Bleacher Report - Articles by Tony Preston

WEC 43 Rescheduled For October 10

Tony Preston — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:48:15 -0400

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that the WEC is moving WEC 43 to Saturday October 10th due to injuries to some of the fighters including Ben Henderson. There is no word at this time if the event will still be held in Youngstown, Ohio.

This news also follows reports that there may be a second same day weigh in for the fighters and that DirecTV is dropping the Versus network at the end of their contract on August 31st.

UFC 101: The Return Of Amir Sadollah

Tony Preston — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:46:32 -0400

Amir Sadollah entered the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter" with no professional fights. He won his way onto the show with a submission victory over UFC vet Steve Byrnes.

Many people quickly believed Amir was chosen to be on the show due to his personality. With a TKO victory over Gerald Harris and a submission wins over Matt Brown and CB Dollaway, Sadollah became the instant favorite to win the show. Sadollah earned a spot in the finals against Jesse Taylor. Due to a drunken incident Taylor was removed from the finale and replaced by CB Dollaway.

In a rematch of his semi final bout, Sadollah once again won via armbar. Sadollah's next match was scheduled to be against Nick Cantone, but Sadollah had to pull out due to a leg infection. The fight was rescheduled but he had to withdraw yet again, this time due to a broken collarbone.

Sadollah is now scheduled to fight Johny Hendricks at UFC 101 and has moved down in weight from the middleweight to welterweight division. There are a few concerns for Sadollah in this fight.

Due to Injuries, ring rust, and stamina could cause problems for Sadollah since he has not been able to fight for over a year. The other concern is Hendricks wrestling skills.

Sadollah had problems stopping Dollaway's takedown, and Hendricks is a much more decorated wrestler than Dollaway. Dollaway was an All-American wrestler at Arizona State and won a JUCO championship, but Hendricks won two national championships at Oklahoma State.

Sadollah has shown good submission skills off his back in his two victories against Dollaway by armbar and during his triangle choke win over Matt Brown.

Sadollah is a welterweight prospect who has showed promise, but now due to injuries there are several questions surrounding his future. Some of those questions should be answered on August 8th at UFC 101.

Anderson Silva To Fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 101: Thank You Dana White

Tony Preston — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:45:38 -0400

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports has reported that Anderson Silva will officially be facing Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Iole has reported that both Griffin and Silva are thrilled to have this fight signed. White stated that he thinks this a fight fans want to see.

I want to see this fight and I am also thrilled to see this fight take place. Right after the Silva/Leites debacle I said that if either Thiago Silva or Forrest Griffin got hurt I would to see Silva as the replacement fighter. However, the UFC has decided that instead of waiting to see if one of the fighters gets injured that they would rather see Forrest Griffin against Anderson Silva.

Griffin has a huge heart and a strong chin, while Silva has an amazing Mauy Thai game and a devastating clinch. This fight should be a slug fest and I think it will end quickly.

Silva has a couple of lackluster performances and I think this fight makes UFC 101 a great card. With a main event of BJ Penn fighting Kenny Florian for the lightweight title. this should be a great lead in.

I do not see this fight being anything but spectacular. Griffin I think will be willing to engage Silva and Silva will feel that he is being challenged.

One last little note in the article on Yahoo Sports Silva has also said he would like to fight Fedor and isn't willing to say he can beat him but that it will at least be an interesting fight.

Fedor Emelianenko Fighting Shinya Aoki In Six Days

Tony Preston — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:03:28 -0400

MMAJunkie is reporting that Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting Shinya Aoki on April 29 in a five minute special exibithion at an M-1 Challenge event.

The rules have yet to be determined, but it is expected to be mainly a grappling competition. Emelianenko is the WAMMA heavyweight champion and Aoki is the WAMMA lightweight champion.

Fedor, who is considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters, has been criticized in the past for facing sub-par competition.

His last two fights though have been quick defeats of former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds winning by rear naked choke. Then beating Andrei Arlovski in 3:14 by knockout.

Matt Hughes: End of the Line for a Great Champion

Tony Preston — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:07:27 -0400

When walking through a dollar store the other day, I saw a $5 movie rack. On the rack were the UFC 52, 58, and 59 DVDs marked down to $3.75. I quickly bought all three. After watching the UFC 52: Couture/Liddell 2 the match that really peaked my interest was the co main event of Matt Hughes/Frank Trigg 2.

In the first match Matt Hughes had defeated Trigg by rear naked choke.

The second match started as stand up battle that saw Trigg land an unintentional low blow that was unnoticed by the ref. As Hughes tried to back away to recover Trigg pounced and knocked Hughes down.

Trigg then unleashed a brutal ground and pound assault. Hughes ended up reversing position and when Trigg gave up his back Hughes locked in the rear naked choke.

In the post-fight interview, when asked about the low blow Hughes said it was unintentional and Trigg was right to pursue because fighters should fight until they are told to stop.

To me surviving the ground and pound assault and the class he showed in the post fight interview was the heart and class of a champion, which Hughes was for a long time.

Now this brings us to the present Hughes, he was destroyed in his last two fights by GSP and then Thiago Alves. He is scheduled to face Matt Serra at UFC 98. In my opinion win or lose he should retire.

It is obvious that he can no longer compete at a championship level like he once used to. As a result in the post fight interview he should announce his retirement.

By announcing his retirement then it will also give the UFC time to put together a tribute to Matt Hughes and announce his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 100.

In my opinion Hughes deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame he has always done things when asked to by the UFC such as take the Alves fight on short notice to save the UFC 85 card and was a great champion.

ESPN: The World Wide Leader In Sports...Not Quite

Tony Preston — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:17:19 -0400

This past few weeks I have noticed something. ESPN is trying to tell its viewers that the World Baseball Classic is important. It's not the Olympics and several of the best players were not playing for the US team, but we should care because they have USA on their jersey.

I, however, cannot find a reason to care about watching guys who are not yet in shape make rookie mistakes. That is what spring training is for. All stars get into shape there and if they make a few rookie mistakes it's ok because it is just spring training.

I know of a better use of ESPN's time, MMA. Currently ESPN's coverage of MMA is lacking. When they do talk about it on TV it is mainly Kimbo coverage and for the UFC what is considered the best promotion they talked a little about the Lesnar-Couture fight. On their website the MMA page is a joke. It is articles copied and pasted from Sherdog. MMA Live is a great online show, but they should find a time slot to air it on regular TV.

ESPN has worked hard to increase people thinking that poker, the spelling bee, scrabble, and cup stacking are sports. Also ESPN spends tons of time on NASCAR and I know there are people that care. But a few years ago NASCAR was where MMA is today: a sport right on the cusp of being mainstream and FOX started to broadcast races and promote NASCAR then ESPN jumped on board and the sport has taken off.

ESPN should make it a point to try and educate their viewers about MMA. If possible, sign a deal with the UFC and have ABC, a network station owned by ESPN, broadcast some fight cards. If ESPN is really the worldwide leader in sports their coverage of MMA should be more than several of their talking heads such as Jay Marriotti and Kevin Blackistone saying "I don't watch MMA but..." and spending the rest of their time bashing the sport and dragging up the age old term "human cockfighting."

Promoting MMA Not as Easy as It Looks

Tony Preston — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:16:43 -0500

Many people see fight cards scheduled and don't see the work that is put in behind the scenes.

Most have not heard of the Midwestern Fighting Alliance. It is a small promotion I started working for a little over a month ago. We put on amateur and professional fights. The next card was set for Feb. 28 in Detroit with all amateur fights.

At the time the fight card was in place, we were just looking for a couple fighters to replace those who had backed out or had been injured.

We were booking bands to perform live at the card. We had the fights overbooked in case more fighters backed out or were injured. The main event was a fight for the middleweight No. 1 contender spot.

Our focus was now on getting the word out about the event. We would go to gyms and put up posters, leave stacks of small flyers at gas stations and convenience stores. The stacks would be taken within a few days and we would leave more that would soon be gone.

As the card approached, a few more fighters were injured and a few fighters backed out for other reasons. We added a no-gi grappling tournament to be included in the event. Dan "The Beast" Severn was scheduled to host the event.

Even though we had a few issues, it looked like the event was set to be a hit.

Until the day of the event that morning, my boss, the owner of the promotion, received several calls from fighters who said they were too injured to compete. As a result the venue backed out and the event was cancelled.

For us it was a major let down we were looking at what we thought would be a great event and at the last second it was cancelled.

We are currently working on rescheduling the Detroit event and are working on putting together an event in Indiana for June.

The June event will have MMA fights, a jui-jitsu tournement, and exhibition kickboxing. We are looking for both professionals and amateurs. If you or any one you know would be interested in competing, let me know.

War Machine Arrested In Las Vegas

Tony Preston — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:30:13 -0500

MMAJunkie is reporting that War Machine (a.k.a. Jon Koppenhaver) has been arrested in Las Vegas for misdemeanor battery after an altercation in a night club. This is after being released last week from Bellator Fighting Championship due to a controversial posting regarding Barack Obama on his Myspace.

War Machine is currently on probation due to a September 2007 incident in which he assaulted a man outside of the gym that he trains and works at. In that case he was charged with felony assault and plead guilty.

He was given three years probation and a fine. He was able to avoid jail time because the man he assaulted said that he did not wish to interfere with War Machine's fighting career or get War Machine in trouble with the UFC who he was under contract with at the time.

This incident along with the fact that he probably violated his probation could easily result in jail time.

Photo Courtesy of War Machince's Myspace and is his mugshot.

TUF 6: Where Are They Now?

Tony Preston — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:42:03 -0500

After watching the Josh Neer/Mac Danzig it got me thinking what happened to the cast members from TUF 6.

The coaches were Matt Hughes and Matt Serra who are expected to finally meet in May at UFC 98. Teams Hughes was Dan Barrera, Blake Bowman, Mac Danzig, Paul Georgieff, Billy Miles, Dorian Price, Jared Rollins, and Tommy Speer.

Team Serra was Matt Arroyo, Richie Hightower, John Kolosci, Jon Koppenhaver, Troy Mandaloniz, Ben Saunders, Joe Scarola, and George Sotiropoulos.

Dan Barrera lost in the first round of the tournament and then lost in the finale to Ben Saunders. He has fought twice for smaller promotions since the end of the show in September and October of 2008 winning both fights.

Blake Bowman who entered the show with no professional fights lost in the first round of the tournament and did not fight at the show's finale due to an ACL injury he suffered in the fight on the show. He has since gone 2-1 as a professional.

Mac Danzig was a seasoned veteran and the early favorite to win the tournament and did win the show winning all of his fights in the first round. Since the Finale, he has had three fights in the UFC going 1-2 defeating Mark Bocek then losing to Clay Guida and Josh Neer.

Paul Georgieff had to fight before he left to attend the funeral of a close relative and lost in the first round of the tournament and lost in the finale to Jonathan Goulet and has no fights listed since the finale.

Billy Miles was defeated in the first round of the tournament and lost to George Sotiropoulos in the finale. He also has no fights listed since the finale.

Dorian Price lost in the first round of the tournament and then lost at the finale to Roman Mitichyan. He also has no fights listed since the finale.

Jared Rollins lost in the first round of the tournament and then lost in a fight of the night bout to Jon Koppenhaver at the finale. And was scheduled to fight Ben Saunders at UFC 87 but pulled out of the fight.

Tommy Speer made it to the finals of the tournament and lost to Mac Danzig. He then fought Anthony Johnson and lost in a brutal knockout. After that loss, he was released from the UFC.

He then fought three times for smaller promotions winning the first two and dropping a unanimous decision in a fight that he was a late replacement for Shonie Carter. He announced his retirement from professional fighting after the loss saying that he could not both farm and fight.

Matt Arroyo was supposed to fight Mac Danzing in the semi finals of the tournament but had to pull out due to a rib injury. He defeated John Kolosci at the finale. Since the TUF 6 finale he has lost to Matt Brown at the TUF 7 finale and dropped a split decision to Dan Cramer at UFC 94. He is also an instructor at Gracie Tampa South.

Richie Hightower lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament and then lost in the finale to Troy Mandaloniz. After the lost he was released by the UFC and signed with Palace Fighting Championship and has los his only fight since the finale.

John Kolosci lost in the quarterfinals but then fought in the semifinals after an injury to Matt Arroyo where he lost to Mac Danzig again. He lost at the finale to Matt Arroyo and was released from the UFC.

In an interview just after the finale he stated he planned on stringing a few wins together in smaller promotions then returning to the UFC however he has no fights listed since the finale.

Jon Koppenhaver lost in the first round of the tournament but then won against Jared Rollins at the finale. He lost his first fight after the finale to Yoshiyuki Yoshida. After the fight he legally changed his name to his nickname War Machine due to TNA trademarking the name War Machine.

Then, after posting on his Myspace that he thought Evan Tanner actually committed suicide and turning down a fight with Brandon Wolff, he was released from the UFC. He then fought for a smaller promotion and won his fight.

He then signed with Bellator Fighting Championship and was set to take place in their upcoming tournament that would air on ESPN Deportes. He recently posted on his Myspace that due to another Myspace posting saying that someone should "smoke" Obama he had been released by Bellator.

Anyone else notice a pattern starting to form.

He also stated that despite being released from two contracts due to controversial Myspace postings, he will continue to speak his mind.

Troy Mandaloniz lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament and won against Richie Hightower at the Finale. His next fight is scheduled to fight Paul Kelly at UFC 95. He recently opened a gym with fellow UFC fighter Kendal Grove.

Ben Saunders lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament and won against Dan Barrera at the finale. He then won his next two fights in the UFC against Ryan Thomas and Brandon Wolff. He had to pull out of his next scheduled fight at UFC 96 due to a foot injury.

Joe Scarola was Matt Serra's star pupil and Serra's first pick. He lost in the first round then left the show. As a result, he was fired from his job at Matt Serra's gym and has since opened his own gym.

George Sotiropoulos lost in the semifinals and won against Billy Miles at the finale. And then defeated Roman Mitichyan at UFN 13 and has since had to pull out of bouts at UFC 87 and UFN 17 due to injuries.

Overall I feel that this cast was probably the worst in the history of the show so far. Those that have fought for the UFC since the finale have gone a combined 4-6 with many of them no longer being with the UFC.

One of the best prospects from the show was Jon Koppenhaver but he has had trouble securing a promotion to fight for due to his affinity for posting controversial statements on his Myspace.

Note: Roman Mitichyan was not included due to his being dropped from the show in the first episode due to an elbow injury. He did however fight at the finale.

Love 'Em or Hate 'Em, UFC Makes Good Move with "Fight for the Troops"

Tony Preston — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:41:32 -0500

Tomorrow night on Spike TV the UFC will put on a fight card that will be mainly first timers in the UFC or fighters who aren't that well know to most. This card is special because not only will the card be held at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but it is also being reported that only 30 tickets were sold to the public.

Dana White is often criticized for only thinking about the bottom line and how many buys his PPV cards will get, but this card is different: all the money made will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. There are also currently auctions running on UFC.com that benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

In this day and time with the economy struggling the UFC finds a way to grow and also finds a way to give back to a group who deserves it. Whether you support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is important to support the men and women who are over there.

I personally know several people who are over there or have been. One of my friends is in the Marine Corps Reserves. He has done two tours in Iraq and is getting ready to go over for a third, and he doesn't complain because he knew when he signed up he would probably be over there, and he signed up because he wanted to serve his country.

Luckily, all of the people I know who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan, none have been physically injured. Some of those returning aren't so lucky, and the UFC is helping them out.

Did The Pistons Replace Joe Dumars With Matt Millen

Tony Preston — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:30:14 -0500

What is Joe Dumars thinking? I know he was excited to get his college degree, but seriously, trading Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess for Allen Iverson just does not make sense.

Iverson is more suited to be a shooting guard than running the point and I know Dumars loves Rodney Stuckey, but he is not yet ready to be the starter and Rip Hamilton should not be in a bench role.

The Pistons are about teamwork and Allen Iverson is about Allen Iverson and said he wanted out of Denver to play for a championship contender.

I think the reason that it has been awhile since Iverson has played on a contender is his ability to convince management to get rid of the good supporting players around him and make himself the only worthwhile player on the floor and then says he wants out and gets himself traded.

So this means Allen Iverson will be the point guard and will throw up wild shots every time down the floor and turn the team and city against him as he takes the Pistons from contender to pretender.

The report is that the deal will be finalized in the hour. Hopefully, in that time someone will talk some sense into Dumars. Otherwise, the Pistons are in for a long and ultimately dissappointing ride.

What's Next for the Detroit Lions?

Tony Preston — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:58:48 -0500

The Lions are now the only winless team left in the NFL. And with the way the second eight games shape up, and the Lions' innate ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it looks like their motto is "0 and 16, here we come."

If the season ended today, the Lions would have the first and 17th (from trade of Roy Williams to Dallas) overall picks in the draft. Due to the emergence of Calvin Johnson these past few games, and the fact that Matt Millen is no longer GM, neither of those picks should be wasted on receivers.

The first pick should either be an offensive lineman, a quarterback, or a running back, and the priority is in that order, unless there is a can't miss prospect at quarterback available, such as Colt McCoy (who has stated he will return to Texas next year).

An offensive lineman would help in both the running game and the passing by blocking for the running back and giving whoever the quarterback is more time instead of the usual, where the Lions' quarterback is running for his life in the backfield and getting sacked several times a game.

The reason a quarterback is second on the list is the Lions have no quarterback of the future and the current options are decent backups but nothing spectacular. Then I have a running back third, because I'm not sure that Kevin Smith is the best option to have in the backfield, and a solid running game could open up the passing game by possibly bringing a safety into the box and giving Calvin Johnson more one-on-one matchups.

These thoughts are based on the players the Lions currently have, and the assumption that the Lions use similar offensive and defensive schemes next year. If Marinelli is fired, then the new coach may have to adjust his picks to draft players that fit his scheme, though, with the Lions current needs, I still see the top three areas of concern in any system as the offensive line, quarterback, and running back.

Lions-Vikings Game Must Be Reviewed by NFL Officials

Tony Preston — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:38:14 -0400

Where to begin with issues I have with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings game from week six? The two main issues I have are the refereeing and Adrian Peterson creating helmet-to-helmet contact.

First, the refereeing.

There were three calls/non-calls in this game that drove me crazy. The pass interference on Calvin Johnson where there definitely was a pass interference was not called against the Vikings. Johnson was knocked down for a pass, and if he had been able to keep running he would have had a chance to catch the ball in the end zone.

The pass interference call would have put the Lions in position to probably get a field goal at least.

Then, the fumble that wasn't a fumble.

On another play, Calvin Johnson caught the ball and was down, and then the ball was ripped out, and the Vikings recovered.

Detroit challenged the ruling on the field of a fumble but the ruling on the field stood. Johnson was obviously down and still had possession before the ball was stripped. The announcers even said that the refs blew that call.

Finally, I am brought to the pass interference that set up the Vikings' game-winning field goal.

There was no contact between Bodden and the Vikings' receiver until after the ball touched the hands of the Vikings player. This was a great defensive play by Bodden and the refs botched the call. As with the fumble call, the announcers once again said the refs blew the call.

This brings me to my issue with Adrian Peterson. There were at least three plays where, to try and avoid being tackled, Peterson lowered his head to hit the defensive player in the helmet with his own.

Now, I know that football is a contact sport, but if defensive players are not allowed to hit helmet to helmet, why should offensive players? On the game-winning drive, Peterson's helmet-to-helmet contact caused Lions' safety Gerald Alexander to be shaken up on the play and he had to leave the field.

Those are the issues that I have with the Lions-Vikings game. I definitely feel the NFL should be reviewing this game. With the issues the NBA has had recently with a ref being tied to gambling, any blown calls are ways for people to say the refs must be on the take.

Also, with the way the season is going with refs messing up calls, it doesn't look good. In fact, it makes the refs look incompetent.

In relation to Peterson, with all these issues the NFL is having with concussions, shouldn't the NFL be fining Peterson for his actions? Or at least make some rules against this to help protect their players?

Is It Time for the Lions to Bench Jon Kitna?

Tony Preston — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:16:18 -0400

So far, through three games in 2008, the Lions are in an 0-3 hole and it doesn't look like they will improve. John Kitna has thrown for 684 yards and five touchdowns and five interceptions, and been sacked 12 times.

Maybe it is time for the Lions to make a change at QB. The Rams, who are also 0-3, have decided to take out Marc Bulger in favor of Trent Green.

The Lions have two options: Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton. Both are pretty much unknowns when it comes to the NFL.

Orlovsky has seen minimal playing time and Stanton has seen none. Orlovsky came into the game against San Francisco when Kitna went down with a knee injury and on his first play threw an interception. Stanton has been dealing with a thumb injury recently, but says he expects to be 100 percent by the game against Chicago.

I think Stanton is the best option to replace Kitna. He has the mobility that will help him avoid some sacks, since the Lions' offensive line might be better if they used tackling dummies (the dummies wouldn't be called for as many false starts and holding penalties).

If the Lions lose two or three more games they are almost assured of missing the playoffs yet again, and by that time Stanton should have ample time to recover and get some practice in and then get some game experience. Even if he doesn't win it will help prepare for the next season and see what the Lions have.

UFC: The return of Jesse "JT Money" Taylor

Tony Preston — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:34:24 -0400

I recently saw a report that Jesse Taylor will fight CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 14.

This will be the return of Jesse Taylor after bring kicked out of the finals on the past season of The Ultimate Fighter after Taylor kicked out the window in a limousine and terrorizing guests at the Palace Station Casino.

Taylor was scheduled to fight Amir Sadollah for the six figure contract, but due to Taylor's removal from the show CB Dollaway faced Amir for a second time and was forced to tap to an arm bar in the first round.

The loss was the first of Dollaway's professional career.

Since leaving the show Jesse Taylor has stated that he realized he had a problem and cut alcohol out of his life and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

MMA: What is with the recent string of missing weight?

Tony Preston — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:07:36 -0400

Lately, it seems there has been a rash of fighters who have missed weight. At Elite XC on May 31, it was Gina Carano. At UFC 85, it was Thiago Alves. Now, for the Elite XC event in Hawaii it is Nick Diaz.

With Carano, she stated that the recent missed weight cut was due to the fact that she tried to cut too much weight too quickly.

Her weight on American Gladiators was reportedly around 160 pounds. Her bout with Kaitlin Young was to be contested at 140 pounds. Carano notified Elite XC officials ahead of time that she would miss the cut (she weighed in at 144.5 pounds) and had to forfeit 12.5 percent of her purse.

It is rumored that when Carano fights again in October, the bout will be held at 145 pounds because Carano is just unable to make 140 pounds. That fight may be for the Elite XC women's title.

Alves claimed in a recent interview that his missed weight cut was due to the combination of spraining his ankle (not being able to run) and taking a cortisone injection to reduce the swelling, which led to him retaining water.

This is not the first time Alves has had issues related to weight. In a previous fight, he tested positive for a diuretic that he took to help cut water weight.

He notified the UFC ahead of time that he would miss weight and had to forfeit 10 percent of his purse. After his recent fight, when he weighed in at 174 pounds (the weight limit was 171), he called out GSP and said, "Mr. Dana White, I've been a good boy, I never choose my opponents. ... Please give me a title shot."

The question here is whether or not after missing weight he needs to prove that he can make weight before getting a title shot.

And now the most recent fighter to miss weight is Nick Diaz, who was supposed to fight at 160 pounds but weighed in at 169 pounds. The bout will now be held at a catch weight of 168 pounds.

Diaz's last fight was held at 170 pounds on May 11 at DREAM 3. Diaz notified Elite XC and his opponent, Muhsin Corbbrey, ahead of time that he would miss the cut and will have to forfeit a portion of his purse. Corbbrey also missed the cut, as he weighed in at 163.5 but this was after he knew Diaz would miss the cut.

So three fighters have recently missed their weight cuts and all have their reasons. One is believed to be next in line for the title and one has begged for a title shot.

To send a message to the other fighters out there, the respective organizations need to force them to make weight before they are granted a title shot.

This is especially true with Alves. If he can't make weight, he should be cut from the UFC. I believe these measures would help ensure fighters make weight for their fights.