of the Keith Jardine/Brandon Vera match this weekend at UFC 89, assuming the victor comes out injury-free.

Alternately, Anderson Silva could be added to the UFC 94 card on Super Bowl weekend which is largely expected to be headlined by BJ Penn vs Georges St. Pierre 2 - three of the world's four top pound-for-pound fighters on one card would be heaven for serious MMA fans. And of course, the UFC could break the bank if they put Anderson up against Chuck Liddell.

I'm not terribly excited by the prospect of seeing GSP vs. Silva, because I think the Spider would demolish Georges pretty easily. Anderson's striking is far better in terms of both accuracy and power, and he would have a strength/size advantage that GSP has never faced. And BJ/Silva does have some freakshow appeal but I'm in no hurry to see BJ gas out and get mauled - taking on Renzo and Rodrigo Gracie at 185 is one thing, but Silva is on another level.

Brandon Vera Weighs In At 203

Just a quick FYI here - if you ever doubted that Brandon Vera belongs in the light heavyweight division, today there's proof as he weighed in at just 203 - a full three pounds below the LHW division limit. (note; fighters are given an extra pound on the scale)

If you'd like to watch the weigh-ins, just head to UFC.com, home of the world's best videos that can't be embedded anywhere else.

Brandon Vera Wants Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money!

MMAWeekly.com posted a pretty good video interview with UFC light heavyweight contender Brandon Vera, who is getting ready to face Keith Jardine at UFC 89 this Saturday night in Birmingham, England.

Brandon talked a little about about Jardine's fighting style, a little about his weight, and called Brock Lesnar a dick, but things really got hot and heavy when the issue of money came up:

"Of course fighters are gonna always want more money. You're an employee of a company, you're always gonna want more money, you're always gonna be asking for a raise. So hopefully after Saturday I'm in a position where I can ask for a raise, so let's see what happens."

Brandon's due for a new contract, but he needs a reality check because his last three fights were total crap. Two of them he lost, and his victory over Reese Andy at Ultimate Fight Night 14 had less action than "You've Got Mail." His pay for that night, as reported by the Nevada State Athletic Commission was $200,000, including a $100,000 win bonus. That was the same amount paid to the world's top pound-for-pound fighter, Anderson Silva, on the same night.

And let's look at the recent reported salaries of some recent name light heavyweights:

Chuck Liddell $500,000 (lost, no bonus) - UFC 86
Forrest Griffin: $250,000 ($100,000 + $150,000 win bonus) - UFC 86
Quinton Jackson: $225,000 (lost, no bonus)
Tito Ortiz $210,000 (lost, no bonus) - UFC 84
Wanderlei Silva $150,000 (won, no bonus) - UFC 84)
Rashad Evans $120,000 ($60,000 + $60,000 win bonus) - UFC 88
Rich Franklin $100,000 ($50,000 + $50,000 win bonus) - UFC 88
Lyoto Machida $100,000 ($50,000 + $50,000 win bonus) - UFC 84
Sokoudjou $80,000 ($40,000 to show + $40,000 win bonus) - UFC 84
Thiago Silva $50,000 ($25,000 + $25,000 win bonus) - UFC 84
Keith Jardine $10,000 (no bonus, lost, took trip to hospital)

So if you ask me, I think Brandon's got some nerve on him thinking about a raise when he's making:

1) Ten times more than his opponent, who has wins over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin
2) Twice as much as Machida and four times as much as Thiago Silva, both of whom are undefeated
3) 33% more than Wanderlei Silva, one of the biggest MMA stars in the world
4) Twice as much as Rich Franklin, a guy the fans actually love and a PPV headliner.

If Brandon wants to even think about asking for a raise, he's going to have to do something impressive on Saturday night - like knockout by spinning backfist or submission by flying armbar. After all, Dana White had this to say to the Canadian Press:

"As soon as he had a few wins and all the money got involved and his new contract and his ex-manager and all that bullshit, he's changed," White lamented. "He's not the same fighter he was. He needs to put all that shit behind him and he's needs to come back and be the cocky, crazy Brandon Vera that I met a few years ago. That kid needs to come back.

"It seems that now the money's involved, he doesn't take chances like he used to, he doesn't let his hands go like he used to. He's got to come back and be the old Brandon Vera."

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• Stick a Fork In Brandon Vera, He's Done In The UFC
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Rachel Leah's Playboy Cover - Now This Is All Access

Shane Carwin to Win Murder of the Night Prize... ...and Other Predictions for UFC 89!

“Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge.”

Or so Lao Tzu said. But trying to predict the future is fun, and I'm going to jump right it in and give my predictions for UFC 89:

1) Brandon Vera Will Dominate The Dean of Mean and Clean Jeans Keith Jardine

Brandon Vera finds himself in quite a pickle after three straight disappointing performance in the octagon. There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Brandon’s back is up against the wall and this match will dictate his future with the UFC. Call me crazy, but I actually believe “The Truth” is going to deliver next Saturday night.

Make no mistake, Keith Jardine is a game opponent and trains with a phenomenal camp headed by Greg Jackson. However, I’m going with my gut here and calling the match for Brandon by first-round TKO. This is not a popular view but I think the prospect of being dumped by the UFC is enough to motivate Brandon to live up to his potential – and of course, that recent incident at Lloyd Irvin’s house might give him additional cause to get off his butt and make something big happen in his career before it’s too late.

2) Michael Bisping Will Outpoint Chris Leben, Fans Will Boo

Leben will want to test Bisping’s chin as soon as possible in, but I do not think Bisping will be eager to trade with the Crippler, who has very heavy hands (take a drink!) and an iron chin. Thankfully, Bisping looks a heck of a lot faster and energetic as a middleweight than he did against the bigger guys in the stacked light heavyweight division

I expect Bisping to use leg kicks to keep Leben back while peppering him with jabs and combos, and to set up a few takedowns. The result should be a decision victory for Bisping, and the crowd will hate what will a lackluster fight.

(Note; If the UFC announces that Bisping is one of the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter: US vs. UK BEFORE the match with Leben, than I reverse my position and guarantee a victory for Leben by jinx.)

3) Shane Carwin Will Win Knockout/Murder of the Night

Shane Carwin is one of my favorite up-and-coming heavyweights in MMA, and if you saw his stunning knockout of Christian Wellisch at UFC 84, you know why opponent Neil Wain is probably in for a hurting on Saturday night. Wain is making his UFC debut and thus he’s something of an unknown quantity - but Carwin has 6 inches and 23 pounds on the less-experienced Wain.

Immediately after the fight, and before Wain wakes up, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg will get pumped about the potential for Carwin to face Brock Lesnar at some point in 2009.

Here's a GIF of the Carwin knockout:


4) Marcus Davis and Paul Kelly Will Win Fight of the Night

Okay, this isn’t rocket science. These guys are going to stand up and bang, and that will get the fans howling. This match could easily go either way, but I think Marcus Davis is likely to win a decision victory.

5) Luis Cane Will Upset Sokoudjou

Not many people know Cane, but the guy is an absolute beast and Sokoudjou is being favored in this fight mostly because fans know him better. Yes, he finished Arona and Little Nog, but he was an unknown entity back in his Pride days. This may be a good match for Soko to prove his worth, but I think Cane will overwhelm him.

and finally...

My Predictions for Remaining Fights

Lytle > Taylor

Gono > Hardy

Bielkheden > Liaudin

Etim > Stout

Baron > Miller

Schiavo > Eklund

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Renzo Gracie Will Beat Up Marc Laimon Some Other Time

I don't know if this has been reported, or if anybody even gives a damn, but the Team Renzo Gracie vs. Team Cobra Kai/Laimon grapplepalooza is not happening at the Grappler's Quest 2008 North American Grappling Championships scheduled for this weekend in New Jersey. I came across an ad for the event, and gave a call to Grappler's Quest and to see if the battle was still on, and they said it was cancelled, possibly to be rescheduled for an event in Las Vegas.

Too bad, because in an interview with MMAYou.com, Laimon said the following about Renzo's cousin, MMA legend Royce Gracie:

MMAyou.com: How would you rate Royce’s BJJ and MMA skills?

Laimon: It’s pretty poor. It’s actually sh** if you want to not mince words, it’s pretty awful. Matt Hughes SMASHED him on the ground. Took him down, passed his guard, took his back and mounted him. I think Royce is maybe like a good blue belt, maybe a purple belt. I don’t think he’s very good at Jiu Jitsu at all. He happened to be doing it at a time when the level was so low, having Jiu Jitsu was like having a weapon. It was like having a gun or a knife in a fight. People don’t know what’s going on, they didn’t know what to do, they get caught in stuff. Once people started to study the game, video tape doesn’t lie, once you start studying footage, and understanding the principles and concepts of Jiu Jitsu, you realize it’s nothing magic. It’s just you gotta know where to put your arms and what to do.

You see Matt Hughes a guy from the Midwest, who’s a wrestler, basically made Royce look like a white belt. I just think his level of Jiu Jitsu is very very low.

So if you were hoping to see Renzo beat up Laimon for this in the parking lot, you'll have to wait. Too bad, because Renzo does not mess around:

Anderson Silva - "I Want to Retire To Boca Raton and Wear Black Socks With Sandals"

Well, not exactly. But Anderson Silva does make some interesting comments regarding his future in this video interview with Sherdog:

“Everything has its time,” Silva told Sherdog.com in an exclusive video interview, “and I believe my time is already over.”

So what would be Silva’s next move if he does retire? Boxing maybe? Coaching?

“I’m going to be fat, with a big belly by the side of the Octagon, eating popcorn behind the scenes, making my imitations and screaming for the fighters: “Go there! Kick his face! Put him down!”

I'm certainly not looking forward to seeing Anderson Silva retire because the guy just seems incapable of putting on a bad performance. That said, it is possible that he's bored in the UFC as there are simply no contenders for him at 185 pounds. The only remotely tough fight I see for Anderson in the UFC middleweight division is a rematch with Dan Henderson.

It's also worth noting that Anderson mentioned retiring in mid-2009, while his manager Ed Soares has said that there are six fights left on his contract. So assuming Anderson fights every four months and doesn't get injured, the Spider should be around until mid-2010. Let's just hope Anderson doesn't end up in any legal disputes with the UFC if he wants to retire a bit early - though I doubt there will be any problems so long as he doesn't try to fight in another organization.

Assuming Anderson does actually plan on retiring next year, I would hope to see him move up to the light heavyweight division after his fight with Patrick Cote at UFC 90 next week. There are no meaningful fights left at 185, and MMA fans would love to see him up against guys like Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson.

I'll leave you guys with this amazing Anderson Silva highlight video, put together by the reliably awesome Hypnotik:

Sokoudjou Just Wants to Make That Money

Our buddies over at CagePotato just posted a great interview with UFC light heavyweight contender Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, who will battle Luiz Cane this Saturday night at UFC 89.

We often hear about fighters talking about how they love the heat of competition and trying to prove that they're the best, that they can overcome the odds through a smart game plan and some good ol' blood, sweat and tears.

However, Sokoudjou has something else on his mind, and it aint the thrill of victory.

Here's the fun stuff:

Q: Were you hoping for a bigger name opponent for this fight?
A: I’m a fighter who is looking for a way to make money. I’m not gonna disrespect Luis by saying he’s not a big enough name. He’s just a fighter like me, he’s never lost other than a DQ, and he’s in the UFC. Anyone in the UFC is a great fighter and I respect that a lot.

Q: Okay, but would you want to do it? (in reference to Olympics)
A: I’d love to, but Judo don’t pay no bills.

Q: Tell us what to expect from Sokoudjou on Saturday.
A: I’m gonna get paid! I need money for Christmas. That’s all I can say.

It's pretty safe to say that Sokoudjou isn't in the fight game for the intense competition and the thrill of overcoming his opponents. Oh well, at least he'll have money to buy a Nintendo Wii this Christmas. And some whores.

It's pretty sad that Pride was dismantled - after all, Sokoudjou may have been the perfect candidate for New Year's Eve freak shows. You know, Sokoudjou vs. Bob Sapp. Sokoudjou vs. Sakuraba. Or Sokoudjou vs. 309 six year olds. I mean, he sounds so desperate to get paid that he'd do just about anything for a buck.

My money's on Cane for this fight.

Frank Shamrock Likely To Commit Consensual Elder Abuse On Brother Ken - But Will the Fight Happen?

Good news for folks who couldn't get enough of Faces of Death - it looks like Frank and Ken Shamrock are finally getting ready to fight, according to this report by ESPN:

"We've both signed a contract to fight each other," younger brother Frank Shamrock told ESPN.com. "Ken is down with it. We talked about it two years ago, and we've agreed materially to fight."

"Will the fight happen? Absolutely," Ken Shamrock told ESPN.com. "He's got a buttkicking coming to him. Everything I've learned, everything I have bottled up in me, is going to come out on him. I've still got love for Frank, but I'm angry at him."

Now people, if you thought Kimbo vs. Ken was destined to be a bloodbath at the expense of the elder Shamrock, Frank vs. Ken will probably be about ten times worse. Frank, after all, is a well-rounded fighter with solid striking skills. Let's face facts. You don't need solid striking to knock Ken out. You just need functional arms, or a pillow.

Maybe Ken would have a shot in this fight if it gets to the ground, but Frank will likely aim to embarrass Ken with a highlight reel knockout. So at the end of the day, this is nothing but consensual elder abuse.

By the way, I'm a little concerned by this "we've agreed materially to fight" statement. That sounds like there are still some issues to work out, and given the rocky history between these two, don't count on them fighting until they actually climb into a cage together.

Roger Huerta Officially Squashed by the UFC!

I had a pretty good time watching the replay of UFC 87 tonight. However, I noticed there was something missing - the fight between Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian. Weird, huh? That was the third most-hyped fight at the event, and it did not make it onto the broadcast over stuff like Maia/Mcdonald and McFredries/Massenzio, the latter of which was actually from Ultimate Fight Night 15!

My takeaway: Roger Huerta is officially screwed.

Let's briefly discuss UFC President Dana White. Dana is one hell of an interesting guy. You can sue him. You can insult his mother. You can even try to compete with the UFC. But nothing pisses him off more than when his fighters talk about money in public. And if you recall, shortly before UFC 87, Roger Huerta was interviewed by Fight! magazine, complaining quite a bit about the UFC's compensation policies and his contract.

Plus, if we look back at the original UFC 87 broadcast, Roger's post-fight interview wasn't broadcast. And now, the match between Roger and Kenny doesn't even make it onto the replay? True, the fight wasn't exactly the barn burner it was expected to be, but come on! Kenny and Roger are big names for the UFC.

So we can stick the proverbial fork in Roger Huerta, because he's done. He is about to get the Andrei Arlovski treatment. Expect Roger's next fight to be on the undercard of an Ultimate Fight Night against a wrestler that will hold him down and make him look bad for three rounds.

*****************

P.S. It's pretty funny that the UFC forgot to take mention of the Roger/Kenny fight off of this ad for the replay.

Did Kimbo Slice Know Seth Petruzelli Was Bribed to Stand?

With good reason, the hottest story in MMA this year has been the scandal involving EliteXC's payment to Seth Petruzelli to keep his fight with Kimbo Slice on the feet. But I have another question that nobody is asking:

Did Kimbo Slice know that Petruzelli was paid to keep the fight standing?

Kimbo rushed right in at Petruzelli at the start of the fight - as if he had no fear of being taken down Does that strike anyone else as pretty damn odd?

In any case, we should all expect CBS to sever ties with EliteXC in the near future because this debacle is hugely embarrassing from every standpoint. And again, let's hope that EliteXC's fighters find good homes in other organizations.

Dana White Buries EliteXC in Great New Video

This might be the best Dana White video ever:



Dana makes a VERY good case on why the investigation of EliteXC by the Florida State Boxing Commission is more than justified. If you've been waiting for Dana to go wild on EliteXC, this video will make your dreams come true.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski Is Official - Fedor to Win By Armbar

MMA Rated has the exclusive:

MMARated.com has learned that WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will face Andrei Arlovski at the upcoming Affliction show tentatively scheduled for January 24th in Anaheim, Calif.

Affliction Entertainment VP Tom Atencio confirmed the news with us earlier today.

Atencio also said that the promotion will officially announce the date, location and main fights on the card sometime next week and that it will be an MMA-only card but still co-promoted with Golden Boy Promotions.

It's great to see that Fedor will be getting back in the ring in July. However, like most potential match-ups for Fedor, I don't think Arlovski will be able to hang with Fedor. Andrei is a good striker, but I believe Fedor's explosive style is even better, and on the ground, it's not even close.

Can Brock Lesnar Beat Randy Couture?

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the upcoming match between Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture at UFC 91, and so I have to ask the question: Can Brock Lesnar can beat Randy "The Natural" Couture?

Brock Lesnar is a unique opponent. He is relatively inexperienced in MMA, a factor somewhat offset with his huge size, brute strength, and surprising speed. In addition, while we haven't yet seen him take a hard blow to the head in MMA, it is more than likely that Brock has a strong chin given that he took some mighty hard bumps in his WWE pro wrestling days.

While MMA fans tend to poo poo on Brock's pro wrestling experience, it did give him some useful skills for MMA. Not fighting, mind you. But it did get Brock used to being in front of huge crowds, stepping up to perform while injured, and being able to stick to a game plan to achieve a desired outcome

And while Brock didn't necessarily wow anyone with his skills during his victory over Heath Herring at UFC 87, he stayed calm and composed, faithfully stuck to his strategy, and took the victory. He didn't try submissions, he didn't try to knock Heath out except for that first punch, and he stuck to a simply but effective plan of taking Heath down and beating on him.

Randy is a far superior wrestler to Herring, but Randy will be giving up at least 50 pounds to the stronger Brock, who also moves incredibly fast for such a monster. The size/strength difference will also make it tough for Randy to dominate the clinch where he is highly effective.

For Randy to win, he's going to have to play matador with Brock, baiting him into uncomfortable positions to force mistakes. Randy is one hell of a crafty fighter so while it should be tough, if he gets proper positioning on Brock in the clinch, he might be able to drag Brock down and get on top. Brock has never been on the bottom in an MMA match, so he might not be able to handle Randy.

Even though Randy has a hell of a lot more experience than Brock, the match-up is pretty damn compelling. Unless the betting odds were really out of whack, I would be in no hurry to put money on this match.

So to answer the question, yes, Brock Lesnar can beat Randy Couture. But will he? I'm leaning 60/40 towards Brock, but I'm not counting Randy out just yet.

Ken Shamrock Still Wants a Slice of Kimbo

Ken Shamrock, aka "The World's Most Dangerous Can," has issued an open letter to his fans regarding the recent fiasco that was the EliteXC: Heat event.

Here's the juicy part:

"I promise that I will make this up to all my fans. I know that there is nothing I can do about what occurred, but I plan to get back into the ring soon. I would like it to be against Kimbo Slice. Hopefully EliteXC/CBS will still be able to put a fight together. It’s is the right thing to do. The fans want it and I want it."

At this point, after the giant wacky circus EliteXC has turned into, they might as well have this fight. There is no turning back for EliteXC. It is not a professional sports organization; it is an entity built from the ground up to make the UFC look like a well-oiled machine.

Even though we know that Kimbo has a paper jaw, Shamrock is so old, slow, and battered that we really don't know who might win - so what the fuck? Let Kimbo collect another paycheck and ride off into the sunset. We can bitch and moan all we want, but damn, we're all gonna watch.

5 Predictions for UFC 89

Hi folks, I just wanted to pass along this UFC 89 predictions article I wrote for BleacherReport.com. Enjoy!!!

Why the UFC Should Sign Gilbert Melendez

One of the UFC's stated aims is to break into new markets, including the Phillipines, Germany, and Mexico, the latter of which is the topic of discussion here. UFC lightweight Roger Huerta, a highly marketable fighter of Mexican and Salvadoran descent, was made the face of the company's efforts to break into Hispanic markets, a questionable decision when Diego Sanchez would have been a far better choice.

However, in my opinion, Roger is done in the UFC. If there's one thing Dana White hates, it is talking money issues in public, and Roger's interview with FIGHT! magazine in which he complained about his contract HAD to piss Dana off something awful. And of course, it didn't help that Kenny Florian exposed Roger at UFC 87 as an average fighter with a padded record.

It's safe to say that Roger is screwed for the near-term, and the UFC will need a new face for Mexico. And if they don't choose Diego to be that face, Gilbert Melendez might be the perfect choice. (isn't it weird how much they look alike.

Melendez, a former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, has a 14 and 2 record, and is unquestionably a much better fighter than Roger Huerta. And in a recent interview with MMAWeekly.com, Gilbert said the following about the UFC:

"There's a big chance. That's an organization I've always liked to be a part of and a lot of the guys in there I would want to fight. A lot of those guys motivate me. It's motivating to test yourself in front of the world. That's the most motivating thing about going to the UFC is that you really get to showcase yourself."

So no doubt about it, Gilbert would be a great addition to the UFC, as he's a proven lightweight contender and a perfect candidate to help penetrate Mexico.

Let's hope both sides come to their senses and make this deal happen.

Dana White Finally Talks About EliteXC

In an interview with the Boston Herald, Dana White broke his unusually long silence regarding the clusterf*ck that was EliteXC's Heat card this past Saturday night on CBS. Here are the juicy parts:

“It disgusts me,” White said. “I’ve been busting my (expletive) for 10 years flying all over the planet to show everybody what a great sport this is and what amazing people are involved in it. Then CBS throws this guy who fights at people’s barbecues on the main event because they’re trying to compete with us, and he gets knocked out in (14) seconds by a guy who didn’t win ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and couldn’t fight in the UFC. Then the guy turns around the next day and says, ‘The promoters actually paid me to not go to the ground with this guy. They paid me to stand up,’ which I’m pretty sure is illegal.”

“(Slice is) a joke,” White said. “It was bound to happen. These guys have lost $60 million trying to get this thing off the ground. They’re building their promotion around a guy who can’t fight. It’s kind of (expletive) stupid, isn’t it? You’re in the fight business and you’re building your business around a guy who can’t fight.”

Can't argue with anything Dana says here - this is exactly what anyone with a functioning brain is thinking. And I have to say, I'm glad the mainstream media is finally jumping on this story. Let's just hope that when EliteXC goes out of business, their fighters all find good homes.

Where Does Chuck Liddell Go From Here?

Without a doubt, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell is an MMA legend, with an unbelievable career highlighted by one of the most impressive championship stints in UFC history.

From April 2004 until May 2007, Chuck rode a seven fight win streak including victories over Tito Ortiz, Jeremy Horn, and Renato "Babalu" Sobral. And most famously, Chuck took out Randy Couture at UFC 52 for the light heavyweight belt, holding it until UFC 71.

Chuck’s knockout loss to Rampage Jackson at that event was the beginning of a slump where Chuck lost three of four fights. There is no shame in losing to Rampage, Keith Jardine, and Rashad Evans, but there's a greater them at play - the fact that people (especially those trained by Greg Jackson) have learned how to beat Chuck. The main reason Chuck was so dominant for so long was that fighters respected his striking way too much, and continually tried to take him to the ground.

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, we know that was a foolish strategy, because Chuck has the second best takedown defense in MMA behind BJ Penn. But in Chuck's recent losses, his opponents were either 1) willing to stand with him and take their chances (Rampage and Rashad) or 2) aiming to pick Chuck with strikes (Jardine).

So where does Chuck go from here?

First, it's pretty unlikely that Chuck will be in title contention any time soon. His fight with Rashad Evans was meant to be a gimme so Chuck could win and face Forrest Griffin on New Year's Eve in a megafight for the light heavyweight title. Only problem was, nobody told Rashad he was supposed to lose.

And with Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva, Keith Jardine, Wanderlei Silva, and Shogun Rua all in the mix for the title, Chuck has an awful lot of tough competitors to run through before getting back up to the top of the division. That will be an awfully hard task given that the cat is out of the bag in terms of strategies to take on the Iceman. And needless to say, Chuck isn’t getting any younger.

So if I’m UFC matchmaker, I’d look at putting Chuck into superfights that will bring in big bucks rather than fights that will put him into title contention. For example, bouts with Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson would probably sell extremely well.

Alternately, Chuck could take on up and comers like Sokodjou and Brandon Vera, helping to build the popularity of these potential stars. Both sides would win because there’s no shame in losing to Chuck Liddell, and the Iceman’s legacy would stay intact unless he lost in a particularly embarrassing fashion.

There have been calls for Chuck to retire, but I think Chuck still has some fight in him. Let’s give him one more chance. Who knows? He might just shock us and get back in the running for the title.

Do or Die for Brandon Vera at UFC 89

Brandon Vera’s career inside the Octagon has been something of a roller coaster since his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 in late 2005. However, “The Truth” is now at a crossroads in his career, and he’ll have to pull off an impressive win against Keith Jardine this Saturday Night at UFC 89 to get back on the path towards becoming a star.

An undersized heavyweight, Brandon proved he could nonetheless play with the big boys by peeling off four straight wins in the UFC, all of them being first or second round finishes. However, following a year-long layoff in the midst of contentious contact negotiations, Brandon suffered back-to-back losses to top 10 heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum.

After Brandon’s loss to Werdum, he wisely dropped down to the light heavyweight division, which is most certainly a better fit considering his frame, which looks downright frail relative to brutes like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.

However, it appears that Brandon’s first weight drop didn’t go well, as his light heavyweight debut was just a month after the loss to Werdum. Even though he came out the winner by unanimous decision, Brandon’s performance against Reese Andy at Ultimate Fight Night 14 failed to impress MMA fans stoked to see Brandon fighting in his natural weight class.

If three straight disappointing performances weren’t enough, Brandon received criticism that he was significantly overpaid as he picked up $200,000 (including a $100,000 win bonus), that night, a figure equal to Anderson Silva’s pay for the same event.

Needless to say, it is do or die time for Brandon Vera at UFC 89 this Saturday night. It won't be enough to merely beat Keith Jardine, who is also in need of an impressive win after being demolished by Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84. Brandon must do so in decisive fashion. And not only to win over fans suspicious that he was overhyped while facing questionable competition, but to win over UFC management, who have been paying him the salary of 10 lightweights for performances that have been lackluster at best.

The only question is, will “The Truth” stand up?

Tito Ortiz Discusses Back Surgery and His Densely Muscled Core

Tito Ortiz wrote a piece that appeared this morning on MMAWeekly.com discussing his upcoming back surgery.

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy remains a polarizing figure in MMA, but there is no doubt he has an energized fan base and the ability to sell fights. And you have to give credit to a guy who helped carry the sport through the dark days all the way to some of the biggest UFC events of all time, like UFC 61 (Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock 2) and 66 (Ortiz vs. Liddell 2). So should find a home provided he doesn't get too crazy with his contract demands.

But enough of that, here are the highlights:

"Since the Randy Couture fight, I have had lower back problems. Each fight it got worse. I have made it though the last eight fights by physical therapy, methylprednisolone pills, and spinal injections for last three fights."

"The kicker to this whole story is that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) denied my claim for coverage of my debilitating back injury OBVIOUSLY acquired in the Octagon. This was the last kick in the gut made by the UFC."

"After all of the battling, and allegiance I pledged to them, they now have stooped so low as to not give me the medical care I so desperately needed. I am not surprised at there last effort to hurt me, so I took it upon myself to get surgery in hopes that my fight career will jump back on track and I will be back to the explosive monster I always have been."

"On Oct. 6, 2008, my extensive back surgery was performed in Las Vegas by Dr. Smith. It lasted three hours due to the doctor’s careful hand and my densely muscled core that had to be separated in order to get to my spine. My doctor was impressed with my quick recovery, and an hour after surgery I was on my feet and walking to the car."

"I am a new Tito Ortiz… one with a bright fight future… one ready to power through the light heavyweight class and get the belt around my waist again."

Godspeed Tito Ortiz, and may your densely muscled core take you where no man has gone before.

Could Fedor Emelianenko Appear in Vladimir Putin's Judo DVD?

Today, we learned that Russian President and Judo practictioner Vladimir Putin is releasing a Judo DVD. Putin will not be the only instructor in the video, as he is quoted as saying viewers will be "learning not from your humble servant but from real geniuses."

Hmmm, I wonder if Putin's buddy Fedor Emelianenko, a fellow Judo champion, will make an appearance in this video? Since Fedor won't be fighting until January 17th at the earliest, it would be better than nothing.

Karo Parisyan Makes $175,000 a year, says NY Times

The NY Times' Economic blog has an interesting piece up today on MMA fighters' endorsement income.

Says NY Times blogger R.M. Schneiderman:

Individual sports like tennis, golf and boxing, on the other hand, can offer more endorsement opportunities for non-stars; lesser-known competitors, playing in big events, can bring major attention to a brand by plastering it on their shirt or shorts, even if they lose.

Mixed martial arts offers the most extreme example of endorsement economics. The rules regarding sponsorship are fairly lax — as opposed to, say, tennis, a sport whose governing bodies restrict the number of logos an athlete can wear. Most mixed martial artists tend to brandish post fight T-shirts, hats and sports drinks to give their sponsors exposure.

Over the past few years, as the sport has become more popular, that has translated into a significant chunk of income for fighters, according to Kenny Florian, a lightweight contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sport’s premier organization. Karo Parisyan, a top welterweight in the U.F.C. who makes roughly $175,000 a year from fighting and sponsorships, said this would be the first year that his fight purses will outweigh his endorsement dollars. (He added that the reason has more to do with an increase in salary than the current economic downturn, which has hurt fighters’ sponsorship deals).

Nonetheless, because mixed martial arts is a relatively new sport (albeit a popular and increasingly mainstream one), it has not reached a level at which fighters’ salaries and endorsement deals rival those of sports with more-established traditions and bigger audiences. While star U.F.C. fighters like Chuck Liddell make millions of dollars a year, per fight salaries for newcomers in the U.F.C. can be as low as $2,000 a bout. In contrast, boxers on the undercards of fights televised on H.B.O. largely make six-figures each time they step into the ring.

Can't really blame him, but the writer failed to point out other methods of compensation in the UFC, such as fight/submission/knockout of the night bonuses, post-fight locker room bonuses, and PPV bonuses for the big guys.

With all the EliteXC Chaos, Where is Dana White?

With all the chaos and craziness surrounding EliteXC:Heat this past Saturday night on CBS, one major character from the MMA world is unusually silent.

UFC President Dana White is never shy about abusing the opposition, whether it's EliteXC, Affliction, or the IFL. So why isn't he all over the airwaves blasting EliteXC for last weekend's ridiculous events? I'm willing to bet he's preparing some kind of interview with a major media outlet like ESPN where he can unleash his venom on a grand stage.

In fact, don't be surprised to see him on MMA Live this week tearing Jared Shaw & Company a new one, much to the delight of MMA bloggers everywhere.

Playboy Teases Rachel Leah Photos

MMA fans have been eagerly awaiting the November issue of Playboy, which will feature UFC All Access Host Rachel Leah as the centerfold. For our viewing pleasure, Playboy is teasing us with some SFW shots of the gorgeous Rachel, including this one:

EliteXC Dangerously Close to Fixing Kimbo Slice/Seth Petruzelli Match

I'd like to say that this interview with Seth Petruzelli shocked me. Sadly it didn't. Fast-forward to the 10:30 mark and you'll hear Seth make the following comments regarding a very special request from his promoters ahead of his fight with Kimbo Slice:

"The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him."

"They didn't want me to take him down, let's just put it that way."

"It was worth my while to try to stand up, stand up and punch with him."

It's one thing to engage in matchmaking in order to build a certain fighter. After all, the UFC has done that with many guys, most notably Roger Huerta. But to come out and use money to try and influence what happens inside the cage crosses a whole new line. This absolutely stinks of the worst-smelling bullsh*t on the planet, and I'm just going to pray it's not true because it makes me question some other things I've seen during EliteXC fights. You know, like that ridiculous standup in the Arlovski/Nelson fight.

Lloyd Irvin is the Man!!!

Grappling guru Lloyd Irvin, who is famous in the fighting world for his incredibly recovery from a horrifying spinal injury, was held up at gunpoint Saturday morning, along with his family and UFC contender Brandon Vera. Needless to say, the outcome could have been tragic. Lloyd, no stranger to adversity, had other plans for his attackers.

BloodyElbow has the story:

While one gunman held Irvin's family hostage, another gunman directed Irvin to the the master bedroom. According to Irvin, he led the gunman toward his bedroom. Once in the bedroom, Irvin said he noticed the other gunman was far enough away down the hall to make a move to disarm the attacker in his bedroom. Irvin, an expert in Sambo defensive gun and knife techniques, was able to get ahold of the gun in the attacker's hands, first separating the clip from the gun and then removing the gun from the attacker's hands.

I would have liked to hear about these piece of sh*t criminals suffering some broken bones at the hands of Irvin and Vera, but for now, let's give thanks that the good guys won, and that Lloyd's family is safe and sound.

Georges St. Pierre Heading to a Wheaties Box Near You

Just caught this press release over at MMAPayout.com:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC) welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has signed with CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. Best known for his breadth of skills, varied martial arts styles, and fast-paced, entertaining fights, St-Pierre is among the most popular fighters in the world and widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). CAA Sports, in conjunction with St-Pierre’s manager Shari Spencer, will represent St-Pierre in his marketing and endorsement initiatives, and will utilize the agency’s vast resources and expertise in entertainment to create unique opportunities for the fighter across a wide variety of platforms, including movies, television, licensing, and digital media.

Given his marketability, I've been very surprised that GSP hasn't yet nabbed any major endorsement deals, except for the usual stuff like Affliction. However, CAA could help him hit the big time with corporate America (Canada?), as it represents megastars like LeBron James, LaDainian Tomlison, Derek Jeter, and Tony Hawk.

So who knows what Georges will be pitching? He has shown a love for McDonald's in the past! Just imagine the commercial spot:

"I am Georges St. Pierre and I am not impressed by Burger King's performance. To keep my riddum I eat the quarter pounder with cheese from the McDonald's!"

Congratulations to Fightlinker!

I just wanted to say congratulations to Fightlinker for being the site that broke the story of Ken Shamrock bowing out of his fight with Kimbo Sliced on Saturday night. Fightlinker tends to focus more on analysis and opinion with a hefty dose of humor rather than simply reporting the news, which makes it one of my favorite MMA sites. In addition, their Low Blow podcast is simply hilarious and a must-listen for any MMA fan that doesn't take everything too seriously.

Congratulations guys!

So Who Should Kimbo Slice Fight Next?

Brent Brookhouse over at BloodyElbow has the following suggestions:

1) Brett Rogers - This is the option that EXC takes if they want to transfer Kimbo's hype on to someone else. It also means the official end of the Slice gravy train because I don't see any way he doesn't lose to Rogers and a second straight loss takes away any mystique Kimbo has left. Rogers, however, is extremely marketable and has a legitimate chance of becoming a champion in the promotion (provided it survives that long). All that being said, I don't think they're ready to write off Slice.

2) Seth Petruzelli - This is a very risky option as Petruzelli isn't really a top level guy, maybe he could seem as such in EXC's 205 division but he just isn't a top guy anywhere else. The obvious upside here would be a Kimbo win allowing them to blow the loss off as a case of a guy being put off his game by a last minute change. But the risk is just too great, a second loss to Petruzelli would ruin Kimbo more than anything else I can think of.

3) Ken Shamrock - I think this is the direction they must go with this. It is as close to a guaranteed highlight reel KO for Slice as anything, and it would be against a big name opponent. There is also a storyline to build off of. Also, the matchup doesn't look quite as grotesque after the Kimbo loss. It's still transparent matchmaking, but at least it is now a very much needed type of transparent matchmaking.

Shamrock will most likely be the next opponent for Kimbo. EliteXC management will probably spin Kimbo's loss as a result of not having time to prepare and/or Petruzelli getting lucky. EliteXC desperately needs to find Kimbo an opponent he can beat, and they need to do it ASAP.

EliteXC has put an awful lot of effort into promoting Kimbo, and they are too far gone to choose a different direction for their marketing. Plus, CBS management might be pissed off that EliteXC's golden goose got completely cooked last night.

If EliteXC delivered big ratings last night, another network might look towards bringing the UFC on network tv. The attitude may be "if CBS can draw X million viewers with EliteXC, imagine what we could do with the UFC's higher-quality fighters." Brock Lesnar could probably draw as many if not more mainstream viewers as Kimbo Slice, and has a better shot at longevity in the volatile MMA world.

So at the end of the day, the UFC may have come away as the biggest victor of all on Saturday night.