Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Leanza

Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin: Scoring the Saga

Mike Leanza — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:42:12 -0500

Beating a dead horse; a phrase I've learned to love, a phrase that I hope to avoid in this article.

We've all heard everyones take on the fight Saturday, whether it be Tito fans insisting upon a rematch to settle the 1-1 tie, or Forrest fans insisting that Forrest is back.

I agree with both, but that's not what I'm here for.

At UFC 106 Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz engaged in the long, and I mean long, awaited rematch of their UFC 59 battle. Forrest was coming off of a two fight losing streak, one which saw him lose his Light Heavyweight belt and then be thoroughly embarrassed by the best fighter in the world.

Forrest even went as far as saying that he was broken.

On Saturday, he showed that he was fixed.

Tito was coming off of major back surgery and an 18 month hiatus from the sport he had once dominated. A lot happened for Tito in those 18 months.

He became the proud father of twin boys, made several inklings of a potential deal with UFC rival Strikeforce, buried the hatchet with arch-nemesis Dana White, re-signed with the UFC, and had his original original opponent Mark Coleman bail out due to injury.

Finally, after 18 months away from the game, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" returned.

Finally, after 43 months of waiting, Forrest Griffin would get his rematch.

The battle was a good one, but it got me thinking (don't you love it when that happens). The split decision victory, this time awarded to Forrest Griffin, was just as close as the original war, awarded to Ortiz.

When the decision was announced, I didn't have the same reaction as everyone else. I wasn't jumping off of my couch with glee or screaming at my TV in disgust.

I was silent in a state of deep thought. What was my thought? I wondered who would come out the winner if all six rounds were judged at the same time on the same scorecard. Lets figure it out.

In order to do this I watched both fights in succession, keeping track of every significant moment and keeping my very own scorecard. As soon as the first fight ended, without watching the decision, I switched over to the second fight, scoring it as round four.

UFC 58

Round 1

Dominance. For those of you wondering how the guy at UFC 106 once dominated the Light Heavyweight division, take a look at the first round of this fight.

About 30 seconds into the fight Tito scored one of his patented precision takedowns. From there Tito Ortiz, renowned as one of the kings of ground and pound, did exactly that, pounding away at the Ultimate Fighter winner and future champion. Griffin would get up, only to end up on his back 30 seconds later. The round would end with Ortiz in the dominant position, taking the round with ease.

10-8 Ortiz

Round 2

In this round it seemed as if Griffin had become a completely different fighter after a one minute sitdown with his corner. Forrest was clearly the aggressor putting together crisp combinations and avoiding all five takedown attempts by Ortiz.

Clearly Griffin had learned his lesson. With no ground fighting in this round, I gave it to the man with the more aggressive and effective striking.

10-9 Griffin

Round 3

This round was unbelievably hard to score. I had to watch this round three times in order to make sure that I scored it right.

After watching it for the second time I considered giving the round a score of 10-10. Then I created a system that works very well if done correctly. I scored this round minute by minute.

After every minute I'd give a tally (yes, a tally) to the winner of that minute. Tito won the first two minutes due to more effective striking, Griffin took the next for the same reason. Then it happened, with 1:38 remaining in the round Ortiz scored the takedown, taking the minute, and the round.

10-9 Ortiz

UFC 106

Round 4

This was another round that was pretty tough to score. On one hand you have Ortiz shooting for and getting a takedown and working some ground and pound, but on the other hand a majority of the round was spent standing with Forrest getting the better of Tito. Although I'm a sucker for a takedown, I feel like Forrest had the better round. He was able to avoid any damage and used a kimura attempt to get back on his feet and fight his fight.

10-9 Griffin

Round 5

It took "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" not even 30 seconds to take this fight to where he wanted it. After a pretty good display of stand-up by Tito, Griffin telegraphed one of his infamous leg kicks and Tito took him to the danger zone.

Don't worry Forrest fans, your boy would get back up and manage to kick Tito in his mouth, something I'm sure some other people would like to do.

Unfortunately that's the only thing of mention the Forrest was able to do in this round. Tito would take him down again and bloody the perennial bleeder with some vicious ground and pound.

10-9 Ortiz

Round 6

I'd like to take this time to reminisce on a classic WEC middleweight bout. It was WEC 36, Paulo Filho was set to defend his title against Chael Sonnen in a rematch of a fight that took place a year prior.

Filho, the favorite, did absolutely nothing in this fight. He just walked around seemingly dazed and confused as Chael Sonnen took every round with ease. At UFC 106 in the third round of the main event, Tito Ortiz became Paulo Filho. Griffin imposed his will on a seemingly careless Ortiz winning the round without question.

10-8 Griffin

After 6 rounds of competition, the final scorecard reads 56-56 with this epic being declared a draw.

If anymore incentive was needed for a third fight, this is it. I watched these fights for two hours straight, going over each round numerous times before finally deciding on a score. I had no idea that what I had done would add up to a draw.

I have no preferences between these fighters, in fact, I'm big fans of both and couldn't decide who to root for on Saturday.

Rumor has it that these two will be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter which begins taping in two months. The season would culminate with these two fighting theie rubber match (unless one of these men is offered a part in a film adaptation of a television classic).

Dana White, make this happen. Both of these men were great in there previous seasons as TUF coaches, and the fans want rounds 7,8, and 9.

Breaking Down Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers; The Main Event

Mike Leanza — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:39:18 -0500

All this week I've been breaking down Saturday night's Strikeforce card fight by fight. Today I'll be breaking down the main event. The big powerful striker coming off of the biggest win of his career against the greatest heavyweight fighter in the history of MMA. But before I start with that, I'd like to do a quick recap of my previous articles.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva

Werdum is one of the best grapplers in the world. Antonio Silva is a giant that may very well have concrete in his gloves. These two are polar opposites meaning that they both must fight their own fight in order to win. Unfortunately that can't really happen. This fight is either going to be on the ground or on the feet. If its on the feet, Silva wins. If its on the ground Werdum wins. I'll put my money on this fight going to the ground.

Winner- Fabricio Werdum

Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou

Mousasi is the future of this sport. He has every single skill needed to dominate at a high level. Sokoudjou was Mousasi a couple of years ago. Now Sokoudjou is a name fighter trying to earn back the respect he lost. What better way to do that than beat the guy that you once were? Mousasi has you beat in almost every realm of fighting. Thats why I'm going with Sokoudjou. I know it doesn't make sense, leave me alone.

Winner- Sokoudjou

Jason Miller vs. Jake Shields

MTV. That's why that name above to the left is so familiar. Mayhem is nuts, but you know that. Shields is calm but very dangerous. This fight is going to steal the show. Its set to go 5 rounds if necessary and believe me, all 5 will be necessary. These guys are very similar. Both can strike, both have great ground games. Neither one is going to finish the fight. The judges will have to make the decision, and they'll give it to the guy that does more.

Winner- Jake Shields

Now onto the big fight. The main event. The bout that this entire card was built around and named after. Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko VS Brett "The Grim" Rogers.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor is the best Heavyweight ever to fight in mixed martial arts. That's not an exaggeration. The only negative about Fedor, is that he isn't that well known in North America. That is all about to change.

At 33-years old with over nine years of professional MMA fighting, Fedor has only lost one time. He holds an incredible record of 30-1-1. That one loss occurred because of a cut above Feodor's eye. It was a doctors stoppage. Fedor has never actually been KO'd. He's never been submitted or lost a decision either. He's garnered seven knockout victories, 16 submission victories and seven decision wins.

Fedor does it all. He may not look like your average fighter, but don't let his cuddly image fool you, this guy is seemingly unbeatable. If you're a ground fighter, he has no problem going to the ground. If you want to throw, be warned, he can knock you out with one clean blow.

That's not all. Fedor has some of the best grappling in the world. A former Russian national Judo champion and a 12-time Sambo champion while competing in numerous events. Fedor is no joke whether it be on the ground, or standing up.

Keys To Victory

Watch Out For That.....- We know you can strike with the best. How? Because you've struck with the best. We know you're not dumb enough to get caught off guard and end up eating canvas. But just in case, try not to get into an all out boxing match.
The Ground Is Your Friend- Brett says he's really been working on his ground game and people will be surprised with how good it is. Okay, Brett. But don't be surprised when we're not surprised with how fast Fedor submits you. If this fight gets to the ground, give it 30 seconds and you can change the channel.
Your Time To Shine- You have nothing to prove, the real MMA fans know you are the best of all-time. But to the casual fan, your just another fighter looking to get recognized on prime time. Maybe you might want to show them who Fedor is.

Brett Rogers

Brett "The Grim" Rogers is one of the most feared strikers in the game. Well, not really strikers, punchers. He has cast-iron hands that have been known to put anybody and everybody that walks in his path to sleep. The only question is his technique. Can he strike with another feared striker with stone hands?

This 28-year-old father of three, holds a professional MMA record of 10 wins with no losses. All of his wins have come by way of his hands. Yes, he has one submission win, but it was from strikes. Comparable to Shane Carwin, Brett Rogers is a brawler. He doesn't do much else aside from throw punches and attempt to use his size to overpower his opponent. And this guy has serious size.

Standing at 6'5" and pushing the Heavyweight weight limit at 265 pounds, Brett is astoundingly bigger than Fedor. Does that matter? It might, if he wasn't fighting who he's fighting. Brett can't really use his size in this fight. Fedor is a revered grappler who can and probably will take him to the ground. Brett just has to be ready.

Keys To Victory

The Ground Is NOT Your Friend- The exact opposite of Fedor, Brett needs to stay off the ground. He wants no part of Feodor's ground game, otherwise it's game over. I don't care how much you think your ground game has improved over the last five months, it's nowhere near the level of Fedor.
Don't Get Too Confident- That one is going to be hard for Brett. At Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg I asked him a question backstage. I said "Is their anything you fear about fighting a guy like Fedor?" Without even batting an eye or changing facial expressions he replied, "Their's nothing for me to be afraid of." False, Brett. Fear the ground.
Good Luck- Truly Brett, I wish you all the best in this fight. Just remember who you are dealing with. Never lose sight of the guy who's standing in front of you. That's Fedor Emelianenko, rumor has it that's he's not even human.

Prediction

Brett has the hands of messy concrete worker. They're covered in the stuff and he's just trying to find a place to shatter it. In comparison, Fedor is like that filthy rich friend you have. You don't know what to buy him because he already has everything. Who would you pick? The messy guy with concrete hands, or the rich guy that has everything, including that concrete? That's what I thought. I'll take the rich guy by submission in the first.

Breaking Down Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers; Mayhem vs. Jake Shields

Mike Leanza — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:48:45 -0500

All this week, I've been breaking down Saturday's big card, fight by fight. Today, I'll be focusing on the Strikeforce Middleweight title bout between the host of MTV's Bully Beatdown, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and former Elite XC Welterweight champion Jake Shields.

Jake Shields

At the ripe old age of 30, Jake Shields is in his fighting prime. Currently boasting a record of 23-4-1, Shields hasn't been defeated in almost four years. In those four years, Shields has pulled off 12 consecutive victories against what can be considered mostly top level competition—fighters like Dave Menne, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, and most recently Robbie Lawler.

Captain of the "Scrap Pack", Shields is the leader of five-man team trained by Cesar Gracie.

Those five men are Shields, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and Dave Terrell. Jake holds a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, something that he uses in his fights extensively.

Jake is considered one of the best Welterweights in the world and the best Welterweight currently not fighting under the Zuffa banner. You might be confused right now because I said this fight was for the Middleweight championship, and he's top Welterweight. Both are true.

Jakes last fight was a catchweight fight against former Elite XC Middleweight champion Robbie Lawler. They fought at 182 pounds, three pounds shy of the Middelweight maximum. Shields was considered an underdog do to Lawlers size advantage, but Shields discounted that by using his far superior Jiu-Jitsu, submitting Lawler in just two minutes.

Keys To Victory

1) Pace Yourself —Mayhem is 4-4 when his fights go to a decision. You are 10-3. You have the advantage in the cardio category, use that to win.

2) You Can Try If You Want— Mayhem has been submitted one time in his career. He has 13 victories by submission, more than you, surprisingly enough. That loss came about seven years ago—you might want to just forget it. Jacare Souza couldn't submit Mayhem, but he did get the decision win.

3) That Being Said— If you are actively pursuing those submissions throughout the fight, you might pull off the victory or even catch Mayhem if he's tired. Your best shot at a victory stands at a decision, but there's nothing stopping you from at least trying to submit him.

Jason Miller

Known as Mayhem to all his fans, Jason Miller has become one the most recognizable personalities in all of MMA. A lot of that has to do with his popular MTV show, Bully Beatdown. Although the fans of the show have never seen Mayhem step in the cage on the show, rest assured, this guy can fight.

With an impressive record of 22-6-1 Mayhem is still one of those "under the radar" fighters in MMA.

He's not considered top tier, but he's not considered a gatekeeper either. In the last six years, Mayhem has lost three times. Ready for the names? Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg, and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Can't knock him for those losses.

Miller has been finished only two times in his career. One was by soccer kicks from Frank Trigg (illegal in Strikeforce), and the other by guillotine seven years ago, a loss that he would avenge in his next fight. Jacare Souza (who trains with Anderson Silva, the Nogueira brothers, and Lyoto Machida), couldn't submit Mayhem even though he tried throughout their fight.

Mayhem, aside from Bully Beatdown, is probably most famous for his bloody battle with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 52. Mayhem was abused for 15 minutes, but the most impressive part of the fight was that he could not be finished. At two points in the fight, it looked like GSP was going to submit Mayhem, but Miller used his superior Jiu-Jitsu and heart to stay in the fight.

Keys To Victory

1) Prove Yourself— A while back you said that you would "beat the piss out of [Jake Shields]." Jake didn't take to kindly to that. You talk a big game Mayhem, we all know you've got skills, you just have to show America what you've got.

2) You've Got The Heart— In the heart category, I give it to you. Id say you guys have pretty close Jiu-Jitsu, but put in a dangerous spot, I see Jake losing first. It's up to you to get him to that dangerous spot. Good luck.

3) You are Crazy— Push the pace. Go after him. You've only been stopped twice and you've never been knocked out under Strikeforce rules. This is your chance to put yourself on everybody's radar. Get in Jakes head, you know you can.

Prediction

I can't see Jake being finished. I can't see Mayhem getting finished, either. It's really up to the judges for who's going to win this fight. The judges don't seem to like Mayhem, as shown by his 4-4 record with them. I see this fight going all five rounds, and I see Jake Shields being crowned the new Strikeforce Middlweight Champion.

Breaking Down Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers; Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou

Mike Leanza — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:45:26 -0500

All this week, I'll be breaking down Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers, fight by fight. Today I'll be focusing on the current Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and former PRIDE and UFC fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Gegard Mousasi

Gegard "The Dreamcatch" Mousasi is a 24 year old MMA prodigy. Currently holding a both the DREAM Middleweight Championship and the Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight championship, he is currently the only fighter holding a title in two major MMA promotions.

At an astounding record of 26-2-1 in six years of fighting, Mousasi has defeated names such as Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and most recently Renato Sobral. The most impressive thing about those victories is that he finished them all in the first round.

Gegard is one of the biggest threats to finish fights in all of MMA. Of his 26 victories, 15 are by knockout, nine are by submission, and just two are by decision. Although he has been finished himself as well.

His two losses have both come way of armbar submission. In a recent M-1 Global promoted grappling match between Mousasi and the headliner of Saturdays card Fedor Emelianenko, Mousasi was once again submitted by armbar. Are you listening Sokoudjou? Armbar, armbar, armbar. Got it?

Keys to Victory

Push The Pace- Sokoudjou has famously bad cardio. If Gegard can really bring the fight to Sokoudjou, which he most likely will, we can expect to see Soko gas out and struggle to get off any of his big shots.
Watch Those Kicks- Sokoudjou loves to throw kicks. He'll kick your legs, body and head, and every single one of those will hurt. Just ask Kaz Nakamura, those leg kicks really add up. He also likes to set-up some sick combinations with those kicks. That's how he stunned little Nog.
Stay Off Your Back- Seems obvious right? But I can't stress this enough. Sokoudjou is one of the best Judo practitioners in MMA and he's more than capable of getting a fight to the ground. But once there, he is relentless. He will look to finish as soon as the first back hair of his opponent hits the canvas.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Known simply as Sokoudjou, this 25 year old Judo practitioner was once considered on his way to a UFC title. This coming after back-to-back knockout wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. He was considered an underdog in both bouts, but proved otherwise with his dominance.

With a record of 7-4 with wins over the aforementioned fighters plus the gargantuan Bob Sapp and Jan Nortje in his last two fights, Sokoudjou is determined to climb back into the Light-Heavyweight top ten.

Holding an extensive background in Judo including a US Open championship back in 2001, you wouldn't expect him to have hands that may or may not be made of stone (I'm leaning towards the former).

But Sokoudjou has one major flaw, his cardio. He was exposed by Lyoto Machida and Luiz Cane while in the UFC, and since then he has yet to prove himself in the cardiovascular department. Hopefully, for his sake, Soko has made that a focal point in his training lately.

Keys To Victory

Go With What You Know- You are an expert at Judo, why not try it sometime? With a history of dominance once on top of his opponent, you'd think he'd try to get that position more often. Gegard has the better cardio and fantastic hands, you don't want to see those first hand.
Bring The Pain- I just told Gegard that you like to kick, don't make me out to be a liar. Throw those kicks out as much as possible. Make him hesitant to come into the pocket, because if he gets comfortable, get ready to eat some leather.
Relax- Don't burn yourself out. Usually I'll tell guys with bad cardio to try and finish their opponent early, but being that you've never submitted anyone, and Gegards only been finish by submission, the odds of you ending this one quickly aren't too good. Pace yourself, maybe you'll pull out a decision.

Prediction

Sokoudjou has looked pretty good in his last two fights. Yes, I know that his opponents weren't exactly top notch, but they were pretty high on the actual food scale. He had good evasion and was even able to take them both to the ground and finish. If this fight ends up on the ground, it could get dangerous for Sokoudjou, but I don't see him getting submitted.

I'll go with the underdog here and say Sokoudjou pulls off a decision victory filled with lots of kicks and lots of boos. Call me crazy, but I see a new Sokoudjou emerging on Saturday.

Breaking Down Strikeforce: Fedor VS Rogers; Antonio Silva VS Fabricio Werdum

Mike Leanza — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:38:51 -0500

All this week, I'll be breaking down Strikeforce: Fedor VS Rogers, fight by fight. Today I'll be focusing on Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum. A fight between the first and last Elite XC Heavyweight champion, and a former top-tier UFC competitor.

Antonio Silva

Antonio "Pezao" Silva is a 6'4 monster with the uncanny ability to both knockout or submit his opponent in any given fight. In fact, in his 14 career fights, Silva has only seen one fight go to decision.

Silva suffers from Acromegaly, a condition that results in the pituitary gland producing an extraordinary amount of growth hormone. He shares this disease with other athletes such as the late Andre The Giant and world champion Boxer Nikolay Valuev, among others. What makes Silva stand out amongst other famous acromegalics is that he is only 6'4".

"Pezao" holds a professional MMA record of 13-1 in 14 fights. While he only holds one real notable victory, a split decision win over Ricco Rodriguez, Silva is not to be overlooked here.

Other than that decision victory, only one of his fights has gone past the first round. Silva is a very dangerous striker, but he has also proved to be a capable submission fighter. With an arm-triangle victory and a rear naked choke in 2007, Silva is showing some promise in the submission realm.

Keys To Victory

Stand Up- Although it may seem obvious, Antonio has got to keep this fights on its feet. He does not want to go to the ground with Fabricio Werdum. Silva is known for his knockout power, hopefully he realizes that.
Size Matters- Silva will have around a 40-pound weight advantage come fight time and is the stronger of the two fighters. He needs to use that as much as possible. If he can't follow the first key and keep this thing standing, he's got use his strength to get back up.
Finish him- He won't be getting a submission win in all likelihood, but Junior Dos Santos showed us that Fabricio has a soft spot for hard punches. Luckily for Antonio, he's got those hard punches. I don't see Antonio winning a decision in this fight, that only leaves one other option.

Fabrico Werdum

Everybody should know who this is. A former elite level competitor in the UFC Heavyweight division, Werdum was a fighter that a lot of people saw as the heir to the Heavyweight throne. That was until Junior Dos Santos punched Werdum right out of the UFC.

Since that fight in October 2008, Werdum has fought just once. In his Strikeforce debut back in August, Werdum submitted Mike Kyle early in the first round. It was his seventh submission victory in just 17 fights.

In those 17 fights, Werdum has acquired an impressive 12-4-1 record. With wins over Brandon Vera, Gabriel Gonzaga (twice), Aleks Emelianenko, and Alistair Overeem, Werdum has more than proved himself as a top Heavyweight.

He finished all of the men listed above, as well as numerous others. Adding to his already very impressive credentials, Fabricio is a world renowned grappling competitor.

He has won numerous grappling competitions, defeating countless MMA stars in the process. Names such as Rolles and Daniel Gracie, Matt Lindland, Marcio Cruz, Mike Van Arsdale, and Reese Andy have all fallen to Werdum in competition.

While he has never won a professional MMA title, Fabricio is a two time winner of the prestigious ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship.

Keys To Victory

Get Down On The Ground- The exact opposite of what Silva must do, Fabricio should find a way to get this one to the ground. Is it a necessity, not as much as standing is for Silva, but if Werdum wants to make things easier on himself, the mat is his friend.
Time Is Of The Essence - Five times Fabricio Werdum has seen judges scorecards, only once have those cards been read in his favor. Not to say that Werdum can't win a decision, but if I had a history like that, I know I'd be looking to finish.
Don't Underestimate- Too many times have we seen a good fighter get taken down by an inferior opponent. Why? Because they underestimate their opponents ( I'm looking at you GSP). Werdum can't do this here. Silva is good, he can knock you out quickly, just make sure you stay away from those big shots.

Prediction

With the experience and resume of a guy like Fabricio Werdum, it's pretty hard to deny him a fight against a guy like Antonio Silva. If Werdum can avoid the big shots, expect him to use his far superior grappling skills to get Silva to the ground and submit him early on.

Herschel Walker: From Hall of Fame to Fighting in a Cage

Mike Leanza — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:02:53 -0400

Just when we were all taking Strikeforce seriously, Scott Coker does this. He signs 47-year-old football legend Herschel Walker to fight for his MMA organization. One question Scott: why?

Strikeforce is too big and too popular to be pulling these publicity stunts, because that's all this is. Prove me wrong.

What's Herschel Walker's MMA record? Zero wins, zero losses, with no draws. The guy has never once stepped inside of a cage. What makes Scott Coker, or Herschel for that matter, think that he can start an MMA career at this time.

I'm not trying to knock Herschel here. I know full well his accomplishments on the gridiron. I know very well that age is just a number. I also know that just because somebody is 47, that doesn't mean they can't fight—*cough cough Randy Couture*.

But I also know that Herschel Walker is not Randy Couture. How do I know that? Because nobody is Randy Couture. What happened to the last over-40-year-old sports legend that decided to test the MMA waters? He got beat down by a seven-foot behemoth.

Luckily for Herschel, their are no seven-foot behemoths in Strikeforce, so he is safe there.

Reports say that Herschel doesn't plan on fighting until 2010. That means he could very well be 48 by the time he fights his first MMA fight. Sounds great, Scott.

Before I come off looking like a dream crusher, I want everyone to know that I wish Herschel all the best. I would love nothing more than for him to prove me and all the other naysayers wrong and knockout his first opponent.

He made a very good choice when he chose the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy to train at. With great wrestlers like Josh Koscheck and known strikers like Cung Le, Herschel will make all the best of his reported 12-week program with the camp.

Walker, when he fights, will be competing in the Strikeforce Heavyweight division. It is unknown when or who he will be fighting, but I'm sure Strikeforce will give him an easier fight.

The only problem is, no matter who his opponent is, I'm sure that guy has been training longer and harder and has more need to win.

Herschel doesnt' need this. We all know who Herschel Walker is. We all know his accomplishments. 1982 Heisman winner, USFL MVP, 1999 College Football Hall of Fame inductee.

He is regarded as on of the top college running backs of all time. Why risk your sports reputation by stepping into a cage?

I hope he doesn't take this sport lightly. I pray he doesn't underestimate the time and commitment needed to become a true fighter. If he does, he's going to get hurt, bad.

Let's just hope Yves Lavigne is the referee, that way the fight will be stopped as soon as Herschel gets hit too hard.

Good luck Herschel, you're going to need it.

Strikeforce Carano VS Cyborg: What Happens Next?

Mike Leanza — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:09:17 -0400

Last night, over 13,000 fans jam-packed the HP Pavillion Center in San Jose, CA. They witnessed a night of quick fights and explosive knockouts. From the speedy dismantling of Renato Sobral, courtesy Gegard Mousasi, to the three round wrestling war between Jay Hieron and Jesse Taylor.

The atmosphere was electric when Gilbert Melendez was able to TKO Mitsuhiro Ishida and Fabricio Werdum was able to submit Mike Pyle. That electricity turned to shock when Cyborg Santos took the women's face of MMA and bashed it repeatedly until a referee stepped in.

The fans were at a loss for words as they had just witnessed Gina Carano lose for the very first time.

Now that all the fights have been decided, you have to wonder what is next for all these fighters.

Will Nick Diaz be able to stop Jay Hieron?

Jay Hieron was all set to fight Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight title. Too bad Nick Diaz still doesn't seem to know the rules. Nick decided to pull out right before his drug test opting not to take the test and hopefully skip out on a possible suspension.

Not a bad choice for Diaz, but the fans expected more. Hieron was ready for a fight. Instead what he got was a wrestling match with former Ultimate Fighter competitor Jesse Taylor.

Hieron is ready for Diaz. That's the fight he wants, and according to Scott Coker that is the fight he will get. Diaz will pose a major threat to Hieron who loves to take it to the ground. Diaz is known for his Cesar Gracie trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu but he also has exceptional stand up.

With those combined skills Diaz should pose a challenge to anybody that steps in his path. Nick has to earn back the fans he lost, what better way than to take out Hieron.

How will the Heavyweight Tournament begin?

Fabricio Werdum looked very good and very calm in his fight the with the heavy fisted Mike Kyle. He didn't take too much damage and should be able to fight whenever Scott Coker needs him.

Fedor should make his Strikeforce debut in November but nobody knows who he'll be fighting. Overeem is set to defend his Heavyweight belt on the October card, but who will he fight?

The most sensible option would have Overeem fight Werdum as that is the fight that was supposed to happen on Saturday. Werdums fight was a quick one and he should be ready to fight as quickly as possible.

That would pit Brett Rogers against Fedor Emelienenko. I asked Brett if he feared the best Heavyweight in the world. He just looked at me and said "Why should I be scared?". The man fears absolutely nothing, and why should he? He just KO'd Andrei Arlvoski in 22 seconds.

Gilbert wants Thomson, does Thomson want Gilbert?

The question has to be asked. Gilbert Melendez looked fantastic in his third round TKO of Mitsuhiro Ishida. He looked on his game and ready for absolutely any lightweight that gets inside the cage with him. Josh Thomson was ringside for the fight, a fight that he was set to be in the cage for.

The last time those two faced off it was for the the Strikeforce lightweight title. A title that at that time belonged solely to Melendez. Thomson took a convincing five round decision. Since that night Thomson has fought only once, a non-title bout against Ashe Bowman.

Gilbert wants nothing more than to unify the lightweight title. He doesn't want the title of interim lightweight champion. But to do that he must avenge his loss to Thomson. If I were Thomson, I might be a bit afraid of the Gilbert that showed up Saturday.

Who can stop Gegard Mousasi?

Renato Sobral certainly couldn't do it. Gegard Mousasi came into this fight on a 12 fight win streak. He had just defeated Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Melvin Manhoef in the same night to be crowned the DREAM Middleweight champion.

Not stopping there, he decided to enter the Superhulk tournament and was able to submit the 280 pound Mark Hunt in just over a minute.

Mousasi has shown the ability to win at any level. He is the DREAM Middleweight Champion, the Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight Champion, and at the post-fight press conference he stated that in two or three years he would move up and fight at Heavyweight.

Is Gegard Mousasi the second coming of Anderson Silva? He, like Anderson Silva, suffered losses early in his career, but since then both have been absolutely unstoppable. Both have the capability to win handily at any weight class. Then again, only Mousasi has two belts in two different weight classes.

When asked at the press conference about possible challengers to Gegards belt, Scott Coker seemed at a loss. He didn't seem to be able to name a competent opponent, or any opponent at all for that matter. Strikeforce doesn't have much to offer at Light-Heavyweight, but they need to start stocking up.

Whats next for the Ladies?

With the announcement of women's tournaments under the Strikeforce banner, one has to wonder who stands a chance against the reigning women's champ Cyborg Santos.

At 145 there aren't too many to choose from. Their's Erin Toughill, former professional boxer who once fought Leila Ali. She has put together an impressive 10-2-1 record and is considered one of the best woman fighters out there. She was also on American Gladiators alongside Gina Carano.

Kelly Kobold is a name people may recognize as she fought Gina Carano at Elite XC: Heat. She hasn't fought since then, but now that there is an actual prize to gun for as a woman, she may want to get her name out there.

In all actuality, no woman really stands much of a chance against Cyborg. She proved last night that she was head and shoulders above all the competition. She may even have on argument to be considered for pound for pound lists.

Yes, a woman ranked as a top pound-for-pound fighter. Just more proof of the huge strides MMA has made since it's start.

Strikeforce Carano VS Cyborg Live Color Commentary Blog

Mike Leanza — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:42:04 -0400

9:50 MMA legend Royce Gracie is in attendance tonight. He is being swamped with fans trying to get their picture taken with the BJJ master.

Cung Le, Brett Rogers, and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson are also here. Cung was swarmed by fans as well, one of which was myself. Brett and "Rumble" have kept pretty low profiles for guys that are right next to the ring.

Also saw Jay Hieron earlier tonight in the back doing quick sprints. He looks pretty laid back for a guy that will be fighting in about an hour.

Josh Koscheck was also in attendance cornering for protege Justin Wilcox who grinded out a convincing win tonight.

With the preliminary card over with the fans are really starting to fill out the HP Pavillion Center.

Jesse Taylor just came out. Absolutley nobody here noticed it until he was three quearters of the way down the ramp. It was the complete opposite for Jay Hieron who got alot of love from the crowd.

10:00 The crowd is very love-hate tonight. Alot of boos rained in to start the Hieron-Taylor fight. Midway through they were cheering until more wrestling brought in more boos.

10:05 "Rob and Big" star Big Black just took a seat cageside. He's here with his friend Bam Bam. They were noticed pretty easily.

10:10 The crowd isn't really too into this fight. A few pops here and there but mostly booing. Jesse Taylor isn't getting much love, he got no crowd reaction after taking Hieron to the ground.

10:15 The fight just ended to the sound of the entire arena screaming their displeasure in the form of boos. All the judges scored the fight 30-27 for Jay Hieron. The crowd doesn't care as most of them were on there way to the concession stands.

10:20 Lots of love for Lightweight champion Josh Thompson who is sitting ringside. Josh had to pull out of his fight tonight after re-injuring himself in training.

Jay Hieron just walked by the media table. He looked really unhappy with his performance but recieved alot love from the same crowd that just booed him.

10:25 Andrei Arlovski is looking very dapper tonight. He is taking plenty of pictures with a large array of fans. Mostly very attractive women. They don't seem to care that the last time he was in the same arena as Brett Rogers he got knocked unconcious.

10:35 Urijah Faber is now here. A huge line formed just to get a picture with him. It was also just announced that we are now officially live on Showtime. That got the biggest pop from the crowd all night.

A live shot of Gina Carano backstage got a big pop as well. Then the live shot switched to Cyborg and you wouldn't believe the hatred this crowd has for her.

10:45 The crowd is now buzzing and there isn't a single empty seat in here. Kevin Randleman was just spotted taking pictures with the crowd. Alot of love for Werdum and Kyle. Werdum wins a quick one with a textbook guillotine that forces the Kyle to tap. Werdum says he loves America and the crowd loves it.

10:55 Fabricio Werdum just made his way to the locker room. He looked extremely happy even stopping to shake hands with a fan.

11:10 The atmosphere here is insane. Every small move gains a reaction. A far cry from the undercard crowd. Melendez and Ishida are getting an insane amount of cheers. Both look great and are putting on a show for the live crowd.

11:20 The crowd is electric right now after a terrific performance by Gilbert Melendez. Gilbert looks more than ready to unify the Lightweight title when he fights Josh Thompson later this year.

11:30 Gilbert Melendez is really pumped up after his win. He just ran by the media table high-fiving anybody with their hand out. Nate Diaz made a came appearance following close behind Gilbert without acknowledging anyone.

11:45 Babalu just got some laughs from the crowd with that entrance. He's got a mixed reaction from the crowd.

11:55 Babalu just got TKO'd and the fans are really letting him know it. Gegard is really pumped as he walks by the media table. He's stopping for photo-ops with his new title and giving people high-fives.

12:20 Absolutely everybody is ready for Cyborg VS Carano. All are on their feet with cameras flashing as Gina makes her way to the ring. Everybody stayed on their feet for Cyborg, but only to boo her as loudly as possible.

12:30 The fans seemed shellshocked right now. They can not believe they have just witnessed Gina Carano's first loss. People still booing as Cyborg speaks on her win.

A Bleacher Report Exclusive Interview With Cung Le

Mike Leanza — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:53:10 -0400

Cung Le, the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion has been taking time off away from the ring to pursue an acting career and heal injuries. He's been gone for over a year now and his fans are starting to wonder what he's been doing.

Not only has he been acting, but he's been immortalized as an action figure by Round 5 and he's even been training. When will he return to the Strikeforce cage? Read on in my exclusive one-on-one interview with Cung Le.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- First off, I'd like to thank you for giving me the time to interview you today.

Cung Le- No problem man. Its my pleasure.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- So one of the reasons I'm interviewing you today is because you just had an action figure released of you by Round 5. Explain what that experience was like.

Cung Le- The whole experience of having your own action figure is an amazing experience. From taking the detailed pictures 360 degrees of your body, the first moldings and the second moldings and then finally to have the action figure, to see it in the packaging and then to open the packaging when you get the action figure, its just amazing.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- What does it mean to you to have an action figure done by Round 5, they've made figures of guys like Randy Couture, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and now you. What does that mean to you?

Cung Le- It means alot to me. It means all the hard work that I've put in, y'know I've only got six MMA fights. Alot people only know about my MMA fights, but I've been fighting since 1998. Sanshou Kickboxing, its a really good feeling.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- Yea, you haven't been in the mixed-martial-arts game that long. What was it like to get the call from the people at Round 5 to be immortalized into an action figure? What was your first reaction to that?

Cung Le- I'm just so grateful, so thankful and its almost like.... you don't even have the right words for it, you're just in shock.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- How much input did you have, you had two figures done, right?

Cung Le- I mean, they made a limited edition one with the shorts, y'know a matching action figure with just the shorts. The other one was black shorts with gold and the red stripes. It was just amazing.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- Since taking a break from MMA you've done alot of things. You've had an action figure made, you've worked on a lot of movies. What was this break from MMA to pursue movies like?

Cung Le- Well, on its given me time to recover my elbow injury that I got before the Frank Shamrock fight, and two I've done five movies in the last two years. They're all starting to come out now. I've got a big movie coming out called "Pandorum", it's going to be big.

Everyone likes movies, everyone likes action and guessing whats going to come next but caan't figure it out. It's one of those movies. Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, its one of those psychological thrillers with action and horro and sci-fi. For me to be on set for two and a half months with actors like Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster was priceless.

Just to be apart of a movie with a great director, Christian Alvert, producers like Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer it was like going to school and getting paid. Next thing you know you've got a movie coming out and you've got the experience, it was amazing.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You've made such a big transition from MMA to movies, you had your first major U.S. movie come out this year with "Fighting", and you were just talking about "Pandorum", can we get a little preview of "Tekken" which also comes out this year?

Cung Le- Tekken is about one of the most popular fighting video games out there. I play Marshall Law another popular character. The main character is Jin and if you play Tekken you know all the characters. I got a chance to fight in the movie, do a little Marshall Law stuff and I'm just grateful to be in the history book as Marshall Law in the movie. I got my action figure, I got Tekken, and pretty soon I've got an MMA game coming out. Im apart of that too.

What a ride it has been ever since I started MMA, I want t thank Javier Mendez again because if it wasn't for him talking me into doing MMA, I would never have gotten the chance to do all of this. And Scott Coker for promoting the fights, its definitely been one of those amazing rides but at the same time I've had alot of injuries in MMA more than I would have in Sanshou Kickboxing so it's been one of the toughest sports out there, ever.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You said you were working on a video game, you're also in a movie based in a video game with Tekken, do you play video games?

Cung Le- Im a big video gamer, I'm more of a first person shooter, maybe a little bit of fight games. I used to play alot but then my eight year old son started beating me at the games, so I just run out to the first person shooter (Laughs).

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- What do your sons think of you being immortalized into an action figure and being in the movie Tekken?

Cung Le- My sons aren't too keen on Tekken yet until it comes out. I gave them the action figures figuring they'd rip'em apart playing with it, but they were pretty careful with it so I'm content that they're not ripping my head off (Laughs). They make my action figure fight their G.I. Joe action figure of my buddy Channing Tatum. It's great.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You've been doing alot of fighting in movies, have you been training at all?

Cung Le- I always train. Whenever I get the chance, it's apart of my life. I train all the time I just haven't been able to do alot of sparring and grappling. At the same time, I realize that when I'm on the movie set I have to stay in shape but also perform at a high level so I can represent myself. I'm the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, I don't want people going out there thinking that I can't act, I work hard on it. I think everybody will get a chance to critique my acting skills against Ben Foster come September 19th.

Bens one of the best actors and I had to be on par and up to that level to hold that screen with him.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You've been doing all of this fight stuff in the movies, when can we expect you back fighting for real?

Cung Le- Well, I've talked to Scott Coker and he said once he squares away his deal with CBS he wants to get me back in there. I'm alot more healthy now, my elbow is maybe 80%, give me a motive and if I'm not filming a massive big project, I'll get right back in there. I'll start doing triple-workout days and give it all of I've got and fight to the best of my ability.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- What do you think is the biggest obligation for you? Is it fighting and defending your title, or is it acting?

Cung Le- My biggest obligation is putting food on the table for my family. I've got two young boys, my beautiful wife, and they're my first obligation. I can't fight forever, but I love to fight. I've got a couple more fights in me but at the same time what am I going to do after I'm done fighting? I've got to secure something to fall back on when I'm done. I'm not done fighting yet.

I've already talked to Scott and if I'm not being active in fighting because of a movie I'll just have to vacate my belt. But if I get the oppurtunity then I'll get right back in there and fight.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You said you're not sure how much longer you have. With the age factor, the amount of injuries you've sustained, how much longer do you think you and compete and contend in the fight game?

Cung Le- I dont know. I take really good care of my body, I've just had a few bad runs with the elbow injuries. Actually, after I got my right hamstring fixed up it's even better than it was before I got it injured. I just got to be grateful for that. With the elbow, at one point I couldn't even brush my teeth with that arm so now its about 80% and I'm using it. I'm just grateful I can wake up every day and be who I am.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- I'm sure you've probably heard this already but Jake Shields was offered a fight later this year for the interim middleweight championship. When asked about you he said it was "retarted" that you hadn't been stripped of the title. Any thoughts on that?

Cung Le- I don't have any thoughts on it. I don't blame Jake or anyone that feels that way. If they were in my position I'm sure they'd get the same comments. Obviously they don't have the opportunities that I have and I'm not mad at them at all. I feel bad. I said if eventually I don't defend my title than I'll have to vacate the title. It's not fair for other fighters not to be able to fight for the title.

I'm just striking while the iron is hot. I guarantee that 99.9% of the fighters out there would be doing the same thing. I love fighting and if I can fight forever than I'll fight forever.

The pay in MMA has gotten alot better but at the same time movies pay well too. And in the movies down the road when a movie comes out your get royalty checks every quarter. That doesn't happen in fighting.

I love fighting but I can't do it forever. I still have fights left in me and when the time comes I'll be back in the cage. In the meantime, Strikeforce only acquired Jake's contract this year. He's only fought one time.

Yeah, he got a great win but I've been with Strikeforce since the beginning. I have six fights with Strikeforce. I was there in the kickboxing days and when Scott Coker needs me to step up, I step up.

I don't mind what anybody says. It's probably retarted to Jake but if he were in my shoes right now, he'd be doing the same thing.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- Jake's opponent hasn't been named yet but is there anybody out there that you think is deserving or that you'd like to fight later down the road?

Cung Le- I heard that he might be fighting the runner-up in DREAM Jacare Souza. Jake's going to get his shot at the interim title. I want to just apologize to all the fans and the fighters out there. But again, if anybody else was put in my position, they'd be doing the same thing.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- You've been gone for over a year now, do you fear any ring rust might spoil your return later down the road?

Cung Le- I guarantee there will be a little bit of ring rust. I haven't been training like a fighter but I have been training. I get my sparring in here and there and time Josh Thompson comes in he sees me training but it's not the same when your not training for a fight. You just get in a different zone.

I just have to make sure when I come back that I'm ready to defend the title or whatever the case is. If I'm not ready than I won't do it. I'm not a fighter that will just jump in there. I want to do it when I'm ready because I'm the one fighting.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- Strikeforce Carano vs. Cyborg is Saturday night. Do you have any predictions?

Cung Le- My prediction is that it's going to be one hell of a fight. When the smoke clears the fighter that trained harder and worked harder will come out the winner.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- Are you close with any of the fighters on the card? Anybody from your camp?

Cung Le- I've got two fighters on the card from my gym Universal Strength. I've got James Terry and I've got Isaiah Hill. They're both on the undercard. Other than that, I'm close to Josh Thompson but he re-injured himself again. I told him in the first place that it was too early to come back.

This is why I think about my future alot because when Josh Thompson got injured the first time he missed out on a big payday. He came back, it's been close to a year now and he's missing out on alot of income.

I feel bad for Josh, there are people out there bashing Josh saying they should strip hm too, but he's really trying. He works hard. I told him an injury like that needs more time. Why go in there and take a risk and seriously hurt yourself? MMA isn't an ordinary sport. You can really get injured.

Mike Leanza (Bleacher Report)- I wish you all the best with your movie career, your return to the cage, and your new marriage. I want to thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions today.

Cung Le- Thank you for this interview. If it wasn't for you, all the reporters, and all the media nobody would know about me. For all the fans that support me, even the ones that don't support me, if you throw my name out there, any press is good press.

Thank you to all the fans, the media, my sponsors ADX, Throwdown, BR Flooring, Zebra Mats and my promoters Scott Coker, Strikeforce, Showtime and my trainer Javier Mendez. Thank you.

Have Fan Expectations Ruined Forrest Griffin?

Mike Leanza — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:52:27 -0400

By now we all know. We all either saw, heard, or read that one of, if not the most, popular fighters in the world was dismantled by the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

Last night at UFC 101 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Forrest Griffin became yet another notch in middleweight king Anderson Silva's belt.

Forrest was deemed the toughest challenge of Anderson's career according to not only fans and experts, but by the UFC 101 poster as well. Forrest, known for his scrappy ethic and Rocky Balboa caliber heart, was supposed to force Anderson Silva into a real fight.

That didn't happen.

Instead, what we saw was one of the most heart wrenching and embarrassing performances in UFC history. Forrest taunted, punched, and eventually knocked out. But that wasn't the embarrassing part.

For the first time ever, we saw Forrest lack any kind of killer instinct. We didn't see that dogfighting mentality. The worst part of all, Forrest seemed to have lost all confidence in himself.

The end of the fight saw Forrest run into a punch and fall backwards to the mat. Forrest wasn't out, but his heart was crushed. At that point, he looked to have waved his arms as if to quit.

I was in shock. Everyone was. We had just seen the biggest heart in all of MMA break.

Forrest would run out of the ring in apparent embarrassment. He was then taken to a local hospital due to a dislocated jaw and hearing loss in one of his ears.

Being crushed in minutes, leaving without offering any sort of sentiment to the crowd, and not even attending the post-event press conference. That's not the Forrest Griffin we know.

All night all that could run through my head was the image of Forrest being humiliated. The in-ring taunting from Anderson Silva, the backwards running punch that ended the fight, and the udder disappointment in Forrest's performance.

That's when I started thinking.

Forrest was known as the fan favorite ever since winning TUF 1. Then he started showing real signs of potential greatness when he went all three rounds with Tito Ortiz. The fans were recognizing his talent.

He would go on to submit Shogun Rua. That's when he earned his title shot. He was set to fight Rampage Jackson. Nobody gave him a chance, just like his previous fight against Shogun.

Forrest had built up a reputation of being a feisty underdog that nobody really gave a chance, but contained the ability to shock the world.

Shock the world he did. He beat Rampage and became the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion. Call it crazy, but that is the reason why Forrest has lost his last two fights.

At that point, everybody started thinking that Forrest was the best out there, and for good reason. He was the champ. The only bad thing was that Forrest started thinking that too.

Everyone expected him to win all of his fights, and in doing so, put on a show. He doesn't have the luxury of being a fighter like Sean Sherk. See, people expect Sean Sherk to win in a boring way. We expect to see lay and pray and a unanimous decision.

Forrest Griffin is the complete opposite. We have all been spoiled by Forrest. We're all used to seeing him come out and get stronger and stronger as the fight goes on. At the same time, we expect him to win Fight of The Night.

Forrest now has the mentality that he needs to win. He believes that he's got to put on a show and win the fight. He cares more about the fans than he cares about his own safety.

For that, I thank Forrest. But I only thank him as a fan. As a die-hard lover of the sport and a guy that loves to see fighters put their best foot forward and win in any way, I absolutely hate what Forrest has become.

Don't get the wrong idea here. Forrest is still a fan favorite and always will be. I, along with everybody else, want to see Forrest succeed, but Forrest needs to seriously re-evaluate himself.

Forrest is a talented fighter. He is easily one of the best out there and is definitely a championship caliber fighter. What Forrest needs to do, is take a little time off and find himself. He needs to find a time-machine and re-locate the guy that beat Rampage Jackson. That Forrest, has the ability to beat just about anybody in the business.

Forrest just fought the best in the world, and lost. He shoudln't be ashamed. Fighters like Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson who are absolute legends of the sport have all suffered the same fate.

We the fans need to cut Forrest some slack as well. I hate seeing people bash this guy because of last nights performance. He was outclassed, that's all it was. Have faith in Forrest, he'll be back, and he'll have a brand new frame of mind. One that could eventually lead to another title fight.

Strikeforce Adds Affliction's Co-Main Event to its August 15 card

Mike Leanza — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:12:46 -0400

Earlier this afternoon, Strikeforce issued a press release stating that Renato Sobral would defend his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title against Gegard Mousasi. If this fight sounds familiar, that's because it was supposed serve as Co-Main Event at Affliction:Trilogy this past weekend. Due to the cancellation of the card, and Affliction officially closing its doors, this intriguing fight was left without a place to happen.

Luckily for the hardcore fans, at least one of Affliction's cancelled bouts will indeed happen. Many questioned if the Strikeforce-Affliction partnership would mean Strikeforce picking up the scraps of the depleted organization—as it did with Elite XC—and that question has been answered.

This leads to speculation that other fights or fighters may be picked up as well. Fabricio Werdum is currently without a dance partner for his Heavyweight fight at Strikeforce: Carano VS Cyborg. Could we see Gilbert Yvel or Paul Buentello join him inside the six-sided Strikeforce cage?

Nick Diaz lost his August 15th opponent when Joe Riggs was forced to pull out after an extended hospital stay for a still unknown reason. Jay Hieron and Paul Daley were set to fight each other at Affliction. Could Diaz find an opponent in one of these foes so Strikeforce can finally crown a Welterweight Champion?

All should be answered in the next week or so. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report to find out the latest.

Strikeforce Carano VS Cyborg Loses Another Title Fight

Mike Leanza — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:17:43 -0400

According to MMAjunkie.com Nick Diaz Vs Joe "Diesel" Riggs has been scratched from the August 15th Strikeforce card.

This fight was set to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight champion, and was originally one of three title fights on the card.

Riggs reportedly had an extended hospital stay to what has been called a "bad reaction to an as of yet undisclosed drug". This fight was a chance for the red hot Diaz to get revenge for a Unanimous Decision loss in 2006 for the UFC.

Strikeforce executive Mike Aframowitz confirmed that a replacement was being searched for and was not able to confirm or deny whether the Welterweight title will still be on the line if a replacement was found.

It was reported and confirmed earlier this week that Alistair Overeem would not be able to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight championship due a recurring hand injury. A replacement is currently being sought to fight Fabricio Werdum at the event.

This is another devastating blow to what could have been a "Card of The Year" candidate.

It has also been a very rough week for the hadrcore MMA fans around the world. Not only have Overeem and Riggs had to back out of title fights, Josh Barnett was forced out of his fight with number one Heavyweight Fedor Emelienenko due to testing positive for steroids.

But that's not all. Affliction:Trilogy, the third monstrous fight card hosted by Affliction, was cancelled all together. This leaves big names like Fedor, Renato Sobral, Gegard Mousasi, Jorge Santiago, and many others without a fight and keeps them out of the public eye.

But wait, theres more. Affliction has decided to close its doors and completely stop promoting fights all together. They will instead become clothing sponsors for the UFC.

It is still unknown what will happen with the plethora of stars Affliction had under contract, but if the MMA Gods are reading this, please bring Fedor to the UFC. It's the least you can do to make up for all these cancellations.

Alistair Overeem Out of Strikeforce Carano Vs. Cyborg With Hand Injury

Mike Leanza — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:55:51 -0400

Earlier today Strikeforce issued a press release revealing that Allistair Overeem has re-injured his hand and will not be able to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight championship against former UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum.

Overeem (29-11-1) is considered by most to be among the top Heavyweights in the world. By defeating Paul Buentello in 2007, Overeem became the first Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion. He has fought four times since then but has yet to defend his Strikeforce title.

Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) was once thought to be a possible heir to the UFC Heavyweight throne. By defeating Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera by TKO in consecutive victories, Werdum established a spot near the top of the Heavyweight ladder. But after receiving a devastating uppercut KO at the hands of Junior Dos Santos, Werdum fell off the face of the MMA world.

This match was supposed to be Overeem's first Strikeforce title defense, while also being Werdum's Strikeforce debut.

A replacement for Overeem will be determined soon as to not scratch the entire fight off of the card. With less than a month left until the event, whoever takes this challenge could be at an extreme disadvantage.

While I have no real inkling of who will be put in the spotlight at August 15, I will wager a guess or two.

With such a small roster of fighters, Strikeforce will not have many Heavyweights to choose from.

Paul Buentello is already signed on for a fight against Gilbert Yvel at Affliction:Trilogy. Consider him out of the running.

Bob Sapp is coming off of an embarrassing loss to Bobby Lashley in a fight which he mounted absolutely no offense. Yet with no upcoming fights and Strikeforce in a pinch, he may be an option.

The most likely and most marketable fight would see Brett Rogers come in and prove himself yet again against a top heavyweight. Rogers last fought June 6 in a 22-second KO victory over Andrei Arlovski. A fight between Werdum and Rogers would be huge for Strikeforce, as a win for Rogers would setup a future fight with Overeem.

If Rogers feels ready, taking this fight could be huge. Not to say that he isn't already deserving of a title shot, but a win against Werdum would further solidify him as a major heavyweight threat.

What Does a Tito Ortiz Return Mean for the UFC?

Mike Leanza — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:18:04 -0400

Its being reported that former UFC champion Tito Ortiz has been in serious discussions with Dana White about a possible comeback to the biggest MMA organization in the world.

Both are known for despising each other. The biggest indications of this being Tito sporting a "Dana Is My B***H" t-shirt at his last fight, and Dana pretty much saying he would never re-sign Tito after his last fight.

Apparently "never" means "might" in Dana Whites vocabulary. The reports claim that Dana and Tito have buried the hatchet, a hatchet that has been used by both men against the other.

It would seem absolutely astonishing that two men that hated each other so much for so long would bury the hatchet that easy, but then I remembered that this is Dana White and Tito Ortiz.

Both have an insatiable love of money and attention, and when you put these two men together, they generate a ridiculous amount of both.

UFC 66, which featured Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell in the main event, is the biggest moneymaker in UFC history. With the current tallies of UFC 100, UFC 66 outdid that event by about $300,000.

It could be said that "The Huntington Beach Badboy" was the face of the sport when it was still more of an underground niche sport.

Tito won the UFC Light Heavyweight title by beating Wanderlei Silva at UFC 25 back in 2000. He would defend the title five times before losing it to Randy Couture in 2003.

Tito would prove to be a draw even without the title as he was able to headline UFC 51 against Vitor Belfort and gross $1.5 million for the UFC.

Consider this, Randy Couture made his first title defense against Belfort just two events prior. That event would also have Chuck Liddell on display.

It was outgrossed by $200,000.

Tito is still a major name in MMA. He may not have the same skill at 34 that he had at 25 when he fought Wanderlei, but he can still generate lots of attention.

The biggest question, aside from Tito's skill level at 34 after back surgery, is who will Dana pit against Ortiz.

Will he use Tito as a stepping stone for a promising lesser known fighter like he did with current Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida?

If so, I would recomend Luiz Cane or Jon Jones. Both have proven to have alot of skill, but are having a hard time staying afloat in such a deep Light Heavyweight pool.

Jon Jones is a very exciting newcomer with the ability to end fights at any time and have the crowd applauding all the time. The spinning back elbow he executed, oh so perfectly, against Stephan Bonnar is easily top three coolest things I've seen inside the octagon.

Luiz Cane has only one blemish on his MMA record, a DQ via illigal knee against James Irvin. Other than that mind lapse, Cane has been perfect.

We credit him ousting Sokoudjou from the UFC and for making everybody's top 10 Light Heavyweight lists because of it. He beat Steve Cantwell at UFC 97 and has expressed interst in fighting Rich Franklin. He has definitely earned a big fight, but against who?

What if Dana wants to make big money right off the bat and make a main event out of Titos return? I have two very special men who could make some major cash against Tito.

Lets go back to Rich Franklin. He's coming off of a "Fight of the Night" winner against Wanderlei Silva and is trying to establish himself as a major Light Heavyweight fighter.

As hard as that is to do in such a ridiculously stacked division, but a convincing win against a big name like Ortiz could definitely do the trick. He is currently being rumored as the main event for UFC 103, but he is currently looking for a dance partner.

Last but not least, certainly the biggest moneymaking fight of them all. Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell III. A blast from the UFC's past could still stand to rake in some major cash. Dana White has personally retired Chuck from the sport of MMA, even hastily inducting the legend into the UFC Hall of Fame. Chuck has made no such statement and until then, like Brett Favre, I expect him to return.

Dana has said the following regarding the retirement of Chuck Liddell:

"I care about him. I care about his health, and it's over, man. It's over."

Sounds convincing enough. Then I read further into his statement;

"At the end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long. You're NEVER going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again."

See that never in there? Now, what was that about never resigning Tito Ortiz?

Yeah, that's why I'm so sure we won't be seeing Liddell/Ortiz 3.

From what I've heard, Tito hasn't put pen to paper on this deal yet. And remember, he supposedly signed a four fight deal with Strikeforce after calling out Renato Sobral.

But if this deal does happen, expect to see a lot of hype over his return, a lot of words exchanged between him and his opponent, and I'm sure at least one person will say the name Fedor Emelianenko.

Georges St.Pierre: Is Moving to Middleweight the Best Choice?

Mike Leanza — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:18:55 -0400

Since UFC 100 we've all been bombarded by Brock Lesnar news. What was he thinking in his post fight interview? Who will he fight next? Is Fedor coming to the UFC?

I'll answer those questions right now so we can move on to a much more important, yet completely overshadowed, topic.

What was he thinking? He was still selling the fight and he was just trying to get some more pops out of the crowd. He just went about it the wrong way.

Who is his next opponent? That's already been decided. The winner of the UFC 104 fight between Shane Carwin and Cain Velazquez. So, in my opinion he will get his revenge on Carwin for talking trash because Carwin should KO the glass chinned wrestler.

Will Fedor come to the UFC? As sick of this question as I am, I'll go out on a limb and say yes. Dana gets what Dana wants. He wants Fedor, we want Fedor, and Fedor wants...well, I'm not really sure what Fedor wants, but if he wants to be remembered as the best ever, he needs to fight in the octagon.

Okay, now onto the more important topic. The idea has been tossed around quite a bit as of late. The dream fight between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. As a guy that has expressed interest in this match, I have recently come to ask myself this question.

What is the best thing for Georges?

GSP is easily the best welterweight in the world. There is absolutely no question about that. The UFC has the single most stacked welterweight division in all of MMA. No question about that. But is a move to Middleweight the best choice for GSP? I highly doubt it.

Georges himself has stated that he walks around at 183-184 pounds. For those who do not know, the middleweight division requires you to be 185 pounds, give or take one single pound.

Anderson Silva is the reigning middleweight king. He has been known to walk around at anywhere from 215 to 230 pounds. He'll usually cut about 20-30 pounds depending on what division he is fighting at. Remember, this guy is more than capable of making the light-heavyweight weight requirement of 205 pounds.

So you're probably asking why I am telling you all of this? I mean, if these guys decided to face off at 185, it doesn't matter what their walking weights are, they'll both be 185 pounds come fight time, right?

Wrong. Fighters, when cutting weight, will dehydrate themselves. Being that about 65% of the human body is water, the easiest way to cut weight quickly is to reduce, or completely stall taking in water.

Fighters will sit in saunas, where trash bags that suffocate sweat glands, and partake in cardio exercises in order to reduce the amount of water in the body.

They will then get weighed the day before the fight and immediately start taking in fluids, usually water mixed with electrolytes. One great example of this was Thiago Alves at his UFC 100 weigh-in. Right after stepping off of the scale, a member of his camp gave Thiago a water bottle.

Once restarting fluid intake, a fighter will rapidly put weight back on. Anderson Silva, once done with weigh-ins, could end up approaching 200 pounds. GSP will be nowhere near that.

That's a good 15 pound weight difference. Now, I'm not saying that GSP can't overcome big weight differentials ( I'm sure Thiago Alves weighed much more at the time of their fight), but let's factor in other things.

Anderson Silva is 6'2 with a reach from 77 to 78 inches depending on who you ask. GSP is 5'10 with a reach of 76 inches.

Not to say that GSP has never overcome a reach disadvantage, but he has never had to fight anybody remotely close to the striking ability of Anderson Silva, let alone give up reach to that guy.

Now what if this fight ends up on the ground? We saw GSP relentlessly take Thiago to the ground, who's to say he can't do that to Anderson?

Dan Henderson is the only guy to win a round against Anderson and he did so by taking Anderson down and nullifying Anderson's striking. If GSP can get Anderson to the ground and avoid Anderson's black belt caliber jiu-jitsu, he could beat Anderson.

The only problem with doing so is that it would be very dangerous if he were to shoot for the take-down and fail. Once in Anderson's clinch range, GSP is prone to those devastating knees that have been known to make opponents uglier and turn a man's lights off.

GSP has absolutely nothing to gain from moving to middleweight. If he were to stay at welterweight, he could challenge Matt Hughes' role as the greatest welterweight in the history of MMA. The only Welterweight challenger not in the UFC, Jake Shields, has expressed interests in coming to the UFC. Should he just play the waiting game?

By moving to middleweight, he would risk a loss. What's so bad about that? Ask BJ Penn.

Nobody wants to be a reigning champion that lost his last fight. It would dramatically affect his status as best in the world, and would more than likely affect his fan drawing ability, and I know Dana doesn't want that.

The only way I would recommend this fight to Georges, would be if the fight was held at a catch-weight. Conduct the fight at 177.5 pounds so both men would be 7.5 pounds from their usual fight weight. If catch-weight fights are working for Strikeforce, I don't see why the UFC hasn't tried one. And, no, Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes was not a legitimate fight.

Should the Welterweight King stay atop his throne and wait for a reasonable heir to come and usurp him? Or should said King relinquish his throne, if only for a day, and challenge the Middleweight King for his throne?

I don't have the answer to that question. All I can say is, BJ Penn. We saw what happened when he tried to be the ruler of two kingdoms. Why then, should Georges St. Pierre attempt it?

Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez: An In-Depth Look at the Scoring

Mike Leanza — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:16:29 -0400

The subject of judges scoring has come up thousands of times. Over the years the current Unified Rules of MMA scoring system has been by far the most scrutinized topic of MMA.

Recently, the issue has come back under the microscope. The only difference being that this time people are demanding a change.

The reason for the recent revival of the scoring issue comes due to what some believe to be a controversial decision at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 9. The main event saw Clay Guida and Diego Sanchez in what may very well be a "Fight of The Year" candidate.

Early on Sanchez dominated and even came close to finishing Guida the "Energizer Bunny of MMA" a couple of times.

The first round easily went to Diego due to his dominance. He had take downs, near finishes, and plenty of aggressiveness. The question being asked: "Was that a 10-9 round or 10-8?"

Under the UFC scoring system, a round is scored on effective striking, grappling, aggressiveness, and octagon control. This is combined with the 10-point must system, where the round winner must receive 10 points, the opponent nine or less.

Unfortunately, nothing is divulged on television on the criteria of what earns an eight-point round.

My best guess would be dominance. If somebody is absolutely dominated or mounts no effective offence, they deserve an eight.

The second round many considered to have gone to Guida. He seemingly found a somewhat effective strategy on how to contain Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez.

Guida was able to take Sanchez to the mat and control much of the round. The controversy here being that it seemed like Diego, although on his back, mounted more of an offense with his relentless barrage of elbows.

Clay looked better in this round and was very aggressive, but Diego did much more damage. The blood all over Sanchez would prove to be evidence of this. That blood belonged to Guida.

A lot of people would have scored it an equal 18-18. Reason being that a lot of people, including some judges, won't give out an eight-point round unless a guy pulls a Kalib Starnes and just runs the entire round.

The third round is what really makes this bout a Fight of The Year candidate. Both men slugged it out and both seemed to mount an equal amount of offense. In most minds this round was a draw.

Here's what confuses many people. Due to the introduction to the judging criteria given by Mike Goldberg at the beginning of each broadcast, we assume a 10-10 round can not be given.

That is false.

Take a look at fights such as BJ Penn vs. Caol Uno or Ian Freeman vs. Kevin Randleman. 10-10 rounds were given out. Such a scoring leads to draws.

Here are the three official scorecards:

Judge One: 29-28 Guida

Judge Two: 29-27 Sanchez

Judge Three: 29-28 Sanchez

Take a look at Judge Two. That judge used a 10-10 to score one of the rounds, presumably round three. That's the only way to come up with a score like that.

I assume he scored the rounds 10-8, 9-10, 10-10, in favor of Sanchez.

Had Judge Three been kind to Clay, he would have ended up with a score of 28-28. Under the Unified Rules of MMA that UFC incorporates, if all three judges show different results, the fight is a draw.

There would have been one judge for Sanchez, one for Guida, and one scoring a Draw.

Never has this happened in the UFC.

So what was the right choice? Should this fight have been scored a draw? Was there a clear and evident winner?

Before I end this article, I must give you my scorecard and my reasoning.

I scored the fight 29-27 Sanchez, with the first round scored 10-8 Sanchez.

He showed clear dominance on the feet, and a couple of times put his opponent in a position that would have left a lesser fighter pleading with the referee to stop it.

The second round I gave a 10-9 for Guida.

Clay got the early takedown and dominated the round. He was on top, and although he ate multiple elbows, he was in control and stifled any kind of offense Diego had.

For the third round, I gave out a 10-10.

I thought Clay looked great on his feet and won the striking, while for the second half of the round Diego was better and more effective on the ground.

Sanchez had three submission attempts on the bottom, while Clay did nothing. The epitome of a 10-10.

I must tell you this. During the time spent writing this article, I watched this fight three additional times. I also used the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts for guidance on how to score.

What Happens When One Organization's Best Welterweights Train Together?

Mike Leanza — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:01:44 -0400

March 10, 2006. The HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The first MMA event in Strikeforce history. A previously kickboxing exclusive organization was now delving into the wide open sea of MMA.

It was set to feature the MMA debuts of both Cung Le and Cesar Gracie, while at the same time re-introducing the MMA world to Frank Shamrock.

Le was the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Sanshou Champion and brought an undefeated Sanshou record of 17-0 into the cage against Mike Haltman.

Haltman stood no chance and was easily disposed of in the first round, keeping Le's undefeated record in combat sports alive.

The main event of the evening saw Frank Shamrock make his return to MMA after a three-year hiatus taking on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Cesar Gracie.

Gracie, known mostly for his students Jake Shields and the Diaz brothers, made his MMA debut last only 21 seconds after being KO'd by Shamrock in the first round.

Since then we've had the pleasure of watching Strikeforce become a major player in the MMA world. Cung Le has remained undefeated and won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.

Frank Shamrock has watched his career slowly slip away from him and has lost three of his last five bouts, while finding a niche behind the announcers' table.

Cesar Gracie has not returned to the cage, but he may have been the most successful. He has watched his students Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, and Gilbert Melendez run through their opponents. Diaz and Shields have become two of the most popular stars in the organization.

Earlier this month, Nick Diaz took another step in the direction of elitism. For the second consecutive time, Nick took a catchweight fight with a normally larger opponent.

In April, Nick took on MMA legend Frank Shamrock in a 179-pound catchweight fight. Shamrock, a normally 185-pounder, dropped six pounds to take on a top level 170 pounder.

Shamrock was looking for a name win in order to keep his elite status alive, while Nick was looking for a big-name victory in order to boost his recognition.

Diaz dominated the legend and would continue to take fights against larger opponents. His next fight came earlier this month against Scott Smith.

Smith, known for his incredible comeback knockouts, was looking to continue his two-fight win streak and possibly get another chance at middleweight champ Robbie Lawler.

Unfortunately, Diaz refused to be used as a stepping stone. In what I believe was the single greatest striking performance in MMA history, Diaz landed 192 of his 371 thrown punches for an incredible 52 percent accuracy rating en route to a third-round submission win.

Diaz proved that he is a true threat both on the ground and as a boxer.

Let me ask you this question. Would you rather take down this Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and risk the threat of being submitted, or try and stand toe-to-toe with a guy that is capable of throwing 371 punches in less than three rounds?

I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd reject the fight. Maybe now we can all understand K.J. Noons for ducking this guy.

On that same night we saw another catchweight fight. This one was between Welterweight fighter Jake Shields and Middleweight fighter Robbie Lawler. The two men would meet at 182 pounds.

Many figured that Lawler would be able to use his superior striking and size to keep this fight on its feet and dismantle the BJJ black belt. Those people were wrong.

Although it looked that way for the first minute or so, Jake Shields would use his far superior submission skills to catch Lawler in a tight guillotine choke and force the top ten middleweight to tap out.

A shocking turn of events left Strikeforce in an odd predicament. In a night that saw two welterweights take on two middleweights, both welterweight fighters won.

Whats odd about that? No, it has nothing to do with the size of the fighters. It has to do with who the two winners were.

Both Jake Shields and Nick Diaz are trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by the aforementioned Cesar Gracie. Both men are members of "Scrap Pack."

The "Scrap Pack" is a team of mixed martial artists that include Shields, Nick and Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and David Terrell.

Shields is the captain of the fight crew. But what happens when a fight crew contains the two best welterweights in one organization?

Obviously, Strikeforce can't force these two to fight, and I doubt that Cesar Gracie would approve of these two fighting each other. After all, fight crews are like families, and who better to know about family then a guy with the last name "Gracie."

One obvious solution would see Diaz move up to Middleweight. Diaz has shown that he has what it takes to run through the division, seeing as how he just dominated probably the second- or third-best guy in that division.

One big problem is that Diaz has said that he wants to stay at welterweight and fight at 170. Shields said the same thing. So much for that plan.

The most likely situation would see Jake Shields sign with the UFC when his contract expires. When asked about going to the UFC in an interview with our own Derek Bolender, Jake had this to say:

"That was definitely my No. 1 option. We were just trying to get the contract cleared. We were very ready to go to the UFC. At my weight, that is where the top competition is. I was pushing really hard to go to the UFC."

No doubt this scenario is likely to happen, especially considering Strikeforce really has nothing else to offer in the way of welterweight competition.

The UFC is currently home to nine of the top ten welterweight fighters in the world. The only fighter not fighting in the UFC is Jake Shields, who is ranked No. 4 by Sherdog.

Shields has only fought one of those nine fighters, Carlos Condit. Shields won that fight by decision back in 2006.

If Shields were to leave for the UFC, Diaz would be free to dominate the Strikeforce welterweights and have a long reign as champion.

Until that happens, Strikeforce really can't name a legitimate Welterweight champion. What they can do is continue to put on catchweight dream fights, and that should be enough to keep all of our attention.

My Personal Apology to Lyoto Machida

Mike Leanza — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:12:05 -0400

A couple weeks back, I made a pick.

That pick was that Rashad Evans would retain his Light Heavyweight belt and Lyoto Machida would be exposed as an overhyped sham comparable to Brandon Vera or Gabriel Gonzaga.

I was wrong.

When I did that, I also made a promise that if Machida were to win the belt in a convincing fashion, I would personally write an apology article exposing myself as an idiot for picking against him.

This is that article.

Ever since the Machida hype started, I was a doubter. I have never been a guy that "believes the hype." I refuse to hop onto bandwagons that I was not on in the beginning.

I absolutely hate hype. It is one of my biggest pet peeves.

This is the reason why I hate LeBron James. He, like Machida, is talked about in such a way that makes me gag. They are so hyped that it is like they are the second coming of God and will carry their respective sports to the promised land.

Obviously, both men are fantastic at their sports. But you won't see me rocking a LeBron James jersey and rooting for the Cavaliers next year. I live in South Jersey and will always be a 76ers fan.

I will remain off the Machida bandwagon for these reasons. I was not a believer at first and did not hop on, so I will not play the front runner and jump onto the speeding freight train that is Machida now. There are people out there that claim to be original bandwagoners, and I will quietly laugh and call those fans liars.

Another part of the deal I made was that if Machida won in a convincing fashion, I would quit writing MMA articles for this site. I am a man of my word. Fortunately, I did not claim how long I would quit.

In order for me to feel good about keeping my promise, I will be taking a month-long hiatus.

For all my fans, don't worry; I already have a huge article to make my comeback with. I've been working on it for a while now, and I hope it will earn me my first POTD.

I hope to recruit some of you guys for help with my article, as I don't see it as a one-man job.

You can believe my hype if you wish, but hop on the bandwagon now.

The "Real Reasons" Why You Hate Dana White

Mike Leanza — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:45:51 -0400

Dana White, the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of the most hated figures in all of sports. Like all hated figures, he has his fans, but none of them own a press pass. Even you, you non-pass holder, hate Dana. You don't even know the guy but you just hate him. I know you've asked yourself why. I'm here to tell you exactly why you hate Dana White.

Begin Slideshow

ESPN E:60's Segment on Dana White, Was It Good or Bad?

Mike Leanza — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:48:43 -0400

As most of you probably know, ESPN's E:60 had a special on Dana White tonight. My first thoughts on this special came as soon as I saw the first commercial. I immediately thought "Great, because ESPN hasn't done enough to make sure people don't watch the sport."

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The show was very well put together, and ESPN did a great job of getting as many interviews and opinions as they could get. Guys like Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White, and even Pat Miletich, which I found very surprising.

I figured that they would portray Dana White as a profane, illiterate, psycho that blurts out whatever crazed thought that crosses his mind. And they would have been right to do so considering...

But instead of taking that route, they decided to look at all the good Dana has done, and even let Dana reflect on his comments towards Loretta Hunt. Of course, he still has no regrets pertaining to Loretta, but he did continue to apologize to the Gay and Lesbian community.

We were shown a different side of Dana as well.

Back in the days before the Las Vegas and the UFC, Dana was living in Boston and apart of a pretty dangerous background involving the mob. He says that one day he just got so afraid of the mobsters, that claimed he owed them money, that he just packed a single suitcase and left for Vegas. Leaving all of his other belongings behind.

It was in Las Vegas that Dana was introduced to MMA, and eventually entranced by it. Then of course came the story about how he convinced the Fertittas to buy the UFC, blah blah blah...present day.

Of course terms like "human cockfighting" were used, as well as a ridiculous usage of the Loretta Hunt rant video. And when I say ridiculous, I'm not exaggerating.

That may have been my only problem with the segment. The video was shown probably three or four times, even the most explicit parts, where non-stop beeping is all you can hear, was shown.

It was nice how they allowed Loretta Hunt to speak her piece. She was very professional about it all, especially considering the words/verbal spears Dana chucked at her.

One thing that actually caught me off guard was the usage of fighter interviews, and who they chose. Pat Miletich and Tito Ortiz were the only two fighters chosen, and both had very harsh words pertaining to Dana.

I'm not quite sure why ESPN decided to delve into Dana and Tito's battle over back surgery payment. Quite frankly, it made Dana look very ungrateful. Why they couldn't grab a guy like ESPN.coms MMA Live host Kenny Florian, I don't know. I'm sure Kenny would have said something nice. Hmmm, maybe that's why they didn't interview him.

Now, I must admit, I was a little skeptical about how this thing would turn out. I mean, I've had my fair share of gripes with ESPN and their awful MMA coverage, but this segment definitely looked like a step in the right direction.

It was very professional with seemingly no bias whatsoever. All sides were adequately spoken for, and the UFC was left unscathed. Was this a milestone accomplishment for the UFC? Depends on your view.

If you consider ESPN doing a very well researched and intelligent segment on the UFC a milestone, then by all means mission accomplished.

In my opinion, this E:60 segment was not really a big deal. Nothing positive will come of it, although nothing negative will come either. It won't have any kind of cultural impact, nor will it be remembered as a turning point for the UFC. Hell, it may not even be remembered next week.

All in all, good show and good representation of Dana White and the UFC. It showed Dana for who he is. He is not Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL or David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA. He is Dana White, President of the UFC, and he has no want to be like any other sports authority. People may hate him for it, but others will admire him.

Who Is The Greatest Champion In UFC History?

Mike Leanza — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:29:07 -0400

Lately I've been seeing a trend that I pray will stop, the continuous bashing and questioning of Anderson Silva. Now, I am one of those people that has questioned him, but I haven't written 200 articles about it. Quite frankly, I'm tired of it.

Anderson Silva, no matter what you currently think about him, is one of the greatest champions in UFC history.

It was that last statement that got me wondering.

For the past week or so I've been working my brain and my keyboard to exhaustion trying to find the answer to one question. Who is the greatest champion in UFC history?

Immediately names like Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell sprung into my head. Their dominance with the belt is unparalleled. Then I started really looking into it. Guys like Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, and even Tito Ortiz would pop out of my brain.

But who is number one?

I have compiled a list of the greatest champions in UFC history. The names I have chosen are:

Chuck Liddell- Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion
Matt Hughes- Former UFC Welterweight Champion
Tito Ortiz- Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Royce Gracie- UFC 1, 2, and 4 tournament champion
Anderson Silva- Current UFC Middleweight Champion
Randy Couture- Former UFC Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight Champ
Frank Shamrock- Former UFC Middleweight Champion
Pat Miletich- Former UFC Welterweight Champion

This is how things are going to work. This will be an elimination style tournament. I will use nothing but stats to determine who I eliminate, and who ultimately wins. You can be sure that their is no bias. With that being said, I will make my first elimination.

The first stat I will use for elimination is total title defenses for a career. This means that if a fighter had more than one reign, defenses from all reigns count as one total. The two men with the least defenses will be eliminated.

Chuck Liddell- Four successful defenses

Matt Hughes- Seven successful defense (Two reigns)

Tito Ortiz- Five successful title defenses

Royce Gracie- Never actually defended a title

Anderson Silva- Five successful title defenses

Randy Couture- Three successful title defenses (Five reigns)

Frank Shamrock- Four successful title defenses

Pat Miletich- Four successful title defenses

Unfortunately for two absolute legends, the tournament ends. Royce Gracie never actually won a title meaning that he had nothing to defend. You may be asking "Why was he even in the tournament then?". Answer, because you can't have a UFC legends tournament without Royce Gracie.

Next man gone from the tournament, "Captain America" Randy Couture. I really hate to do this to Randy, especially considering he is one of the all-time great. The guy has won five title in his UFC career, unfortunately, he wasn't very good at defending them. For this, he is gone.

My next subject for elimination, stoppages. Now, for me, I hate watching the lay and pray technique. I know that fighters will do anything to win, but just because you can take a guy down and lay on him, that doesn't make you dominant.

Lets look at the percentage of the total amount of wins that were stoppages for each fighter. Of course, I am only counting stoppages with the title.

Chuck Liddell- 100% of wins were by way of stoppage
Matt Hughes- 81% of wins were by way stoppage
Tito Ortiz- 80% of wins were by way of stoppage
Anderson Silva- 83% of wins were by way of stoppage
Frank Shamrock- 100% of wins were by way of stoppage
Pat Miletich- 75% of wins were by stoppage

I will now eliminate the bottom two.

By just one percentage point, Matt Hughes stays in the tournament. Both Tito Ortiz and Pat Miletich are gone. Obviously, the more defenses you have, the more decisions you could afford without it depleting your percentage, which is the reason why Miletich is gone. He had just one decision, but he only had four defenses.

Tito also had just one fight go to decision, but that one decision cost him.

We are now left with Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Anderson Silva, and the dark horse Frank Shamrock. In all honesty, I did not see Frank Shamrock being in the final four. Can he take it all the way?

Next up on my list of destruction, I mean elimination, combined opponents records. Ah, the all important statistic of opponents records. This will truly separate the men from the boys.

By the way, I will be using the record of opponents at the time of the fight. Anything said opponent accomplished after his bout with the champ is irrelevant.

Chuck Liddell-Combined opponents record of 131-29-5
Matt Hughes-Combined opponents record of 85-11-4
Anderson Silva-Combined opponents record of 96-19-3
Frank Shamrock-Combined opponents record of 102-30-10

FOUL ON THE PLAY!

Both Chuck Liddell and Frank Shamrock have very weighted records. What do I mean by that? Both men fought Jeremy Horn.

For those that don't know who Jeremy Horn is, or don't know his record, the man has fought over 100 times. 104 to be exact.

If I were to subtract his record from Chuck and Franks scores, this would be the result:

Chuck Liddell-Combined opponents record of 55-20
Frank Shamrock-Combined opponents record of 22-11-5

What do I do about this? Obviously this will cause at least one casualty, that casualty will be Frank Shamrock. He had a great run, but the guys he fought other than Horn, two of them I've never heard of, and the other is Tito Ortiz.

After about 20 minutes of deliberation, I have decided to eliminate Chuck as well. Don't get me wrong here, Chuck beat some great fighters. Renato Sobral, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, the man has taken down some serious talent. But it just wasn't enough. Anderson Silva has a much better opponents record, and Matt Hughes took down more, better fighters.

The Finals

Anderson Silva VS Matt Hughes

Anderson has put together the longest win streak in UFC history, and has done so with a belt wrapped comfortably around his waist. Maybe now all the Silva bashing can stop. Statistics can do that.

Matt Hughes. What can I say? I, personally, don't like the guy. But personality aside, he is the greatest welterweight in not only UFC history (so far) but the best welterweight in MMA history (so far).

How do I determine a winner? I figured that being these men are two weight classes apart, they have no common opponents. I was wrong.

These men have two fighters that they have both fought. Carlos Newton and Hayato Sakurai.

Anderson Silva KO'd Newton with a flying knee while Hughes KO'd Newton with a powerbomb in their first fight and won by TKO in their second.

With "Mach" Sakurai, Anderson beat him by unanimous decision, and Matt Hughes beat him by fourth round TKO.

As much as I want to use this statistic (one that would give Hughes the win with a 3-0 record over a 2-0 record of Silva), I can't. Why?

While Hughes fought both Newton and "Mach" for the title, Anderson did not. Being that this is a greatest champion tournament, I can't use Anderson's non-title fights.

20 Minute Research Break

It took me a while, but I have come up with a way to determine the greatest UFC champion. Average cage time while champion.

A short cage time is the epitome of a dominant fight. So what are the average cage times of these fighters?

Anderson Silva's average cage while champion is 11:09. That is a little more than two rounds per fight. Is it possible that a wrestler could have an average cage time that is less than that?

The average cage time of Matt Hughes is..... only about one minute off of Anderson Silvas. His cage time came in at a very surprising 12:07. I expected it to be way higher for some reason.

That last stat makes Anderson Silva the greatest champion in UFC history. Better than Tito Ortiz, Frank Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Chuck Liddell, and Matt Hughes.

Honestly, I always thought Matt Hughes was the greatest, but statistically speaking, Anderson Silva is the greatest champion in UFC history. With five title defenses, an 83% finish rate, a combined opponents record while champion at 96-19-3 and an average cage time of just 11 minutes and nine seconds, their is no longer any argument.

Can You Guess Who I am? 5.0

Mike Leanza — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:10 -0400

I've decides to change things up a bit. I'm going to try a slide show this time and see how you guys like it. Just tell me which version you prefer when you take your guesses in the post column. Ground rules are the same: 1. I'll give five clues each accompanied by a picture. As soon as you know who it is, leave your answer in the comments section. Also, leave the slide number that made you certain your answer was correct. Be honest. If you don't know, tell me you don't know. 2. In the interest of fairness, use your own knowledge. No Wikipedia, no Sherdog or any other search engine or means of cheating. 3. If someone has already taken your answer, just agree with them in a response. And if you see somebody has already commented, do not scroll down and look. Come up with your own answer, don't be ashamed of being wrong.

Begin Slideshow

Volume Four: Can You Guess Who I Am?

Mike Leanza — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:54:31 -0400

With the overwhelmingly positive response to these articles, I'll keep things going.

Expect two to three of these articles per day. Although the plan was to just edit new games into the volume three article, I put a poll up asking people what they thought would be better. Only one person, myself, voted for the updates idea.

Ground rules are the same:

I'll give five clues. As soon as you know who it is, leave your answer in the comments section. Also, leave the clue number that made you certain your answer was correct. Be honest. If you don't know, tell me you don't know.
In the interest of fairness, use your own knowledge. No Wikipedia, no Sherdog or any other search engine or means of cheating.
If someone has already taken your answer, just agree with them in a response. And if you see somebody has already commented, do not scroll down and look. Come up with your own answer, don't be ashamed of being wrong.

Clue 1

I currently boast a record of 13-6 with no new fights on the horizon.

Clue 2

My first MMA fight took place before the writer of this article was even born. Since then, I've fought in such promotions as Rings, PRIDE, IFL, K-1, and Elite XC.

Clue 3

I have fought eight times in the United States, losing only one of those fights. The fighter I lost to was a lightweight whose real name is Jay Dee.

Clue 4

At 42 years of age, I currently reside in Holmdale, New Jersey with my wife Christina and our children Catarina, Cora, and Ruran. I have 13 brothers and sisters, one of which died tragically in a jail cell.

Clue 5

I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend. I gave Matt Serra his black belt and have been the personal jiu jitsu teacher of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi since 1993. My last name is synonymous with MMA.

Good luck guys!

Can You Guess Who I Am? Version Three

Mike Leanza — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:03:11 -0400

Do to the positive response I've received so far with these "Who am I?" games, I've decided to continue these as long as I can.

Mike D. has asked me to put up three to five per day, I'll try to get two to three. But from now on, instead of boosting my article count, I will be editing this article to add a new "Who Am I?"

So just go to my profile page, and click on this article for daily updates.

Let me lay down the ground rules for those that haven't played:

I will give you five clues pertaining to a certain MMA fighter. This man can be active or retired. I'd like for you to read each clue, and really run through your mental encyclopedia before moving on to the next clue.
When you think you have the answer, post it in the comments section and tell me which clue gave it away. Please ignore the other comments when doing this as to avoid cheating or extra help.
No cheating. No wikipedia, sherdog, or any other forms of cheating. I want you to use your brain. If you don't know, just say you don't know. Don't be ashamed, I'm trying to stump you.

Clue 1

I weigh in at 170 pounds. My height is 5'9 and I am currently in my 30s.

Clue 2

I have many fans, but I also have a lot of haters. And with my very average record of 13-10, you can understand why.

Clue 3

I have fought a who's who of MMA legends. Matt Lindland, Evan Tanner, Dave Menne, Kaz Misaki and one of the Shamrock brothers are all listed on my record.

Clue 4

I am a former UFC fighter, recording just three wins in my eight fights with the organization. The last time I won in the octagon was in 2002, on the same card Tim Sylvia made his UFC debut. I KO'd Dave Menne that night.

Clue 5

My popularity is the only reason I will be fighting at Strikeforce:Lawler vs Shields, because the last time I fought in Strikeforce, I tested positive for steroids after the fight. Steroids that clearly didn't help me.

Can You Guess Who I Am? Harder Edition

Mike Leanza — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:56:14 -0400

Earlier today I wrote a quick game of "Who am I?"

Everybody guessed right with the answer Clay Guida. Apparently, I made it too easy with my final "hair" clue. So I'm back to stump you guys with a harder version.

I will continue to make things harder until it becomes a necessity to cheat. Although I wish you wouldn't. And if there are already comments, dont scroll down to see evreyones answers, come up with an answer, if your wrong, dont feel bad. I am trying to stump you. I want people to be wrong.

Ground rules are the same:

I'll give five clues. As soon as you know who it is, leave your answer in the comments section. Also leave the clue number that made you certain your answer was correct. Be honest. If you don't know, tell me you don't know.
In the interest of fairness, use your own knowledge. No Wikipedia, no Sherdog or any other search engine or means of cheating. I am making this list off the top of my own head.
If someone has already taken your answer, just agree with them in a response.

Clue 1

I made my MMA debut in 2003, winning my first two fights in the same night.

Clue 2

I have lost just twice in 22 fights, but have never tapped or been knocked out, though I have asked a fight to be stopped.

Clue 3

I made my UFC debut in 2006, winning by unanimous decision over Jason Dent. It was fought in the lightweight division, a division that had been reinstated just five PPV's earlier.

Clue 4

I have two major tattoos, one is tribal, while the other is third step prayer for alcoholics anonymous.

Clue 5

My nickname is Spanish for "The Killer". I share this nickname with a former WBA and WBC boxing champion.

If any more clues are needed, go ahead and say so. Please, don't use Wikipedia or any other forms of cheating, it makes things a lot less fun.

Good luck.

Can You Guess Who I Am?

Mike Leanza — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:20:57 -0400

As I sit here, bored out of my mind in third period study hall, I thought I may interest you in a quick game of "Who Am I?"

Let's just lay down some quick ground rules.

I'll give five clues. As soon as you KNOW who it is, leave your answer in the comments section. Also leave the clue number that made you certain your answer was correct. Be honest. If you don't know, tell me you don't know.
In the interest of fairness, use your own knowledge. No Wikipedia, no Sherdog or any other search engine or means of cheating. I am making this list off the top of my own head.
If someone has already taken your answer, just agree with them in a response.

Now that we know the rules, lets play the game.

Clue 1

I currently fight in the UFC. I made my UFC debut in 2006 and quickly became a fan favorite.

Clue 2

I currently hold an overall record of 25-9. I've won just one title in my career, and did not successfully defend it.

Clue 3

At 155 pounds, I have accumulated a UFC record of 5-3. My frantic pace and overall skill level have earned me two "fight of the night" awards.

Clue 4

I currently am on a three-fight win streak, proving my "gatekeeper" status, while also showing my abilities may be worthy of a championship.

Clue 5

I'm not known for finishing fights, but all the fans love to see me and my hair dominate the octagon for all three rounds.

Good luck, guys.

This 16-Year-Old Is Telling Mike Freeman to Shut Up

Mike Leanza — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:05:34 -0400

Never before have I been more upset with a sports article than the one I have just read by CBS columnist Mike Freeman. In his latest article, he blasts White for his comments made towards Loretta Hunt of Sherdog.

Okay, I'm fine with that. I have no issue with a man calling out another for some profane comments made towards a woman. But Mike Freeman does not just call out Dana White. He doesn't just bash Dana White, he bashes the sport.

Yes, in a matter of one single sentence, he manages to not only piss off Dana White (obviously not the smartest thing to do), but he also manages to annoy and turn off an entire sporting community.

"Dana White is garbage, his sport is garbage"

Dear Mike Freeman,

You, are garbage. You are just another one of the many sports columnists in the world that refuse to actually watch a mixed martial arts fight, before publicly bashing it. Our sport is "garbage"? No sir, you ignorant sports writing is garbage.

Sincerely,

Mike Leanza

But wait Mike, Im not done yet.

You said in your column that the last time you wrote an MMA article, people bashed you in the post section. Good. You sarcastically stated that those anonymous people were "very gutsy". I, Mike Leanza, will not choose to remain anonymous. I want you and everybody around the globe to know what I have to say, and what I think of you're latest article.

You call us "sheep" that follow Dana and whatever he does. These were your words,

White says "(expletive) jump" and fans say, "How (expletive) high, Mr. White?" Fans ask "can I get you some coffee, Mr. White? A drink perhaps? A little sucking of the toes, Mr. White?"

Very nice Mr. Freeman. Do you want to know why we back Dana, why we defend his actions. Because he is REAL. He is a man that doesn't pull punches. You're right, he is not Bud Selig, David Stern, or Roger Giddell. He is Dana White. He is the only sports President that actually gives the fans what they want.

He took an underground sport that nobody knew about, that U.S. politicians called "barbaric", and made it into the fastest growing sport in the world. A sport that you know nothing about.

I can sense it now Mr. Freeman. As you read this, you are repeatedly saying "Who cares what this immature 16-year-old kid has to say?"

Well, I can rebut that statement. Who, Mr. Freeman, cares what an ignorant sports columnist has to say about a sport he knows nothing about?

The answer. Every single MMA fan across the globe that stays loyal to their favorite sport.

In MMA, Winning Isn't Everything...But Popularity Is: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Mike Leanza — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:53:55 -0400

Mixed martial arts.

It's the sport I love more than any other.

It's the sport I write about, think about, and, in about a month, will officially start training in.

At 16-years-old, it is a rare find to be able to date back my knowledge of a single sport to its beginning.

With MMA, I can.

My favorite part of MMA: The independence.

The ability to know that you, and only you, can decide your fate.

There is no teammate to save you if you're struggling, or screw you up if you're on a roll.

It doesn't take five—it takes just one.

Each athlete is measured by his/her own individual record.

Every single fighter can be measured up by who they've defeated, and how many times they've tasted victory.

Unfortunately, over the years, records have taken a backseat. It's not how many fights you've won, but how many fans you have.

My first example is the most recent: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Known by his fans as "Soko," he is "The African Assassin."

At just 24-years-old, he has become one of the more recognizable fighters in the world.

His trademark dreadlocks, his ripped physique, and his striking resemblance to Predator earned him worldwide acclaim.

His claim to fame: Consecutive KO victories over Rodrigo Nogueira and Rocardo Arona.

Seen as the heir to the UFC light heavyweight throne, Soko came into the UFC with a record of 4-1. Very impressive considering two of his victories were over big name opponents.

Soko would be released from the UFC after going just 1-2 in three fights, being finished by submission and TKO in his those two losses.

Seen as a "bust" to UFC fans, Soko would go on to fight seasoned vet Renato Sobral at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.

This doesn't seem like a big deal to the uneducated fan, but let me explain.

Sokoudjou was proved to be a "flash in the pan" during his time in the UFC.

But because he maintained his popularity, he was able to find a big-time fight with a big-name opponent.

That shouldn't be. His popularity is earning him fights, not his skill.

He would lose, again, this time succumbing to a Brabo choke midway through the second round.

This guy SHOULD be on his way back to fighting in smaller promotions. But because of his name, he is now rumored to be part of another big fight, this time with 24-2-1 Gegard Mousasi.

Why do I care? Because, believe it or not, this is hurting Soko's career.

He should be considered a prospect and should be trying to improve as much as possible. He should be fighting guys at his ability level.

Instead, he is being thrown to the lions to boost their popularity. Big name win equals big-time bucks.

Yes, it is good to have popularity. It is the only way to get recognized.

If you have no fan support, you'll be fighting on the lame event under cards your whole career.

But you should have to earn the popularity.

If Soko really cared about his career, he would decline this fight.

Why?

Because he needs to re-evaluate what he is trying to do in MMA.

He needs to talk to his Team Quest training partners, and try to improve as much as he can before stepping back inside the cage.

What does he need to work on?

Soko has absolutely horrendous cardio. My recommendation, leave Team Quest.

I will never say this again. Team Quest is an awesome camp. With Olympic caliber wrestlers, it is a great place to learn—wrestling.

It is a great place to train—for wrestlers.

You, Soko—are not a wrestler. You are a Judo practitioner.

Where should Soko train?

After about five minutes of deliberating, my expert panel (myself, my keyboard, and Wikipedia) have chosen Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting as the ideal place for him.

His combined excellence of Judo and his absolutely dreadful cardio, Greg Jackson is the perfect guy to whip Soko into shape.

Jackson is the creator of Gaidojutsu, which combines Judo, wrestling, and kickboxing into one fighting style.

Soko already has the Judo, he has to have some wrestling considering he's been training with Olympic wrestlers, and his striking is pretty good.

Combine all those things with a plethora of great fighters including two champions, GSP and Rashad Evans, and Soko can reinvent himself into a great fighter.

He is only 24, he already has the name recognition, all he needs is the talent, which I know he has the ability to achieve.

Never have I thought popularity could hurt you, but in MMA it is a strong possibility that it can.

You are expected to perform at an elite level every time you go out. You are expected to defeat high-caliber opponents every fight.

But what happens when your popularity isn't on the same level as your skill?

Just ask Sokoudjou.

My 50th Article, Why Not Try Something New?

Mike Leanza — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:57:31 -0400

Over the past seven months, I have been lucky enough to share my thoughts on MMA with the fans here on Bleacher Report. It has been an outlet for me to voice my opinion and get responses from people that actually know what they are talking about.

I have written 49 articles up to this point, this being my 50th. I figured that after writing 49 opinionated articles, I would show off another side to myself. See, I'm not just some 16-year-old kid who comes here just to show off his MMA knowledge. No, I come here to write.

Writing has always been a way for me to express myself, as I've been doing it all my life. I've written articles, editorials, poems, and songs. I've done it all. I was even lucky enough to have one of my poems published in a local newspaper.

I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. What better time than my 50th article? Ladies and gentleman, I give you my first MMA poem.

Months of waiting, ends tonight
tonight they battle, tonight they fight
the talking is over, tonight they choose
do you win, or do you lose?

The lights, they dim, the fans go wild
the music starts, the fans, they smile
the fighters walk, threw the crowd
the fighter hears nothing, no matter how loud

They enter the cage, to their corner they go
the gameplan presented to make sure they know
their names are shouted to the sold out crowd
the referee goes over what is allowed

The bell, it rings, the fighters touch gloves
a show of respect, and of love
the next five minutes will be a war
one which both men, hope to endure

Fighter number one, takes the round
fighter number two, falls to the ground
he crawls to his corner, the doctor comes in
the fighter is fine, he reaches within

Fighter one is tired, fighter two knows
he goes wild, he puts on a show
his body says no, his heart says yes
his brain is silent, but wants to protest

Fighter two, bruised and bloody
looks to his opponent, begins to study
fighter one is tired, his mouth open wide
he wants to rest, but the scorecard is tied

The final round, it begins
both tired fighters, look for a win
the crowd is roaring, all looking to peers
all of them saying, fight of the year

Fighter one shoots, for the takedown
fighter two stuffs the best wrestler around
fighter one, full of frustration
scrambles to his feet, out of desperation

Four minutes remain before a winner is crowned
both men with family and friends abound
neither can fail, neither can lose
yet both men know, one has to

Three minutes have past, two minutes remain
both men looking for one last campaign
they come to the center and start throw
skin is torn, blow after blow

The men, they bleed, the mat crimson red
they both look back to what they have said
both guaranteed wins, the challenge they accept
but one promise, cannot be kept

Four minutes down, one more to go
both men on their feet, looking to throw
the crowd they rise, they start to applaud
both men start to swing, fans oooo and awww

Punch after punch, find there mark
they here the clap, it lights a spark
10 seconds to go, these last ticks will decide
whether they win or lose, both can take pride

They fought to the end, no fighter quit
the scores are in, the decision is split
one judges saw 29-28, the other saw it 28-29
the last judges scores, the fight it will define

The last judge is sweating, he holds the swing vote
he can't even remember, the score that he wrote
whose dream goes on, whose dream dies
the choice is yours, you will decide

MTL BELIEVE EST. 1992

Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson: An Epic Battle for Supremacy

Mike Leanza — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:49:06 -0400

May 23, 2009. UFC 98 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The card that was set to feature the two best heavyweights in the UFC fighting for supremacy, will now pit the light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Now, before you go on into my article, I must warn you, this fight is NOT set in stone just yet. Rampage must first consult a doctor, being that only two months will pass before the fight. Then, after consulting a doctor, he must accept the fight.

Now, I have no doubt in my mind that Rampage wants the fight, but if the doctor recommends he decline the title shot, Lyoto Machida has already verbally accepted the bout.

Now that all of that is out of the way, get excited. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is arguably the most popular fighter in the UFC right now. His merchandise is a cash cow for the UFC, and the fans absolutely love his intensity and realness. He knows he is the best, yet he isn't arrogant.

On the other hand, there is "Sugar" Rashad Evans. Rashad is a personal favorite, but he has definitely built a somewhat sketchy relationship with the fans—some love him, some hate him.

His cockiness and in-ring showboating tend to poke the buttons of fans, while his undeniable skill brings those fans back. No doubt he talks the talk, but this man can certainly walk the walk.

This brings us to a fight that is, no doubt, the headline of any UFC card the organization can put together. Two respected and ridiculously talented fighters, with pretty much the same style, must now face off.

If that doesn't get you pumped, hopefully I can up your excitement.

Since coming over from PRIDE, Rampage Jackson has compiled a record of five wins and one loss. He has earned two "Fight of the Night" awards in bouts against Forrest Griffin and Keith Jardine, as well as two "KO of the Night" awards for his vicious knockouts of Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.

The guy is a human highlight reel. That is what makes him so beloved by the fans. Oh, and he has a pretty good personality as well.

This howling henchman has compiled a career record of 30 victories and just seven losses. Adding to his award column, the man is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and unified that title with the PRIDE middleweight title in a dominant fashion against Dan Henderson.

But wait, there are STILL trophies on the shelf.

Twice the man has been involved in the Wrestling Observer fight of the year. One in 2004 against Wanderlei Silva, as well as winning the 2008 fight of the year for his controversial bout against Forrest Griffin.

Get this, he lost both of those fights. Why is that so special? Because even in defeat, this guy puts on a show. Oh, he also won Most Outstanding Fighter in 2007.

Now, Rashad Evans may not be as decorated a fighter as Rampage, but don't worry, he's pretty good too. He first came to UFC fans via the second season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Though he now competes, and rules, in the light heavyweight division, Rashad competed with the heavyweights.

He earned a lot of backlash from viewers and even opposing coach Matt Hughes for his in-ring showboating (something we now expect to see from Rashad), but his skill was undeniable. He'd nab the decision victory and move on to the next round against Mike Whitehead.

He'd earn another decision victory their, as well as a decision win over current training partner Keith Jardine.

The 5'11'' Evans would give up eight inches to finale opponent Brad Imes, but that disadvantage would not be enough to stop him. Rashad was able to stand with Brad, even knocking him down, and grab a split decision to win TUF 2. Since then, Rashad has not lost.

He currently boasts an undefeated record of 13-0-1 with eight of those wins in the octagon.

He has defeated fighters like Mike Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin—even knocking out the last two. His head kick to Sean Salon has been replayed millions of times by the UFC, and his devastating right hand to Chuck Liddell will probably be subject to the same fate.

Just like Rampage, the man is a highlight reel, but unlike Rampage, Rashad has never tasted defeat.

Many believed Rashad would be a gatekeeper, much like good friend Keith Jardine. Many believed Rashad was a sheep in wolf's clothing, just gnawing at the hand fed carcases given to him by his owner.

Then Rashad was thrown into the wild to fend for himself against the kings of the jungle. Surprisingly, he would stay alive, even when pitted against the most dangerous of foes. The sheep, was indeed a wolf.

But could this wolf topple a fellow wolf? A wolf who howls while the surrounding animal kingdom. A wolf that knows what it is like to be outmatched. A wolf who has fought his way to the top of the mountain, only to fall back to the ground.

That wolf wants to be back on top. That wolf has left its young in order to go the WolfsLair and make itself better. That wolf has killed a member of the other wolf's pack.

What happens when two wolves fight? I have no idea. You have no idea. But I bet that you are thinking the same thing as I am.