Sign up or login to track your favorite teams

Sign Up for Bleacher Report

As a registered user you can subscribe to your favorite teams, post comments, write your own articles, and much more.

You must register in order for that functionality to work!







Validating sign up form ...

Bleacher Report articles are written by fans like you

Do you want to cover your favorite sports, teams, and leagues?

Processing writing preferences ...

Great, , you're signed up!

i.e. Big 10, LeBron James, USC Football

Selected Tags:

Logging in ...

"The Best Is Yet To Come." Not only a timeless song by the incomparable Frank Sinatra, but a factual statement about MMA and its future...

January 2009, an MMA Lover's Dream Come True

by Mike Leanza (Analyst)

16

431 reads

Opinion

November 25, 2008


"The Best Is Yet To Come." Not only a timeless song by the incomparable Frank Sinatra, but a factual statement about MMA and its future.

With fights like Serra/Hughes and the finals of the UFC heavyweight tournament, to all the rematches we've been dying to see, 2009 is looking like the best year in MMA history.

We start with the less than enticing card of UFC 93. This will be the first UFC card of 2009, and it will take place in Dublin. So far we know that Hendo will face off with Rich Franklin, as well as the formerly much anticipated rematch of Shogun Rua and Mark Coleman.

Hendo and Franklin, what do they have in common. Both fighters have seen success in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the UFC. What else? They've both been stopped by Anderson Silva.

Since then, Franklin has tried to hold on to any form of credibility and he did, until he got KO'd again by Silva. Now he's moved up in weight and is looking for a huge win against Dan Henderson.

Shogun will end the ridiculously long wait the MMA fans have had to go through when he takes on veteran Mark Coleman in a "meh" (meh is now an actual word) rematch. We last saw Shogun getting spooned by Forrest back in 2007, a fight that earned Forrest his title shot.

Coleman was supposed to fight Brock Lesnar, but was replaced by Heath Herring due to injury. I honestly never thought I could be so unenthused by a Shogun fight.

These guys fought before over in PRIDE. By the time these guys will have faced off, it will have been almost three years since their meeting. It ended when Rua dislocated his elbow after an awkward landing, and since then Rua has been the only guy I know that has expressed interest in the rematch.

Now let's get away from all the negativity. How about Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Fedor will look to shut up all haters, and take out the third-ranked heavyweight in the world, Andrei Arlovski.

Andrei, on a two-year and five-fight winning streak, will attempt to be the first man to truly BEAT Fedor. Not to mention Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Renato Sobral, Chris Horodecki, Jay Hieron, and Vladimir Matyushenko are fighting too. Yea, it's a pretty good card.

We move to WEC 38. Why? No, not because of Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone for the lightweight championship. No, not because it's just one day after Affliction. Because of the newly announced rematch between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver.

Both of these guys are coming off of first-round losses and need a win to get back in the featherweight title hunt. If you thought their first fight was fight of the year, imagine how good this one will be with both of these men fighting to keep their careers afloat.

Next up we have UFC 94. Hopefully I will be able to handle this three week onslaught of fights. Yes, just one week after Faber/Pulver 2, we get to watch GSP and BJ Penn finally face off for GSP's welterweight title.

This fight will truly be a clash of the titans, and the first time in history that two UFC titleholders face off inside the octagon.

And if that wasn't enough, how about Machida/Silva (Thiago, not Anderson), and the return of Jon Fitch and Karo Parysian. Four MMA cards in just three weeks, truly my dream come true.

All of those fights, and we still have Hughes/Serra as well as the recently announced Couture/Liddell 4 yet to be scheduled. Oh, and UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar still has to fight the winner of Nog/Mir to solidify his standing as the best Heavyweight in the UFC. Gasp, I can't breathe.

Author Poll

Which January Fight Card Are You Looking Forward To The Most?

  • UFC 93
  • WEC 38
  • UFC 94
  • Affliction: Day of Reckoning
vote to see results
Author Poll Results

Which January Fight Card Are You Looking Forward To The Most?

  • UFC 93

    3.3%

  • WEC 38

    3.3%

  • UFC 94

    40.0%

  • Affliction: Day of Reckoning

    53.3%
  • Total votes: 30
Track this Article on My B/R
Flag This Article
Share This Article

16 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Todd Jackson 7 months ago

    Im glad to hear Pulver and Faber are fighting again. That means at the very least, Faber will have to earn his shot at the belt again, as opposed to being handed a chance becuase hes a heavy draw. Hopefully my prayers will be answered and they let Garcia have the shot he already earned. Anyway, Im totally with you. Starting December 3rd we are in for quite a nice run of mulitple events spanning multiple promotions. There is going to be some great discussion going on here over the next two months. I cant wait. Thanks for the read bro.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Dorothy Willis 7 months ago

      You have expressed my feelings exactly!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Danas Lil Slave GG U 7 months ago

      Faber got caught - hopefully the other guy (Brown) won't be out for too long so that Urijah can finish what he started.

      I'm indifferent about Garcia situation - for him to be the real champ he would need to fight Urijah sooner or later

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Todd Jackson 7 months ago

      GG, I agree. Its just until Faber got caught Garcia was supposed to be next. Then Faber goes down and the whole landscape changed because of his popularity. He got popular by winning, losing should hold its own consequences if winning had so many benefits. I think though that Garcia should fight Faber, but the Pulver rematch seems like a good idea seeing as how they both lost in decisive fashion that night. Let the winners fight, and let the losers fight, no mystery there in my eyes. Unless were talking ratings, then you have to start scheming instead of letting teh cards fall where they may.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  2. Sean Schimling 7 months ago

    Yes it is looking like my new favorite year may be 2009. All i need now is for Dana to announce that UFC 93 is free on spike and I'll be one VERY VERY VERY happy man. But with that unlikely I'm still pretty damn happy. I'm extra glad that Affliction is airing on showtime,I knew i had that channel for a reason,and yes WEC 38 is gonna be epic! Cowboy v.s. Varner and Faber/Pulver 2 is #6 in my Top 10 Most Anticipated Rematches article (Check It Out) Great Read Man (5 Stars) Now i must change my pants (J/K)

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  3. Dorothy Willis 7 months ago

    Excellent read and thank heaven there is so much to look forwards to besides my sixty third biryhday.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  4. Danas Lil Slave GG U 7 months ago

    The only critizism I have (I know I have trouble with spelling online - I must be a looser) - is that the mentioned Lesnar title defense will not happen until July - I think it's just plain f*ck wrong - but what can you do - business is business for Dana

    Definately a lot of great fights ahead - not to mention that you also have UFC 92 to kick off the new year (well it's dec 27th but w/e) - ton of good fights there; and I hope that "showboater" on the card will finally get his ass handed to him by the Forrest (If there is one fighter I can't stand its Evans - he's the suckiest TUF winner EVER [all fights by decision] + his Liddell KO was a fluke - Griffin - plz prove that)

    Can't wait to see Fedor fight again

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Mike Leanza 7 months ago

      so gg, how do you truly feel about Rashad

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Danas Lil Slave GG U 7 months ago

      I feel that he gets too many decision wins - so my prediction for UFC 92 is Rashad wins via split decision ;-)

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Danas Lil Slave GG U 7 months ago

      Then again I've been wrong before - I thought Randy was gonna get decision against Brock lol; I'm hoping that FG can prove himself to be a worthy champ & pull off a submission :+)

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Mike Leanza 7 months ago

      So then you cant truly believ that Rashad is the worst winner in TUF history. You believ that he will defeat Forrest, another TUF winner, therefore making Forrest worse than Rashad. Not that I care or anything. Truly, I believe that Kendall Grove and Travis Lutter are far wosre than Rashad. Hell, that would make a nice article wouldn't it. Shotty

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Danas Lil Slave GG U 7 months ago

      That was more like a if statement - If Rashad can pull off another miracle - it is most likely by a decision.

      I'm voting for Forrest.

      That 2nd season was sick - I still can't believe how all those 4 guys just folded a decision victories to Rashad - so yes - I truly think that a guy who won the whole season by decisions is the worst TUF winner ever. You might argue that Grove & Lutter suck because of their latter career in UFC; but at least in TUF they put up entertaining fights. (It's too bad because both of those guys had a ton of potential - idk what happened to them)

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  5. Joseph Lupoli 7 months ago

    Dana White: Just go away...

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

Leave a Comment

  • You must register to post a comment.

    • Asylum

    Want to write for Bleacher Report

    We are a community of fans who write about sports. And we're growing.

    Learn More and Sign Up »

    Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
    Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.