MMA Round Up

Ok so it's been a while since my last post and as always two weeks is a long time in the world of MMA. I'm actually on holiday in Japan, I'm here for about a month visiting my in laws and doing some touristy shit. I'm just gutted that I'm not gonna be here in February when the UFC hits town. I'm actually quite interested to see if they will fill the Saitama Super Arena, I guess they will, the UFC marketing machine rarely gets this kind of thing wrong but there is no hype here yet. I have seen just two posters in Shinjuku station in Tokyo.

Here are my thoughts on what's happened recently;

1. Jon Jones is the real deal. People are celebrating how "well" Machida did in the first round but really, cmon, yeah sure he was a little awkward at first and yeah a couple of jabs got through but as soon as Jones upped the heat in round two it was like taking candy from a child. He looked a different class to Lyoto. One thing I would say is that despite what Jones himself claims, his chin still hasn't been tested. Lyoto hardly landed a hay maker, he just landed a stiff jab or two. The fact that Jones is so keen to suppress the idea he might have a suspect chin makes me a little suspicious. He was desperate to tell us after the fight that his chin was now proven to be granite. Hmmm. That's why I have a sneaky feeling Rashad will give him a really tough fight. When Rashad talks about Jones he does so with the air of a man who knows something that we don't. They trained with each other extensively. If Jones was dishing out one sided beatings all day would Rashad be so confident? It might be psychological too, kind of like if a kid has to fight his big brother. On this theme, Dan Henderson will also be a real test. If Jones gets hit with the H-Bomb and lives to tell the tale then he really can claim to have a chin. On a serious note if Jones beats both these two his resume will be unbelievable.

2. Will Big Nog really come back after that break? Maybe but at his age that is a career threatening injury. Hindsight is a truly wonderful thing but If Nog had kept the fight standing then I'm pretty sure he would've knocked Mir out. After that victory I don't think it's silly to suggest that Mir is the top heavyweight submission artist in the world. People talk about Nogueira having better technique, maybe slightly but Mir is bigger stonger and more explosive and that gave him the advantage on the ground.

3. I would give Tito one more fight if I were Dana White. love him or loathe him he is one of the people who helped build MMA into the sport it is today. I'd like to see him go out on a win.

4. Much to the annoyance of many American (and some British) fans Micheal Bisping beat Mayhem Miller with some ease. I think if he beats Demian Maia in his next fight I think he'll get a title shot. I think it's a 50/50 fight for The Count but if I were a betting man I'd put some money on a decision win.

5. I'm really hyped about Lesnar v Overeem. This fight will have an electric atmosphere, it's a true heavyweight clash. It seems like Overeem has managed to avoid falling foul of the pre fight drug tests and has the go ahead to square off with Brock. I like Alastair both as a person and as a fighter but seriously the fact that he can compete at all is a damning indictment of the state of performance enhancing drug testing in MMA. I think Lesnar gets the take down early and wins via TKO after about 3 mins of the first round.

Womens MMA and other stuff

There's a few things that I wanted to talk about, so I thought I'd make a list!

1. It seems like Strikeforce will actually be kept alive by Zuffa and I think this is a great move not least for women's MMA. Dana White has a point that the female divisions aren't really deep enough to integrate in the UFC but Strikeforce is a great platform for women's MMA to grow. I also love how the female fighters are covered in the MMA media, they get legitimate coverage and fight reports. This is something that rarely happens in boxing where they still haven't been fully accepted. I mean I'm genuinely hyped about a potential match up between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Those girls know how to promote a fight and they are seriously skilled too.

2. I wrote a fairly critical previous post about this season of TUF. I have to say the quality of the fights/fighters has won me round. Diego Brandao in particular looks like he could be a real force in the UFC. He's a mini Wanderlei Silva, loads of aggression and power.

3. I think Bisping's gonna take Mayhem. His wrestling is really good which means that this fight will likely be contested on the feet. I can't see Miller winning a stand up battle with The Count. I'm going for Bisping via unanimous decision. Although most American fans (and some Brits) will hate the prospect, a win on Saturday probably puts him one fight away from a title shot. Whilst he would have almost no chance of beating Anderson Silva (presuming he's still the champ) this would be a great opportunity to hold a title fight in the UK which would generate a lot of media interest over here.

Russian Tweets

Interesting news from twitter last night saw M1 global calling for a match between Fedor and Cain Velasquez in Moscow!

Now I realize that this is pure fantasy for a variety of reasons but indulge me for a minute...that fight would be a great spectacle (especially in Russia) and a match up that lots of fans would love to see. Of course there is a less than 1% chance that it would happen, I don't think the UFC would ever co-promote with any other organisation and lets face it Fedor hardly catapulted himself back to relevance with a decision win over Jeff Monson last weekend. I'm sure that Dana will have some fun at M1's expense over this one.

The only potential positives about this fight from a UFC perspective (and I realize that I'm clutching at straws here) are;

1. Velasquez is no longer the champ, if he were to lose it wouldn't devalue the belt in any way by having the "champion" outside of the UFC

2. I imagine Russia would probably be a difficult market for the UFC to crack. A one off partnership with M1 might actually make sense here and could be great for building the UFC's profile in previously uncharted waters.

UFC 139 Wow

Well a lot has been said and written about UFC 139 already but it was a truly fantastic event. Here are some of my thoughts now I've had a couple of nights to get over the excitement;

1. Shogun v Henderson was in my opinion the best MMA fight ever. I haven't heard anyone come up with a really credible contender.

2. How could the last round not be scored 10/8 to Shogun? He mounted Dan four times! It's getting tiresome but judging in MMA needs an overhaul. Judges across the board favour stand up striking over grappling when scoring. It could also be argued that round three was a 10/8 to Hendo, for what it's worth I had the fight as a draw.

3. Both these guys are true warriors, I hope they got paid a shed load of money.

4 Hendo seems to be at his peak at age 41. He now fights like Chuck Liddel, really just using his wrestling to keep the fight standing and waiting to land that right hand bomb. Having a granite chin also helps. If I had a choice I think I'd like him to fight Silva (providing he can get past Sonnen) rather than Jon Jones. I think Jones would out-wrestle him and be big enough and strong enough to hold him down.

5. Will Shogun ever come to a fight in really great shape? He looked flabbier than usual for this one. He was gassed by the end of the second round but to be fair to him he seemed to stay at the same level for the rest of the fight and actually finished much stronger than Henderson (although being 12 years younger has to help). I can't help but support this guy. I would love to see him fight Rampage in Japan but I think that fight may come too soon for him to recover. He's only 29 and I think he'll put together another run at the title sooner rather than later.

6. Wanderlei Silva still has something left in the tank. It was great to see a typical swarming finish from him, a real blast from the past. I still get nervous whenever he gets tagged and he looked unsteady after eating the spinning back fist in round one but he got the win in impressive fashion at the end. I'm not sure what's next for him, the Cung Lee fight was perfect, a big name but not hugely dangerous. I'm really interested to see who he gets next.

7. Cung Lee would probably lose to the majority of middleweights in the UFC. He's 39, has poor conditioning and has never really focused fully on MMA. It's only down to huge natural ability that he can compete at that level at all. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see him return.

8. Urijah Faber was awesome. I hope the rumour is true that he will be the next coach of the ultimate fighter alongside Dominic Cruz. They despise each other and it would really help build their rivalry to a new level.

The Ageing Fighters Biggest Fight - Staying Relevant

Lets get this straight I'm a huge Pride fan, I lived in Japan when Pride was in its heyday. It was my introduction to MMA and I'll always cheer for the ex-Pride fighters when I watch them fight (although I did lose faith with Cro-Cop, his heart just wasn't in it at the end). These guys are a dying breed, and it got me thinking about the battle to stay relevant and stave off retirement that these ageing fighters are facing. Randy Couture laid down the blueprint, he kept himself in tip top shape, always came to the Octagon with a watertight game plan and showed huge heart and desire. His comeback win against Tim Sylvia is one of my favourite all time fights. This weekend we'll see another fighter in a desperate battle to keep his career alive....Wanderlei Silva. He's probably one of my all time faves. Undoubtedly one of the most intimidating fighters in MMA history, a guy who finished fights. His UFC career though has been less than spectacular, he also looks pretty weird following the surgery he had to remove all the scar tissue from his face. It's almost like he's wearing guy liner...weird. Despite this he's still my boy but he's on borrowed time. His chin is Liddelesque in its fragility and he still seems to approach fights without a solid game plan. The biggest issue for me though is his change of attitude. I hate to hear him talking about "entertaining the fans", he talks about putting on a good fight being more important than winning and his legendary intense stare down has disappeared. I realize that if you are losing fights then it's more difficult to feel like a killer who scares his opponents stiff but if he has any chance of keeping his career alive he has to tap into the animal that he once was. Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating that he starts rushing across the cage recklessly. He just needs to get mean. For what its worth I think he'll beat Cung Lee who is flashy but overrated in my opinion. If we are lucky we may just see Wanderlei in a few more fun fights before the end.

UFC on Fox and other ramblings

It's been a little while since my last blog post but I've been manic with work so it's nice to finally sit down and pen some thoughts.

Last nights fight was dramatic and in my mind predictably short. It was wonderful to see the UFC live on network television surely a huge stride in our fantastic sport becoming truly mainstream. This feeling was dampened slightly by reports that the viewing figures only reached 4.6 million for the hour broadcast. When all the numbers are fully crunched and they release the data for the number of people who actually watched the fight itself I think (hope) the figures will be a lot higher. After all you can't expect the casual/new fan to watch a 60 second fight and then sit through 55 mins of extended punditry. Nearly everyone who I've heard discuss the topic felt that they should've showed the Guida v Henderson fight as part of the hour (including UFC employees like Joe Rogan). This seems blindingly obvious and seems to be a decision taken by Fox rather than the UFC. I'm sure some television executive has a good reason for this that no one else has thought of yet.

The fight itself was short, brutal and dramatic. There were question marks over Velasquez coming into the fight regarding ring rust and injuries picked up in training but I think he just tried to swim in the deep waters of Dos Santos' striking and drowned. He is still the number 2 heavyweight in the world for me, but knockout victories over Zombie Nog and Brock "not the face" Lesnar have perhaps mislead us all as to his ability on the feet. Dos Santos is one of the nicest guys in the game and a real killer to boot. There is still a slight question mark about his ability to stuff the take down of an elite heavyweight wrestler but there aren't many fighters that fall into that bracket anyway. Lesnar might test this theory if he can get past Overeem and both Barnett and Cormier have the credentials to take him down. I actually think his biggest test will be the eventual and inevitable rematch with a super motivated Cain Velasquez who will come back with a tighter game plan next time.

UFC 137 viewpoint

Well I got two out of my four picks right, which is why I rarely bet on MMA! UFC 137 was a decent card saved by an awesome main event. I have to say Nick Diaz was fantastic, better than I thought he would be. BJ had a good first round (which he won in my opinion), but Nick's cardio, pressure and endless barrages of quickfire combinations proved too much for the plucky Hawaiian. I respect BJ's heart and chin but if that fight had been five rounds we would've seen a stoppage. Really interesting that Nick now leapfrogs Carlos Condit for the next shot at GSP. Apparently Condit "agreed" to step aside. That's like getting an offer from the mafia that you can't refuse. He must be gutted (although I'd be surprised if the UFC didn't give him some form of financial sweetener). Nick was pretty clever calling out GSP after the fight and in fairness it is the fight that we all want to see. GSP also needed to look like he wasn't avoiding Diaz, it's like standing up to the school yard bully...you can't put it off. I think the one remaining question mark hanging over Diaz is his ability to handle an elite MMA wrestler. That question will be answered one way or another in the GSP fight. The rest of the card was just ok for me. Cerrone looked great. Kongo proved to be the really solid gatekeeper that he is and Mitrione will have to go away and learn from that performance. I hope that Mirko is genuinely serious about retiring this time.....I hope that BJ will reconsider, he still has something to offer.

"Too Much UFC"......not for me.

Listening to my favourite podcast recently "The MMA Hour" with the excellent Ariel Helwani, the subject of "too much UFC" is often raised. Ariel and many other guests have been in agreement that there are simply too many UFC events these days. I've been thinking about this subject for a while now and it's something that I just can't agree with. Dana White has often stated that their long term aim is to make MMA the biggest sport in the world. It's a lofty goal but one which I would love to see realized. In all honesty I can't ever see MMA overtaking football (soccer for my American readers) in world wide appeal, but if it could even get close I'd be more than happy. The UFC has seriously ramped up the number of events over the last 12 months and the frequency of cards is only set to keep increasing. Being honest I can only see benefits to this "saturation approach". Look at other sports for a start, the most popular sports in the world saturate TV channels with live events and replays most nights of the week. Most of these sports don't operate a PPV model but the rational is still the same. More UFC events is surely better for the fighters, it means that they have to carry more fighters on the roster (giving more fighters access to the UFC health care), this raises standards across the sport allowing more fighters to train professionally with the increased financial security of being associated with the UFC. It also allows fighters to fight more often, increasing their visibility and marketability. The recent Fox deal will also have a major impact on the sport, giving fighters access to a wider market in which they can promote their brand. There is an argument that PPV numbers will suffer with an increase in the number of events. This is inevitable initially as viewers pick and choose cards in a time of economic uncertainty, but whilst individual cards may have slightly lower figures, the overall number of PPV buys should be higher with the vastly increased number of events. The fights on Fox will also introduce MMA to a whole new audience which should mean increased PPV buys with time. The increased number of shows combined with The UFC soon to be shown on network television also goes a long way to help the legitimization of the sport. MMA is still tarred with the brush of being a "no holds barred" "barbaric sport" in many quarters. The "saturation approach" should slowly erode this misconception as the sport becomes more and more accepted in the mainstream. I can't wait for the day that MMA is reported as a mainstream sport on the back pages of newspapers here in the UK. The more events we see, the higher profile fighters become in the USA and the rest of the world, the more likely it is to happen. The argument I've heard against this is that many fans can't afford to buy every PPV. We are lucky in the UK in that we pay an annual subscription fee and we then get to watch pretty much every event the UFC puts on. It's undoubtedly true that with an increased number of events more fans will have to pick and choose which events they watch, but that's always been the case. If the UFC only put on 6 shows a year there would still be fans that couldn't afford to watch all of them, so where do you draw the line? The important question is can the UFC genuinely have ambitions of being the biggest sport in the world whilst only having 12 or so shows a year? I'll let you make up your own mind...

Is Winning Enough?

A Recent debate at the Arm Bar Forum http://thearmbar.forumotion.com/f1-mma-forum about the next welter weight challengers got me thinking. I mean if Diaz wins then he gets the next shot, that's pretty much universally accepted, then we have the likes of Ellenberger, maybe Rory Macdonald, even Rumble Johnson with a couple more wins. There is however an elephant in the room, and his name is Jon Fitch. Most of the guys in the forum felt that Fitch would probably beat all of the contenders I've listed above. Incredibly he has lost just one fight in his 15 UFC appearances. To be fair it was a heavy loss to GSP but then again who has pushed the champ close recently? Some websites list Fitch in their pound for pound top 10, and with a record like that, it's difficult to argue. Yet despite this Jon Fitch is not being mentioned as a title contender, don't get me wrong I love the UFC but it seems in Fitch's case the fact that he is a top fighter is overlooked because he isn't "exciting". Sure Fitch tends to grind his way to decision wins, and hand on heart I would rather watch Anderson Silva fight all day long. Despite this I respect the fact that he is a tough SOB, and I think that it's important to remember that MMA is a sport and in sport winning is what matters most. I'm sure the UFC feel that Fitch v GSP 2 won't sell as many PPV's as a fresh match with one of the contenders above but I don't care about that, I want to see the best fight the best. If those guys would all get wrestled to a decision loss by Fitch, then that's their problem, they need to improve as fighters.  I don't think the UFC should protect them from Fitch because they are scared he will derail the fresh meat. Since Fitch lost to GSP he went on a 5 fight win streak before a draw with BJ Penn. Prior to his fight with Fitch, BJ was coming off back to back losses to Frankie Edgar and a win over the once great but terminally declining Matt Hughes. How are they both rewarded? Penn is in this weeks main event against Nick Diaz, Fitch gets a banana skin of a fight against Johny Hendricks (who is outside of the top 10, but very dangerous). Does that seem fair to you? Maybe we should look at it like a business, we all want the sport to grow and the best way to do that is put on exciting fights and increase the PPV numbers. Combined with that you have to say that in the UFC the cream really does tend to rise to the top. All of the champions are well deserving of the title. I just think that on this occasion if a guy has a record like Fitch's then regardless of his style you have to let him fight the top boys and consider him as a title contender.

Who's the First to Fall?

The UFC has grown and evolved over a number of years into the behemoth of an organisation that we all know and love today. Speaking to a friend recently we both agreed that never in the history of the organisation have we seen such dominant (or potentially dominant champions across all the weight classes). It's a great position to be in, dominant champions become more marketable over time (Anderson Silva is sponsored by Nike and Burger King!), they also add value to the belts that they carry. A win over a dominant champion is something to behold, a seminal moment in the sport, the kind of thing that fans love to witness. It's really difficult to say which champion is most likely to lose their belt first. Based on my scores below it would seem to be either Edgar or Velasquez. What do you guys think? I've had loads of website hits but no comments as of yet, don't be shy. Let me know, who's the first to fall?

Let's look at the current champions and assess their longevity;

1. Dominick Cruz

Dominick has already pretty much cleaned out the division, he has only one loss (which he has avenged) in 20 fights, the best matches for him are re matches. He has defended his belt four times (merging WEC and UFC records) and has the potentially to remain champ for the foreseeable future. Despite being criticised for his lack of finishing power the UFC has been steadily building his profile and he is a high energy fighter with few holes in his game.

Domination score 7 (out of 10)

2. Jose Aldo

Another really dominant champion. Jose has defended his title on five occasions (if you merge his WEC and UFC) records, rarely looking like losing (except an unexpected final round "gas" against Mark Hominick). This guy is a machine feared for his devastating leg kicks and explosive all round game. His biggest challenge will most likely come if Frankie Edgar decides to step down and fight at 145, otherwise he looks really tough to beat.

Domination score 8 (out of 10)

3. Frankie Edgar

Frankie is an interesting one. Despite being a true champion he is also a perennial underdog, often written off, but possessing an unbelievable will to win. He's undersized for a light weight, not really needing to cut any weight, and we have seen him in serious trouble (twice) in epic fights against Gray Maynard. In every title fight he has there will be people ready to write him off but I think he is unbelievably tough to beat. Great boxing, footwork, wrestling and heart combine to make an all round excellent fighter. The light weight division is stacked and there is a queue of would be champions. It's gonna be tough but I have a feeling Frankie is gonna be around as champ for a while, and the UFC are doing a nice job of building his profile and status.

Domination score 6.5 (out of 10)

4. GSP

What can I say, the guy is a phenom, super athlete, good looking, 7 title defences in a row without ever  remotely looking like losing. GSP is the ultimate dominant champion. He is criticised heavily for his safety first approach and lack of finishes but as I've said in a previous post it really is up to the guy he's fighting to do something about it. There is much talk of a superfight with Anderson Silva but I can't see it materialising, not with the extra bulk GSP would have to acquire to be competitive. Combined with that there are some fresh challengers emerging at WW. Think Condit , Diaz, Ellenberger and you may even have his next three fights. Hand on heart I can't see any of them really pushing him close.

Domination score 9 (out of 10)

5. Anderson Silva

Unbeaten for nearly 5 years and with 9 UFC title defences, Anderson Silva is a hugely dominant champion and in my opinion the number 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. It would not be stretching it to describe him as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He's totally cleaned out the division. the one remaining hurdle is his rematch with Chael Sonnen, the fighter who has pushed him further than anyone else in the UFC. If he beats Chael I can see him staying undefeated at middle weight for a couple more years. Age is not on his side but he's rarely involved in gruelling fights and he doesn't seem to pick up too many injuries.

I'd love to see him move up and fight John Jones while he's still at his peak. That fight makes so much more sense to me than a match against an undersized GSP.

Domination score 9.5 (out of 10)

6. John Jones

A true phenom, and undoubtedly the future of the sport. 14 wins with one disqualification loss in a bout he was dominating. His record is starting to have a Fedor-esque look about it. He won the title in dominating fashion against an undercooked but still dangerous Shogun, and then dismantled Rampage on his way to a submission victory in his first and only defence. The light heavyweight division is stacked and his next two fights against Machida and presumably Rashad Evans could be tricky, but to be fair he has looked on a different level. The only thing I see stopping John Jones is him literally outgrowing the division. He has a big frame and there may well come a time when he simply has to move up.

Domination score 6.5 (out of 10) for now after only one defence, with the potential to be a 10.

7. Cain Velasquez

Cain is another interesting one. He's been out for a long time with injury in a weight class where champions tend to rise and fall at a faster pace. He seems to be the real deal. His dismantling of Brock Lesnar in particular was exceptional. Great wrestling, good stand up, Mexican fighting spirit, what more do you want? He did show slight weaknesses in the fight with Kongo who buckled the future champ twice, but it's the only time we've seen him really troubled. His next fight with Dos Santos is a real toughie, it's a 50/50 call in my mind especially after such a long lay off . If he gets through that I can see him defending the belt for a while.

Domination score 5.5 (out of 10) with the potential to be a 7 or 8

UFC 137 The Pick of the Bunch

Well there's still a week and a half to go before UFC 137 but I thought I'd take the opportunity slightly early to have a look at some of the more interesting match ups and how I think they'll go.

Penn v Diaz

Despite GSP's withdrawal with a knee injury the card is still left with a fight well worthy of a main event. This fight is super tough to call in my opinion. Most armchair fans seem to think that Diaz will come out on top but I'm not so sure. The fact that this is only going to be a three rounder definitely goes in Penn's favour. According to reports both camps were offered the opportunity for this bout to be five rounds (after GSP withdrew) but only Diaz was positive about it. That makes sense, he's a triathlon competing cardio machine and BJ isn't famed for his intense fight preparation. I think that this will predominantly be a stand up war which many people again feel will favour Diaz with his rangy "death by a thousand cuts" boxing style. BJ is no slouch on his feet though, Freddie Roach once described him as "the best boxer in MMA". I think if BJ mixes it up with leg kicks and the odd take down, he could have considerable success. Nick's jujitsu is great but I can't see him submitting BJ if he gets taken down). Nick also hasn't competed in the UFC for a while and fighters always seem to struggle with the increased quality of competition when they return to the UFC (or come across from another promotion).

I'm going for a BJ Penn win via close decision.

Kongo v Mitrione

Another exciting fight for sure. I see Kongo as a skilled gatekeeper, I don't think he'll ever put together a run for the title but he's no pushover, basically if you can beat him then you are close to being a top 10 fighter. Mitrione on the other hand is an up and comer. He is perhaps the most improved fighter in the UFC over the last two years. This is the acid test for Mitrione.....is he the real deal? We are about to find out. It will be interesting to see what tactics the guys employ, Kongo is a solid stand up fighter who has managed to mix in some take downs and vicious ground and pound in recent years. Despite Kongo's strength on his feet I think that Mitrione will be happy to stand with him, his confidence on his feet has grown enormously and he does possess one punch knockout power. I think Mitrione is a clever fighter and I expect him to come in with a game plan that at some point puts Kongo on his back (a position from which he really struggles).

I'm going for Mitrione via 2nd round TKO.

Cro Cop v Nelson

There was once a time that I wouldn't miss a Cro Cop fight for the world. Unfortunately these days he has lost most of his mystique, both his body and mind no longer seem willing. The terrifyingly brutal knock out artist of old seems to have disappeared forever. Despite Cro Cop's recent poor form Roy Nelson isn't such a bad match up for him but still a very tough fight. Nelson is coming off a lethargic and disappointing performance against Frank Mir and really needs a win to cement his place in the UFC. Cro Cop may surprise us all with the trademark head kick KO that we've all been waiting for since he joined the UFC but it's highly unlikely. Roy has a great chin and heavy hands, he is also capable of taking Cro Cop down and keeping him there.

I'm going for Nelson via a unanimous decision (but I wouldn't be surprised to see a KO).


Siver v Cerrone

This should be a really fun bout. Both fighters are always game and come to the octagon with a level of intensity and aggression that fans love to see. Siver has had some excellent recent wins against Matt Wiman and the impressive George Sotiropoulos, a win here would make it five on the bounce in the UFC, impressive by any one's standards. Cerrone is also on a hot streak winning his last five in a row (the most recent 3 wins have been in the UFC). This should be a brutal stand up war with no quarter asked or given . I think Cerrone's reach advantage will prove decisive. Siver has to close the gap if his is to trade with the "Cowboy" and I think it will be a bridge too far. Cerrone looks more focused than ever these days and I think he'll come out on top.

I'm going for Cerrone via unanimous decision.

GSP OUT!!

Breaking news from Dana White on Twitter is that GSP is out of his title fight with Carlos Condit. Bad news, the UFC has had some bad luck with injuries recently. Nick Diaz v BJ Penn will be a good main event no doubt, but it would've been nice to have two massive fights on the card. For the record I think that GSP would've won by safety first grind to a decision. Not that I'm criticising too much, it's up to the other fighter to deal with it, it's not like they don't know what he's gonna do.

The Ultimate Fighter - on its last legs?

The Ultimate Fighter was undoubtedly a ground breaking TV series. The finale of the first show is credited with sparking a renewed interest in the UFC and MMA in general. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on an unbelievable fight. The TV show has some stellar alumni that have carved impressive careers, think Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian, Michael Bisping and many more. I just think that recently the show has lost alot of its lustre. Reality TV shows always tend to fall off after a while, the in-house antics are now a little tiresome, you put ketchup in someones wrestling shoes...big deal. Go and watch the Junie Browning series for a lesson in how to be an asshole on the ultimate fighter. Even the "tension" between the coaches feels manufactured. I get the sense that Bisping and Miller don't mind each other at all, and the pranks they play on each other seem staged and lack any kind of malice. Nothing can match the Ortiz v Shamrock season, genuine hatred and some of the funniest scenes the series has ever seen.  In recent times the quality of the fighters has really dipped too. The first 4 or 5 series really decimated the talent pool of fighters outside of the UFC (who weren't contracted to other organisations), it used to mean something to win the ultimate fighter, but now....I'm not so sure. The good thing about this series is that it focuses on the two lightest weight classes. I think that was a great idea, these guys haven't had the chance to appear on the show before (unless they tried out as an undersized lightweight) and we have seen a better quality of fighter than in recent years. Even so is the interest really there? Viewing figures are still decent, I still watch every episode, but if I missed one it wouldn't be a big deal.

Big Fights

I will start doing some event specific previews and write ups in the near future but I wanted to focus on two upcoming fights that have really sparked my imagination;

Silva v Sonnen 2

At the time of writing I don't think that this fight has been officially signed yet but it's a dead cert. I'd be amazed if Anderson Silva fought anyone else next. The build up to this one alone will be sensational. I mean love him or loathe him Chael Sonnen knows how to hype a fight and he has a real ability to get under Silva's skin. Everything about this will be great, the weigh in, the staredown, the only question that remains is whether Chael Sonnen can put in a repeat performance (minus the triangle) of the first fight. Most educated MMA writers that I read seem to think that the rematch will be very different, many feel that Silva will have his way in the second fight, and that he was seriously hampered by a rib injury in the first. Now I'm a huge Anderson Silva fan and there is always the chance that Silva simply catches him with a crazy strike from nowhere (invariably learned from Steven Segal) but I think it's gonna be another tough night for the Brazilian. Sonnen looked truly sensational against  Brian Stann in his most recent bout. He truly is one of the most impressive wrestlers in MMA and he's at the peak of his physical powers. Providing he doesn't get clipped on the feet (I think his stand up is actually underrated) and providing he has been working hard on sub defence, he could grind out a win. Having said that I don't think Anderson could think of much worse than losing his title to his newly found nemesis. Either way it's going to be an epic contest and maybe even a PPV record setter for the UFC.

Lesnar v Overeem

In a strange kind of way I'm looking forward to this heavyweight clash more than Dos Santos v Valasquez. I think it's the phsyical presence of the men involved, two giants squaring off always makes for a great spectacle.  Lesnar always brings star power and fan interest where ever he goes, and Overeem with his Thor-like physique will provide an asthetically well matched opponent. So how does the fight go down? I think Lesnar takes this one with some vicious ground and pound to reignite his UFC career. Overeem is a well renowned striker, a K1 champion and carries with him a wealth of fighting experience. I just think that he won't be able to stop the takedown, and even if Brock can't finish him early, Overeems suspect cardio will be tested to the limit with 5 minutes of Brock Lesnar lying on him. Overeems best chance is to stuff the takedown or maybe catch Brock with a knee as he is shooting in. Brock famously struggles when a fight remains standing for any length of time. I've never seen anyone who looks so tough react so badly to getting hit in the face (apart from maybe Bob Sapp). I think Lesner will get the takedown and win via TKO round 1.

As a side note, I realize that most people will already listen to this but I can't recommend highly emough the MMA Hour Podcast. You find it on ITunes or at http://www.mmafighting.com/

My Fedor Fantasy

Now I was an unashamed Fedor fanatic, I mean I grew up on a diet of him destroying everyone in his path, and being part of some of the biggest and most exciting MMA fights I've seen. His recent rapid demise took me a little by surprise I have to say. There's no way that he should have lost to Werdum (I still think he'd win that rematch 9 times out of 10, providing he didn't go diving into Werdum's guard). I thought that it was just a blip and he'd bounce back against Bigfoot.....obviously I was totally wrong. Even before the Henderson fight I was pretty confident, I mean he was fighting a sometime middleweight. Hendo's right hand finally shattered his myth of invincibility in my stubborn mind, and I saw Fedor for what he had become, an out of shape ageing, small heavyweight who employs basically no tactics for any of his fights. I always thought he was joking when he said he didn't watch tapes on any of his opponents but I actually think it's true (apart from maybe the Cro-Cop fight).

Fedor is 34 years old, younger than Anderson Silva and yet he is stuck in the dark ages. Modern MMA fighters have top conditioning and nutritionists. They train in every facet of the game, fight at the lowest possible weight class and employ considered tactics. Fedor is still doing pull ups in a disused children's playground somewhere in Siberia. The fact that he is able to compete at all is testament to his warrior spirit and quick reflexes.
Here's where my little fantasy kicks in (and I appreciate that this will NEVER happen), but just imagine if Fedor decided to move to the U.S, joined a top team and knuckled down to some serious all round MMA training with other top level fighters. Imagine if he employed top nutritionists and conditioning coaches and slimmed down to light heavyweight. Imagine if he got his game face on again, determined to be recognised as a top fighter. Pure fantasy I know, but I think he'd be a top 3 light heavyweight if all of the above happened.
Instead we are all brought crashing down to reality with his next match-up, a pointless (and far from straight forward) fight with Jeff Monson in Russia.

First Post

As this is the first post it's only right to give you a little bit of background info on myself and why I love MMA. I was always a huge boxing fan, but fate drew me towards MMA when I moved to Japan in 1999. I gradually got sucked into K1 (I remember having a great time watching Mark Hunt win the Grand Prix with my kiwi housemate) and eventually Pride. Now I know that it's not so cool to bang on about Pride these days, and In later posts I'm gonna try and focus more on recent events but those Pride years were special, even more so as I was actually living in Japan. I've been hooked ever since. When I moved back to the UK, MMA and more specifically the UFC continued to grow and grow to the point where we are today. I would love MMA to keep growing and eventually overtake boxing in popularity, traditionalists won't like this but it has a chance.

Oh and my favourite fighters at the moment...Shogun, Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva, and Frankie Edgar (what a knockout against Maynard). I also have to admit that for all his detractors there's something about a Brock Lesnar fight which really raises the pulse.

I'm gonna try and post regularly, If anyone actually bothers to read what I write then thank you in advance, all comments welcome within reason.

Take it easy

Matt