Bleacher Report - Articles by Frank Sanchez

Tito Ortiz Back In The UFC?

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:18:29 -0400

Looks like it's a done deal. On the same day Affliction cancelled it's Trilogy event, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy and The Mouth of South Vegas (Tito Ortiz and Dana White, respectively) not only made up...but it seems Tito is back.

As I reset my Twitter account last night, I was browsing on people to follow. Naturally, my mind went to the UFC, and I found Dana White. As I became a follower of Dana White, the latest couple of "tweets" by Dana were...

2:03pm - July 17th

Yes tito and I made up

2:11pm - July 17th

Doesn't mean he's back it means we aren't smashing each other anymore and we don't hate each other.

44 minutes ago

I am going on espn 1100 in vegas at 6pm. I will be talking anything mma. Call in number is 702 364 1100! Oh yea an welcome back tito :)

To see Dana White's "tweets" check out danawhiteufc. You don't have to be a member to check it out either. Tune into the show in Las Vegas or if you're online at ESPN 1100 in less than an hour.

Five Fights I Want To See in the UFC by August 2009

Frank Sanchez — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:39:43 -0400

Whether we all agree or disagree or even agree to disagree, one thing is certain, we all certainly think we could do a better job than Dana White or Joe Silva.

Okay, maybe not all of us, some of us think they are doing a good job for the most part, but we would at least like to be Joe Silva or Dana White for one fight card.

Well, I am not going to assume that I could handle their job, but I sure as heck think that a wish list of fights is not out of the question. With certain match-ups already announced or rumored, I am going to focus on fighters who are not involved quite yet.

In no particular order, of course...

Diego Sanchez vs Nate Diaz

Diego just came off a successful lightweight debut vs Joe Stevenson and Nate came off his first UFC loss to Clay Guida at UFC 94. They both should be ready to fight again mid summer and pitting them against each other would work wonders.

If Diego wins they could push him all the way to title contention and maybe give him one more fight such as the winner of Sean Sherk or Frankie Edgar. The bigger story here would be Nate trying to avenge his big brothers loss to Diego back in 2005.

This could even prove to be a big rivalry a la Koscheck vs Sanchez or Ortiz vs Shamrock with the two egos involved. Diego vs Gray Maynard or Tyson Griffin would work well, too.

Partick Cote vs Yushin Okami

Thank Sean Schimling's UFC 102 column for this one. With Anderson Silva taking on Thales Leites at UFC 97 and Yushin Okami taking on Dan Miller at UFC 98, one could say that Anderson vs Okami will happen next.

However, if for some reason the UFC delays the Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami fight yet again, Cote stated he will be back about August 2009. Perfect timing if Silva vs. Okami doesn't happen.

Honestly, if Silva cant eventually face them both this year, I'd rather see this one 1st. Cote returning against Nate Marqaurdt or Demian Maia would be just as compelling.

Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva

Both coming off a loss and both looking to stay in top 10 form. Jardine may have a bit more of a hill to climb as he hasn't put up back to back wins since 2006 but also has never lost back to back either.

Silva had never lost before, much less a knock out loss. A win by either would keep one in the top 10 and the other may be weeded out. I am eager to see the BJJ expert vs. the unorthodox striker.

Silva or Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin would be interesting as well.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Anyone

I cant wait to see his debut in the UFC. I am eagerly hoping he will get a good match-up with a largely known name like Nate Quarry or Chris Leben or Jorge Rivera. I would say an even bigger name but I seriously doubt that would happen.

B.J. Penn vs Kenny Florian

I just don't want to see this by the end of summer, I want to see it by the beginning of it.

My friends are split evenly on the outcome of this one. I really hope Kenny Florian can take it to him and even win. Florian will be more of a yes man in regards to defending the title and Penn has plans of his own that the UFC has to take in stride.

Lets see if Penn's plans involve defending the title versus the clear No. 1 contender anytime soon. This fight may be rumored everywhere for sure, but I am dying to see it already. No substitute would make me happy save Georges St. Pierre vs. Penn III so that Grease Gate can go away.

A brief list of other fighters I want to see in a top flight match-up yet again, preferably versus each other if applicable.

Shane Carwin, Cheick Kongo, Forrest Griffin, Demian Maia, Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, and Spencer Fisher.

Can Rampage Jackson Handle Rashad Evans So Soon?

Frank Sanchez — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:11:46 -0400

Now that UFC 96 is in the books, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is back in the championship match. During UFC 96, Dana White said that if Rampage won the fight against Keith Jardine, he would be next for Rashad Evans and the Light Heavyweight Championship.

What was the only catch? It would be May 23, about two months from now.

If you didn't see the battle between Jardine and Jackson, you missed a good ol' fashioned fight. It was a knock down, drag out fight, not pretty but not boring by any means.

The two men took it to each other and before the last 10 seconds of the fight, it was still up in the air as to who was actually winning.

Rampage had a flurry in the last 10 seconds and he came out victorious. He stated after the fight that he was never on game-plan. What was the game-plan? Go hard and go aggressive, just keep coming at Jardine.

But as you saw, what actually transpired was a careful and meticulous Rampage attack. Maybe even a bit conservative at times. Not exactly out of his element, but in regards to his recent bouts, just not like him.

One couldn't help but wonder if the thought of facing Evans in two months time was in the back of his mind, or the front for that matter, during the fight. The consummate professional he is, Rampage continued and battled on, and afterwards gave the UFC what they wanted.

While he was face to face with Evans, he let him know who he was, both as the warrior and the jokester. Check out the video of Evans and Jackson face to face here.

But as it has been reported by Bloody Elbow, Rampage was on Steve Cofield's radio show post fight and is apparently unsure if he would want to take on Rashad Evans so soon.

As of right now, there are no other reports to confirm this so take it for what it's worth. Seeing the post fight interview on UFC.com, there seems to be no indication of that as he calls out Evans yet again.

After last night's fight, could you help but wonder if Rampage is indeed going to have enough time to be ready?

Jackson vs Jardine at UFC 96 May Help with UFC 98

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:07:16 -0500

It is not too soon to speculate that UFC 98 is now in need of a championship match. With Quinton "Rampage" Jackson facing off vs "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine tomorrow at UFC 96, why do they have a say for UFC 98?

As reported earlier by sources sited by yours truly just moments ago, all signs point to Frank Mir Vs Brock Lesnar being cancelled from the UFC 98 card. There are a few theories I have calculated, some of which have to do with this very match. These theories have all been due to the UFC's announcement regarding Jackson's pending title shot.

The UFC has stated and advertised that if Rampage wins, he will get the next shot at newly crowned Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. If he does not win, Lyoto Machida will be given the shot instead, after destroying Thiago Silva, who at the time was undefeated as well, at UFC 94.

UFC 98 Las Vegas will be lacking a championship main event now that Mir will be out. Since the injury will only sideline Mir 4-6 weeks, it is highly likely that the UFC will put the match-up on hold rather than scramble to find a lest second replacement.

In the land of the UFC Heavyweight Division, one can truly say there is no clear cut No. 1 contender after the Lesnar/Mir match-up.

On top of it all, Las Vegas is a perrenial haven for championship matches with regards to the UFC. Very rarely, if ever, has there been a UFC card in Vegas not entitled Fight Night or Ultimate Fighter Finale that has not included a championship match. One would be hard pressed to find one since Dana White and Joel Silva had anything to say about it.

With that being said, my theories for the main event of UFC 98

The Lyoto Theory: If Keith Jardine manages to beat the heavily favored Rampage Jackson and end his quest to regain the title, Lyoto Machida will become the No. 1 contender, again. It may be a little fast, but Evans vs Machida at UFC 98 is very likely.

Combined with the strong card that UFC 98 currently has with Sean Sherk vs Frankie Edgar, Yushin Okami vs Dan Miller and Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra, it could possibly happen.

The Rampage KO Theory: Another possible scenario but unlikely event is if Rampage manages to take out Jardine in a quick and stunning fashion. Rampage becomes the No. 1 contender and since he is "unscathed" he has a quick turnaround and Jackson vs Evans is on for UFC 98. Obviously more unlikely but quite possible still.

The Pitbull Rush Theory: Georges St. Pierre vs Thiago Alves Welterweight Championship match is tentatively scheduled for UFC 100, in Las Vegas, NV as well, on July 11th. One might say that Alves vs GSP at UFC 98 instead may be a little sooner than anticipated, but still quite possibly manageable.

If they bump this fight up to UFC 98, the can easily put the Light Heavyweight Championship pitting Evans versus either Rampage or Machida or the rescheduled Lesnar vs Mir rematch for the Heavyweight Championship at UFC 100.

There is also plenty of time to "stack" the UFC 100 card as it is to be a "landmark" event. The most unlikely of the three scenarios. but still quite possible.

Bottom line is that a substitution match instead of a replacement for Mir will actually help the UFC Heavyweight Division. The winner of Gabriel Gonzaga vs Shane Carwin will undoubtedly fall in line to be a top contender for the title.

With Cheick Kongo competing at UFC 97, the winner of Carwin/Gonzaga could easily face off against a victorious Kongo, possibly under the new Lesnar vs Mir card, possibly at UFC 100, 101, or 102.

This will also allow time for the Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight to come to fruition and play out, allowing the UFC to determine the impact of that fight, if any, on the Heavyweight Division Title picture.

Frank Mir Sidelined 4-6 Weeks: Rematch with Brock Lesnar on Hold..

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:21:05 -0500

As reported by Frank Mir forces cancellation of UFC 98 rematch vs. Brock Lesnar">FiveOuncesOfPain.com and MMAWeekly.com, Frank Mir has suffered an injury that will lead to the cancellation of the rematch to unify the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar at UFC 98 on May 23, 2009.

According to FiveOuncesOfPain.com, "Multiple sources have confirmed that the UFC was recently informed by Mir's camp that he was forced to withdraw due to injury."

FiveOuncesOfPain.com originally reported it as a back injury, while they corrected themselves as MMAWeekly.com reported it as a knee injury. MMAWeekly.com report called FiveOuncesOfPain.com out and had this to say, "Multiple MMAWeekly.com sources, however, indicated that it is a knee injury that has precluded Mir from training."

Apparently, Mir had knee surgery and will be sidelined for four to six weeks. UFC did not comment on the issue as of yet. This leaves many fans wondering what UFC will do to address this problem.

There are several options they can entertain. Putting the title on the line in a match not featuring Mir seems unlikely. The more likely option is for the UFC to scrap the match for UFC 98 and postpone it until Mir is able to train once again.

UFC 98, set for Las Vegas, may now alter plans for other events since it is now without a main event. The long-awaited Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra matchup, Yushin Okami vs. Dan Miller, and Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar are all on the card according to UFC.com.

The UFC has set up cards without a championship main event and this particular card could work without one, but UFC needs to fill the MGM Grand Arena and tickets will be going on sale to the public tomorrow. What will the UFC do?

Lyoto Machida: The Next...Fabricio Werdum?

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:26:35 -0500

I have a feeling Lyoto Machida is getting lost in the Light Heavyweight Division. Yes, he's undefeated, coming off his biggest win to date stopping formerly undefeated and fellow Brazilian Thiago Silvain the first round of their fight at UFC 94. However, I fail to see why Lyoto Machida will becomes this division's Fabricio Werdum.

Fabricio Werdum had some impressive wins. But he came up at the wrong time. While he solidified as a contender, Randy Couture came back to the UFC and stole the spotlight. Not to mention the UFC decided to use Interim Champion Antonio Nogueira and number one contender, Frank Mir, for its reality show, shelving them from competition for over six months. This put Werdum in limbo even though he was the clear number one contender after Mir.

Werdum decided to accept a fight against a newcomer in Junior Dos Santos. UFC and Werdum probably figured to keep Werdum true to competition form and have him pick up an easy win while he waited for the Heavyweight Tournament between Mir, Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, and Couture to unfold. Then, bam. Dos Santos knocks out Werdum, sends him further down the already thin UFC Heavyweight division ranks and outside of the Mir vs Lesnar rematch, really scrambles up the ranking system.

So how can I relate Machida to Werdum? Simple. Machida is undefeated and the clear number one contender to the title, beating the likes of former champion Tito Ortizon his UFC swan song and undefeated Thiago Silva among others. Werdum had beaten top ranked Gabriel Gonzaga and highly touted Bradon Vera, comparable to Machidas achievements.

Werdum has two notable losses, by decision, to Nogueira himself and former champ Andrei Arvloski. Werdum was in a very thin Heavyweight division, Machida is in the deepest division in the UFC and possibly all of MMA. Therefore, Machida has much more to lose, and he doesn't even have to lose right away.

All it takes is a Quinton "Rampage" Jackson win over Keith Jardineand Lyoto will have to sit another few months. Then, Jackson will get the shot at champion Rashad Evans. Lyoto will probably fight on that undercard or one right around it. To who? A newcomer? Someone like Dos Santos? Then he can hear criticisms of not taking a top flight contender like Werdum did? All while Wanderlei Silva is taking on Rich Franklin, and Chuck Liddell fights Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Then, not to mention that top names like former champion Forrest Griffin, Stephen Bonnar, Bradon Vera and James Irvin all wait in the wings for their next shot at the top 10 or even top five.

So, does anyone see Lyoto taking on a newcomer, or a top contender. Or will he get lucky and see Jardine beat Jackson, granting him access to that oh so elusive title shot?

Coach Gundy vs. Jenni Carlson: One of the Funniest Moments in Sports

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:58:56 -0500

In honor of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay in East Bound and Down set to appear on HBO, I would like to remember Coach Mike Gundy's tirade over a newspaper article back in September 2007. If you forgot, here is the YouTube video of the infamous tirade.

After Coach Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Gundy did not address the game. Instead, he flipped out about an article written by reporter Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman about then recently benched quarterback Bobby Reid.

After going on and on about Carlson's article being a bunch of lies and a work of fiction, he went refusing to answer any questions from any reporters, including Carlson, on what factual errors there actually were in the article.

Gundy refused to answer and instead said he would rather let it go but not after ripping Carlson about not knowing how difficult it is to console these young kids after mistakes.

"Let me tell you why I want to talk about this article. Three-fourths of this is inaccurate. Fiction. And this article embarrasses me to be involved with athletics.”

"Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!!!"

"Don’t write about a kid that does everything right; his heart is broken! And then say that the coaches said he was scared! That ain’t true!"

"You let us make that decision! That’s why I don’t read the newspaper!"

"That’s all I’ve got to say. It makes me want to puke."

These were just some of the many quotes offered up by Coach Gundy in the telling off of Carlson and the media.

Although many people, including those in sports broadcasting and college coaches around the nation, remain divided on this tirade, one thing remains certain. Coach Gundy was friggin' hilarious!

My UFC 94 Trip: Part One

Frank Sanchez — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:52:07 -0500

Part one of my two-part mini-series will describe highlights of the trip coming together and weigh-in day at the MGM Grand, including meeting and coming face to face with several fighters.

Back in 2008, it was rumored that BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre would be facing off sometime in 2009 in Las Vegas.

I have a very close friend who just moved to Vegas (let's call him Danny), and so, I thought it would be very easy to take a trip out that way and catch this specific UFC event, showcasing one of my favorite fighters in one of the biggest matches ever.

When GSP beat Jon Fitch and BJ came into the ring, I was ecstatic that my wish would come true—the superfight of superfights that the UFC would have to offer. With the way the first Penn-St. Pierre fight ended, this was bound to continue one day.

Then, the rumors in October came and a finalization of the fight was announced shortly before Thanksgiving. The mega-fight of the year would be Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture.

I had mentioned that I wanted to make the trip out and a couple of friends joined in on the fun (let's call them Yao and Gary). After noticing how much the UFC Fight Club actually cost and weighing other alternatives in order to get the pre-sale password, I decided to use the other means I had discovered.

I obtained a pre-sale password and bought my tickets one day early. I was able to obtain $100 tickets that people were people upwards of $400 for a few weeks before the fight.

My friend, who lives in Vegas, Danny, and a friend, who was going to join me for UFC 94, Yao, were in Vegas during UFC 93. They did not have tickets to UFC 93 but had discovered that you could go to the weigh-ins for free. My friends had outlined the painstaking two to three hour wait that they had endured when they went to the UFC 93 weigh ins.

They said there was no way that you could get in without being in line earlier than that and that the weigh-ins were uneventful. You could not get close to any of the fighters it was a very quick process with not much being said, and it was only 30 minutes. They didn't think it was worth it for the event that we were going to attend for UFC 94.

With that in mind, Gary and I decided that we were going to go but only arrive 30 minutes prior to the gates opening at three. So when we got in line, we noticed how packed it was in front of the arena but were optimistic about getting in.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, which was almost exactly where the Arena starts and the Grand Walk ends (the mini mall the Grand has), we noticed a camp making their way through the crowd. Clay Guida, Jason Guida, and his camp, all decked out in the same gear you saw on pay per view, happened to pass right by.

Not only that, an official from the Grand stood right in front of me and Clay right next to him telling the official who exactly was with him. A bunch of fans were saying hi and good luck. I specifically said "Take it to Nate!" Clay responded with "You got it!"

Then, as we wait a little longer, about five minutes later, someone comes up behind me and says, "excuse me, we need to get through." I look behind me and there is this, what seemed like, seven-foot dude and behind him happened to be some other camp. I didn't notice at first because Gary, who was on the other side of me, said, "Look, it's Manny Gambruyan."

Let's just say Gary is very short. It was astounding to see how small Manny actually is, since he was actually shorter than Gary. Seeing the stats is one thing, but being right next to these guys is another altogether.

With me still in astonishment (and making fun of Gary's height issue), I turn due to a tap on my shoulder, and it happened to be Karo Parisyan trying to get by. It blew my mind that one of my favorite fighters was literally chest-to-chest with me as he happened to make his way into the Grand.

After looking around like crazy for other people while we waited, we spotted a handful making their way in. They included Bruce Buffer, Dan Cramer, Chris Wilson, John Howard, Thiago Tavares, and Lyoto Machida.

Finally, after getting in, we got semi decent seats, which ended up being better than the ones we had for the actual event. The hour before the weigh-ins began went by quickly with the airing of UFC Primetime of BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre.

There seemed to be more Penn fans at that point. Let's just say that every time anything with the word Penn, Hilo, or Hawaii came on the screen, there was a cheer as if BJ himself had popped out from behind the curtain.

The weigh-ins started and was uneventful except for the fact that Clay Guida was like the Energizer bunny, and Akihiro Gono came out in like a two-foot wide and high afro, which he weighed in with it on. Then, when Gono and Jon Fitch posed face to face, Gono gave Fitch the afro and Fitch put it on as they did their customary stare down—all smiles however.

After the weigh-in, Rogan interviewed Penn and St. Pierre, but it was inaudible due to the cheers for Penn and jeers for GSP. Afterward, my friend Gary had told me when he came to the Oscar de la Hoya versus Bernard Hopkins fight a few years back, he got fed up with the crowd and went through a side exit. He came out exactly where the celebrities were leaving from that fight and he thought we should go that way too.

Well, we did and we saw a door open that probably shouldn't have been, so we decided to peek in. Just as we did, we noticed the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, talking to somebody, so we made our way in.

Just as we got in, we started seeing all of the other fighters on the card. We shook hands with Dan Cramer, Matt Arroyo, and Chris Wilson. I also got to shake hands with Thiago Tavares and Thiago Silva who were exiting together.

After they came through, we saw Akihiro Gono and camp but they didn't stop and neither did Jake O'Brien. Everybody else signed a few autographs, took a few pics, and shook some hands.

We also saw Lorenzo Fertitta. Then, a Grand official came over and kicked us out, largely because of this star-struck guy who happened to come in sometime after we did and would almost mug every fighter he saw.

We left that interior area that we were in but were led to the area that all the fighters were exiting through, close to the general public. I decided to walk around back to where the parking lot exit was to see if anyone would go out that way.

Gary stayed on the first floor of the Grand Arena entrance where we were led out. I saw a beautiful black Aston Martin Vantage and the Nevada license plate said WAND on it.

I took a few pictures, thinking it could be Wanderlei Silva's. As I was doing so, Gary called me and said that he just saw Wanderlei and Thiago Alves and that I should get over there fast.

As I got there, missing Thiago and Wandy, I saw another fighter and camp emerge. Lyoto Machida came out to an eruption from the crowd just flocking to him. He was taking pictures, signing autographs, and generally seemed to be a nice guy. I got a decent pic of him myself but I didn't talk to him.

Then, while waiting by the escalator, I noticed that Thiago Alves was making his way back down. I tried taking a pic but he was walking too fast and wouldn't stop. It came out blurry. But, I happened to pat him on the back and it was like patting a rock. That man is/was scary.

We also saw a few other fighters make their way out such as Dan Cramer, Matt Arroyo, Chris Wilson, and John Howard. All of them were very nice and courteous to the fans.

Matt hung around for a bit with his friends as they teased him a little for his popularity. Gary and I were right next to him and his friends for some time. After a long wait of nothing, we decided to leave.

We decided to go up to the Grand Buffet, but as we were walking, we got to meet two more fighters just randomly meeting people in front of stores in the mini-mall area. Jason MacDonald was there and he was much bigger (and a little older looking) in person. He was very polite and all smiles.

Then, we walked a little further and we saw Mike Swick. I shook his hand, told him I was a big fan from Texas, and he said thanks. Swick had a significantly larger amount of fans mugging him than MacDonald, so it was hard to get to talk to him for an extended period of time.

We went up to the Grand Buffet as we were starving and noticed that we were two tables away from Doomsday John Howard. By this time, I was sure that they thought we were stalking them.

As we were eating, we noticed Thiago Tavares happened to walk right past us and right out of the buffet. I wonder if the MGM comps them their meal.

Then, in my general direction, a server seats a big party and it happened to be Karo Parisyan and some other people, only one or two from his camp. No Manny. My friend and I thought that this was really cool, and at some point, I told myself that I would go up to him and say hi, but not while he was eating. Most people greeted him on his way in, and everybody let him be while he was eating.

When he got up, I decided to go up and say hi. So, in front of the ice cream machine, I told him that he has always been one of my favorites and it was good to meet him.

I wished him luck and he thanked me by saying it meant a lot. He was genuinely nice and humble about it all and I let him be.

As he was leaving, I was about to leave myself, so I asked him if it would be okay to take a picture with him. He said it was cool and that is the picture you see up above. He was a class act with all the fans and very cool.

Tune in later this week for Part Two: Fight Night, with a post fight talk with Karo Parisyan, Greg Jackson, and Firas Zahabi.

One of Many Previews of UFC 94

Frank Sanchez — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:02:27 -0500

Needless to say, with countless previews and predictions as to the outcome of the biggest fight of the year so far (referring to Penn-St. Pierre coming up this weekend), I will take a different look at UFC 94.

First and foremost, I will actually be attending this event in Vegas on Saturday, so I will post another article next week reviewing the show from inside the MGM Grand.

While many out there are paying triple to quadruple face value right about now, I bought my tickets on Ticketmaster during the pre-sale for $100. I saw an eBay bid for some tickets in my section and the bid was about $900 right now.

I was very tempted to sell my tickets a while back and make three times what I bought them for, but this is my first UFC event and GSP is my favorite fighter, so there is just no way I could do it.

That being said, since I will get to be at the event, I will take a look at all the fights in the order of which I am wanting to see them.

1. Georges St. Pierre vs B.J. Penn (Welterweight Championship) - This fight is being billed as the biggest in 2009 so far. This fight will not only settle some tension between the two—hopefully—and prove once and for all the GSP is the better man.

This should also give the winner the edge as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Yes, right now Fedor and Anderson Silva are Nos. 1 and 2, but GSP and BJ have been fighting better competition than Anderson lately. Fighting each other as Nos. 3 and 4 should give them the edge for the No. 2 spot.

Favorite: GSP

MY Pick: GSP

2. Lyoto Machida vs Thiago Silva - This is possibly the No. 1 Contender match for Rashad Evans' Light-Heavyweight title. Silva and Machida also happen to be 13-0, so somebody's "oh" must go. Then they can take on Evans, who also is undefeated (with one draw). I really want to see Thiago pull this off, but Lyoto is simply innovative.

Favorite: Machida

My Pick: Silva

3.Nate Diaz vs Clay Guida - Diaz and Guida should be on the short list of top lightweight contenders in the UFC. There are very solid lightweights in the UFC, but they just keep beating each other. This will undoubtedly be Diaz' biggest challenge yet, but I think Guida will show why he should be considered a contender.

Favorite: Diaz

My Pick: Guida

4. Karo Parisyan vs Dong Hyun Kim - Kim is not is the second biggest underdog on this card, but both of these fighters have everything to gain with a win. Karo has lost only to championship-caliber fighters (Sean Sherk, GSP, Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves). However, Kim comes in 11-0-1 and is 2-0 in the UFC so far.

Kim puts his unbeaten streak on the line but a win over Karo means matches against the top tier of the division. With Jon Fitch on the same card, I can see the winner of this match taking on him if he wins.

Favorite: Karo

My Pick: Karo

5. Jon Fitch vs. Akhiro Gono - The former title contender takes on the wily veteran from Japan. Gono is a fighter with many huge fights under his belt, but he has won and lost his share. Fitch is coming off a tough loss to GSP and is looking to climb back up the ladder. Gono is a wild card and Fitch is facing a must-win situation.

Favorite: Fitch

My Pick: Fitch

6. Stephan Bonnar vs Jon Jones - Bonnar is coming off a long layoff and should be looking forward to being in the top tier of the division, since his only losses came to champions Forest Griffin and Evans.

Jon Jones is looking for a big name to put on his resume and Bonnar would be a big step up. He is a highly-touted young fighter with wrestling honors under his belt.

Favorite: Bonnar

My Pick: Jones

7. Manny Gamburyan vs Thiago Tavares - Tavares has lost three of his last four fights, including two in a row, and is 3-3 in the UFC. Manny is coming off a tough loss to Rob Emerson and is 2-2 in the UFC. Both are facing a must-win situation and should be very competitive.

Favorite: Gamburyan

My Pick: Tavares

8. Jake O'Brien vs Christian Wellisch - Irish Jake O'Brien is coming off two losses in a row, but is 3-2 in the UFC. Christian touts a 2-2 record in the UFC, but is also coming off a loss. This will be a stand-up fight and a must-win for both men.

Favorite: O'Brien

My Pick: O'Brien

9. Matt Arroyo vs Dan Cramer - Former Ultimate Fighter participants take on each other. TUF 6 vet Arroyo, who pulled out and did not face off versus winner Mac Danzig, gets TUF 7 vet Cramer, who has no professional bouts yet and gave semi-finalist Tim Credeur a fight until he was caught in a heel hook.

Favorite: Arroyo

My Pick: Cramer

10. Chris Wilson vs Josh Howard - Wilson is highly touted member of Team Quest, but has suffered a loss to Fitch before winning his first fight in the UFC. He is 13-4, but 1-1 in the UFC. Howard comes in at 10-4, but is making his UFC debut.

Favorite: Wilson

My Pick: Wilson

Stay tuned for an inside the audience look at UFC 94!!!

Five Inconveniences in College Football (Not Called the BCS)

Frank Sanchez — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:07:50 -0500

These are a few things one must realize when covering, analyzing, and just plain being a fan of college football in today's world. These are grossly opinionated, and I may be wrong, and it would be a terrible tragedy...but if you agree, show me some love.

5. It takes three years to build a program

That's incorrect, and the first year does not count. I do not care if you are Michigan or New Mexico State. You cannot be given three years and expect to turn around a program.

In the first year, whatever you do as far as wins go is great. That's where Notre Dame screwed up in re-signing Weis after just one season, and that's where Michigan fans are being wrong in judging Rich Rodriguez.

How many years? Five. You give the coach a chance to get his own freshmen in and graduate them. If he can't win with his program in five years, get rid of him. If he is winning, re-sign him. Simple as that.

Four years is just one short. This is not the NFL where you can buy and sell players up the river whenever you please. You have to recruit them, train them, groom them, and help them mature.

4. Oklahoma is always best of the best

I am going to catch a lot of flak here, but there is no secret the BCS loves OU. They are the WORST of the best and, with stats, it is easy to say.

It is evident again this year. It is yet to be seen what happens in the Big 12 championship and probably inevitable national championship appearance. Since Bob Stoops arrived, the Sooners have dominated the Big 12 and the BCS charts. But their results stop looking impressive there.

In the nine years that Stoops has been at Oklahoma, he has taken them to nine bowls, and is 4-5 overall in those games. Six of the bowl games were BCS bowls, where the Sooners have been 2-4. Three were national championships, and the Sooners have been 1-2 overall there.

The record shows that maybe Stoops can't handle the pressure on top of the hill, since the last four BCS games (in five years) were all losses. (College football's Marty Schottenheimer, anyone?)

So the argument doesn't begin and end there; let's compare them to a primary rival and similarly successful opponent in Big 12 play, Texas, the last nine years. Texas vs. OU head to head in the last 10 is 6-4, OU with the advantage. Texas has also been to a bowl every year and amassed a 6-3 record.

It took Texas two tries to equal Oklahoma's BCS wins, going 2-0. It took Texas one trip to the national championship to take the trophy home, 1-0.

This rivalry will be argued to the depths of eternity, but the last nine years, Stoops has the edge on Brown, but Brown beats everybody else on the main stage. The BCS loves OU, plain and simple. But maybe the BCS and the media need to re-work that.

3. USC plays an inferior schedule

OK, the Trojans are in the Pac-10 AND when you see my No. 2 misconception, it will add to the fact they blow it away. Their current streaks? Six 11-plus-win seasons in a row, six BCS bowl appearances in a row, six (going on seven, some albeit shared) Pac-10 titles in a row.

But that only adds fuel to the fire that they play a cupcake conference, right? Nope. They are 5-1 in those BCS games the last six years, and 1-1 for the national title. They beat Big 10 and Big 12 opponents in those five games.

Sure, they have gone 51-7 since 2002 in the Pac-10, but what have they done, really? Including bowl games, since 2002, the Trojans have handled the other major conferences, 15-2. They are 2-0 vs. the ACC (two teams), 5-0 vs. the Big 10 (four teams), 4-0 vs. the SEC (two teams), and 4-2 vs. the Big 12 (five teams). They haven't played a Big East team, and if you want stats on the mid majors: 3-0 vs. MWC (two teams), and 4-0 (three teams) vs. WAC.

They haven't played anyone else except Notre Dame, whom they have beaten seven years in a row. That doesn't seem too inferior. Pete Carroll got there in 2000, by the way.

2. Big East Football doesn't belong in the BCS

I am not going to argue for or against the BCS; I am currently evaluating the way the system is at current. Earth to college football fans: Big East Football has won a BCS game three years in a row (versus the Big 12, ACC and SEC). It hasn't sent a team to the national championship since Miami left the conference, but was close two of the last three years, when it produced one-loss teams in Louisville and West Virginia.

As far as the six major conferences go the last five years in the BCS, No. 1 is the SEC, which is 6-1 overall in the BCS games and 3-0 in the national championship, with four teams (LSU, Georgia, Florida, and Auburn) accounting for that record.

No. 2, statistically, is the Pac-10, which is 4-1, 1-1 in the title game. One problem, USC is the only representative for the five years. For that reason, the Pac-10 drops to third.

So, technically, No. 2 should be the Big East, which is 4-1 as well, but no title game appearances, though it has done it with four different teams, as well (WV, Louisville, Pitt, and Miami).

No. 4 would be the Big 12, which has the second most teams placed yearly but is 3-5, 1-2 in the title game and has sent four teams (Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Kansas State).

No. 5 is the Big 10. Regarded for a long time as the best conference in football until recent times and the proof, the Big 10 has been involved in nine BCS games in five years (out of 22), but is a measly 3-6, 0-2 in the title game. It has also sent four teams to the BCS (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois).

Last is the ACC. Although it has been competitive this year, recent history shows it should be fighting for its spot. It is 0-5 in the last five years with no title appearances, this is among three teams sent (VT, Wake Forest, and Florida State).

1. Lee Corso picks

So what is his record, anyway? On the GameDay site games, Corso went 6-8 for the regular season. I had to watch ton of YouTube footage for this one. I was also investigating 2007 picks, and, man, he had a great year last year. He at very least won 10 games from what I saw. I couldn't get all of them.

So even though he had a good year last year, he showed signs of slowing down this year. But I would sell on Corso picks from now on. He' only getting older...

Fabricio Werdum Taps Out, Leaves The UFC

Frank Sanchez — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:51:40 -0500

Following a tough KO loss to UFC newcomer Junior Dos Santos at UFC 90, Werdum has decided not to brave the shallow pool of UFC Heavyweights again and bows out. Reportedly, on both iFight365.com and MMAWeekly.com, he left after failed contract negotiations.

Arguably, in a fight Werdum shouldn't have been in, Dos Santos made a huge splash in his debut by knocking out the Heavyweight title contender. Then the real champion, Randy Couture, came back into the mix and changed the landscape on top of the division.

Instead of facing off Couture and Werdum in what would've been a legit Champion versus No. 1 in every ones eyes in and out of the UFC, they opted to maximize the few fights left in Couture and fed him Brock Lesnar instead.

Werdum was indeed upset even before he took the fight against Dos Santos and rightfully so. It would be nearly six months to a year before he would even sniff the belt if he had won the fight due to the mini-heavyweight title unification tournament facing off the winners of Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar and current TUF coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir.

Werdum has a few options, with Affliction and/or Japan.As for the UFC, the impact is actually a little bigger. Sure they got Randy Couture back, but what happens if he loses to Brock Lesnar?

Couture probably has no other "marquee" fights left in the heavyweight division in the UFC once if he is to lose to Brock Lesnar. He will probably retire due to the Fedor Emilianenko fight never happening. That and the fact the Fedor deal with Affliction is now "exclusive" as well. The super-fight has less and less chance of happening, whether Couture wins or loses.

All this means the UFC has to count on Couture winning it all, not just beating Lesnar. As for the rest of the division, sure the title picture held hostage and put on hold, but there aren't any real contenders anyway. Top heavyweights Cheick Kongo, Heath Herring and Gabriel Gonzaga have a rebuilding effort in front of them.

Other than that? There probably is not a list that could represent the UFC top 10 heavyweights accurately, and until this mini-tournament is done, we couldn't even put together a justifiable top five.

There are several semi-big non-UFC fighters out there that could help restock the division, such as Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers, Justin Eilers, and Kimbo Slice knock-out artist Seth Petruzelli. But with the title in flux, this may not be the best organization for them right now.

Werdum is gone now, but is the UFC Heavyweight division slowly being ground and pounded out? The ref stopping this fight right now may not be a premature stoppage anymore. UFC Heavyweight division, with their mini-heavyweight tournament, needs to make a comeback and fast.

College Football Coaching Shift

Frank Sanchez — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:38:29 -0500

With the announcement of Phillip Fulmer leaving Tennessee, one can't help but wonder, who's going to replace him?

Go ahead, throw Bowden's position at Clemson and Willingham's at Washington out there as well. Three schools in BCS conferences, three high profile positions. This could create a major ripple in the collegiate football world. But who are the big dogs out there?

Anyone can guess at this point. Here are the top five hot shots in my opinion, out there right now, in no particular order.

1. Lane Kiffin—Former Raiders Head Coach

I think he will definitely be in the running for any collegiate position out there because the NFL might be cooled off on him at the moment. His return to college is all but guaranteed.

2. Mike Leach—Current Texas Tech Head Coach

He may not like Washington or even Clemson, but the man from Wyoming may entice Tennessee brass and the program is big enough to give it up for him.

3. Chris Peterson—Current Boise State Head Coach

in two seasons at Boise State he has made some serious noise, including making a second run at the BCS this year. Don't forget he beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl two years ago.

4. Butch Davis—Current North Carolina Head Coach

What he has done in the past and what he is doing right now in UNC is no secret. But Clemson and Tennessee are a stone's throw away.

5. Todd Graham—Current Tulsa Head Coach

Tulsa has done well with him the last two years—and Rice before that. Graham may land Coach of the Year honors in Conference USA this year, as he is unbeaten in conference play still.

Honorable Mentions

Mike Gundy (Head Coach Oklahoma State), Brady Hoke (Ball State Head Coach), Butch Jones (Head Coach Central Michigan), Kevin Wilson (Offensive Coordinator Oklahoma).

Non-BCS in the BCS: Who's Most Likely to Do Some Busting?

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:36:41 -0400

So in a quick rating/poll in my mind, I ranked which "non-BCS" conference teams have the best chance at going to and winning in a BCS game...

Utah Utes (BCS No. 11)

They have TCU and BYU left this year in their last four games. They have won solidly and beaten some name teams. They win out and they will be near the top 10.

Boise State Broncos (BCS No. 12)

A trip to Nevada and a visit by Fresno State, not to mention a trip to San Jose State this weekend

TCU Horned Frogs (BCS No. 14)

They lost one to OU but now made up for it by blasting BYU; with a trip to Utah in their sights, they may be able to climb back up yet.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (BCS No. 19)

A tough match in Houston may prove to be the only speed bump left, other than the C-USA championship game, probably against East Carolina.

Ball State Cardinals (BCS No. 20)

A trip to Central Michigan and a visit by Western Michigan that last two weeks of the regular season can decide the fate for Ball State.

BYU Cougars (BCS No. 21)

They lost convincingly to TCU, but still have a chance to climb back up by winning out their last five, with the last two being the toughest—a visit to Air Force, then a visit to Utah.

Due to major conferences' lack of actually scheduling these teams, there may be a scenario where one or two mid-major conference champions can easily run the table and be ranked above them by the BCS.

You Can Have Your BCS and Eat It Too...

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:38:34 -0400

Just a brief introduction to my proposal. This would be a precursor to keeping the current BCS system OR changing it to a playoff format.

Currently there are no set guidelines to speak of in the NCAA Football world. Teams play in their conference and schedule non conference games to their liking. That needs to change.

The NCAA has no set format for naming a national champion, the only major sport with such flaw. That needs to change as well, as the NCAA should be involved in the National Championship process instead of just lending their name. That being said, the NCAA can do so by restrictions set up in its regular season scheduling.

All teams in the "BCS" Conferences will have to abide by said guidelines, which should improve SOS for Non BCS Conferences. Other than the set amount of Conference games, each team will play 12 games total—eight of which are conference—leaving room for four non-conference games.

The Pac-10 currently plays nine, which will have to be reduced to 8. The Big East plays seven, an invite to add a ninth team making it eight games would strongly recommended for its remaining as a BCS conference.

The four NON-Conference games will be scheduled as follows

One Non-BCS School or Independent (Not Notre Dame), if a RIVAL school is not in a BCS conference, they qualify.

One BCS School (Any BCS Conference not in the "Designated Conference Opponent" Notre Dame included)

One BCS School ("Designated Conference Opponent" not primary RIVAL)

One School set aside for school interests, rival, region game, etc. This is where a FCS team can fit it, but not recommended.

One Bye week for the regular season so each team starts and ends on the same week.

The conference championship game will move into the 14th week of the season, meaning every team starts week one and ends week 13. They can have two bye weeks if they play in a conference without a conference championship and they play on the 14th week.

The "Designated Conference Opponent" is that each BCS conference will be squared up versus another BCS conference, alternating the other five every year, Meaning each team in each conference will have to face a team from that conference in that year.

Keeping the BCS format that way would help to "improve" the image of the rankings thus honoring the actual No. 1 vs. No. 2 BCS National Championship.

Plus this format would help the NON BCS schools get up in rankings having to play a BCS opponent every year, thus improve SOS for them overall.

Even though it would lessen the SOS of BCS schools, it would do so as a whole thus not creating any harm, keeping it balanced.

Some schools would face a tough team like Fresno State, Boise State or TCU but that’s available to the schools that have the guts. Others would schedule "cupcakes" like San Jose State or Eastern Michigan as they always do, thus not really affecting anything.

Regulations of schedule to allow flexibility of school interests BUT having a standard across the board as in all other sports leagues should definitely improve competition and ranking procedures.

Keith Jardine Vs. Techno Viking

Frank Sanchez — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:09:45 -0400

This is HUGE! While The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine was out in Europe, a man known only as The Techno Viking took notice...The Techno Viking, hailing from the great European north, he was strolling about in a club during a rave. He went outside to get some air and what should he see? He saw a flyer for a thing called UFC in Birmingham, England.

Techno Viking was displeased as there was a man called Jardine that may have profited in some way from having the gracious gift of looking like the Techno Viking. The Techno Viking showed up to this UFC and asked to speak to the man called Jardine.

The UFC officials, with full knowledge on how Keith Jardine loves to kid around, allowed the Techno Viking in, but failed to see that this was not Jardine but another man. After a few rough directions the Techno Viking walked into the dressing room of this Jardine. Jardine stood up in pure amazement as if he were looking into a 3D mirror.

One of the staffers so happened to speak the language of the dancing norseman, as he explained himself and demanded that Jardine explain himself. Completely astonished, Jardine decided to humor the Techno Viking.

The Techno Viking, not willing to have his long trip go to waste had only one thing to ask of this Jardine, come out to the music of the Techno Viking or pay the consequences. Keith, not willing to risk injury before a huge fight decided to honor the request...Slayed by Overseer...

The Techno Viking would've been pleased, however this Jardine did not honor the second part of the request, and that was to dance as he walked. Since Jardine did not comply, he challenged Jardine to a rave off at a venue to be determined on "All Hallows Eve..."

So lets size up the match up:

Jardine has beaten some of the best—Light Heavyweight Champion Forest Griffin and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

But what about the Techno Viking you ask? This is all you need to know. Click here—TechnoViking.

As you can see by this video, this brings back memories of Jardine vs. Wanderlei. He should steer clear of this match, but I am sure the Techno Viking will not soon let Jardine off the hook.

So here is what we know

Rave Battle: Keith Jardine vs Techno Viking

Site: TBD

Day: All Hallows Eve/Halloween/October 31st

Time: Midnight

Judges: Paula Abdul, Andy Dick, and Shayne Sparks. Hosted and officiated by Mario Lopez with music by Justin Timberlake.

Promoted by: Zuffa and Randy Jackson Entertainment

Let's all hope the Jardine doesnt make a fool of himself and completely blow out his knee in this.

UTEP Miner Football Seeks to Break .500 in 2008

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:51:47 -0400

The 2008 UTEP Miners break into the collegiate season hoping to build on four years of Mike Price. There's no doubt Price has helped UTEP make significant strides over the years, namely two bowl appearances and big recruit signings. UTEP has nowhere to go but up this year after being ranked No. 82 in Rivals.com's preseason rankings.

Although UTEP suffered through a 4-8 season last year, the emergence of Braxton May and Jeff Moutori, along with the breaking in of Trevor Vittatoe and 12 other returning starters, has the Miners better equipped than last year to make a run at .500, and even the C-USA West title.

UTEP will travel to Buffalo in Week One in what will be an offensive showcase. Week Two features a visit by the Texas Longhorns in which you can be assured UTEP will try its best not to look outmatched or outclassed. Rivals NMSU will visit the Sun Bowl in what looks like a battle between eerily similar teams, as Vittatoe and Moutori take on Chase Holbrook and Chris Williams.

The following week, the defending C-USA champion UCF Knights visit El Paso. UTEP will try to put together four solid quarters, building on the decent half they put up last year. A trip to Southern Miss., followed by a home game versus Tulane and a trip to Tulsa, will round up a streak of games that proved tough for the Miners last year. They only managed a one-point win versus Tulsa last year and dropped the other three.

The Miners will close up their home slate against the now June Jones-led SMU Mustangs in what could prove to be an offensive fest, followed by road trips to main conference rival Houston Cougars and the regular season finale versus C-USA favorite East Carolina.

UTEP will have to learn on the job this season with the new defense and tough road schedule if they are going to make a run at the C-USA West title and avoid a second straight sub-.500 season.

Last year, sophomore QB Trevor Vittatoe threw for 25 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards versus seven interceptions on 400-plus attempts—a nice stat rundown for a freshman QB. Marcus Thomas is gone now, and Terrell Jackson will lead the running back by committee approach to replace the 1,000-yard rusher lost in Thomas.

Moutori will take it upon himself to make sure the rest of the receivers will come along well. The offensive line returns two of the top Miners in Robby Felix and Mike Aguayo, who will vie for league honors.

Braxton Amy and Adam Vincent will have to lead the Miners' revamped 3-3-5 defense in order for them to get past the .500 barrier this season. The one thing the Miners have not lacked since the arrival of Price is offensive firepower, but new defensive coordinator Osia Lewis will have to improve upon the measly five sacks they managed to accumulate all of last year.

Special teams will not be under the scope as much as the defensive unit, as they're led by Lou Groza finalist Jose Martinez. With the defense's 117th in the nation ranking last season, there is nowhere to go but up.

Just improving the defense by 15 to 25 spots could help the offense that averaged 33.6 points per game last year get over that hump.

Can you say Bowl? The Miners hope so.

Week 1: Big teams, Not quite so big games?

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:29:22 -0400

As we head into Week One of the College Football season, we are reminded of the ol' so age old match-up of the top collegiate program vs cupcake college...but as of late we have witnessed a resurgence of the tune-up non-conference games becoming harder and harder.

Is it because of more parity in the league? Or is it because A.D.'s actually going out there and looking for a middle of the road school to warm up against?

This week while No. 1 Georgia tunes up against Georgia Southern, No. 2 Ohio State receives a visit from Youngstown State and No. 4 Oklahoma takes on Chattanooga, thoughts of Appalachian State vs Michigan cross or minds.

Will any of these match-ups end up like last years surprise? Probably not. But don't say that to Appalachian State as they take on No. 7 LSU this week as well.

So with the easy on paper match-ups out of the way, we look to the key games of week 1, the match-ups everyone is talking about...No. 3 USC vs Virginia, No. 24 Alabama at No. 9 Clemson, and No. 20 Illinois at Missouri.

Although the higher ranked teams are favored, we have all learned that anything can happen and week one is not immune to upsets.

So what about the not so hyped games? The games that are not quite game of the week pick at the onset but are capable of being that by the end of Saturday night.

I now present to you the not so quite big games, tha may end up being as such.

No. 17 Virginia Tech vs East Carolina

This game was quite a surprise for Hokies fans, where then No. 9 Virginia Tech was tested and outlasted East Carolina 17-7. The Pirates come off a Hawaii bowl win and 8-4 season and will now host the Hokies over in Charlotte.

These schools are planning the big game atmosphere and now know each other alot better because of last season. This may not be the most marquee of games but it will be definitely worth paying attention to.

No. 25 Pittsburgh vs Bowling Green

Last years' fifth best defense in the Pitt Panthers will be tested against last years No. 2 passing attack and MAC Eastern Division favorites Bowling Green Falcons. This game make me highlight reels all night if the Falcons air attack can burn a stingy Panther defense. This game will definitely set the tone for the season for both teams.

Michigan vs Utah

This game pits the Coaches poll No. 24 versus MWC favorites Utah Utes. Michigan and Rich Rodriguez are looking to re-introduce themselves to the collegiate football world versus mid-major power Utah.

Ever since the Utes crashed the BCS party in 2005, they have been all but avoided by the big teams in major conferences. In comes Big Blue. They will host the Utes in the Big House and hope this does not turn out like a visit from Appalachian State last year.

Utah will look to make their mark as Michigan will try to re-invent themselves. Tune into ABC!

Forget Preseason Rankings, Who Will Be No. 1 Come October?

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:43:23 -0400

So who will be No. 1 in October?

The preseason rankings are well and good, but honestly, who will be the top dog five weeks into the season? Coincidentally, the fifth college football week is Sept. 27.

I will go down by the current preseason rankings top 10 for our candidates.

1. Georgia Bulldogs
Five games in five weeks. They are one of four teams that play every week, thus, they are most likely to lose. After two seemingly easy games in Georgia Southern and Central Michigan, they have tough road games against conference rival South Carolina and Top 25 team Arizona State.

If that weren’t enough, they come back home to an improving Alabama squad, who faces two top 10 teams in their first five weeks, but just missed being ranked in the Top 25 themselves.

Georgia has the biggest chance to lose of all the teams, and quite frankly, with as daunting a schedule they have, I see the hype deflating by October.
Prediction: 4-1

2. USC Trojans
The Trojans have the fewest games of all the Top 10 teams in the first five weeks with three. Just one problem, they take on No. 3 Ohio State at home.

With Georgia possibly going down and Ohio State (who will be reviewed next) looking good, the battle between the Pac 10 giant and the Big Ten leader may provide us with a new No. 1 by October.

The Trojans will march on against the other opponents, Virginia and Oregon State.
Prediction: 2-1

3. Ohio State Buckeyes
Another five games in five weeks. The difference between their five games and Georgia’s, The Buckeyes don’t face an opponent in the top 40 other than visiting USC in week 3.

The other opponents are Youngstown State, Ohio, Troy, and Minnesota. I think the Buckeyes have what it takes to be the No. 1 team come October.
Prediction: 5-0

4. Oklahoma Sooners
As a Longhorns fan, there is nothing more I would love than to tell you than OU will be dropping a game or two by October. I can't do that, though.

The Sooners will look to ride the wagon into October spotless, with three games at home versus Chattanooga, Cincinnati, and TCU and another up in Washington. TCU gives them a good game, but Boomer Sooner lives on.
Prediction: 4-0

5. Florida Gators
Team Tebow and the Gainesville Boys will be looking to finally take the SEC without Chris Leak, but two daunting games sit in their way.

Week 2 against rival Miami and Week 4 against conference foe Tennessee will tell us whether the Gators can chomp their way into October in the top 5.

June Jones-less Hawaii and Ole Miss may just be Gator bait.
Prediction: 4-0

6. LSU Tigers
The Tigers have lined up five bite-sized opponents themselves in the first five weeks, minus a conference trip to Auburn in the battle of the best-colored Tiger that’s not really orange in week 4.

Appalachian State may not be able to pull off incredible upset of the century No. 2 with this squad. Troy and North Texas may be jambalaya for these bayou bengals, and conference foe Mississippi State always comes to play.
Prediction: 5-0

7. Missouri Tigers
These Tigers, the second of three in the top 10, are known for their big offense and near-miss of a BCS Bowl last season. With all opponents but Illinois in week 1 presenting themselves as mere scratching posts (SE Missouri State, Nevada and Buffalo), rest assured Missouri’s BCS campaign this year will be well on track into October.
Prediction: 4-0

8. West Virginia Mountaineers
The Rich Rodriguez–less crew will show up to their first four games in five weeks hoping to capture the magic they produced most of last season.

Their offense will be back with a bang with the returning Pat White, and they should be able to get by Villanova, East Carolina, Colorado and in-state rival, Marshall.

They will have more trouble than one would imagine, but West Virginia is for real.
Prediction: 4-0

9. Clemson Tigers
The Orange and Purple Tigers face opponents in each of the first five weeks of the season, putting their highest pre-season ranking in history in jeopardy already.

Although South Carolina State and Citadel will present themselves as mere tidbits for these Tigers, Clemson will face formidable opponents in three of their games in Alabama, and ACC rivals North Carolina State and Maryland.
Prediction: 4-1

10. Texas Longhorns
The Horns hope to stampede the competition and go into October battling the Sooners for supremacy. Before the Texas State Fair comes, Texas will have a rodeo of a time with FAU, UTEP, and former SWC rivals Arkansas and Rice.

With only a trip to the Sun Bowl versus UTEP away from Austin and Arkansas debuting a new program, the Horns should Hook’em all the way to the shootout.
Prediction: 4-0

The question remains, who will be No. 1 come October?
The Ohio State Buckeyes will be on top of the bunch, followed by Oklahoma, Florida, and LSU, all of which will get some first-place votes. There will be plenty of undefeated teams but the preseason No. 1 may not be spotless in October.

Who Should You Know? - Mike Pyle (MMA: Edition One)

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:46:53 -0400

In my very first edition of 'Who You Should Know in MMA', I introduce to you Mike Pyle. The reason Mike Pyle was my first choice is simple. The headline fight this weekend is between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and contender Jon Fitch. GSP is 16-2 with his only losses being to Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. Highlighting them made no sense. If you take a look at Jon Fitch, who is 19-2, his two losses are to Wilson Gouveia and my first editions featured fighter, Mike Pyle.

Mike Pyle, 31, is anything but a fresh face in the sport of MMA. He has been fighting since 1999 and suffered a loss in his first fight, which was versus Quentin “Rampage” Jackson. As a student of Randy “The Natural” Couture’s camp, Xtreme Couture, Pyle has earned the nickname of “Quicksand” due to his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques that have helped him amass many submission victories. With 14 submissions and two TKOs in 17 wins to his credit, Pyle has proven to be an exciting fighter.

With a record of 17-5-1, one can plainly see the Pyle has shown the skills it takes to be successful in the sport. After his initial loss to Jackson, Pyle went on to introduce the way of MMA to UFC championship contender Jon Fitch in Fitch’s first fight, taking out the young Fitch via rear naked choke.

Fitch and Pyle, both 20 fights deep, would probably have a bit of a different fight than they did all those years ago when the fighters had a combined three fights between them. However, a victory over Fitch, even if early on in their careers, may bode well for Pyle if he were to ever make his break into the UFC. He did, however, compete in WEC on two different occasions in 2005-2006 where he submitted another veteran in “Mr. International” Shonie Carter.

Pyle, in his last five fights dating back to February of 2007 is 4-1 over other successful talent. JJ Ambrose was 8-1 before his loss to Pyle at Affliction: Banned via Rear Naked Choke. Dan Hornbuckle was 15-1 when he lost to Pyle at Sengoku: Second battle via Triangle Choke.

Damir “Wolf” Mirenic was 8-3 before his loss to Pyle via Kimura at HCF(Hardcore Championship Fighting): Destiny. Aaron “Slam” Witherspoon, the King of the Cage Welterweight Champion, was 6-1 before losing to Pyle at EliteXC/Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni.

His loss in the last five fights was to EliteXC Welterweight Champion and the #3 Welterweight in the world Jake Shields at EliteXC: Renegade. Pyle has made a living of giving young up and comers a loss as of late and has made a habit of finishing fights. Other than the unanimous decision victory over Wetherspoon, Pyle has only gone to decision on one other occasion in his 23 fights, a Draw to Andrei Semenov in 2003.

Pyle may have yet to make his mark in the giant known as the UFC, but he has surely made his mark on MMA and is a tough match for anyone, newcomer or veteran. Even only with two key victories in Fitch and Carter, Pyle, with time, should prove to add several more and maybe even break into the Welterweight Divisions elite.

You don’t have to wait too long to see him in action again either, he is rumored to be on the 2nd Affliction card on October 11th and with any luck, it will be versus another big name available for the show, such as Nick Thompson or David Baron.

One thing can be sure, no matter the opponent, a fight with Mike Pyle has always been worth watching.

The A-11 Offense: Boom or Bust?

Frank Sanchez — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:19:30 -0400

Two quarterbacks, are you dreaming? Let's say someone tells you they've seen this offense, and it runs with two quarterbacks, and anyone on the field can score. Sounds like fantasy football team right?

Nope, this offense is the new craze that is about to hit the NCAA here pretty soon. That's right, two quarterbacks and everyone is a receiving threat. Its an odd thing really.

Don't believe me? Check out the A-11 Web site.

So how do they line up? They line up three receivers to the right, three to the left, a center and two tight ends on each side. And here's the money—two quarterbacks line up behind center in shotgun formation, kind of like the way you see it when the punter lines up with another guy just off to the side.

On any given play, any six of them can go out for a pass, and five have to stay on the line of scrimmage. You don't know who is going where and you have to cover all of them.

Does it work? This offense was developed by a couple of high school coaches, check out the article at Rivals High.

The team, Piedmont High in Piedmont, California and the coaches, Kurt Bryan (head coach) and Steve Humphries (Director of Football Operations), took it to the field this year. About 60 percent of the time they ran the A-11 offense and 40 percent of the time they ran a traditional football offense.

The team went 7-4. They usually never break .500.

So why does a high school football team mean anything? They received rave review from opponents and even from college. By the end of the season, they had representatives from scouts to head coaches from colleges all around the nation, many of whom will use it in some facet this year.

Bryan and Humphries do not want to reveal the schools that said they were going to use it, but one or two colleges will use it as part of their normal offense. It proves that smaller schools can compete at any level.

The future is upon us. It's like seeing the first cell phone or mp3 player—you just know that the thing is going to take off and just dominate.

I have a feeling this is the next big thing for college ball, since those small schools want to compete. If you think parity in college football has hit a new high, "you ain't seen nothing yet."

Heavyweights: The Thinnest Division in the UFC

Frank Sanchez — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:02:49 -0400

Well, it’s pretty safe to say that with the exception of Big Nog and contractually obligated Randy Couture, the best heavyweights in the world are not in the UFC.

As a matter of fact, there were more Heavyweight fights on the main card of Affliction: Banned then there were on the last 6 UFC shows combined.

The heaviest division is indeed the lightest of them all in the UFC, but exactly how light is it?

On UFC.com, there are 21 fighters listed when you breakdown by division.

Of those 21 fighters, all things remaining the same, four of them have fought their last fight for the UFC.

The four?

Dan “The Beast” Severn, “The Natural” Randy Couture, “The Pit Bull” Andrei Arlovski, and Justin Eilers.

Severnhas not fought in the UFC since UFC 27.

He is listed solely due to his UFC Hall of Fame status, as is Mark Coleman, however Coleman is still looking to fight in the UFC.

Couture’s issues with the UFC have been long drawn out and well documented, but realistically he may never fight in the UFC, if ever again.

Many are hoping for a super-fight with WAMMA Heavyweight Champion and arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, but that may be just talk for now.

Arlovski is set to square off versus Fedor for the WAMMA Championship in October, and has fought his last fight with the UFC at UFC 82 in March 2008.

Justin Eilers just loss the inaugural EliteXC Heavyweight Championship match to Antonio Silva this past Saturday, and hasn’t fought in the UFC since UFC 57 in February of 2006.

On top of the Division sits “Big Nog” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He is set to square off versus former champion Frank Mir after the two of them coach the new season of the Ultimate Fighter on Spike. But after that, who is next? Several of the more promising fighters have been pushed by the wayside.

As I did with my breakdown of the Light Heavyweight Division in June of 2006, let me run down a short list of UFC Light Heavyweights with records, previous and upcoming fights.

I will only get to the top five in a compiled order, by averaging out the rankings given by, WAMMA, Sherdog.com , MMAWeekly.com, and fightmatrix.com. I would’ve done Top 10 at least, but honestly there is just not that much to work with.

No. 1

“Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Current Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion, Former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion

Last Fight: UFC 81 (02/02/08) Tim Sylvia – W - Submission (Choke)

Next Fight: announced, no set date – Frank Mir – UFC Heavyweight Title

- Currently set to star as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Big Nog will be able to check out the Championship contender 1^sthand as he is set to square off against Frank Mir after the season is over, probably headlining a UFC card in November or December. He holds wins over Sylvia, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, Fabricio Werdum, Mirko Cro Cop, Ricco Rodriguez, Mark Coleman, and 3 over Herring.

No. 2

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (11-3 Overall, 2-1 UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 85 (06/07/08) Brandon Vera – W – TKO (Punches)

Next Fight: - none officially announced -

- Werdum was one of the big free agents signed last year by the UFC to help with the UFC division. After making his UFC debut versus former champion Andrei Arlovski, which he lost by Unanimous Decision, Werdum beat 2 up & coming fighters in Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera. Werdum has quickly slated himself as one of the top Heavyweights to beat in the UFC and should soon be in title contention. Werdum has key victories over Vera, Aleksander Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, and two over Gonzaga.

No. 3

“Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3 Overall, 5-2 UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 86 (07/05/08) Justin McCully – W – Submission (Americana)

Next Fight: - none officially announced –

- Gonzaga has returned to his winning ways after losing 2 in a row with a recent victory over Justin McCully. Gonzaga earned a title shot at Randy Couture after beating world renowned Mirko Cro Cop with a kick heard round the world. Then he went on to lose for the 2^nd time in his career to Fabricio Werdum. Gonzaga looks to make his way up the mountain and surely has the skills to do so. He has never been to a decision. All 10 of his victories have come by KO (4) or Submission (6). His 3 losses have all come by TKO.

No. 4

Heath Herring (28-13 Overall, 2-2 in the UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 82 (03/01/08) Cheick Kongo – W – Split Decision

Next Fight: UFC 87 (08/09/08) Brock Lesnar

- A well-traveled vet, he is set to square off versus UFC newcomer Brock Lesnar. Herring is looking to put together a 2 win streak for the 1^sttime since 2004. Even with a key UFC victory over up & comer Cheick Kongo (Split Decision, UFC 82), Herring has a little more ground to make up before he challenges for the title again. But as long as Big Nog wears the crown, win or lose, it should be a good idea to keep Herring out of the title picture as Nogueira has bested Herring all 3 times (twice in Pride and once in the UFC). Herring has key wins over Evan Tanner, Brad Imes, Kongo, Gary Goodridge, and Gan McGee.

No. 5 – Tie

Cheick Kongo (11-4 Overall, 4-2 in the UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 82 (03/01/08) Heath Herring – L – Split Decision

Next Fight: - none officially announced –

- Kongo is and up & comer, and even with 15 fights under his belt already, Kongo is sure to be watched in the future. The Frenchmen has been involved with Martial Arts since he was 5 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. He suffered his 2^nddefeat in the UFC to the veteran Heath Herring by Split Decision that could’ve easily gone either way. Kongo will look to rebound and get closer to a title shot. He has a key victory over Mirko Cro Cop.

No. 5 – Tie

Frank Mir (11-3 Overall, 9-3 UFC)

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion

Last Fight: UFC 81 (02/02/08) Brock Lesnar – W – Submission (Kneebar)

Next Fight: announced, no set date – Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera – UFC Heavyweight Title

- Frank Mir has been cutting his teeth on the microphone as a co-commentator on the WEC shows, and now as a coach on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter. Mir has finally returned to the title picture after being injured in a motorcycle accident in September of 2004, several months after he won the vacant UFC Heavyweight championship after breaking Tim Sylvia’s arm in the match. He was unable to compete and thus stripped of the title 14 months later. Mir began the comeback in February of 2006 but lost to a newcomer in Marcio Cruz. He then won 3 of his next 4 fights on a comeback trail. Mir holds key victories over Tank Abbot and Tim Sylvia.

Notables:

Jake O’Brien (10-2 Overall, 3-2 UFC)

Last Fight: UFC Fight Night 14 (07/19/08) Cain Velasquez – L – TKO (Strikes)

Next Fight: - none officially announced –

- O’Brien was on a 10 fight roll when he squared off against former champion Andrei Arlovski, and was stopped by him in the 2^nd by TKO. He then fought again at his last fight, which also ended the same way, but in the 1^stthis time to newcomer Cain Velasquez. O’Brien is looking to regain his winning form and has proven he can with a victory over veteran Heath Herring.

Brock Lesnar (1-1 Overall, 0-1 in the UFC)

NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Champion, Former WWE Pro-Wrestling Champion

Last Fight: UFC 81 (02/02/08) Frank Mir – L – Submission (Kneebar)

Next Fight: UFC 87 (08/09/08) Heath Herring

- Herring’s opponent at UFC 87 has a career record of 1-1 in MMA. Lesnar is looking to get his 1^stvictory in the octagon. Facing off established veteran Herring will prove to be a tough task after falling to former UFC Heavyweight Champion and #1 contender, Frank Mir, in his 1^stouting. Lesnar is looking to add mega-hype to an already stellar card at UFC 87, but also should be a few years away from title contention in the UFC.

Cain Velasquez (4-0 Overall, 2-0 UFC)

Last Fight: UFC Fight Night 14 (07/19/08) Jake O’Brien – W – TKO (Strikes)

Next Fight: - none officially announced -

- Velasquez has been impressive in his young career, amassing all 4 wins by TKO, and all in the 1^stRound. His last victory was a win over Jake O’Brien, whose only other lost was to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski.

Shane Carwin (9-0 Overall, 1-0 in the UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 84 (05/24/08) Christian Wellisch – W – KO (Punch)

Next Fight: UFC 89 (10/18/08) Neil Wain

- Carwin is slated to be on the UFC 89 preliminary card versus newcomer Neil Wain. Carwin has amassed an undefeated record in his young career since debuting in October of 2005. He has yet to face any key opponents but all 9 victories have come by way of stoppage. 4 KOsand 5 Submissions. Carwin will look to stop Neil Wain who is on a hot streak of his own, coming in at 5-0.

“The Insane 1” Justin McCully (8-4-2 Overall, 1-1 UFC)

Last Fight: UFC 86 (07/05/08) Gabriel Gonzaga – L – Submission (Americana)

Next Fight: - none officially announced –

- McCully was recently derailed by former UFC championship contender Gabriel Gonzaga earlier this month, after a 5 fight win streak. McCully is still trying to breakthrough in the UFC and prove that he belongs with the elite in the division. McCully should be back on a UFC card soon, and will be hoping to make lots of noise.

As you can easily see, the UFC is limited in its prospects in the Heavyweight Division and can clearly see why only five of them can be ranked.

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman was not included due to his retired status. He originally was going to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 but has since pulled out due to a knee injury during training and his return is uncertain.

Even though Coleman announced he was not indeed retired, he has not been in an MMA match since losing to Fedor Emelianenko in October 2006 at PRIDE 32.

The UFC has to either dip its hat into the Free Agency category or start developing and fast in order to keep the division interesting and respectable.

MMA on CBS, Take Two: An Ugly Affair

Frank Sanchez — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:58:38 -0400

As you may all have heard, somewhere, anywhere...maybe, there is another prime-time national television broadcast happening on CBS this Saturday night. That’s right, EliteXC and CBS present: Lawler vs. Smith II, Unfinished Business.

Headlining the card is the controversial stoppage from the last CBS fight, as a matter of fact, from the only entertaining fight on the card with males in it.

Although all fights were stopped at least a few seconds too soon, to preserve the image of MMA in front of a nationwide audience, it was almost a mockery to the sport that has strived so hard to overcome that term.

So that being said, CBS gets a redo, and quickly. And even though most MMA enthusiasts may not be overly excited, they will watch, and see two titles decided on CBS and a third over on Showtime on the under card.

"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler defends his title again in what will presumably another stand-up brawl vs. Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith. This match was very entertaining, and now that both fighters know what to expect, it has the chance to be even more explosive. It is for the EliteXC Middleweight Title.

The EliteXC Welterweight Title will be decided for the first time as Jake Shields takes on Nick "The Goat" Thompson. Shields will finally showcase his worth, and hopefully will get to reschedule Drew Fickett once he beats on Thompson for a few rounds.

Nick Diaz vs. Thomas Denny should also prove exciting, but the way these two fighters approach fighting, it should be quick as well. It is a toss up. Either way, the winner should get Noons.

Over on Showtime, the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship will be on the line as Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva faces off against Justin Eilers. This seems to have the makings of a good fight. Nonetheless, it will be stand up, and Silva should get the win by KO/TKO.

This is just a quick, basic, last minute preview to which would be an entertaining card, IF it weren't on CBS. But I have a feeling that the product may approve outside of the cage, but not inside.

CBS and EliteXC will be overcautious, again, and not let fights finish out, whether it was a simple hammer fist away or a whole round too early, expect more of the same.

Why Tito Ortiz Does and Does Not Need the UFC

Frank Sanchez — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:43:18 -0400

It's no question whether you love, hate, or simply don't give a hoot about The Huntington Beach Bad Boy—he is everywhere when it comes to UFC and MMA.

Whether or not he will ever be a UFC Hall of Famer one day, or just MMA's biggest jerk, the guys name is synonymous with MMA, UFC—and controversy.

That being said here are three reasons why Ortiz should and should not leave Americasbiggest and best known MMA organization.

Why Should Tito Stay?

1. Talent

The most obvious reason. Tito will not get the level of competition he gets in the UFC anywhere else right now.

This is a no brainer at the moment. There are still big fights to be had, especially with the likes of Henderson, Wandy, and Shogun now in the UFC.

There is no question Tito sells PPVs for better or worse. Putting him up with other big names, title or no title, will be a huge draw every time.

2. Exposure

It could be argued that Tito will not get as much exposure in another organization like he will with the UFC—even if those other orgs are going to broadcast TV.

UFC has the name and the pull to be involved with everything and Tito loves that.

3. Dana White

Tito needs Dana, but not as much as Dana needs Tito.

Dana and Tito's history will play into every match and every card Tito is on if he stays. That was evident when he faced Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Dana will keep it interesting for himself and the fans by putting Tito in situations and fights that may expose Tito. Dana is no Vince McMahon but with Tito nowadays one couldn’t tell the difference.

Why Should Tito Go?

1. Money

Not every fan's favorite subject when it comes to MMA. No secret that Tito may be entering the twilight of his career, but regardless of who Tito fights, the money will be there more so than it would be if he stayed in the UFC.

He has a name almost no other fighter has outside of the UFC—and any other organization will still pay for that.

2. Draw

On that note, Tito will draw many of his fans, and other fans in general, to wherever he goes. Whether it’s a Saturday night on CBS, or Showtime, or just another PPV, Tito will sell seats and more importantly PPV’s.

Did anyone else notice that Newark’s CBS debut was not a sell out? Lack of names.

Kimbo Slice sales vs. Tito Ortiz sales is like comparing spinach to ice cream for a four-year-old. Ice Cream every time baby.

But not only will he draw fans, he’ll draw fighters to whatever organization he goes to also. Guys will leave the UFC, overseas organizations, and other small organizations in the U.S. to go where Tito goes.

They know Tito sells, and the opportunity to face Tito or be on his card will be almost as big as being in the UFC itself.

3. Fights

At this very moment there are probably six fights Tito can have that would be huge—Frank Shamrock, Vitor Belfort, Babalu, Ricardo Arona, Lil Nog, and Alistair Overeem.

Did I forget Elite XC (soon to be) Champion Jake Shields or Drew Fickett, and Strikeforce Champion Bobby Southworth?

Honestly, does Tito have that many fights in him? By the time they have three of those fights it’ll be a year later.

By that time who is to say more fighters will leave the UFC or come to the organization that Tito is fighting with?

My money is on Affliction, but Tito may eye Elite XC because of CBS or Strikeforce now because of NBC. I don’t like MMA on broadcast TV but that’s another topic altogether.

Bottom line, Tito will draw. Tito will look out for his legacy. Tito will be Tito you all love and hate.

This has got to be the biggest fighter that has the possibility of being a free agent— and at a period where Elite XC is catching up and Affliction is building up.

It couldn’t have come at a better time, well maybe after a WIN instead of a LOSS but that’s something else...