Bleacher Report - Articles by Tim

UFC 106 Answers Questions and Makes Major Ranking Implications

Tim — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:21:19 -0500

I have been very critical of the UFC over the last few weeks. I was frustrated with a series of cards with lackluster main events and the expectation that fans will continue to pay for them. Additionally, I repeatedly documented my frustrations over the Griffin/Ortiz main event at UFC 106.

Despite all my frustrations, UFC 106 turned out to be a very solid card. The results from 106 had as many upsets and divisional/title implications as any card in recent history. Let's review the fights.

The Under card

George Sotiropoulos vs Jason Dent

This fight is a testament to the depth of UFC’s lightweight division. Many may think of it as a simple filler fight between TUF alumni, but realistically Sotiropoulos is a surging fighter. He did lose on the show, but he lost a somewhat controversial match shortly after being poked in the eye.

His last loss outside of TUF was a 2006 disqualification loss to Shinya Aoki. He is now 4—0 in the UFC. Despite being new to the lightweight division, it looks like Sotiropoulos is ready for a step up in competition.

Brock Larson vs Brian Foster

The reason this fight is significant is because Brock Larson lost. Again. Two months ago, Larson was considered a fighter on the move. How quickly things change. In just over two months, he has two losses and will have to regroup if he wants to move back up the rankings.

This is further proof that there is no such thing as an easy fight in the UFC’s welterweight division. Unless your name is George St. Pierre.

Marcus Davis vs Ben Saunders

Wow! This was an impressive fight for Ben Saunders. It was not the same Saunders who was overwhelmed by Mike Swick earlier this year. He rebounded well from his first loss and absolutely destroyed Marcus Davis. That is no easy task. Davis hadn’t been finished in over four years despite fights with some very solid strikers.

This fight seems to solidify Davis as someone who will never surpass the gatekeeper moniker.

Saunders, on the other hand, is looking to take big steps forward squaring off against ranked opponents.

An opponent like Dan Hardy would be an interesting match up for Saunders, but he is obviously tied up. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson could also make for an exciting fight.

The Main Card

Amir Sadollah vs Phil Baroni

This fight isn’t of any real relevance to rankings, but the UFC wants to push Sadollah and he may end up fighting tough opponents sooner rather than later. Sadollah showed some nice versatility in his strikes and also that he can take a punch. He will need to avoid slow starts and some strikes if he wants to have a viable UFC career.

Amir will likely remain a main card combatant, even if it is not deserved. A fight with someone like Brock Larson is a possibility or maybe the UFC will sign another showy tomato can for him to beat up on.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Luiz Cane

This was a battle between two ranked fighters looking to legitimize their positioning. Nog was fighting his first in the UFC and Cane was facing his first true top level opponent.

Nogueira proved he is a force to be reckoned with in the UFC’s LHW division. It may be plum full of contenders, but Machida has already dispatched a few of them. If Machida is still the title holder after his rematch with Rua, Little Nog starts to come into play as a serious contender.

In the meantime, the UFC could potentially match him up with Brandon Vera or a participant of Griffin/Ortiz or Evans/Silva. One way or another Little Nog is immediately a contender. In my opinion, he would hold up well in many of those match ups.

Cane obviously has to take a step back and re—evaluate his game. He faced his first truly elite striker and got tagged multiple times. He has some work to do and may be years away from any type of serious contention. This guy has skill and passion; expect to see a different Cane next time around.

Paulo Thiago vs Jacob Volkmann

This turned out to be a very entertaining match. Paulo showed the versatility that makes him dangerous, while Volkmann, in his UFC debut, showed he was a worthy opponent. The future is bright for both of these fighters.

Thiago doesn’t seem interested in easy matchups, so look for him to fight another top 10 fighter. He may fight Swick or maybe even Saunders. A fight like that would give the winner a chance to shoot up in the rankings.

The UFC desperately needs to create some welterweight contenders and a solid striker/grappler like Thiago could create some interesting matchups.

Josh Koscheck vs Anthony Johnson

Eye pokes and phantom eye pokes aside, this was a great fight. It was everything I hoped it would be. Johnson came into this fight with a lot of hype, but it was a fight that was Koscheck’s to lose. Koscheck has a bit of an edge when it comes to experience and versatility.

And he showed as much.

Kosheck does like to stand and bang, but he used his wrestling when he had to and was leading the fight early on. It was a great fight for him. The win helps erase memories of the KO loss to Thiago, but still leaves him with no real direction.

Along with Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch, Kosheck remains in limbo due to one-sided losses to the current champion. He will continue to fight top level talent with no real promise of it getting him anywhere.

Look for Koscheck to fight anyone the UFC throws in front of him. Love him or hate him, the guy is a competitor and will take pleasure in ruining someone else’s attempt at a title run.

Johnson on the other hand won’t likely be fighting another top 5 fighter right away. Expect him to fight someone coming off a loss like Swick or Marcus Davis. Or perhaps the victorious Saunders.

Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin

I was not a fan of Griffin/Ortiz as a main event; both were clearly on the comeback trail. However, it ended up being a very solid fight and both guys seemed to give it all that they had.

Ortiz obviously wasn't in tip top shape, but Griffin looked healthy.

Nothing about this fight was surprising to me. People have been saying for years that Ortiz needs to evolve. Clearly he has no interest in doing so.

As for Griffin, he is still the same guy. I was worried he would be a little more gun shy, but couldn't blame him for as much given his last two fights. Instead he came out willing to take one to give one. Very encouraging.

Griffin had to prove to himself that he could take a punch and he did just that.

His comeback will be a process, and not an easy one. Griffin has to learn how to take advantage of his strengths and not expose himself like he has in the past. That said, I'm unsure he will take that step.

If you have read his book (which is a great read, by the way) you realize he truly is a bit nuts and rather likes taking punishment. I don't think we will ever see him change his ways.

Ultimately, that will mean some more KO losses with dangerous strikers like Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Lyoto Machida, a reinvigorated Mauricio Rua, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Luiz Cane and Keith Jardine standing in front of him. Even the winner of Matt Hammill/Jon Jones is a dangerous match up.

I don’t know who Ortiz will face next; some of the same fighters are in play for both him and Forrest. Ortiz may end up matched against Hammill, Jones, Jardine, Cane or maybe even Chuck Liddell. After what I saw tonight, I don’t like his chances against most of them.

Other Notes

Double Play

I appreciate the UFC airing prelim fights for free on Spike, but I find it rather irritating to watch all of the same fights again during the PPV. I know this is to resolve timing issues, but I don’t know if anyone wants to watch three fights twice.

Calling Out Hardy

Koscheck made some valid points about Dan Hardy. Hardy hasn’t fought anyone as good as Koscheck and doesn’t exactly deserve a title shot, but the UFC doesn’t have any other options. Plus Kosheck has nothing to gain from these remarks.

Hardy will still be fighting GSP and Koscheck’s comments take legitimacy away from what the UFC is doing, which won’t make Dana happy. It doesn’t bother me though; he may not gain anything from it, but I don’t have a problem with him calling a spade a spade.

Griffin is a Pro

After his loss, Ortiz got on the mic and complained about his injuries. The crowd didn’t appreciate his excuses and quickly let him know it. Griffin heard the chorus of boos and asked for the microphone back.

Griffin simply explained that injuries happen when you train to fight people. The crowd immediately laid off on the boos and gave Ortiz respectful applause.

This was a stand up move. I have a lot of respect for Griffin and despite Silva “breaking him”, I wish him well in the future.

More to Come

In the end, UFC 106 turned out to be a very good card.

But I can’t wait for UFC 107.

In The Numbers: Vince Young Is Rex Grossman

Tim — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:19:23 -0400

Vince Young is going to be back under center to start the Titans' game on Nov. 1. This move has been long-awaited by Titans' fans. Young has been considered a winner, despite his inconsistencies, he enters the game Sunday with an 18 -11 record as a starter. That is not a bad winning percentage by such a young quarterback.

At the same time, Young was benched for legitimate reasons, as a combination of on-field play and off-field drama led to him riding the pine. Was his treatment fair?

This got me thinking, isn’t winning good enough? What else do you need? How often has a QB been benched so early in their career despite such a favorable winning percentage? Are there other examples?

The first comparable example I could think of was Rex Grossman. Like Young, Grossman was a young QB with a winning record who found himself on the bench. Grossman and the Bears went to the Superbowl in his only full season as a starter, yet he was benched the following season.

Young and Grossman are two young QB’s with winning records who found themselves sitting and watching from the sidelines, but the similarities don’t end there.

Beyond the circumstance, statistically their numbers are almost identical. Obviously Young is a different style of QB, so that should be factored in, therefore I chose to use scrimmage yards (rushing plus passing) and total TDs (rushing and passing) for the comparison.

Take a look at their career numbers:

Category	V.Young	R. Grossman
Start	29	31
Win/Loss Record	18 – 11 – 0	19 – 12 – 0
Completion %	56.9	54.2
Total Yards	5943	6244
Total TD’s	32	36
Interceptions	33	35
Fumbles	25	19
QB Rating	67.8	70.2

Those numbers are startlingly similar and that isn’t good news for Titans fans. Based on the numbers, they are pretty much the same QB. Yet somehow Young still has a fan base and Grossman does not.

Not only was Grossman banished from Chicago, but people in Houston were disheartened knowing Grossman would be the primary backup to oft-injured Matt Shaub. It has gotten to that level with him. I hope Young fairs better, but I think the fans will have him on a short leash. Will he end up in exile like Grossman?

I have my fingers crossed for Young, but I will not be holding my breath. Hopefully he can prove he is what everyone hoped he would be and carry on his own winning tradition.

Rua Vs Machida Had the Best and Worst Officiating Ever?

Tim — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:01:20 -0400

Wow! Machida vs. Rua UFC 104 had the best judges in the history of MMA. Oh, wait! Maybe the judging was the worst. Or was it more of the same? I guess that is a matter of opinion. Then again, so is the judge’s decision isn’t it?

My take? I think the fight was very close. I think Rua edged him, but not by much. I am not shocked or appalled by the decision though. Ultimately, Round One and Round Two were very close, Round Three seems to favour Machida and most see Round Four as close (most favoring Rua) and Round Five going to Rua.

I think a Rua might have been more likely to get the decision if the fight were judged on the whole, but I understand the how close the fight was under a 10-point-must system. I also understand that the champ may be favored in a close round / fight.

Most acknowledge that the fight was close and the decision could have gone either way, but now some are going beyond that.

Some people are throwing out all sorts of numbers to justify both sides. Especially using numbers to quantify an opinion. That is what a judgment is. It is an educated opinion based on the evidence, in this case the fight.

Say what you want, but given the reaction, this fight was a split decision. Even if Machida won on the cards, the consensus decision was split. That is why they scheduled a rematch so quickly.

Some of the analysis and some of the breakdowns have been very insightful and others have been very amusing at the same time.

People have been breaking down the fight 50 different ways. People are watching it in slow motion. People are devising scoring systems to break it down. Others are doing detailed punch-hit counts and debating merit of various techniques. Some breakdowns have attempted to prove a point, and some have simply been opinions.

It is all a matter of opinions. Now, that brings me back to judging.

If someone’s opinion of the fight changes based on the second or third viewing, that is irrelevant. The judges only saw it once and without slow motion or instant replay to come up with their decision.

If you saw it different, you aren’t alone and from what I have seen there is nothing guaranteeing the judges are any more qualified than you to declare a winner. Obviously their opinion is the one that counts, but MMA judging is far from perfect.

The fact is, judging is subjective. Some judges are good and some judges are bad. I thought this was a widely accepted notion in MMA. There are complaints after every card. Not even just after UFC events, decisions are debated oversees, too. It is very possible that table of three different judges would have given the fight to Rua.

Again, judging is subjective. In other words, judging is the opinion of the judge.

As for everybody who is watching the fight over and over again in slow motion, was the quality of judging so good that a normal human can't be expected to match it without a pen, paper, and three slow motion replays? I highly doubt that. Not with what we have seen in the past.

Everyone who's opinion changed over time from Rua to Machida is basically saying as much. They are acknowledging the ability of the judges to see beyond that of the naked eye. This is especially true if you had to watch the fight again (in slow motion) with a pen and a pad of paper.

The judges didn’t have that benefit, therefore they must be above and beyond the capabilities of the general population to have seen that much detail right away.

If MMA judging is that good, we shouldn't ever question another decision.

The Bottom Line

The “opinion” of the three judges is that Machida won. Nothing more, nothing less. Break it down as many ways as you want, but unless MMA somehow went from having terrible judges to having super judges overnight all the slow motion breakdowns in the world are irrelevant.

There is no standarized point system and I don't think fans want to wait three days for the results to be determined by a computer.

It was a close fight that could have gone either way on the score cards. That’s my opinion anyways, just like it was the opinion of the three judge’s that Machida won.

M-1 Breakthrough: “King” Mo Lawal vs. Mark Kerr...A Quick Take

Tim — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:50:01 -0400

M-1 Global had their first show on American soil on Aug. 28. This card was also to be the North American debut of rising star “King” Mo Lawal, in a match up with Don Frye.

What once looked like a promising card took a big hit when Don Frye pulled out (due to a conflict with M-1 Global) and King Mo was without an opponent for the main event.

Enter Mark Kerr, on a four-fight losing streak. Kerr is now 2–10 in his last 12 fights.

Also on the card was a sparring exhibition between Fedor Emilianenko and Gegard Mousasi. This was the second high-profile exhibition match that Fedor has taken part in. The other match was against Shinya Aoki earlier this year.

Event results as follows:

Muhammed Lawal def. Mark Kerr via TKO (Punches) at 0:25 of R1
Karl Amoussou def. John Doyle via Submission (RNC) at 3:15 of R1
Lucio Linhares def. Mikhail Zayats via Submission (RNC) at 1:00 of R1
Jessie Gibbs def. Rob Broughton via Unanimous Decision
Michael Kita def. Lloyd "Kadillac" Marshbanks via Sub (Strikes) at 1:50 of R1
Daisuke Nakamura def. Ferrid "The Hurricane" Kheder via Unanimous Decision
Alexey Oleinik drew with Rogent Lloret
Eric Marriott vs. Tim Bazer via Unanimous Decision
Sean "P-Town" Wilson vs. Josh Arocho via KO at 3:05 of R1
Rudy Bears def. Brendan Seguin via TKO (Punches) at 1:01 of R2
Mollie Ahlers-Estes def. Andria Caplan via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 3:00 of R1

It should be noted Fedor won his exhibition match against Mousasi via armbar.

Questions / Notes:

The top end of the card was full of one-sided fights. This is an excellent way to showcase potential future stars, but not a way to create interesting fights.

Will M-1 send talent to Strikeforce?

After his victory, Karl Amoussou expressed interest in a move to Strikeforce. Strikeforce needs to make the best out of their arrangement with M-1.

Even if the M-1 fighters primarily fight on cards with Fedor, the additional fighters will add depth and match up options that Strikeforce is desperately in need of.

Who and where will King Mo fight next?

Mo Lawal made quick work out of a tomato can. He is a free agent looking to be signed and needs to step up his level of competition. I know it isn’t his fault Don Frye backed out, but it would be interesting to see him face a legit challenge.

If the Fedor / Aoki and Fedor / Mousasi fights are indeed exhibition matches, why are we keeping score?

As Fedor entered the ring they highlighted his 1 – 0 exhibition record. Does this matter? It seems to me they are working a little too hard on the “Fedor is the greatest” routine.

Another note on the exhibition; Mousasi really looked to be taking it easy; Aoki had better throws in his match with Fedor. All that said, the exhibition match was fun and probably the highlight of the card.

What's Next for Randy Couture? Retirement Isn't an Option

Tim — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:24:19 -0400

There has been a lot of speculation about what Randy Couture will do following his fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.

Although he will have one fight remaining on his contract, some are speculating about the possibility of retirement. Others are very confident he will continue to fight.

I believe he will continue fighting. If he does, the major question then becomes: Who will he fight next?

I have worked it down to three possible scenarios...

The three outcomes have as much to do with Strikeforce as they do with the UFC. The UFC will have a say in Randy’s future and be sure (if they need to) they will do what they can to defend themselves against a Couture/Fedor appearing on a Strikeforce card.

In order to do this the UFC will look to have a deal in place before Randy fights out the last fight on his contract. Those negotiations will ultimately be vital in determining his next opponent as well.

Scenario One—Couture Beats Nogueira and Agrees To Re-Sign with the UFC

If Couture re-signs with the UFC, he will have more freedom in picking his direction.

The UFC wouldn't have a problem with pushing him for another shot at Lesnar, even at 46 years old Randy is still one of the biggest names in the organization. Fans still love to watch him fight and he is still a very competitive fighter.

A victory over Big Nog followed by a victory over the winner of Mirco Cro Cop/Junior Dos Santos would be enough for the UFC to justify a title shot. This scenario obviously makes the most sense if he beats Nogueira.

Scenario Two—Couture Loses to Nogueira and Agrees To Re-Sign with the UFC

A loss to Nogueira would hurt any argument Couture wanted to make for a shot at the heavyweight title. I truthfully think that argument would be all but dead. That being said, Couture’s career would still have life. All it would take would be Couture dropping down to fight at light heavyweight and make a run at Machida.

How quickly would Couture get a shot at the light heavyweight title? It is hard to say. If Rampage beats Rashad Evans, Rampage should be the No. 1 contender. If Rashad beats Rampage, this leaves an opening…

Scenario Three—Couture Won’t Re-Sign with the UFC (Win or Lose)

This is where things get really interesting...

If this happens, the UFC will start playing defense. A refusal to re-sign would most likely be based on a desire to fight Fedor. While the UFC would not want this to happen, they can’t prevent it. Keeping this in mind, if they believe Fedor vs. Couture is inevitable, they would like to see Randy’s stock drop as much as possible first.

How can you do this though? How can you give Couture a loss with minimal risk? A couple of fights come to mind that could spell disaster for Randy. Both fights that have been mentioned as potential future matchups, but Randy’s refusal to re-sign might necessitate a move in that direction.

The first potential matchup is Randy Couture vs. Anderson Silva in a catch weight fight.

If the UFC sets up this match, they would have to be supremely confident in Silva’s abilities. Couture walking away with a victory over their pound-for-pound king would not be good for business. At the same time, sending Couture away with a loss to the UFC’s middleweight champion would seriously remove the luster from any battle with Fedor. If Silva were to put on a show (like he did against Forrest Griffin) it would be an even more powerful statement.

From the UFC’s perspective, both the risk and reward of this fight would be large and it might be too much of a gamble.

The other potential matchup would be Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida for the LHW title.

You may wonder why the UFC would give an exiting fighter a chance at the light heavyweight title, but in this situation they would have nothing to lose. If Machida won (and he would be favored) Couture would be coming off a loss to a smaller fighter. This would once again remove some of the luster from a battle between Couture and Fedor.

On the flip side, a Couture victory comes without risk as well, this is due to the UFC’s “championship clause”. If Couture was to beat Machida (however unlikely), he would be a title holder and therefore unable to leave the organization. This is a much safer fight in terms of PR should Couture pull off an upset.

Both fights would be very entertaining and both fights would sell a lots of PPV’s. Are they likely? It is all speculation at this point, and obviously Machida and Silva will have to defend their titles before we get to that stage. All that aside, you can be certain whether or not Couture re-signs will have a lot to do with who he fights…

Anderson Silva Gives Doubting Fans a Bigger F-U Than Brock Lesnar

Tim — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:17:23 -0400

Just a quick take on the Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin fight from UFC 101:

Wow! Anyone who wasn't shocked by that performance has amazing psychic powers. I knew Silva had the ability to dominate, but I didn't think a fight that one-sided was possible.

Coming into this fight, there was a lot of speculation on who the winner would be.

People said Forrest was too tough.

People said Forrest was too big.

People said Silva had lost his drive.

People said Silva was no longer the dominant fighter he used to be.

People said Silva had lost interest in putting on entertaining fights.

Anderson Silva answered all of those questions with a thundering boom. Silva answered anyone who ever questioned him with a big F-U.

How else do you describe that fight?

Just in case anyone didn't witness the most dominant performance in Anderson Silva's career, this is what happened...take into account that this all happened within the first round.

Forrest tried to mount an offence, but Silva danced around for the first minute, measuring his distance and testing his range. From there, Griffin got a little closer, and Silva countered with a powerful left. This was enough to drop Griffin.

At this point Griffin is wobbled, and Silva feels he has already won the fight.

Silva drops his hands and dances. He dances with both hands by his hips and sticks his chin out at Griffin, clearly not afraid of Griffin's strikes. Silva dodges multiple punches with head movement alone.

Griffin gets up, then gets pounded again. Silva drops Griffin once again. This time he offers him a hand up in almost taunting fashion. Griffin swings wildly, as he is known to do when rocked.

Silva dances some more, then counters a Griffin strike with a short punch. Dropped again, Griffin is done.

The way Anderson danced with his hands down was beyond belief, and I think that performance alone secured Silva's spot as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

He won that fight for himself and showboated his way to an easy victory for everyone that ever doubted him.

I have never seen a bigger F-U to the fans—not the fans that appreciate him, but to the fans that questioned his heart.

He took Forrest apart and destroyed him. He crumpled him repeatedly within one round.

I spoke before in another article about this fight. I spoke of how Anderson Silva with something to prove was scary.

I talked about how Silva was dominant in each of his UFC debut, his first UFC title fight, his first fight at 205, and in round two vs. Dan Henderson (the first time he lost a round in the UFC).

Now you can add the Griffin fight to that list...

This was another scary performance. He was polite in the post-fight interview, but his message was clear though his actions.

If you were one of the people that doubted him...F-U!

Signing Fedor Was a Dangerous Move for the Future of Strikeforce

Tim — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:18:43 -0400

As I am sure everyone is aware, M-1... I mean Fedor...and Strikeforce have come to a three-fight deal.

This is being lauded as a big coup for Strikeforce, but is it really? There are some major benefits, but with those benefits comes a huge element of risk.

Based on everything we have seen and heard, you know the deal with M-1 didn’t come cheap. Co-promotion is a big deal. Strikeforce will for all intents and purposes give up a portion of their name.

This leaves me with a number of questions.

Did Strikeforce overpay to take Fedor off the market? Will Strikeforce get enough in return? How much is Fedor worth? Is M-1 taking the people at Strikeforce for all they are worth?

The signing of Fedor immediately makes Strikeforce a bigger player in MMA. But a strong start doesn’t always lead to a strong finish. In the long run, I’m not sure how things will end up.

Aside from Fedor, what else could Strikeforce gain from co-promotion? While Co-Promoting with M-1 made little sense for the UFC, it can make some sense for Strikeforce. They are starting with less, so they are giving up less in a 50 percent stake. The added attention may be worth the cost.

In the short term, you know this:

· Strikeforce has signed Fedor to a three-fight deal.

· Strikeforce will gain notoriety.

· M-1 will be taking a large cut of Strikeforce profits any time Fedor is on the card.

· M-1 will look to gain notoriety

We don’t know what else M-1 will bring to the table... M-1 has no name in North America and their promotional contributions may be limited. We know M-1 will use Strikeforce as a vehicle to promote their name.

Then what? What happens after three fights and Fedor once again becomes a free agent?

M-1 is developing a new event series that starts with "Breakthrough" at the end of this August. Is this Fedor’s eventual home? Does he re-sign with Strikeforce, or does he take his new found "American" fame right back to M-1?

I think M-1 is the most likely candidate, we all know that is where the allegiances lie. After four more fights, Fedor may no longer be under a "promotional deal" with the organization, but he will still be a part owner. Ultimately, building the M-1 organization will be more profitable for him than anything he could do elsewhere.

This deal looks like a huge boost for Strikeforce, and it may be, but ultimately this deal is all about what M-1 gives back. M-1 will either make a whole hearted effort to make Strikeforce as big as they can or they will come aboard, take a ride and ultimately take the wind out of Strikeforce’s sails before jumping ship.

Will M-1 help make Strikeforce bigger and stronger or are they the leech that sucks Strikeforce dry?

Dana White Cancelled Affliction Trilogy: A Conspiracy Theory

Tim — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:55:31 -0400

I know you may think I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist based on this comments, but I believe things have worked out too much in Dana White’s favor for it not to be true.

Now don’t get me wrong, many things were involved in the collapse of Affliction and the cancellation of “Trilogy”, but I think Dana White probably had more influence on the decision than people think.

First off, let’s take a look at the major factors major factors in the cancellation.

Josh Barnett

Obviously, Barnett opened the window for all of this. His scandal created the opening for everything that transpired and without him there may have been a card on Aug 1.

That said; Barnett did not cancel the event.

The Replacement

After Barnett was pulled from the card, a mad scramble ensued. Fedor needed someone to fight.

A few names were in the hat, and it seemed as though Vitor Belfort was selected. The parties had talked about numbers, and Belfort seemed to believe the fight was going to be signed.

Other fighters also petitioned to take Barnett’s place on the card.

I know the lack of a quality opponent was officially listed as the reason for cancellation, but I don’t buy it. They say that Barnett was too big of a draw to be replaced on short notice.

Really?

Was Barnett that big of a draw?

The fight was being hyped as the number 1 and 2 heavyweights in the world, but I don’t believe the majority of domestic fans don’t have much interest in Josh Barnett.

Fedor was the draw and for me while many undercard fights were of great interest as well. Barnett was just an opponent, not a draw to me.

Unless, Fedor refused to sign off on potential fights, the lack of an opponent for Fedor doesn’t seem to have been the problem.

Showtime

Showtime could have plausibly cancelled the card. They could have done this for many reasons including fear that a last minute change to the main event would scare away fans.

It was reported that Showtime wanted to choose a fighter carefully, but that is as far as reports went. Nothing was said about a possible cancellation.

Did Showtime cancel “Trilogy”?

Maybe.

Or maybe that is only part of the story…

Dana White

The reason I suspect Dana White’s involvement came just a few short hours after news of the Trilogy’s cancellation. That is all it took for the partnership between the UFC and Affliction was announced.

Let’s take a look at the timeline for events on July 24th.

Timeline

1:00 PM - News of the cancellation of “Trilogy” first broke (SI.com)

2:30 PM - Tom Atencio confirms cancellation (MMA Junkie)

6:00 PM – MMA Junkie reports a partnership between Affliction Clothing and the UFC

Questions

Does anyone believe Dana White and Tom Atencio hammered out negotiations in that time?

Does anyone believe that Dana White wasn’t in Tom Atencio’s ear before that?

Did Dana White give Atencio an early reason to give up on “Trilogy”?

Dana White was obviously not in a position to cancel the event on his own, but if he was talking to Atencio before decisions were finalized, he may well have influenced the final decision.

Especially if he offered Atencio a well paid way out of a corner.

What Does Dana Gain?

There are many reasons for Dana White to want “Trilogy” cancelled.

The first and most obvious reason is competition.

Dana White is known to enjoy watching the competition fail. This is especially true in a month with seven major MMA events scheduled.

Sure, the UFC is the “king of the hill”, but they are already competing with themselves by having two events within the month and every buy Affliction received could potentially take one away from the UFC.

Getting rid of Affliction means less competition (and more money) this month and in the future if they continued to promote events.

The second major reason is the fighters.

Even though Affliction had many flaws with their business plan, they were very successful in building a stable of quality fighters. Fedor is an obvious example, but veterans such as Vitor Belfort along with up and comers like Gegard Mousasi are desirable talents.

Dana has already proven this motivation to be true by signing both Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley. I am sure there are already negotiations underway with others as well.

The third major benefit for Dana is fear.

Not fear from the public, but fear from the fighters. Watching Affliction go down and watching fighters go unpaid for weeks or even months of training has to strike a little bit of fear into some of the free agent’s currently on the market.

The idea that you could sign off on a fight, train for months, pay your training partners, pay your coaches, pay for a place to stay if you train out of town, and walk away with nothing has to scare some fighters.

It is proof that fledgling companies may offer the fighter more, but security is worth something as well. Dana can tell people that and use that to increase the value of a UFC contract.

Summary

Dana White had a lot to gain from the collapse of Affliction. He is a smart man; he had to know this was going to happen.

Did he get in Atencio’s ear and influence his decision to pull the plug?

We may never know the truth, but I think it is very likely. I believe White offered a deal to Atencio that was hard to refuse. I am sure Affliction clothing will be a major sponsor of the UFC in the coming months. I am sure Affliction will have high visibility at most UFC events.

Dana White knows that sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and I think this is one of those situations. White may have surrendered some of the profits he could have made for ad space in exchange for fighters, fear, and the removal of competition.

Anderson Silva: Nothing Has Changed, He Is Still a Lethal Weapon

Tim — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:17:03 -0400

Anderson Silva has taken a lot of flak for his “loss of desire” and for “not finishing” his last two fights, but I truly don’t understand the criticism. Seeing the last two fights end the way they did was not as exciting as what we had become accustomed to, but by no means did it show him as anything but spectacular.

Previous to his fight with Patrick Cote, Silva was on an unbelievable streak of 11 straight fights that did not make it past the second round. All victories may I add, with the exception of his DQ loss to a near unconscious Yushin Okami.

Eight of the 10 victories came by KO or TKO and the submission victories were both the result of solid shots. It was an amazing run. Nobody, this side of Chuck Liddell has had a run like that, especially against top level competition.

Silva’s last two fights have ended in less than exhilarating ways, but is he completely to fault for this? Do two decisions somehow negate what he has done or show him as less driven?

Patrick Cote

The fight that got all this talk started was Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote. Patrick Cote is a strong willed fighter and a man with an iron chin (has never been knocked out). Silva was clearly winning the fight, not in completely dominant fashion, but still clearly winning.

This isn’t something new from Silva, even through his run of dominance he often started slow. He measured his distance and waited for the right time to unleash.

Sometimes he unleashes because he sees weakness, sometimes he does it because he hates being hit, but he has always been a very measured fighter who picks his shot.

Silva started out slow, with measured shots, and as time went on he did hit Cote with some solid shots, but Cote’s chin wasn’t going to allow a quick stoppage. Cote made it three rounds.

Cote was the first UFC fighter to make it to round three against Silva, that alone is a statement of Silva’s dominance.

Patrick Cote is still considered to be one of the stiffest tests Silva has in the UFC. Not because he was winning the fight, not because he was landing impressive shots, but purely because he survived to round three.

In the end, a freak injury ended this fight, but I think it was just a matter of time until Silva pick the right shot to do some serious damage (if Cote can be damaged).

I wasn’t upset with Silva’s effort in this fight; I was disappointed that the fight got cut short though.

Thales Leites

The second fight that brought people to criticize Silva was his match-up with Thales Leites. I wasn’t sure what to make if this match before it happened, I didn’t see Leites as a serious threat.

Turns out he wasn’t a threat. He was clearly outclassed for the entire fight. Silva was so dominant in the stand up that he actually broke Thales.

Silva instilled so much fear that Leites actually quit.

I have never seen such an embarrassing showing by someone challenging for a title. I have seen mismatches before, but I have never seen someone outright quit like that. Leites didn’t even try.

Every time Silva attempted to mount any kind of offence, Leites simply dropped to the canvas. You could see the frustration in Silva’s face.

You could see him kicking the downed Leites with a great deal of disdain. Every time he flopped to the mat, you could see that Silva was frustrated and that he wanted to knock him out even more.

I completely blame Leties for that last fight. Silva was visibly mad and in attack mode, but Leties kept flopping.

A lot of people made comments about how Silva should have finished the fight, but I think it is unrealistic to expect Silva to jump into Leites’ guard. He wouldn't do it against Damian Maia, and no one should expect him too against Leties.

If Leties wanted the fight to go to the ground, he was obligated to take it there.

Look at the GSP vs. Thiago Alves fight. GSP knew he could have success on the feet, but he was not going to stand and bang with a more powerful striker. He played it smart and took the fight to the ground.

Silva did the exact same thing by keeping it standing. He pulled out an equally as dominant five round decision.

Why is Silva criticized, while GSP is lauded?

The Future

Sure, the Silva who destroys people is much more exciting, but you can't expect him to end every fight in spectacular fashion. You can’t expect that from any fighter. I don't think he has lost interest either.

He will come out in his fight with Forrest Griffin intent on proving people wrong. Forrest Griffin is a great fighter for him to make that statement on.

I am a huge fan of Forrest. I am a fan for who he is as a fighter, as a coach, and as a person, but I am scared for him. I would not want to be the guy to step into the ring with Silva when he has something to prove.

Look at Anderson Silva’s:

UFC debut
First UFC title fight
First fight at 205
Round Two vs. Dan Henderson (the first time he lost a round in the UFC)

Anderson Silva with something to prove is a scary thought. Forrest is a gamer, and I refuse to ever count him out, but the odds will not be stacked in his favour on that night.

I expect Silva to win and win once again in dominant fashion, because it wasn’t him that made the last two disappointing, it was the competition. Luckily for us, Forrest Griffin is incapable of boring fights.

Is Brock Lesnar Really the Best Pound-for-Pound Heavyweight in the UFC?

Tim — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:02:46 -0400

I know this may seem like a ridiculous statement to many, but at the same time it definitely has some validity: Is Brock Lesnar really the UFC's best pound-for-pound heavyweight?

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

Leading into the Mir-Lesnar fight, there was a lot of talk. Most of the talk was about how Mir was more technical and a better all-around mixed martial artist, but Lesnar was a better wrestler, and, oh yeah, he is much bigger.

To summarize what that means...basically, “pound for pound,” Mir was a better fighter.

Still, many people watching UFC 100 didn’t give Mir a chance. It didn’t matter if they were new to the sport of longtime viewers. Lesnar just looked too big; he looked like too much to overcome.

Many hardcore fans tried to argue that Mir’s technical skills gave him the advantage against Lesnar. They said he had more than a chance to prevail, but I (along with many others) saw the size differential as too much to overcome.

Mir came into the fight at 245 pounds, while Lesnar walked into the ring, on fight night, at 280-plus.

That is quite a differential. That differential helped lead to his domination of Mir and it will help him continue to dominate, especially when he fights the heavyweight division's much smaller fighters.

I know a lot of people will say “tough luck”; that is part of being a heavyweight. They are not flawed in that statement. According to the rules, Lesnar is undoubtedly the best heavyweight fighter the UFC has to offer.

But...is he the UFC’s best heavyweight pound for pound?

What Is a Pound-for-Pound Champ?

In an era where everyone debates the top pound-for-pound fighters, where are the limits drawn?

We already know that Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn, and Fedor Emelianenko are looked at as some of the best in the world, pound for pound. These rankings have been earned because each of these fighters have gone out and dominated their respective weight class.

Is domination of a weight class the only criteria, though?

A Penn vs. GSP “super fight” was supposed to move Penn up the pound-for-pound rankings. A win by Penn would prove to the world he had the best ratio of skill to weight.

Penn lost that fight, though, and it wasn’t even close; still, Penn is considered one of the best in the world pound for pound. Some still rank him above GSP.

I guess there is no shame in losing to someone who is a full weight class bigger than you.

GSP outweighs Penn by 15 pounds.

Lesnar outweighs Mir by 35-plus pounds.

Is it possible Mir is a better pound-for-pound fighter? Does this make sense in the same weight class?

Lesnar beat Couture and, at the time, he outweighed Couture by 60-plus pounds.

Is it possible that Couture was also a better pound-for-pound fighter?

History and Logic

I have discussed this in a previous article about Brock Lesnar and his size. I proposed that he isn’t a truly a heavyweight—he's one of the first true super heavyweights.

A lot of people didn’t agree with me, but I stand by what I said.

My statements are not declaring Lesnar as any sort of fraud, or as anything but a champion, but I think this is the way the sport is going.

MMA is becoming more and more popular every day. More popularity means more money. More money means more fighters. More fighters means there will be more monsters, with skill, that are cutting to 265.

Where does that leave people the size of Frank Mir? Should he be expected to fight and win against people that outweigh him by 40 pounds? Or would most people his size disappear?

I know it happened back in the early days, but the sport has changed a lot since then. Every MMA fighter has to become an expert in multiple techniques. It is just the evolution of the sport.

Everywhere else in the UFC, fighters who are too small for their weight class drop down.

Examples of this are: Randy Couture (lightheavy), Kenny Florian, Rashad Evan, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, Michael Bisping, Wanderlei Silva, and many more.

Solution

I think a move should be made to create a new weight class, or, in essence, cut the heavyweight class in half.

If the cut–off for heavyweight was 230 pounds, we could see fights between the likes of Big Nog, Mir, Couture, Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez and other fighters that can cut to that size.

This creates lots of interesting matchups and ones that aren’t going to be as one-sided as Brock vs. any one of the above names.

Then we could see super heavyweights like Brock Lesnar fight people that may actually have a reasonable chance of beating him. Match him up with and Shane Carwin, Tim Hague, Heath Herring, Mike Wessell, or, heck, maybe go get Bobby Lashley to make it interesting. Plus I’m sure TUF 10 will probably add a few names to the mix.

The new breed of super heavyweights is not a bunch Tim Silvia clones; this is a whole different animal. These guys are a new kind of MMA athlete.

Let Lesnar pick on people his own size.

There is an added perk to this move, too—well, for the UFC, anyway. The UFC gets another title out of the deal. We all know how hard it is to hype up any PPV without a title on the line; well, this gives them one more belt. One more belt means two or three more main events a year.

Right now it is just an idea, and I believe eventually it will become a need.

It wasn’t that long ago that the lightweight division was looked at as silly. Now there are quality fights in the featherweight, bantamweight, and flyweight classes. Times have changed.

Times will continue to change, and I believe this in the next step.

UFC 100: Seven Writers Pick Em! No B.S, Just Picks

Tim — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:14:46 -0400

UFC 100 is fast approaching, and it is being hyped up as one of the biggest events in MMA history.

With two titles on the line and an overall deep card the upcoming fights are generating a lot of discussion. Dozens of articles are written daily and many articles are appearing and offering previews, predictions and analysis.

I decided I would cut through all of the B.S. and summarize writer’s picks as well as provide links to analysis for those interested.

The following writers have offered a fight by fight breakdown for the entire night of fights some have even offered a method to victory and a round. Hope you enjoy.

As they appear, I will add links and after the event I will be writing a follow up on the picks.

Tim

Craig

Jolicoeur

Jamie Moreno

Ken Foss

T.J. Grant vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Kim

TKO R3

Kim

Grant

Triangle Choke R2

Kim

TKO R2

Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty

Gugerty

Guillotine R2

Gugerty

TKO R1

Gugerty

Arm Bar R2

CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor

Dollaway

KO R2

Lawlor

Dollaway

TKO 1

Dollaway

KO Flying Knee R1

Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien

Jones

Kead Kick KO R3

Jones

Unanimous Decision

O’ Brien

Unanimous Decision

Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller

Miller

Unanimous Decision

Miller

Danzig

Unanimous Decision

Miller

Guillotine R2

Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman

Bonnar

Rear Naked Choke R2

Bonnar

Arm Bar R2

Bonnar

Omaplata R3

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs.

Alan Belcher

Akiyama

Arm Bar R2

Belcher

Akiyama

Rear Naked Choke R1

Akiyama

Head & Arm Choke R1

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago

Fitch

Ground & Pound R2

Fitch

TKO R2

Fitch

Split Decision

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson

Bisbing

Ugly Split Decision

Henderson

Unanimous Decision

Henderson

KO Punch R2

Georges St. Pierre vs.

Thiago Alves

GSP

Ground & Pound R3

GSP

Unanimous Decision

GSP

Rear Naked Choke R1

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

Lesnar

Ground & Pound R2

Mir

Lesnar

TKO R4

Mir

Heel Hook R2

Continued on Page 2...

Justin Cheung

Flying Knee

E. Spencer

Overall

Favorite

T.J. Grant vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Kim

Decision

Kim

Unanimous Decision

Grant

Unanimous Decision

Kim

5/7

Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty

Grice

Decision

Gugerty

Submission R1

Gugerty

TKO R2

Grugerty

6/7

CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor

Dollaway

Submission

Dollaway

Unanimous Decision

Dollaway

Submission R1

Dollaway

6/7

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic Is Set To Face Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103

Tim — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:34:24 -0400

After multiple reports that Mirko Cro Cop had signed with Dream, word has surfaced that he is set to face Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103.

The event will be on the main card, although, it's not yet known who will headline the event.

Days after Cro Cop’s last fight (UFC 99), rumors surfaced that he had backed out of a verbal agreement made with Dana White.

Reports had Cro Cop signing with Dream and Dana White quickly went on record bashing Cro Cop for his dishonesty. The situation got ugly fast.

Apparently, no permanent damage was done. All wounds seem to be healed and Cro Cop has made it official with UFC. Dos Santo has reported the fight as scheduled and all but signed.

The matchup with Dos Santos is an interesting one for Cro Cop.

Dos Santos is an up-and-coming fighter and this fight will either propel him towards stardom or, in a shallow Heavyweight division, offer Cro Cop a major stepping stone step towards title contention.

With Liddell Out Of The Picture... Guess Who Headlines UFC 103?

Tim — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:31:02 -0400

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin was the rumored Main Event, but Liddell has decided to take some time off. This is a good for him, but it leaves UFC 103 without a Main Event and without a lot of top tier fighters.

It will be interesting to see what the UFC does with this one. Most of the big draws already scheduled to fight. Who is left for UFC 103?

Let’s take a look at the upcoming events, who is in them…

UFC 100 has GSP, Mir, Lesnar, Hendo, and Bisbing accounted for.

UFC 101 has Penn, Griffin, and Silva accounted for.

UFC 102 has Couture and Big Nog booked up

UFC 104 has Rua and Machida penciled in, will that get moved up?

Evans and Rampage will be tied up until TUF 10 is done. Probably fighting UFC 105.

It looks like there is a likely letdown for UFC 103

Rich Franklin

Franklin vs Liddell was the rumored Headliner, but with Liddell out of the picture, what happens? Franklin should still be good to go, but against who?

Everyone else worth mentioning, that fights in that weight class, is already accounted for. Evans, Ramage, Griffin, Machida, Rua, and Anderson Silva are booked up.

Even Jardine and Thiago Silva or up and comers like Vera, Jon Jones and Hamill are accounted for.

Do they hope for a turnaround from one of these guys?

Do they throw someone like Luiz Cane into the fire? Would anyone care enough to watch?

I don’t think a Franklin Headline will work, simply because there isn’t anyone in his weight class available, so I decided to take a look across the weight for capable headliners for an idea…

Heavyweights

This is the UFC’s thinnest division and all the top draws are already in action. Lesnar, Mir, Couture and Nogueira have fights. I know there is a plan for Carwin vs. Velasquez , but these guys aren’t likely to headline this event.

I looks like Heavyweights will not headline UFC 103

Light Heavyweights

As I mentioned earlier, all the top fighters in this weight class have fights penciled in. The only thing I can see happening is Rua vs. Machida getting moved up. It isn’t likely, but it would allow one of the many potential headliners from UFC 100 one more month to heal / train.

Unless this happens, UFC 103 will not be headlined by a Light Heavyweight.

Middleweights

I like the middle weight division. There are lots of fighters I like to watch at Middleweight. They could have a match for the number one contender spot. The problem with that is; fans don’t get too excited about a contest of “Who will Anderson Silva beat next?”

Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt is already set for UFC 102

Other top contenders are Bisbing and Hendo, who are fighting each other, and Yushin Okami, who unfortunately will not be headlining any event any time soon.

I think the UFC wanted to set up Okami vs. Cote, but that fight might get broken up. There is a distinct possibility of Wandi fighting one of the two.

Wandi is still a fan favourite and will make for an exciting fight, but I don’t know who they put him against.

Unless they can find an opponent for Wandi, it doesn’t look like a Middleweight will headline UFC 103

Welterweights

While the top three fighters (GSP, Alves, Fitch) will be fighting within the week, there are still some marketable fighters kicking around.

I know the rumors have Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick on the card, but I have also heard that Swick wants to fight Hughes.

Hughes may have lost some of his luster, but I think he can still headline an event, plus a win by Swick would give the UFC a top contender that GSP has not yet dominated.

A win by Hughes might justify him getting another title shot, not in my eyes, but the UFC might push it. I am not saying it will happen, but it is a viable option for a main event.

Hughes vs. Swick could happen, especially if GSP wins. Otherwise matchups may change.

Lightweights

The UFC may find it’s headliner at the bottom of the weight classes. A title match will still be out of the picture, but there is an opportunity for a legit headliner.

After his showing on the TUF 9 finale, Diego Sanchez is ready for the big time again.

A lot of people may see him as THE next contender for the lightweight title, but the UFC may need to set up one more fight for him before he gets a shot at a title.

Sanchez put on a show in the TUF 9 finale and fans would likely pay to see him again. Sanchez vs. Frankie Edgar could have merit as a legit No. 1 contender’s match.

Who will we see headlining UCF 103?

I believe the most likely candidates are:

Wandi vs. ______

Hughes vs. Swick

Sanchez vs. Edgar

Sanchez vs. Edgar is the one I would like to see, who would you like to see? Which one do you think is most likely? Let me know.

Why Brock Lesnar Should Not Be the UFC Heavyweight Champ

Tim — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:07:09 -0400

Now, before you jump on my case, hear me out. This isn’t an article designed to trash Brock Lesnar.

This is an indictment of his championship status based on a multiple things.

This is an indictment of the UFC for putting him in this position and, in my opinion, taking some of the luster away from their own heavyweight title. I have felt this way for a while, but I read something this morning that made it necessary for me to vent.

In a recent editorial by Michael DiSanto on UFC.com, he comments on the upcoming Mir/Lesnar fight and states this:

“The interim champion is so far superior to Lesnar on a technical level in every aspect of the game, other than wrestling, that it is a bit disturbing. But for Lesnar’s freakish physical gifts, he would stand no chance against an amazing technician like Mir.”

That statement alone is a major part of my issue, but before we get into that I want to look at a few other items.

Did Lesnar deserve his title shot?

This is one of the biggest points of contention for a lot of people. Regardless, Lesnar is the UFC Heavyweight Champion, and to this point has won 75 percent of his four fights.

Impressive? Maybe. Let’s look a little deeper.

Lesnar started off his career in K-1 against a Min-Soo Kim. Lesnar won this fight and gave Kim his fourth loss in as many fights. Kim is obviously not a world beater, but no one would expect a fighter to take on a champion in their first fight.

It wasn’t an amazing victory, but it was a victory. Lesnar at this point was 1-0 and got signed by the UFC to be the next big thing.

Dana White obviously had high hopes for Lesnar, matching him up against Frank Mir in his UFC debut. A win over a former champion like Mir would catapult him up the ranks towards a title shot.

Lesnar didn’t win. Mir caught him in a submission and dragged his record down to 1-1.

Many would consider this a significant setback for a fighter on the way up the ranks. White did not.

Brock’s next fight came against Heath Herring, who the UFC is now calling a “contender” in the prefight hype. I don’t know where this “contender” talk comes from, and I don’t what he is contending for.

Fact is, “The Texas Crazy Horse” hasn’t won back to back fights since 2004, and while he has lost to some of the best in the world, his most notable wins are probably Cheick Congo or maybe Evan Tanner back in 1997.

Lesnar did win this fight, and was impressive in doing so, but is that enough for a title shot?

Not in my books. Herring would not have earned himself a title shot with the win.

The UFC is very thin in the heavyweight division, and Brock can sell pay-per-views. That is why he got a shot so early. Anyone who argues against TUF should have an even bigger issue with Lesnar’s status.

Does winning the Heavyweight Title alleviate these concerns?

A lot of people who support Lesnar will argue that he beat Couture, and that proves him as a champion.

I am not buying it.

Beating Couture is his most (only) notable victory of his young career, but it wasn’y shocking and it wasn’t an upset.

You were kidding yourself if you didn’t see Lesnar winning that fight. Lesnar is huge, and his size cannot be ignored. Everybody always gives Randy a chance, but he didn’t have much of one that night.

Remember, Couture spent a huge portion of his career at 205 pounds, which is probably his optimum fighting weight. He moved back up because he saw an opportunity in a soft division.

How can we call it a major upset or accomplishment when 285-pound Lesnar (and I am being generous) beats a 45 year old, 220-pound Randy Couture?

Age aside, that is a 65-five pound differential!

For your reference, 70 pounds is the difference between a lightweight and a heavyweight.

What does it take to be a champion?

MMA has become so widespread, and the techniques have become so varied and technical, that we are seeing highly tuned “Martial Artists” compete for titles.

Fighters like GSP, who have shown amazing levels of dedication and put in years upon years of training (in many fighting styles) to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Fighters like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida that have worked and developed their own unique brand of striking, that nobody can solve, to become world class superstars.

Fighters like BJ Penn and Fedor that will take on any challenger in a moment’s notice, plus have the striking and ground skills to dominate wherever the fight goes.

That brings us to Brock.

He does not have the background of a martial artist. MMA wasn’t his first choice. Heck, it wasn’t even his second choice.

Yes, he had a very impressive collegiate wrestling career, but he hadn’t participated in any sort of legit wrestling competition since the year 2000. That is seven years before he started in MMA.

The other champions have very impressive backgrounds, while Lesnar has wrestling, plus he has big and athletic.

Wow! That is quite the pedigree.

The new form of BBJ!

The fact that the UFC has Lesnar learning on the job, while holding their most prestigious title, seems wrong to me.

I think it is an insult to the fighters that have put in the work. I think it is insulting to the fighters that have put their life into MMA and dedicated themselves to being true mixed martial artists.

When the sport has reached an era of experts, elite fighters, and true mixed martial artists, Brock sets it back. He isn’t about a refined skill set—he is about being the biggest and being athletic.

In other words, he is an MMA freak show, and that doesn’t seem right to me.

How can this be fixed? If Mir can pull off a win on July 11, it will be a step in the right direction.

If he can pull the upset, Lesnar will be proven to be a second-rate fighter. Mir is a huge underdog, though, and as much as I want Mir to win, I know a victory is less than likely.

Brock is just too big. No, not too skilled. Just too big.

Does anyone else agree that this takes the “art” out of Mixed Martial Arts?

I suppose you can argue that Lesnar is the creator of a new style of BBJ. Let’s call it “being big jitsu”.

Is this what the heavyweight title is coming too?

Bobby Lashley is starting to make some noise. Some people are hyping him up as the next big thing. He too is a master of “being big jitsu”.

He may not have fought the same level of competition, but I don’t believe Lesnar has proven himself a great deal more. Whether you agree or not, someone that big and that strong with a solid wrestling base will always be hard to beat.

Where does Brock belong?

With athletes the size of Lesnar and Lashley coming into the mix, the MMA world will have to make adjustments.

I think the only logical step is to add a super heavyweight division. There may not be enough fighters now, but in time there will be.

The fact is, Lesnar is not a heavyweight, and he shouldn’t be fighting guys that are 220 to 230 pounds for titles. Whether the UFC or MMA in general make the distinction, Lesnar is a super heavyweight, and is in a class of his own.

If Lesnar beats Mir, who is next? Does Randy have a chance in a rematch? Can Big Nog beat him? If not, what happens to fighters their size?

Is this the end of the heavyweight division as we know it?

I don’t know, but I don’t but I know this: Brock Lesnar should not be the Heavyweight Champ!

Why MMA Judging Won't Change: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Tim — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:13:15 -0400

It seems like there is a discussion, after every event, about how terrible the judging was.

Think about the last couple UFC cards, people argued about Franklin/Silva, and after the TUF finale people argued about Sanchez/Guida. This leaves me with a few questions. Sure, both these fights were close but...

Is there a common denominator? Is there a bias? What can be done to fix the system?

More directly, how can we judge a fight and keep everyone happy?

The fact is that we can’t.

Judging is not designed to keep everyone happy. It is designed to declare a winner. There is not a single sport that has a flawless judging system. Not MMA, not figure skating, not ski jumping. There is not a single one, and there never will be.

If you think you can name one, please prove me wrong.

Do judges need more training?

No matter how well trained judges are, they will remain human. They will use their discretion to judge who won the fight.

Now, our good friends at Merriam Webster define judge as:

1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises

2: to sit in judgment on : try

3: to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation

4: govern, rule —used of a Hebrew tribal leader

5: to form an estimate or evaluation of ; especially : to form a negative opinion about<shouldn't judge him because of his accent>

6: to hold as an opinion : guess, think <I judge she knew what she was doing>intransitive verb

The key word there is opinion. In the opinion of that judge, or any onlooker for that matter that round was a 10-9 round in favor of ______. That is as scientific as it gets.

What is wrong with the system?

There are ways to improve a judging system, but still, none are perfect. In many stunt based sports, such as ski jumping, or half pipe, a move and/or set of rotations are given a difficulty value.

In sports like this, the scoring is based on a combination of the difficulty value and a judged score based on execution. This doesn’t really work with MMA.

In MMA, the subjectivity of the judging is what makes things really interesting. It isn't the three rounds system that is the problem; it would not be fixed if we judges the fight overall. The debate and confusion is because there is no sure way to determine the winner of any given round.

Scoring in boxing is easier, because they basically count landed shot and knock downs to determine the winner of the round. Boxing also has the advantage of many rounds for a winner to separate them self from the loser. MMA is very different.

In MMA the attacks and tactics that are used are much more varied. At this point, it becomes the responsibility of the judge to determine a relative value for a body punch, compared to a head kick; and a knockdown, and a takedown, and a submission attempted or defended, and relative ground positioning, etc.

To boot, more than one of these things can happen at once. It is not a simple or easy task and it is very subjective.

Is there a better way?

The merit of any scoring system can be debated, but I don’t see a major problem with the current one. The problem isn’t truly with the system the problem is with the subjectivity, and that isn’t going anywhere.

Unless the governing bodies want to set a value for any given attack, transition position and defensive maneuver, then let a computer tabulate the results, this problem will always exist.

But then again, how happy would fans be waiting until the next day for a winner to be declared? How many people would say electronic scoring was flawed?

I digress...

Judging, be it professional or not, is someone offering their opinion. It will always be that way, but ultimately, this is what it comes down to though...

The scoring system is the same for everyone.

No, not every judge will view a fight the same. No, it won’t be the same for every fight, but every fighter has the same chance of getting what we perceive to be lucky or screwed on any given night.

If the fight goes to a decision, the fighters must deal with the decision. It is as simple as that.

There is no solution, and on the bright side, a close or debatable decision gives people like you and I something else to talk about.

Give the Judges a Break: Guida Did Not Win Round Three!

Tim — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:03:35 -0400

I want to start by saying what a great fight and what a great night of fighting.

When I watched the Sanchez vs. Guida fight live, I saw Sanchez as a clear winner. I didn’t think it was as close as advertised and I was shocked to see that it was a split decision.

After seeing some of the postfight commentary about how Guida got robbed, I decided I had to watch the fight again. I hadn’t seen it that way, so I thought I had missed something.

A lot of the complaints were about the scoring system and how bad the judges were, so that is where I am going to start.

I do understand that there is a problem with the scoring system. A lot of people agree with that, but that fact is the UFC uses a 10-9 scoring system and according to that one, Sanchez won.

Breakdown of the Fight

I am not going to go into great detail on the first two rounds, let’s just say Round One went to Sanchez (10–8 or 10–9 doesn’t matter for the sake of this argument) and for argument sake, that Round Two goes to Guida. That brings us to Round Three.

Round 3

This round started on the feet and stayed on the feet for almost three and a half minutes. Sanchez had crisper the punches and landed more frequently. Guida did shoot for a takedown, but Sanchez avoided it easily.

I think it would be hard to argue against Sanchez winning the first three and a half minutes of the round.

Did Guida do enough in the final 90 seconds to take the round from him?

The fight went to the ground with Sanchez in dominant position. Sanchez was on Guida’s back and trying to sink in a choke, Guida slipped out and ended up on top. Still, a takedown for Sanchez.

While on top, Guida was not able to land many strikes. Sanchez sat upright with Guida in his guard and worked a kimura, he struggled with it for a while and was actually able to extend Guida’s are before the attempt was rebuffed.

At this point the round was almost over. Guida flurried wildly and didn’t land anything. Sanchez tried for an armbar as time expired.

End Round Three

That sounds like a pretty dominant Round for Sanchez to me. Even with the subjectivity of the judging I don’t see how this round leaves room for interpretation.

Watch the tape if you don’t believe me, that is how it happened.

So, what did each fighter do in Round Three?

Sanchez

Out-pointed Guida on the feet for three and a half minutes, avoided a takedown, scored a takedown, attempted a choke, and from the bottom attempted a kimura and an armbar.

Guida

Unsuccessfully attempted a takedown, was taken down, defended a choke, and had top control (for about 70 seconds) from which he defended a kimura and an armbar while hardly throwing a strike.

Unless Guida’s 70 seconds of top control, choke defense, and kimura defense is somehow worth more than Sanchez’s superior standup, successful takedown, attempted choke, and attempted kimura, I don’t see how this round could be scored anything but 10-9 Sanchez.

Simply, you don’t give points out for heart or for Guida’s ability to persevere despite being overmatched for much of the fight.

Conclusion

I like Guida, he is extremely fun to watch, and he has a lot of heart. It is easy to root for a guy like that, but he did not win on Saturday night. For the most part, even when he was on top, Sanchez was the busier fighter (save for a couple wild flurries).

The point is, there are flaws in the judging/scoring system, and some nights, they are more apparent than others, but the right guy won this time. There wasn’t a problem with judging, Sanchez just outperformed Guida on Saturday night.

Anytime your favorite fighter doesn’t win, don’t automatically peg it on poor judging.

There are lots of instances where poor judging does come into play,but this wasn’t one of them.

Enjoy what was a great fight. Both fighters walked away in good shape and that is a blessing, too.

Maybe we will get a rematch one day and it won’t come to a decision, but until then, treasure the original.

How Flippin' Good Is Johnnie Lee Higgins? We Will Soon Find Out

Tim — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:43:27 -0400

I recently wrote an article about third year wide receivers that were set to break out as fantasy options.

Raider nation spoke up, loud and clear, and Johnnie Lee Higgins took a large portion of the votes. I figured it was time to look a little deeper.

What will propel Higgins in his breakout season? I will look at some of the offseason changes and how they affect Higgins’ chances of success.

Experience

Higgins is moving into his third year in the NFL. The third year is supposed to be a big one for wide receivers. The game is said to start slowing down, and everything becomes easier. History has shown if a receiver is going to break out, it will often be in the third year.

Things should slow down for him this year. He was the team’s leading wideout last year, and I expect him to improve across the board as a result.

Experience will do nothing but help Higgins become more successful.

Complementary Pass Catchers

This looks like a tricky one to me. Up until the draft, I was thinking good things about the Oakland passing game. I figured Michael Crabtree would really help Higgins. Crabtree could be the possession guy, while Higgins would be the speed guy.

Come draft day, that all changed. The Raiders picked Darrius Heyward-Bey. He is another speed guy.

So, how will this affect Higgins?

I don’t think it will.

Fortunately for Higgins, the Oakland receiving corps really lacks depth, and even if Heyward-Bey pushes for a starting role, I think Higgins will beat him out. Plus, based on what I’ve seen in the past, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Raiders to start two speed guys.

Another thing that makes that idea so much easier is Zach Miller. Last year, Miller developed into one of the best receiving tight ends in the league. Having a consistent possession guy like that in the middle could allow Oakland to put two speed guys on the outside.

Despite only starting three games last year, Higgins led the team in catches. If he can indeed land himself a starting role, Higgins’ numbers will increase drastically.

The Quarterback Situation

The Oakland quarterback situation is probably the most influential factor in Higgins’ success. So, how is the Oakland quarterback situation compared to last year? It has to be better. Sorry to say, it can’t get much worse.

JaMarcus Russell should be better. He has to take strides at this point, and if he doesn’t, there will be a very capable Jeff Garcia waiting in the wings.

It doesn't matter if it's an improved Russell or if it's Garcia—Oakland’s quarterback play will be better. This too will help Higgins.

Summary

We will have to pay a lot of attention during camp, but I think Higgins has a good chance to find himself a starting spot. If he does, he will once again lead all Oakland wideouts in yardage, but his numbers will greatly increase. Assuming he starts...

Expect 800-plus yards and three or four touchdowns.

Will Johnnie Lee Higgins once again lead the Raiders in yards? Will he play second fiddle to Heyward-Bey, or will he be coming off the bench? You've heard my thoughts—what do you think?

Click here to view my initial article on wide receiver candidates for a breakout third year.

Devin Hester and The Perfect Storm... The Ultimate Breakout Candidate!

Tim — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:58:50 -0400

Sometimes everything comes together just right. The planets align and you know something big is going to happen. I believe that is the case with Devin Hester this year. Here’s why.

Stability at the Quarterback Position

The acquisition of Jay Cutler will be huge for Hester’s development. We all know Cutler is a durable pro bowl caliber quarterback with a rocket arm. We have all heard that, but what I haven’t heard discussed is the deep ball.

Cutler throws an amazing deep ball, even in extreme conditions. His deep ball gets there quickly and is very accurate. I remember seeing multiple instances last year of Hester running deep and Orton missing him by a solid four or five yards.

In at least two or three of these plays, Hester was deeper than the safeties, and we all know at this point he is as good as gone. The increased threat of the deep ball make his numbers sure to rise.

Jay Cutler and his deep ball are one major part of this perfect storm.

Guaranteed Playing Time

Through Hester’s first couple years at wide out he wasn’t a starter. As a matter of fact, he didn’t start a game in 2007 and he only started eight games last year. To this point, Hester has been used largely in situational offense.

This year Hester is being treated like the teams No. 1 guy. This will obviously add pressure and mean he will be covered by better DB’s, but it will also mean he will be on the field for a lot more pays. Even if the team adds a Marshall or a Burress, Hester will be on the field for almost every snap.

Has Hester developed enough to handle the No. 1 spot? That has yet to be seen, but his speed and ability to change direction make him a threat against anyone in any secondary. This also leads me into the third part of the perfect storm.

Third Year is the Breakout Year

Devin Hester is going into his fourth NFL season, but remember: This is only his third year playing wide out. It is a tough position to learn, this is especially true for someone who didn’t play it in college.

The third year is widely considered a break out year for receivers. It has been said by a lot of receivers that it takes until the third year before everything clicks. Hester will be coming into his third year.

Hester has now had three years and two full off season to hone his skills. He should have the experience to make a difference if you combine this with the role of a full time starter as well as a pro bowl quarterback and you have the recipe for a perfect storm.

Summary

I expect a big breakout year by Hester. I don’t think a 1000 yard season is out of the question and at minimum, even if there is another big receiver signed, he should be able to fill the role that Berrian used to play.

Count on Hester gaining at least 900 yards and four touchdowns.

If you are interested in some other breakout candidates, I did up a wide receivers going into their third year (including sleepers) here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/201027-biggest-breakout-candidates-which-3rd-year-wr-will-carry-you-to-a-title

Breakout Candidates! Which Third Year WR Will Carry His Team to the Title?

Tim — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:40:57 -0400

It is widely accepted that a receiver going into their third season is a major breakout candidate. A breakout season by someone at an important skill position can have a major impact on the season of your favorite team as well as your fantasy team.

I have compiled a detailed list of third year receivers and will analyze the likely hood of breakout season. Let’s start with the obvious names.

Established Stars

These guys have already established themselves as players to lookout for:

Calvin Johnson, Det

A first round pick and the first receiver off the board on draft day will likely be the first one off the board come time for you fantasy draft. He is an established superstar and a weekly fantasy starter despite his lack of a stable quarterback. Whether it is Dante or Matt starting, he has a chance to break more than a few long ones.

The sky is the limit for this guy!

Dwayne Bowe, KC

Another first round pick that quickly developed into a star. Bowe has already averaged over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns over his first two seasons. Things will be different this year though.

Bowe will no longer have Tony freeing up space for him, and he will be counted on to be the team’s top target. I don’t think that will be too much of a cause for concern though. He will have a more stable QB situation than he has ever had and a head coach that has shown a great deal of interest in the passing game.

Bowe is worthy of a start every week.

Steve Breaston, Ari

After a surprise breakout season, this former fifth round pick, has put himself on the fantasy radar. Will he duplicate those numbers this year? It is hard to say. A major reason for Breaston’s success was the injuries that Boldin suffered.

Due to his physical style of play, Boldin may miss time this year, but he isn’t likely to miss an extended period due to a broken face. Breaston is a valuable fantasy option, but don’t expect him to match last year’s numbers.

Eight hundred yards and 6 touchdowns isn’t out of the question.

Those guys have already established themselves as major fantasy contributors.

From good to great.

The next three are likely to be drafted, but probably won’t be expected to start regularly:

Anthony Gonzalez, Ind

He is another first round pick who has shown play making ability. So far he has been solid, but not spectacular. This year may be the year for all that to change. He plays on a team with an explosive offence and one of the best QB’s in the game.

This team may not be the scoring machine it was a few years ago, but they will score point and Gonzalez will be the clear cut number two option. Expect his numbers to up across the board.

Expect nine hundred yards and six TDs 1000 yards isn’t out of the question though.

Ted Ginn, Mia

I think he could be on the verge of a breakout year as well. He was solid last year with almost 800 yards and four TDs, but I think his numbers will improve this year.

Before the draft he was looked at as a player that had a lot of potential, but was thought to need time to develop coming out of college. I agree. With two years under his belt and the hours upon hours in the weight room. He should now have the needed strength and experience to take that next step.

I expect his number to be about the same as Gonzalez.

Steve Smith, NYG

Yes, the other Steve Smith… His second season was a breakout season. He showed promise as one of the best third down performers in the league. If it wasn’t for the two proceeding downs, this guy would be a star.

What’s next? Hard to say, he will contribute and his numbers may rise, but I doubt he will become a 1000 receiver. The team wants to keep him in his current role despite the need for someone to step up at receiver. His numbers will increase without Burress, but he will not be a star.

A likely fantasy reserve, with over 600 yards and three TDs

Sleepers

The names you know are done, who will come out of nowhere and carry you to a championship? Hard to say… A lot of guys have shown potential, but it seems to me like it will come down to opportunities. Pay attention to camp battles and see who is going to get the most playing time.

Here are the sleepers in order of round drafted:

Robert Meachum, NO (Round 1)

A first round pick with lots of talent, but he has had a hard time seeing the field. Aside from a couple long balls last year, he has been largely invisible.

I expect him to be better, but I don’t see him as a huge breakout candidate. He has the talent, but I am skeptical simply because I don’t think he will get a lot of playing time. The breakout year by Lance more will hold him back. If he can crack the top 3 on the depth chart his numbers will rise, but otherwise...

Look for 500-600 yards and four touchdowns.

Sidney Rice, Min (Round 2)

He was drafted as a second round pick and a lot of people thought he would break out last year, it didn’t happen and it won’t happen this year.

Based on their draft, they obviously don’t have a lot of faith in him. He will not break out, especially on a run first team.

Do not draft him!

Dwayne Jarret, Car (Round 2)

Another second round bust, I expect about the same from him as Sydney Rice.

Don’t draft him.

Jason Hill, SF (Round 3)

Sorry about those couple snoozers. This one could be good. There aren’t a lot of reasons to like the San Fran passing game, but Hill is one of them. At this point it is hard to guess his impact, simply because the depth chart is way up in the air.

San Fran seems to have four startable receivers. Between Bruce, Crabtree, Morgan and Hill it will be a battle. The top two guys will have a fantasy impact, but it is hard to expect the others to do much.

Keep a close eye on this training camp if hill is a starter, consider him a late round pick with a chance to breakout.

James Jones, GB (Round 3)

I like this guy, but the problem is I like a few other guys on this team more. His numbers actually dropped last year and I don’t see them going up drastically.

In my opinion, this is the best receiving corps in the league. It is not s discredit to Jones, but I don’t think he can crack the starting lineup until Driver slows down.

Unless there is an injury or some drastic change, don’t expect a breakout year.

Mike Walker, Jax (Round 3)

This is where things start getting interesting. I am a big fan of this kid, but so is the injury bug. Pay attention to training camp. The team isn’t deep at WR. I believe if he is healthy, he will start.

He is a big strong receiver and could easily have a bug year. If he can become a full time starter and stay healthy he will have a big year. If he cracks the starting line-up…

Expect 800 yards and five TDs as a solid No. 3 fantasy receiver.

Johnnie Lee Higgins, Oak (Round 3)

This is another player I really like. Believe it or not, he was actually the leading WR for Oakland last year. That truly isn’t saying much though. I was looking at him a breakout candidate before the draft, but I think the draft actually hurt him.

I expected the raiders to draft a receiver, but I think he would be set up for a bigger year if the Raiders had drafted Crabtree. Heyward-Bay is a speed guy, and so is Higgins, so I don’t know how they will fit together

The starting lineup coming out of training camp will be important, if Higgins starts and I think he will look for a solid season.

Expect 700 yards and four TDs.

David Clowney (Round 5) and Chansi Stukey (Round 7), NYJ

This is the most interesting camp battle of the summer to me. Unless the Jets end up picking up a big WR (Burress or Marshall) the winner of this battle will be starting. My money is on Stuckey.

Both guys showed flashes last year in the preseason and Stukey improved as the year went on. Unfortunately Clowney was hurt for a good chunk of the year and that set him back. I know there is uncertainty at the quarterback position, but expect the winner of this battle to perform well.

Look for 800 yards and four TDs.

Pay attention to these camp battle and give your self a leg up in your fantasy league.

If you are interested in a write up on Devin Hester, check this out:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/201736-ultimate-breakout-candidate-devin-hester-and-the-perfect-storm

He is going into his fourth season, but only his third as a receiver.

The Most Ultimate Ultimate Fighter..Diego Sanchez

Tim — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:43:01 -0400

The Ultimate Fighter Team US vs Team UK FINALE is coming up and the “King” of The Ultimate Fighter once again stars.

No! Not Forrest. Nope! Not Rashad. Not you Either Serra.

Diego Sanchez is the King of The Ultimate Fighter.

Obviously, the other fighters have had more success (if measured by titles) after the show, but I don’t think it is easy to find someone who has had more success fighting on the Ultimate Fighter.

I’m not just talking about his blowout of Ken Flo either. His upcoming fight against Clay Guida will be his fourth appearance on an TUF finale.

After Season 1 he beat Ken Flow (To become the first Ultimate Fighter)

After Season 2 he beat Nick Diaz

After Season 7 he beat Luigi Fioravanti

Now, after season 9 he is set to face off with Clay Guida. If he can pull off his fourth victory on the Finale of the show, he could very likely be putting himself back into contender position.

Wouldn’t Diego vs. Florian for the title be an interesting idea? Obviously, I am getting a head of myself on that one…

TUF has been good to Diego, in the first season, it was his proving ground and it has been again two times since. The early fights turned him into a ‘somebody’…

This time, it could potentially turn him into the number one contender… You may not agree with me calling him the “King” of the Ultimate fighter, but if he wins on Saturday night, he has my vote for the most Ultimate Ultimate Fighter!

Prediction: Sanchez over Guida

Where Were the KO's? What Really Killed UFC 99

Tim — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:26:05 -0400

I watched UFC 99 again and got to thinking: "things seem to go full circle." Early on, a lot of people were looking at UFC 99 and saying it looked soft.

I think that is kind of understandable, I mean there were no belts on the line and Franklin vs. Silva isn’t a traditional main event for a PPV.

With two more next month was the UFC putting all their eggs in one basket? That's what I initially thought.

Once I got a good look at the card though, I was actually looking forward to UFC 99. I was as excited for the main portion of this card as I have been for any in a while. It was six fights that all looked potentially entertaining to me.

The Hardy fight, the Cro Cop fight, the Swick fight, Velasquez fight and the Franklin fight all had KO written all over them. Fans like a KO, I like a KO…I figured this card had to be exciting.

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

Leading into this fight, everyone I talked to thought this fight was going to be a stand up war that would end with a KO. Both fighters hated each other and had a preference for stand up. I thought this was a great fight for an opener.

Come fight time, the fighters went back and forth. The stand up was good, but there were a couple lulls in the action, but the fight was pretty much what I thought it would be.

The only disappointing thing was the lack of a KO. The fight was close, so that obviously leaves questions in a lot of people’s minds.

A KO would have answered that. Ask yourself this:

If this fight was the exact same, but ended with a KO in the final minutes, would there be any disappointment?

Verdict = Solid fight.

Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno

Coming into the event, this fight was the least interesting of the evening to me. I do like watching Fisher fight, I like his motor, I just didn’t understand the match-up.

I don’t see Uno as someone who is going to make a run at a title and I haven’t seen anything from him lately that caught my eye. Anyways, this fight turned out to be a snoozer.

The fight turned into a clinch fest. Boo…

Honestly I think it dragged down the whole evening. Any unhappiness from the earlier fight was amplified. Once again, if the first one ended decisively, one snoozer could be forgiven.

Verdict = Terrible fight

Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders

This is another one I was interested in. I figured Swick to be the favorite, but I was interested in seeing how he’d handle someone taller than him.

I like Swick and I thought this could be an interesting battle. Saunders had shown heart in the past and I thought he would put up a fight.

I guess this is where I was wrong. Saunders was completely outmatched.

Swick wins by TKO. I just wish it happened in the first round.

They need to put someone good in front of Swick next time. You wouldn’t hear any complains if Swick won in the first round.

Verdict = Good fight.

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Mostapha Al Turk

This one was interesting. While everyone knew this fight should be one-sided, most comments leading up to the fight were hesitant.

Few people wanted to outright declare Cro Cop the winner. Everyone wanted to see if Cro Cop still had what it takes. I wanted to see this fight.

I think everyone hoped for a decisive Cro Cop victory and a run through the heavyweight division. Cro Cop wins by KO, like everybody wanted.

Unfortunately, due to the eye gouge and the drama between him and Dana afterwards, the dream sullied that for everyone.

Verdict = Disappointing fight.

Cheick Kongo vs. Cain Velasquez

I was really looking forward to this one. Kongo is great on the feet and Cain has a history of KO victories.

I thought Cain’s hype train was a little over blown, but I definitely see potential in the guy. I fully expected Cain to go for takedowns, but I didn’t expect so little damage to be done when he got them. I liked seeing Kongo rock him.

Even though Cain has a lot of potential, I get frustrated by seeing someone so potentially dominant unable to finish the fight. This fight could have been good, but Valasquez and his inexperience dragged it down.

This was another one where I was expecting a KO and it just didn’t happen. Honestly though, if it had either Kongo or Cain had actually finished this fight, people would not be so frustrated.

If Kongo had caught him a little better, it would have been an exciting KO and if Cain had pounded him out (even in the third), the takedowns leading up to the KO would have just further shown his dominance. This is another fight where a KO would have dramatically improved the night.

Verdict = Disappointing fight.

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

I was looking forward to this fight. I liked the contrast of styles and I knew a lot would take place on the feet.

Almost everyone I have talked to was pulling for Wandy. I like Wandy, but I think I was pulling for Franklin in this one, so maybe that skews my judgment.

This fight was thoroughly exciting to me. The fight was good, it went back and forth. Both guys landed shots and had their moment. Wandy did look tired, but he has too much heart to let that ruin his night.

Ultimately, I was actually glad to see this one so close. Moving forward, Franklin can Fight some interesting fighters and Wandy was not made to look any worse. Once again, more questions would have been answered with a KO, but I was happy with the close decision.

Verdict = Very good fight.

Final Verdict

Now that the event is over with, we are back to where this started. Everybody calling the card soft.

I disagree. All in all I don’t think this was a bad night of match-ups, I think it was a bad night of fights.

I don’t really hang this one on the UFC, I hang this one on the fighters. The fighters just couldn’t finish and many of the fights left more questions than answers. I was excited about most of the fights coming in.

Had it not been for a couple close decisions and all the Cro Cop drama this could have been a great card. I believe 100% had there been a knockout ending to the Hardy fight and/or the Velasquez fight peoples opinion of the event would be very different.

People want to see knockouts!

It ends all discussion and definitively declares a winner. The thing that killed this card was the number of decisions, plain and simple, but I don't think you can’t really blame the UFC for that.