Bleacher Report - Articles by Nate Double

UFC 106: "They Are Who We Thought They Were"

Nate Double — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:14:02 -0500

As UFC 106 wrapped up last night the infamous quote from former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green kept repeating itself in my head.

"They are who we thought they were."

A very true statement about the majority of fighters on the UFC 106 card.

Tito Ortiz still needs to take his opponents down and pound on them to inflict damage despite his training with Freddie Roach. He's still more flash than bang, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the UFC.

Forrest Griffin can still throw down, take punishment and fight through it. Even when he clearly wins, he questions himself. The affable goof act isn't an act; that's just who he is.

Anthony Johnson is a raw talent who needs a little more experience before he takes on the top of the division. It's not a slight on Johnson, just the reality of MMA.

Josh Koscheck is a game fighter who insists on demonstrating his stand up skills even when taking it to the ground is a better game plan. He's still cocky and arrogant, but that's okay, too.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira adds immediate depth to the light heavyweight division. He's fought on enough big stages to be unaffected by his first fight in the UFC.

Luis Cane, long considered a dark horse of the division, believed too much in his chin. Being able to take a shot isn't reason enough to take them. Like Johnson, he'll only improve with more experience.

Amir Sadollah can take a licking and keep on ticking. If he weathers the early storm, he takes over and either wears out his opponent or catches them when they make a mistake.

Phil Baroni brings it like few others can. For the first two minutes of the fight. Then he slows down and becomes a human punching bag for the rest of the fight.

All in all, a decent event considering the original main event was removed from the card. While no huge upsets occurred, the fights were largely entertaining and went with the grain for once rather than against it.

Essentially, UFC 106 was what I thought it would be.

My Argument for an Interim UFC Middleweight Title

Nate Double — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:54:03 -0400

Dana White and the UFC have created a monster. That monster's name is Anderson Silva.

While Silva is certainly a monster inside the cage, he's also more recently become one outside of it, essentially sidelining the upper level of the UFC's middleweight division until further notice.

It's a fighter's prerogative to take the fights that make sense and that will line their pockets, but enough is enough.

The most recent problem to come from the Silva camp is whether or not he actually had elbow surgery and if this surgery has sidelined him.

Depending on the day of the week and the opponent involved, you'll get a different answer. A fight against Randy Couture or Frank Mir and he's ready to go. Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson, and Vitor Belfort and the surgery issue comes up.

It really is time for the UFC to step in and put their foot down. The solution is a rather simple one. Simply ask Silva if he's had the surgery. If the answer is yes then create an interim belt for Marquardt and Belfort to fight for. Put the fight on the UFC 108 card and call it a day.

The fight will certainly entertain and add buys to the presently lackluster card. The winner automatically faces Silva at UFC 112 or somewhere around there. See how easy that was?

I understand that Silva wants only the biggest fights, but he can't be allowed to tie up an entire division indefinitely. Allowing him to fight at light heavyweight added to his mystique and legendary status, but it also showed him that he could passive-aggressively get what he wanted.

The fact is that Silva doesn't sell PPV's by himself, but instead needs another huge name to bring in the buys. Instead of riding the coattails of a Randy Couture to a big payday, maybe he can go out and earn it for himself.

Could Re-Signing Urijah Faber Force Zuffa To Merge the UFC & WEC?

Nate Double — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:13:47 -0400

Negotiations with star athletes are always interesting. During the negotiation process, either the athlete or the organization can quickly become the villain by demanding too much or by offering too little.

In the current court of public opinion Urijah Faber is an underpaid hero. Despite two losses to current featherweight champion Mike Brown, Faber's star and drawing power remain undiminished.

This is clearly something that is being considered by his management during this round of negotiations with Zuffa.

The WEC is televised on Versus, a hodgepodge outdoor life, hockey, Tour de France, combat sports channel. Recently, DIRECTV dropped Versus programming, further limiting the WEC's exposure.

One striking statistic is that WEC cards held in California that feature Faber do over twice the attendance number and nearly three times the total gate as non-Faber cards. That is a huge feather in Faber's cap.

With Strikeforce putting on the majority of its shows in California, the "California Kid" would be a huge draw for their gate attendance. The fact that Faber is also the best known fighter in the WEC would add star power to their broadcast and PPV cards as well.

While Strikeforce doesn't have a featherweight division yet, the willingness to co-promote could provide for some interesting matchups with fighters from other promotions.

The WEC certainly has the deepest roster at 145 lbs but as we saw with the signing of Fedor Emelianenko, Strikeforce isn't going to wait around to make fights. If Brett Rogers proves to be a draw fighting Fedor, why not Faber versus Joe Warren or Kid Yamamoto?

Unless Zuffa is willing to have Faber fight exclusively in California so they can cut him in on the gate revenues, I think Zuffa will find it difficult to meet Faber's salary and exposure requirements.

That is unless they finally decide to do bring over the featherweight and bantamweight divisions to the UFC. Given the ever increasing number of UFC PPVs and the constant scramble to find suitable headliners for these cards, this scenario makes more sense every day.

Is Rampage Jackson the Shaquille O'Neal of MMA?

Nate Double — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:45:09 -0400

In 1996, during the peak of his popularity, Shaquille O'Neal was approached about playing a fun-loving, rapping genie who comes out of a boom box to help a little boy reconcile with his father.

The name of the film was Kaazam, it cost $20M to make, and brought in just under $19M in revenues. Kaazam was met with universally horrible reviews from critics and has a four percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Luckily for Shaq, he had his basketball career to fall back on. In fact, Shaq went on to star in another equally awful film in 1997 called Steel, as well as play bit rolls and make guest appearances in nine other films.

Rampage Jackson has had supporting cast rolls in a number of films already, but will be in a starring role in the upcoming A-Team movie. Playing B.A. Baracus, the roll made famous by Mr. T, Rampage will be the lovable brawler of the crew.

While playing B.A. Baracus won't win an actor an Oscar anytime soon, it is an opportunity to star in a movie set for major release. Rumors surrounding Rampage's movie deal indicate that he won't be highly paid for the first movie, but will cash in if there is a second film.

Considering the A-Team is a cult classic from the 1980s and may not be well received enough to get a sequel, Rampage might want to renegotiate and get some money now.

Unlike Shaq, who never let his film aspirations get in the way of playing professional basketball, Rampage has elected to turn his back on his profession and his professional commitments.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 has recently begun airing episodes in which Rampage is featured as a coach, opposite rival Rashad Evans. The culmination of each season of TUF usually ends with the coaches meeting up in the cage on a pay-per-view event following the fighter season finales on Spike.

A ton of money and time is invested into crafting the story of TUF and one of the apparent heavily aired story lines is the very real animosity between Rampage and Evans.

The UFC PPV that reaps the benefits of the coach's story is now in jeopardy, as the fight has been put on hold. The hot running feud between Jackson and Evans will likely lose some of its heat and become a lukewarm dislike, similar to what happened between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.

I think Rampage might want to take a lesson from Shaq and keep his day job just in case this whole acting gig doesn't work out exactly as he plans.

Gegard Mousasi: A Strong Case for Contract Swaps in MMA

Nate Double — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:55:49 -0400

It happens all the time in other sports.

One team is making a strong push for the playoffs, but needs a certain player to make it happen, while another team has this player, but needs some future talent, like a handful of minor leaguers.

The teams both get what they want and the players all don new uniforms.

Should this be the way things work in MMA?

Maybe.

Gegard Mousasi smashing Strikeforce's light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral in just under a minute and essentially clearing out the division is the issue at hand.

Sobral, previously ranked between No. 6 and No. 10 in the world at 205 (depending on the rankings you follow), looked like an amateur on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Sobral has also already beaten many of the other light heavyweights on the Strikeforce roster.

The most compelling fight immediately available for Mousasi would be in Kevin Randleman, who lost to Mike Whitehead, who in turn had lost to Sobral.

Yikes.

Strikeforce could also go after King Mo Lawal, who is still a relative rookie in the sport, or perhaps Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who might challenge Mousasi on the ground.

Instead of having Mousasi waste his time and talent against any of the fighters above, I'd prefer to see something out of the norm, a trade between the UFC and Strikeforce.

The UFC has a well sunk rear naked choke on the light heavyweight talent pool, as they have eight of the top 10 ranked fighters. They also have an impressive roster of up-and-coming fighters, such as Jon "Bones" Jones, who will likely someday be stars.

Lately, the UFC has been pruning down their rosters after almost every event. However, instead of simply releasing fighters they're no longer interested in, they should use them as trade bait for one of the prizes they missed out on when Affliction went belly up.

If the UFC were to part with some of their "contender" level fighters for Mousasi, I think both sides have something to gain.

How does a trade of Carlos Condit, Thales Leites, Sean Sherk, and Gabriel Gonzaga sound for one Gegard Mousasi?

Sean Sherk-Gilbert Melendez would be a great fight for the lightweight title if Josh Thomson remains injured.

Condit becomes a contender for the welterweight title if Nick Diaz decides to keep toking or starts boxing.

Thales Leites versus Jake Shields would probably be a great submission war, and even if Strikeforce uses Gonzaga as Fedor food he'd at least add some depth the roster.

I'm not sure contracts can be traded, but it's a thought provoking exercise.

If trades were possible, who would you trade to get Gegard Mousasi in the UFC?

Strikeforce's Carano-Cyborg Card Provides a Night Full of Finishes

Nate Double — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:03:26 -0400

Strikeforce's Carano-Cyborg card is in the books and the outcomes were by and large what people expected. The plus side was that most fights were finished rather than going to decision.

Gina Carano was overwhelmed by Cristine "Cyborg" Santos in the closing seconds of the first round with the stoppage being called simultaneous with the round ending.

A good portion of their fight was a standing brawl with Carano receiving the brunt of the damage. The highlights for me were Carano escaping from two submissions that appeared to be locked up fairly well.

Carano losing does not torpedo women's MMA, as many have speculated as the fight was at least competitive and will certainly be re-fought in the future.

Gegard Mousasi proved he is indeed the real deal by knocking out Babalu Sobral in the first minute of their fight.

Mousasi looked very Fedor-esque as he calmly stood in the cage with a bored look on his face. You could have said he was reacting to the news that he would be assembling IKEA furniture rather than fighting one of the biggest fights of his life based on his demeanor.

Securing Mousasi to a four-fight contract may turn out to be the biggest thing to come out of Affliction's demise.

Fabricio Werdum pulled out a submission win over Mike Kyle, but the fight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Werdum is not the man to challenge Fedor Emelianenko.

Kyle connected with a few solid punches that definitely stunned Werdum. If Kyle was more experienced, he would have shrugged Werdum off, avoided the takedown, and likely finished the fight.

With Fedor's precision punching, I expect him to finish Werdum in the manner he took out Tim Sylvia.

Gilbert Melendez revenged his first loss by TKO'ing Mitsuhiro Ishida. Melendez showed excellent take down defense and crisp punching.

Now that Melendez is the interim lightweight champ, Strikeforce can ramp up the marketing machine for the title unification bout with Josh Thomson.

With a fairly limited roster, I'll be interested to see which match-ups come out of this card for Strikeforce's next show.

Is the UFC Setting Up Ricardo Almeida for a Title Shot?

Nate Double — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:55:33 -0400

Ricardo Almeida has been around MMA longer than most fans realize.

He fought in the UFC back in 2001-2002 losing two of his three fights in the octagon. Almeida then moved on to compete in Pancrase and Pride up until 2004.

In 2004, after beating Ryo Chonan, his sixth win in seven fights, Almeida retired from competition, opting to open his own Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy and start a family.

Almeida returned to the UFC in February 2008 defeating Rob Yundt at UFC 81. Since his return he is 3-1 with his lone defeat coming in a split decision loss to Patrick Cote.

Before his fight against Kendall Grove at UFC 101, Almeida discussed the possibility of dropping down to welterweight. Almeida walks around at a reported 187 lbs so cutting to 185 was little trouble.

The possibility seems to have become a reality as Almeida is rumored to face the No. 2 welterwight Jon Fitch at UFC 106 in November.

If the rumors are true it stands to reason that the UFC is setting up Almeida to be the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre since the divisional kingpin is running low on opponents.

While Jon Fitch is certainly not a fighter to look beyond, getting by him definitely provides the shortest route to fight the champ.

With the 170lb division looking a little barren the timing is perfect for Almeida to be granted a one win title shot.

BJ Penn Looking To Stay Active as the UFC Lightweight Champion

Nate Double — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:16:15 -0400

My biggest complaint about BJ Penn has always been that he doesn't fight enough.

Even if we disregard the layoff he took after his loss to Georges St-Pierre, to spend time with his new born daughter, Penn has only fought twice a year since 2005.

It seems in addition to revamping his physique, he also wants to compete more often possibly facing Diego Sanchez in a little as two months.

In an interview with the Hawaii Tribune-Herald Penn says, "Here I am. I’m in shape. I want to have fun for a couple of days, take some time off, eat some good food, and then I want to get right back into all that stuff."

This is great news for MMA fans and bad news for Penn's future opponents.

Penn has stated numerous times that he's his own worst enemy because he does like to indulge in good food and the laid back atmosphere Hawaii provides.

Now that he's experienced being in the best shape of his life, he doesn't want to lose it.

If Penn starts training year round, like Georges St-Pierre, and clears out his own division, we might see GSP-Penn III sooner than we expected.

Reassessing My Opinion of the UFC's Original "Bad Boy"

Nate Double — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:52:02 -0400

I wouldn't classify myself as a Tito Ortiz hater but for a long time I was as close as one can come to being one.

I've never been a fan of loud mouth hype machines of Ortiz's ilk and I consider his record to be padded by his three wins over a washed up Ken Shamrock. However I'm starting to, it pains me to say this, reassess my stance on Ortiz.

Part of my re-evaluation started when Ortiz spoke very frankly about the injury to his back and how he had been training and fighting through pain for years. At first I discounted it as excuse-making and lip service, but then I did a little research on the surgery he underwent and started to change my mind.

Last October Ortiz underwent surgery to repair the bulging disc between the L4 and L5 and S1 lumbar segments of his spine.

Without getting too technical with medical jargon, a bulging disc is essential a fibrous disc of connective tissue running between your spinal vertebrate that is responsible for flexibility, rotation, as well as providing shock absorption. All very important functions in MMA.

The location of his bulging disc is fairly common, counting for 85 percent of disc injuries. A bulging disc at that location limits not only flexibility and motion in the back but also in the legs. Strong, fully functioning legs are also fairly important in MMA too.

The pain commonly associated with this injury is described as and I quote, "sharp, stabbing and radiating" and is onset by "physical activity, especially lifting, bending, sitting and exercises that increase intra-abdominal pressure", all motions typically associated with not only fighting but training for MMA.

According to Ortiz he dealt with this sharp, stabbing, radiating pain over the course of his last eight fights, including the training camps in between.

Ortiz now claims to be pain free, even going through an intense jiu-jitsu session prior to jumping on a plane from California to Philadelphia to attend UFC 101 and departed the plane pain free.

While I'm not ready to anoint Ortiz an imminent contender in the UFC's stacked light heavyweight division I am reassessing the dynamic he brings to the division.

He is, without a doubt a PPV draw. Also looking back on his fight with Lyoto Machida, Ortiz fared better than both Thaigo Silva and former champion Rashad Evans. After seeing Machida's dismantling of those two fighters, Ortiz's performance could be qualified as impressive.

As I close the article I intend to remove the statement on my Bleacher Report profile about "taking to task MMA fans that believe Tito Ortiz is still relevant" and I'll remain cautiously optimistic that Ortiz is in-fact the reinvigorated wrecking machine he claims to be.

Up In Smoke: Nick Diaz Fails To Obtain License To Fight

Nate Double — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:46:55 -0400

Welterweight fighter Nick Diaz has failed to show up for a drug test which makes it impossible for the California State Athletic Commission to grant him a license to fight on the August 15th Strikeforce event.

Diaz who looked very impressive in his last two bouts was scheduled to fight for the vacant welterweight title.

Diaz, a self proclaimed marijuana enthusiast, has a medical marijuana prescription. While that's all well and good, marijuana is still a banned substance under the CSAC rules.

Diaz has tested positive for marijuana in the past, and has even talked about how he can completely flush his system to pass a drug test in ten days.

The August 15th Strikeforce card has undergone some bad luck as it has shed its heavyweight title fight, had Diaz's original opponent Joe Riggs drop off the card, and has also lost its lightweight title holder Josh Thomson.

Strikeforce has tagged TUF alum Jesse Taylor to replace Diaz in a non-title fight against Jay Hieron.

While I'm not against marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes, Diaz should be ashamed that he's put the card in jeopardy and let down his fans.

Diaz was riding high (pun intended) after dismantling Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, but once again he's gotten in his own way.

The question remains if Diaz will step up and be the fighter many think he can be or if his career will go up in smoke.

The Slippery Slope of Anderson Silva Fighting at 205 Pounds

Nate Double — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:47:31 -0400

The discussion of Anderson Silva fighting at 205 pounds in the light heavyweight division began long ago but has picked up steam since his demolition of Forrest Griffin.

Silva, one of the best fighters on the planet, has both the skills and size to be a force at light heavyweight.

The chatter about a potential division jump has also increased after it was reported that Silva's manager Ed Soares proposed the move be permanent and that Silva was willing to relinquish his middleweight title, with Dana White voicing his agreement.

The move, while exciting for fans, does present a slippery slope that the UFC needs to navigate.

First of all, Silva has stated many times that he would not fight his friend and training partner Lyoto Machida, even before Machida became the light heavyweight champ. While White says he can make the fight happen, I think he'll be sorely disappointed.

Secondly, by vacating his middleweight title, Silva would be free from his contract's champion's clause. With his win over Griffin, Silva only has three fights remaining on his current contract.

Silva has stated that he wants to retire when his contract runs out but he has also stated that he wouldn't mind trying his hand at boxing. He could also be tagged for a potential superfight with Fedor Emelianenko if he becomes a free agent.

By allowing Silva to vacate his title, the UFC could create an interesting mini-tournament to crown a new champion. The first contender would likely be the winner of the upcoming fight between Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia.

Mix in the winner of a Dan Henderson-Yushin Okami fight and you've got yourself a very sellable champion for the middleweight title.

If this is, in fact, his last UFC contract, I'd personally much rather see Silva fight the likes of Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, and potentially Mauricio Rua.

This is a high-risk, high-reward situation for the UFC as they might be letting the pound-for-pound king out of their grasp in order to put on three memorable and profitable PPVs.

Merging The UFC And WEC

Nate Double — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:23:24 -0400

According to MMA Weekly Dana White and company are considering merging the WEC with the UFC.

This has almost been an inevitability ever since Zuffa dropped the light heavyweight, middleweight, and eventually the welterweight divisions from the WEC. Some of the better fighters have been absorbed into the UFC in the process.

Currently the WEC is broadcast (a.k.a. hidden) on the Versus network and has a number of big stars that are often used to carry their events. Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, and as of late, Mike Brown are the names that can bring in viewers.

One of the complaints of these card carrying stars is that they're paid far less than their UFC counterparts. There is no reason Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres shouldn't be making six figures other than the fact that they're not on PPV.

I think the merger is a good idea. Currently Zuffa is the only major U.S. MMA promotion that features bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Also the WEC cards are flat out awesome. More often than not the cards are better in quality of fights than many of the UFC cards.

Merging the two companies will also allow the UFC to put on more title fights as well as potentially more super fights. Both Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber have talked about moving up and down in weight for bigger challenges.

The WEC fighters would gain exposure on Spike and PPV so these awesome fights wouldn't be missed. Increased exposure equals increased pay and happy fighters. Great fights makes for happy fight fans and increased PPV buys. Win, win, win.

I'd like to see fights such as Torres-Mizugaki on a PPV as a co-main event and Urijah Faber headlining a Spike TV card. As long as the UFC doesn't relegate the lower weight fighters to the "may not be broadcast" section of the card, I think UFC fans will embrace the lower weight classes.

Is M-1 Going to Be the Shady Business Division of Strikeforce?

Nate Double — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:12:41 -0400

Strikeforce is the "good guy" organization in MMA. No one has a bad thing to say about their President Scott Coker, they treat their fighters right, they co-promote, etc, etc.

If they want to remain categorized as such they should step up and allow Gegard Mousasi to renegotiate his newly signed Strikeforce contract.

Mousasi, originally slated to fight Renato Sobral under the failed Affliction: Trilogy card recently signed a four fight deal with Strikeforce.

The issue at the center of this deal is that Mousasi's management may have lied to him to get him to sign where they wanted him to sign.

Reports indicate that M-1 the co-promoter and management group told Mousasi that the UFC offered him a $40,000 show, $40,000 win contract which was quite a bit lower than the $125,000 show contract he had with Affliction.

Carmichael Dave of CBS Radio tracked down UFC's Joe Silva and found out that the UFC had never even made an offer to Mousasi's management and if they had it wouldn't have been a $40k/$40k contract.

While Mousasi has seemingly moved on saying publicly that he now fights for Strikeforce, one has to wonder if these first steps between M-1 and Strikeforce are signs of trouble ahead.

Is signing a young fighter through smoke and mirrors really the best way to take the next step towards becoming more than a regional promotion?

Allowing this to happen sends the wrong message about how deals are done to M-1 and makes Strikeforce guilty by association.

If Coker wants to keep the core values of Strikeforce intact he needs to personally get involved and get to the bottom of this. If Mousasi was misled by his own management Coker needs to do the right thing.

Randy Couture Should Send Fedor Emelianenko a Thank You Card

Nate Double — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:30:34 -0400

Now that Fedor Emelianenko has signed with Strikeforce, I think Randy Couture should send him a thank you card.

While Couture has stated many times that he would love nothing more than to fight Fedor, the stars have now aligned to give the aging fighter either an opportunity or a huge pay day.

Couture will complete the second of a three-fight contract when he faces Rodrigo Nogueira on Aug. 29 at UFC 102. He'll then likely go into negotiations with the UFC since they're unlikely to let him finish out his contract without a new contract or extension in place.

When Couture left the UFC in 2007 he was their reigning heavyweight champion. Since the UFC has an ironclad "champions clause" which locks the champ into a contract while they hold the belt, it was all but impossible for Couture to fight elsewhere.

After a long legal battle, Couture finally decided that he had wasted enough time fighting in the courts and decided to return to the octagon.

Now that he's no longer the heavyweight champion nor likely to become it again Couture could cut ties more easily with the UFC and fight his dream fight against Fedor under the Strikeforce banner.

I'm not sure this is likely to happen, but it is a possibility. Couture has a huge vested interest in the UFC, especially now that his Xtreme Couture clothing line can once again be worn by fighters in the octagon.

Also Couture garners exposure for his gyms and fighters every time his name is mentioned during UFC broadcasts.

He could also continue his post fighting career with the UFC through a role as a commentator or as an ambassador of the sport and company.

The other indicator that Couture might not attempt to leave the UFC again are his statements that the UFC and Strikeforce are now "at war" since Strikeforce's signing of the Last Emperor.

Regardless of how this plays out, Couture's bargaining power has never been stronger. The simple threat of him bringing his star power to Strikeforce is enough to get him his asking price as well as fights for either the heavyweight and or light heavyweight titles.

Could August 15 Be Strikeforce's Unlucky Day?

Nate Double — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:53:48 -0400

It's not Friday the 13th or even close to being Halloween, but I'm beginning to wonder if the August 15th Strikeforce card might be cursed. The event was packed to the gills with four title fights and has since dropped fighters from every single one except the main event between Gina Carano and Christina "Cyborg" Santos.

First, Alistair Overeem dropped out of his title defense against Fabricio Werdum. Then Joe Riggs suffered from a reaction to some medication and was unable to fight Nick Diaz for the open welterweight belt. Now, Josh Thomson may be out of his lightweight title unification fight against Gilbert Melendez. Thomson cites a leg injury that has affected his training as the reason he may pull out of the fight.

Today, Strikeforce added a Gergard Mousasi and Renato Sobral to their card from the canceled Affliction show, which is something positive. The fight will, reportedly, be for Sobral's light heavyweight belt.

With plenty of time before the scheduled event, I'm advising the remaining fighters on the card to start throwing salt over their shoulders and knocking on wood whenever possible.

Should MMA Have a Two Strike Rule for Performance Enhancers?

Nate Double — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:22:23 -0400

The steroid and more vague "performance enhancer" discussion has been at the forefront of the sports discussion in the US for the last few years.

While the main focus has been on Major League Baseball players and their records, the issue has most recently reared its ugly head in MMA.

Unless you're a fringe fan or living in the woods with Brock Lesnar, you've heard that the No. 2 fighter in the heavyweight world rankings, Josh Barnett, has failed a California State Athletic Commission issued drug test.

The compound found is known as 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid.

This is the second time that Barnett has tested positive in the U.S. and it should be noted that the test was administered "out-of-season" or before the normal testing period, just before a fight.

While performance enhancers are cheating in any sport, I think that using them in a contact sport is especially heinous. Adding "pop" to your bat for longer home runs is one thing, adding "pop" to your striking is another.

The steroid Barnett tested positive for is mostly used for maintaining strength and muscle mass, while cutting weight. More muscle, less fat, equates to more power and speed...two key elements of any mixed martial artist's base.

So the question remains, should mixed martial arts institute a two-strike policy on fighters? Currently fighters can participate in events overseas even if they're banned from fighting in the U.S.

Furthermore, countries like Japan have no steroid testing policy, leading to speculation about fighters that fight there exclusively, who have also shown serious body changes in short time spans.

Changing things universally in MMA might be a bit of a stretch right now, but I'd love to see the U.S. based organizations get together and form a unified front on this.

Don't Forget About Gegard Mousasi

Nate Double — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:26:12 -0400

With all the buzz surrounding Josh Barnett's failed drug test and his replacement to face Fedor Emelianenko, a very important and exciting match up is being lost in the shuffle.

Gegard Mousasi makes his US debut and faces a very tough veteran opponent in Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

Sobral, a jiu-jitsu fighter, who infamously held a choke for a "bit" too long on David Heath during UFC 74 is a crafty veteran. Sobral has a 35-8 record with 17 of his wins coming via submission.

Mousasi is an up and coming fighter that many promotions are keeping a keen eye on. Currently fighting at light heavyweight, Mousasi was previously the Dream middleweight champion and is currently participating in the Dream Superhulk Tournament where he weighed in at 218 lbs.

Mousasi, 25-2-1 in MMA, has a strong boxing base but is ever improving his all around game by training with Fedor Emelianenko and the Red Devil Sport Club.

With 14 knockouts to his record, Mousasi will likely look to keep the fight standing but should be more than prepared if the fight goes to the ground.

While Mousasi has stated that he's excited to fight in the US, he isn't looking to make this his home as he likes fighting for different organizations around the world. He currently plans on fighting at light heavyweight for awhile but plans on letting his body grow so he can eventually move to heavyweight.

Even with some of the luster being gone from the overall Affliction Trilogy card, I've been excited for this fight since it was announced and look forward to it most of all.

Vitor Belfort: The Fastest Opponent Fedor Has Ever Faced

Nate Double — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:52:48 -0400

Vitor Belfort is the "fastest" opponent Fedor has ever faced. That's right...well, maybe fastest rise in salary.

Affliction and Belfort's management is apparently in discussion about how much the pay bump would be if Belfort faced Fedor instead of Jorge Santiago.

Past opponents have earned salaries of $750,000 (Matt Lindland), $800,000 (Tim Sylvia), and $1.5M (Andrei Arlovski) and Belfort's management wants to make sure he's being paid in an equitable manner.

Equitable meaning four times or more what he's made in the past facing opponents at 185lbs.

Belfort's camp goes on to say that "if" Belfort were to take the fight he would enter the ring at 215lbs, only 15lbs lighter than Emelianenko, not nearly as big of a difference than say, Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves.

His camp continues that Belfort would be the "fastest" opponent Fedor has ever faced and since "Fedor relies on speed against his opponents", losing that aspect of his game would completely turn the fight on its head.

Yeah, right. Fedor has so much in common with Speedy Gonzales and the Road Runner.

I cannot believe that Fedor is going to fight a really "fast guy" and Affliction is going to try to package it up and sell it to us. Tom Atencio is a moron. Save your company some money so you don't have to layoff all your minimum wage silk-screeners next week and fold up this show.

Hell even pay the fighters 20 percent of their due and sell off the exciting fight(s) (Babalu Sobral-Gegard Mousasi) and call it a day. Padding the best fighter in the world's record further, and selling single digit pay-per-views, is a worse way to call it quits

Strikeforce Carano-Cyborg Card Down One Title Fight

Nate Double — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:20:30 -0400

Alistair Overeem will apparently be unable to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight belt against Fabricio Werdum on Aug. 15.

Alistair cites complication with a hand injury sustained during a bar fight as the reason he'll be unable to defend his title.

While this is certainly a sad turn of events, the card is still packed with great fighters and title fights.

Will the UFC Try To Land Fedor Emelianenko?

Nate Double — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:55:20 -0400

As soon as the unified UFC Heavyweight belt was strapped around Brock Lesnar's waist, the questions began.

Would the UFC try to land top heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko?

While Dana White has softened his stance on Emelianenko by admitting that he wants to sign the excellent fighter, acquiring Emelianenko will not be easy.

Emelianenko, currently fighting and headlining events for Affliction MMA, is actually under contract with M-1 Global, which is a promoter based in Russia.

Emelianenko signed a two-year, six-fight contract with M-1 in October of 2007, and after his upcoming WAMMA Heavyweight title fight against Josh Barnett, he'll still have two fights remaining on his contract.

The biggest point of contention in the negotiations is that his manager, Vadim Finkelstein, wants the UFC to enter into an agreement with M-1 Global rather than with Emelianenko directly.

Simply put, the UFC is not a co-promoter and has no interest in doing this.

The UFC doesn't need M-1 Global or its roster of fighters in order to put on pay-per-view events—its cash cow.

However, in order to elevate the awareness of its fighters, including Emelianenko, M-1 Global could certainly use the UFC's exposure and marketing machine.

Furthermore, there is contention over Emelianenko's desire to participate in other martial arts while under a UFC contract. Historically, the UFC only allows its fighters to compete in The Octagon.

But, with a growing list of Olympians coming over to try their hand at MMA, the UFC might need to soften its stance if it hopes to attract these elite athletes to its roster.

While the UFC has often been criticized about it's hard-nosed tactics, restrictive contracts, and general fighter "bullying," it cannot afford to enter into a different type of contract with any fighter, even Emelianenko.

A contract between a third party and the UFC would set a precedent that it doesn't want.

While it would drastically improve a fighter's leverage in negotiations, things like champion's clauses would go out the window, and belts could potentially be left on the shelf to collect dust as fighters jumped from promotion to promotion.

If the UFC can't sign Emelianenko directly, it will likely go back to what its done in the past, which is ignore him completely and downplay his past achievements.

Just as the "Fedor" chants at UFC 100 failed to achieve anything, a single fighter's (or his management's) attemps to change the modus operandi of the UFC will fail, too.

Randy Couture Calls "Dibs" on Fedor Emelianenko

Nate Double — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:31:02 -0400

I remember calling "dibs" a lot when I was younger. Dibs on the passenger seat in the car, dibs on the last popsicle in the box, dibs, dibs, dibs.

Dibs is a childish way to stake claim and plant your flag on something, and Randy Couture is calling dibs on Fedor Emelianenko's first fight in the octagon, should he ever sign with the UFC.

In a post UFC 100 interview with Steve Colefield on ESPN Radio, Couture stated that not only does he want the first shot at Fedor, but he believes it's part of the agreement with the UFC that brought him back into the organization.

While Fedor has yet to even express interest signing with the UFC, it would be telling to see what the UFC company line would be in regards to Fedor's first fight.

Obviously the big money rests with fight against the new heavyweight poster boy Brock Lesnar. Would the UFC spurn Couture, one of their most popular fighters and go back on their word to him?

Maybe. Probably.

Fedor's value is largely in the mystique surrounding him as well as his long running undefeated streak. While I don't think the 46-year-old Couture poses many problems for Fedor at this point in his career as he once did a Fedor loss greatly diminishes his PPV drawing power for a fight against Lesnar.

As we've seen many times before the elements of a fighter's first time in the octagon can get the better of them. Fighting in a cage poses it's own set of problems and every fighter has a punchers chance at causing an upset.

The funny thing is that Couture could have already fought Fedor theoretically if he had lost his belt to Lesnar and completed the last fight on his contract.

There would likely be a lot less resistance from the UFC now that Couture doesn't have the belt and is a few wins removed from a title shot.

I feel for Randy because a few years ago everyone was clamoring to see him fight Fedor. Now unfortunately that fight doesn't really interest anyone but the most hardcore Couture fans.

Michael "Down For The Count" Bisping

Nate Double — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:53:45 -0400

There is a non-technical term sometimes used in boxing, MMA, and other contact sports.

KTFO.

Knocked the F--- Out.

That's what happened to Michael Bisping on Saturday night as he continued to circle right into Dan Henderson's wheelhouse.

Bisping was the underdog in their match, both on paper and in the eyes of every sportsbook.

Everyone believed that Henderson would use his vastly superior wrestling to repeatedly take Bisping to the ground and then pound him out.

That wasn't the way it played out.

Throughout the bout, both fighters stood face to face with Henderson slowly and methodically stalking Bisping around the cage. Bisping would attack from time to time but to no avail.

Henderson just kept coming forward.

Bisping got knocked out at the 3:20 mark of the second round.

While he'll likely get a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission that will keep him from training for the next 30 to 60 days, I'm already wondering what's next for him.

Losing to Henderson is nothing for Bisping to be ashamed of.

In fact in might help him in the long run since he really wasn't ready for top of the division competition regardless of what the UFC has been telling us.

Bisping's popularity in the UK will keep him in the limelight but I think a fight against a Patrick Cote or Nate Quarry is smarter than trying to take on another top ranked talent who is also a contender.

What's Next for Thiago Alves?

Nate Double — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:15:25 -0400

On Saturday night, Thiago Alves became the latest in a growing list of fighters to be utterly dominated by welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.

Alves, a gigantic 170 lb fighter that is rumored to walk around at more than 200 lbs couldn't get anything going against GSP.

Alves thought his fast powerful striking would end the fight with a KO. Instead, GSP took him down at will and proved elusive when the fight was standing with GSP scoring more strikes than the feared muay-thai striker.

Alves, at just 25 years old already has an impressive list of wins over top fighters at welterweight. However I wonder if the 30 lbs he cuts to make weight might become more detrimental both mentally and physically going forward.

Mentally, knowing that he needs to start slimming down weeks before his fight certainly impedes his training and adds worry about making the cut to list of things he needs to concern himself with.

Physically cutting 30lbs is going to become more and more difficult as he ages. Fighters often talk about the difficulty making big cuts as they get older. The cut can sap physical strength and stamina that are needed inside the cage.

By no means do I think Alves doesn't have a future at 170 but he'll need to build some semblance of an offensive ground game if he wants to succeed against the likes of GSP and Jon Fitch.

Both of those fighters can drag Alves into their world on the ground and focus entirely on their own offense since Alves presents very little danger from his back.

Physically he could be compared to Paulo Filho who is actually an inch shorter than Alves. Granted Filho is a jiu-jitsu ace but he's found success at 185lbs. Perhaps Alves will elect to avoid the massive weight cut and move up to middleweight.

Up there he'll face a whole new set of challenges since he'll be fighting against guys with significant height and reach advantages.

If he elects to stay put at 170 I'd be very interested in seeing a rematch between he and Jon Fitch.

Even After UFC 100, MMA Is Still Not Mainstream

Nate Double — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:59:36 -0400

After my friends left last night I started checking all of my favorite MMA websites for interviews and post fight thoughts. I was waiting until 1AM when ESPN's: MMA Live was going to broadcast their post fight wrap up show.

I turned the television to ESPN only to be told that up next was the late edition of Baseball Tonight. I flipped up to ESPN2, thinking that maybe they'd have the coverage but it was a replay of The Worlds Strongest Man: 2008.

MMA Live was of course where it always is, online. While the media player worked just fine I couldn't help but wonder why on such a historic night for such a red hot sport was the post fight coverage not being broadcast on television?

You can't get away from Super Bowl coverage after the game is over, the same goes for the World Series in baseball. Even the Tour de France gets more coverage as the race wraps up on the Champs-Elysées.

While the sport of MMA is growing rapidly with the UFC leading the charge this sport is still a long way from being accepted or even cared about by the social mainstream and mainstream sports media.

Luckily there are some passionate broadcasters, promoters, and fighters that keep popping up on major networks and spreading the good word.

Can Bellator's Format Work Long-Term?

Nate Double — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:40:11 -0400

Bellator Fighting Championships entered into the fray of MMA with little fanfare here in the US but wrapped up their inaugural season convincingly.

Bellator's "championship" format pitted eight fighters against each other tournament style in their featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight divisions.

Fighters controlled their destiny beyond the initial pairs since there was no match making that put a fighter in purgatory because another fighter made more commercial sense.

The fighters were also evenly compensated with each tournament participant earning $10,000 to show and a $15,000 win bonus for the first round. In the second round all fighters were paid $25,000 with a matching win bonus.

The championship round paid a $40,000 base and a $60,000 win bonus, earning the champion's $175,000 in three months time.

Bellator broadcast on ESPN Deportes the sports media company's Spanish channel and was also broadcast on-line in English. In addition to the promotion's rebroadcast a number of fights became instant YouTube sensations because of their spectacular finishes.

These included an inverted triangle choke by Tony Imada, a spinning backfist KO by Yahir Reyes, and a huge KO by flying knee by Nick Pace. These instant "classics" helped generate buzz for the company and helped put Bellator on the map.

Fighters controlling their destiny, receiving equal and even pay for their efforts across weight classes are great things for MMA. The question is, what does Bellator do next?

The tournament format was an excellent way to attract top talent and showcase up and comers but it doesn't translate well with US MMA fans. Fans for the most part want to see their champions hold their titles until defeated, so starting over fresh next season won't work.

Going away from the tournament style all together will make them like every other MMA organization and possibly make Bellator a less attractive alternative to the UFC, Strikeforce, Affliction, and Dream.

My thought is that the tournaments should be pared down to four fighters in each division fighting once a month with the winner or the mini-tournament becoming the number one contender and fighting the champion. However this becomes a little unfair to both fighters involved.

The champion forgoes the purses he could be making while waiting for a challenger and possibly developing "cage rust" from lack of competition. The challenger, on the other hand, has to fight through two other opponents and suffer the wear and tear the champion does not.

The solution to the purse issue is to have a championship defense bonus if the champion successfully defends their belt. Increasing the time between the contender's last fight and his title fight to six or eight weeks instead of four solves the wear and tear problem.

Bellator's owner Bjorn Rebney stated recently on ESPN's MMA Live that Bellator is working on some big sponsorship and broadcasting deals that will make Bellator even stronger. If the promotion can find a way to be broadcast consistently on ESPN or ESPN2 they might become the most mainstream company in MMA.

Gegard Mousasi: Coming To America

Nate Double — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:28:52 -0400

After the conclusion of the Dream 9 Super Hulk Event Gegard Mousasi confirmed that he will compete at Affliction MMA's third event on Aug. 1.

His opponent is none other than recently reinvigorated, former UFC champion Vitor Belfort.

A weight class for the fight has not yet been announced as Mousasi has fought primarily as a middleweight but most recently fought at over 218 pounds for the Dream 9 event.

Belfort last fought at middleweight at Affliction's Day of Reckoning.

Update: Belfort made an announcement that contracts for this fight haven't been signed yet and he is only interested in fighting Mousasi at 185 lbs. Belfort continues by stating that Mousasi isn't a "name" or a "challenge at 205" but he wants to fight Mousasi at the weight he held his Dream title at.

This is a great fight that would vastly improve Affliction's third card. If the fight can't happen at 185 I hope they can come to some middle ground, maybe a catch weight of 195 like Franklin and Wanderlei.

Andrei Arlovski to Fight Brett Rogers at June 6 Strikeforce Event

Nate Double — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:55:50 -0400

Multiple MMA websites are reporting that Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers will meet at Strikeforce's June 6 event.

This fight comes as a bit of a surprise as it has long been reported that Arlovski would next step into the ring as a boxer. Arlovski has been training with boxing guru Freddie Roach since before he fought Fedor to improve his hands and prepare himself for the jump to the "sweet science."

Rogers is a 9-0 ex-EliteXC fighter who is probably best known for his beef with Kimbo Slice. Rogers last faced and beat Abongo Humphrey on the April 11 Strikeforce card.

I'm a fan of both Arlovski and Rogers but I feel like Strikeforce is throwing Rogers to the wolves a bit. Arlovski is better and more experienced at all facets of the MMA game and Rogers has most recently been working at a tire shop while his contract with EliteXC was in limbo.

UFC 98: A Chance To Become Legends

Nate Double — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:50:19 -0400

The combination of a disappointing UFC 97 coupled with the loss of Chuck
Liddell as a major draw for the light heavyweight division means that Rashad
Evans and Lyoto Machida better "bring it" at UFC 98.

The UFC needs to bounce back from a highly criticized main event and find a
replacement for one of their biggest pay per view buy generators. UFC 98 is
the perfect place for both of these things to happen.

Two unbeaten light heavyweights will enter the octagon on May 23 but only
one of them can leave with the unblemished record and the belt. I'm hoping
that the importance of these circumstances doesn't result in an overly
cautious fight.

Evans has four decision wins in nine UFC fights while Machida has the same
number in only six UFC fights. Not that all decisions are necessarily
boring, but a finish would go a long way to turning one of these two
fighters into superstars.

On the bright side if we look at recent history Evans beat Forrest Griffin by
TKO and Chuck Liddell by KO. Likewise an aggressive Machida dispatched
Thiago Silva by KO as well.

Another positive note is that the hype will likely be generated in the cage on fight night rather than being sold to us beforehand. Machida lacks the in your face style and bigger than life persona that Rampage Jackson would have brought to the fight. Evans has said multiple times that he'll do all his talking in the cage. I hope he does much more than talking.

While many are skeptical about an event headlined by Evans and Machida and backed up by Matt Hughes and Matt Serra I remain cautiously optimistic that Evans and Machida understand how big an exciting and entertaining fight will be to their careers.

Chuck Liddell: Why We Haven't Seen the Last of Him

Nate Double — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:13:48 -0400

Ask any retiree and they'll likely tell you that retirement is overrated. Sure, some retirees transition from the daily grind to the golf course rather easily, but by and large they miss the action.

This is especially true for professional athletes who often perform for the love of their respective sports more so than for the love of the paychecks they stopped needing long ago.

The difficulty of retirement is sometimes compounded for athletes because they think they've still got what it takes to compete. Sometimes they're right.

Michael Jordan, Randy Couture, and Roger Clemens all proved they had what it took to win even after they "laced up" for the last time.

I think Chuck Liddell may join their ranks.

While Liddell may have lost to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97, he wasn't humiliated or outclassed.

For the first four minutes, the fight was essentially a draw. Shogun connected with kicks and punches and had a successful take down. Liddell also struck with kicks and punches and had a successful take down.

The fight was actually going in Liddell's favor just before he got knocked out. Liddell shrugged off a take down attempt, countered with some nice punches as he pushed Rua against the fence, and took Shogun down with just under a minute to go.

The biggest issue Liddell was facing, until that point, was that Rua was connecting with most of his overhand punches. Liddell, true to form, kept his big right hand loaded as he stalked around the cage.

No official announcement regarding retirement has been made by either Liddell or his camp, though Dana White has been very vocal about this being Liddell's last fight.

However, I think what Chuck could benefit from most is some time off to continue training and diversify his game.

As we've seen lately, the one dimensional fighter no longer has a place in the upper echelons of MMA, especially the packed light heavyweight division of the UFC.

With other stars on the rise but no real pay-per-view juggernaut besides Brock Lesnar on the roster, a "reborn" Liddell could very easily find himself welcomed back to competition, like Randy Couture.

If we've learned anything, it's that retirement is never final in the UFC.

Which Fight Should Be The Main Event At UFC 100?

Nate Double — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:20:00 -0400

UFC 100, scheduled for July 11, is being hyped as the biggest event in the company's history. While no fights have been officially added to UFC 100's event page, there have been rumors and confirmations regarding some of the bigger fights.

Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his belt against the dangerous Thiago Alves. Also rumored is a rematch and unification fight between heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and interim heavyweight champ Frank Mir.

While UFC 100 is certainly historically significant, at the end of the day it is like every other pay-per-view in that the UFC wants to make as much money as possible from it.

In order to bring in a historic level of PPV buys, the UFC will likely launch a historic media blitz to promote the card. I fully expect to see commercials on ESPN, multiple press conferences and media appearances with the fighters, as well as a prime time countdown show for the big names on the card.

For the UFC, it's about the bottom line, but make no mistake that this is simply another event for the fighters on the card. Being asked to fight on this card is an honor for these fighters. Being on a card this heavily promoted increases mainstream exposure and helps cement a legacy.

The argument for a Lesnar-Mir main event is that right now there is no bigger star in MMA than Brock Lesnar, from a PPV standpoint. Whether MMA fans love him or hate him, they tune in to see him, and he also brings in crossover buys from entertainment wrestling fans.

Couple Lesnar's drawing power with the "feud and revenge" aspect of his rematch with Mir, and we have the perfect storm of hype to sell the fight. Both fighters are also providing plenty of pre-fight smack talk, which is always good for the bottom line.

On the other hand, GSP is no PPV slouch. Events where he has been the main event have consistently done over 500,000 buys. He is also one of the faces of the UFC and will be defending his title for the third time.

However, GSP and Alves seem to have started a mutual admiration society, and neither is likely to start a war of words before the fight, which, while refreshing, doesn't exactly hype the fight.

Co-main event is an oxymoron, and someone is going to be slighted, regardless of how the UFC spins it.

So, Bleacher Reporters, which fight do you think deserves headline status at UFC 100?