Bleacher Report - Articles by Cameron Gidari

Blame M-1, Not the UFC, If Fedor Emelianenko Isn't in the UFC

Cameron Gidari — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:39:09 -0400

The details of the contract that the UFC supposedly offered Fedor Emelianenko are making their way around the Internet.

First, let us break down the contract to see just how significant the UFC's efforts to bring Fedor to the octagon are.

1) Six fights, $30 million total. That breaks down to $5 million a fight, not including bonuses like Fight of the Night.

This type of money would easily make Fedor the highest-paid MMA fighter and for the first time ever would put a fighter's earnings on par with that of some other major athletes. Not only does this show Fedor how much the UFC values him, but it also shows that the company is willing to set a dangerous precedent for fighter salaries to get him in the organization.

2) An immediate title shot.

If Fedor signs, he gets Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title, no questions asked. Sure, the UFC would market the heck out of this fight, but can you imagine giving any other fighter an immediate title shot before establishing him with the casual fanbase with a tune-up fight?

3) M-1 Global would get a cut of the Lesnar/Fedor PPV revenue on top of Fedor's salary.

UFC 100 did 1.5 million PPV buys. A Lesnar/Fedor headline would crush that and would easily become the highest-grossing PPV in the UFC's history. They are willing to give M-1 a cut of that enormous paycheck. That's another few million dollars.

4) Fedor can wear M-1 Global apparel in the octagon.

The UFC banned Affliction clothing when the company thought about promoting fights. No such treatment for M-1 Global, who would get amazing exposure on said record-breaking PPV.

5) Fedor could still compete in combat sambo.

Randy Couture and Anderson Silva both wanted to fight outside of the UFC, and the UFC said no. These are two of the UFC's most recognizable champions, and the company would not accommodate their wishes.

Should Fedor win the heavyweight title, he would immediately be on par with Silva and Couture, and the UFC would still let him compete elsewhere while having the title. Even though combat sambo is not MMA, Silva wanted to box and was not allowed.

To recap, the UFC has essentially broken every rule and establishment that they have in order to sign Fedor. This mountain of a package should be enough to bring ANY fighter to the UFC.

Right?

Wrong.

M-1 Global has said that Fedor will not sign with the UFC unless M-1 can co-promote the events that he fights on.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Attention MMA fans: If you were upset that the UFC was not doing enough to sign Fedor, it is now time to turn your collective anger towards M-1 Global.

Were the UFC offering the same sort of contract to Fedor that they offer to every other fighter, I could understand M-1 balking. After all, they represent one of the most unique talents in the sport. However, the UFC has bent over backwards and made accommodations that are staggering.

You're telling me that M-1 cannot concede this one thing when the UFC is willing to concede so much?

It is unbelievable, and the UFC should walk away right now. Fedor can continue to fight mid-level heavyweights in Japan and Russia, while MMA fans are left to sit and wonder, what if?

Thank you, M-1 Global, for helping us realize who the real people are to blame in this saga. Jerks...

Affliction to Compensate Fighters, Fights May Move to Strikeforce/ M-1

Cameron Gidari — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:33:24 -0400

Originally reported on MMAMadness.com:

It appears that things might not be a total loss for the fighters on the Affliction: Trilogy card.

Sources close to one of the fighters told MMAMadness.com that Affliction VP Tom Atencio promised at least one fighter compensation for the card's cancellation.

The source also revealed that some fights could be pushed to the Aug. 15 Strikeforce card or the Aug. 28 M-1 Global card. However, everything is still "a fiasco right now."

According to the source, Atencio personally called each fighter to break the news that the card had been canceled. At least one fighter was told that he would receive "something."

Whether or not that "something" will be their full salaries, their "show up" money, or something else remains to be seen.

Despite the compensation, the fighters are still taking the cancellation hard.

"It just sucks," Paul Buentello said. "[I'm] frustrated. I was training really hard and concentrating on only Gilbert. Beating down my body...The fight was the celebration of all your hard work."

"I didn't know what to say," LC Davis said in reaction to Atencio's phone call. "I thought he was joking. My heart sunk. I was heartbroken. Missing out on my sponsorships by not being able to fight, it's unfortunate."

Messages to Atencio and Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz were not immediately returned.

Bruce Buffer on The 360 at UFC 100 and More

Cameron Gidari — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:22:41 -0400

Courtesy of the Topps Company (etopps.com)

This article originally appeared on MMAMadness.com:

It did not take long for video of Bruce Buffer’s 360 at UFC 100 to spread across the internet.

What many people don’t know is that Buffer may have been planning the 360 for days.

“Can I do it? Yes. Will I do it? That remains to be seen,” Buffer teased during the UFC 100 Expo. “If it happens, it will probably happen during the main event. In that millisecond I will make that decision,”

As it turns out, Buffer did pull out the 360 during the main event, much to the joy of fans around the country. In retrospect, no one should have been surprised. Buffer is all about fan service.

“I feed off the energy of the crowd,” Buffer said. “I just want to do the best job I can and make the fans excited and make everyone excited about the UFC. It’s all about the fighters and the fans. I’m just there to do my job.”

A lifelong martial artist, Buffer knew that mixed martial arts was his arena to shine. He has watched the UFC grown from a struggling upstart to an international powerhouse.

“When I first started with the UFC, that classic saying of spectacle over sport was very, very true,” Buffer said. “I believed in the sport, I believed in what I was doing and I believed in the people behind it.”

For Buffer, the additions of Dana White and the Fertitta brothers to the UFC is the main reason the company in now mainstream and extremely successful.

“When Dana White and Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta came in, I touted them as the saviors of the holy grail,” Buffer said. “They brought it to fruition, they brought us to where we are today, everybody should be thankful for that. I knew that when I saw their passion for what they were doing, matching the passion that I had for what I was doing, I knew it was going to be huge.”

The sport and Buffer have both become huge. Buffer has been immortalized in trading cards, video games, and even a life-sized cardboard cutout. Buffer has also been spending time promoting his new poker site, rumblepoker.com, where he plays poker against his fans.

“Anyone that wants to come play me at poker, go to rumblepoker.com. When you sign up, put in ‘buff200.’”

That code enables players to receive invitations to free online tournaments on the site that Buffer is playing in.

“If you knock me out, you get $100, and you get a buy-in for $60 for a bigger tournament,” Buffer said. “We will be giving away UFC tickets in the near future.”

Beating Buffer will be a task easier said than done. Buffer is a semipro player who has made it to the main table of the World Series of Poker. The website has also given Buffer the opportunity to add a new catchphrase to his repertoire.

“Find me at rumblepoker.com and knock me out!”

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. Email him with comments and questions at cgidari@mmamadness.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/cgidari

Eight Things I Learned From UFC 100

Cameron Gidari — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:31:40 -0400

1) Everything was on display big, including inept judging

UFC 100 began with a fireworks show between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher. The result was a split decision victory for Akiyama that many (including commentator Joe Rogan) did not agree with.

I scored the fight 29-28 Belcher, but after watching the fight again, I can understand giving Akiyama the 29-28 nod. What I do not understand is giving Akiyama the fight 30-27.

Belcher clearly did more damage in the second round. Yes, Akiyama took him down, but Belcher’s leg kicks were much more substantial than any blows that Akiyama landed on the ground.

It seems like every UFC card has a fight that brings to question the ‘round vs. total fight’ judging question, and UFC 100 was no different.

2) Brock Lesnar is the new Tito Ortiz

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A wrestler with dominant ground-and-pound skills beats a rival, continues to trash talk after the victory, and issues a two-finger salute.

Brock Lesnar seems to share a lot with Tito Ortiz, the UFC’s original bad guy. Ortiz knows how to market himself, and as many people turned in to his events hoping to watch him take a beating as his actual fans did.

Following UFC 100, that torch has been passed to Lesnar, who has no problem playing to the negativity of the crowd. It was almost comical watching Lesnar control the crowd like puppets. He wanted boos, and the crowd obliged him with fervor.

Lesnar understands that it doesn’t matter if people like you, only if they want to watch you, and you will be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t want to see him again, even if it is only to hope he gets crushed.

Lesnar has even experienced his first tongue lashing from Dana White following his post-fight actions. I will bet the house that it isn’t the last time.

3) Greg Jackson needs his own show

Putting Greg Jackson on camera in between every round of the GSP/Alves fight was brilliant. Some of the things that he was telling Georges St. Pierre had the entire audience in stitches, and it was also fascinating to see his approach to coaching a top-level athlete.

The UFC and Spike TV need to give Jackson his own show. He is unquestionably one of the smartest trainers and game planners in the sport. Imagine getting a behind the scenes look at his training methods and his interactions with the likes of St. Pierre, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans.

Jackson has the personality and sense of humor that audiences would flock to in droves. When I asked him on Friday what sorts of things he had been having St. Pierre do to prepare for Alves, he told me that he was having St. Pierre jump off of really tall buildings, to get rid of his fear. If he comes up with stuff like that off of the top of his head, I want to hear what he’ll say with time to prepare in front of a camera.

4) The Middleweight division is as muddled as ever

The UFC made a kneejerk reaction to the criticism of Anderson Silva/Thales Leites by putting Silva in a match with Forrest Griffin that has absolutely no title ramifications for the Middleweight division. Now, matchmaker Joe Silva must live with that short sited decision and make sense of an increasingly murky title picture.

By knocking out Michael Bisping in brutal fashion, Dan Henderson should have cemented himself a title shot. If only it were that simple.

The UFC’s biggest mistake was not giving Demian Maia a title shot at UFC 101. That would have cleared the way for the winner of Bisping/Henderson to face the winner of Maia/Silva sometime down the road. Undefeated at 10-0, Maia has submitted all five of his UFC opponents, an accomplishment deserving of far more praise than it has received.

As we all know, the UFC shied away from Maia after the Leites debacle, and we are now left in the position where there could be two number one contenders, provided that Maia dispatches of Nate Marquardt at UFC 102.

There has been talk of a number one contender match between Henderson and Maia/Marquardt, but that makes no sense. Silva will fight within the next month. That means that we would have to wait another four months for Henderson vs. Maia/Marquardt, followed by another four months before the title defense. That would mean that the Middleweight belt would not be defended for an entire year, which is unacceptable.

There is no easy solution to this debacle, but it does have a solution. If Maia defeats Marquardt, he should be given a title shot. Henderson can then face Marquardt, and the winner of that match can face the winner of Maia/Silva.

If Marquardt defeats Maia, Henderson should fight Silva. Both of these men have faced Silva and lost, but Henderson had more success in loss, which gets him the nod over Marquardt.

Of course, if Vitor Belfort returns to the UFC, all bets are off. Confused yet?

5) Georges St. Pierre should not fight Anderson Silva. Not now. Not ever

When Michael Jordan established himself as the greatest shooting guard in NBA history, no one asked him to play center. When Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals in one season, no one suggested he switch to goalie for a new challenge. Georges St. Pierre is the most dominant Welterweight in the world, and that is exactly where he should stay.

Consider all of the reasons why this fight doesn’t work. St. Pierre walks around at 185 pounds, and would require months to pack on the necessary weight to be competitive at Middleweight. Even if he was successful at putting on that weight, he would then have to immediately turn around and start losing it after one fight. That means that it could potentially be a year before St. Pierre defends his Welterweight belt, which is far too long.

It also does not make sense for the UFC to put its two most dominant champions in a position where one of them is guaranteed to lose. St. Pierre is in a position to challenge Silva’s unbeaten streak in the octagon, and Silva can continue to lengthen that streak. Why would we want to see a situation where one of those has to end?

While fun to fantasize about, the fact is that inter-weight class super fights are short sited with negative consequences that far outweigh any benefits (see Silva vs. Griffin above). Fighters fight at a specific weight class for a reason. Let them stay there.

6) Stephan Bonnar is on thin ice

Bonnar’s role in the historic Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale is undeniable, but the “American Psycho” could soon be on his way out of the organization.

Bonnar is just 5-5 in the UFC, and 2-4 in his last six bouts. These losses have come against some of the upper-end talent in the division, but there is no doubt that losing a unanimous decision to a middle-aged Mark Coleman banishes Bonnar to gatekeeper status.

If Bonnar loses his next fight, which will likely come against a low-level opponent, it could be the last time that the UFC vet competes in the octagon.

7) The Fan Expo was the runaway success of the weekend

11,000 fans might have attended UFC 100, but the real lucky ones were the 30,000+ that attended the two-day Fan Expo in Las Vegas.

Every big name fighter not on the 100 card was there to sign autographs and meet fans, as were top trainers like Greg Jackson.

And when I say sign autographs, I don’t mean a quick 20-minute appearance. Keith Jardine signed for seven hours on Friday, then returned Saturday to do it again. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua needed to be literally pulled away from his booth because the event had closed. Wanderlei Silva kept stopping to take pictures, even though his handlers kept rushing him along.

Of the 20-plus fighters I talked to, every single one was quick to say how exciting it was to meet fans on such an intimate level. This level of fan service is what makes MMA stand out from other sports, where prima donna superstars treat autograph sessions as an afterthought.

It is rumored that the UFC is considering making the Fan Expo a bi-yearly affair. This should absolutely happen, as it gives fans unprecedented access to the sport.

8) MMA is the greatest sport in the world

Quite simply, there was magic in the air Saturday, magic that detractors of MMA will never allow themselves to experience because they are too stubborn to make the effort to understand.

MMA fighters are the epitome of what an athlete should be. They are (for the most part) humble, gracious, and acutely aware that their actions influence the sport in a very real way.

Fans got everything they could have asked for on Saturday. A consummate champion in Georges St. Pierre. A villain in Brock Lesnar. An American hero in Dan Henderson. Controversy in Akiyama/Belcher.

In all, the very best (and some would say worst) of the sport was on display. It is so sad that some fools in the media are not willing to give the sport more than thirty minutes before rushing to misguided judgment.

With fights like Silva/Griffin, Cyborg/Carano and Penn/Florian just around the corner, and with the sport growing by leaps and bounds, it has never been a more exciting time to be a fight fan. Soak it in, because I know in twenty years that I will tell my kids what it was like to be at UFC 100.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions and comments at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

Brock Lesnar Focusing on Being Well-Rounded

Cameron Gidari — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:18:43 -0400

From MMAMadness.com: Brock Lesnar dominated for all but 10 seconds of his UFC debut. The only problem is, those 10 seconds were all it took to lose the fight.

In those 10 seconds, Lesnar left his leg exposed. Frank Mir capitalized, locking in a kneebar and forcing Lesnar to tap.

Fast forward a year and a half, and Lesnar is preparing to face Mir once again. Despite their first fight lasting just 90 seconds, Lesnar learned plenty about his opponent.

Going into the fight, Lesnar’s approach is a simple one.

“[I’m working on] not giving him any limbs to snap,” Lesnar told MMAMadness.com.

Watching Lesnar fight has become a lesson in fighter evolution. After the loss to Mir, in which he looked hectic and over-excited, Lesnar showed a much more patient and calculated approach in a dominant decision victory over Heath Herring.

Next, Lesnar showed an improved stand-up game, knocking down and pounding out Randy Couture to claim the UFC Heavyweight belt.

With six-plus months to prepare for Mir, Lesnar has focused on improving his Jiu-Jitsu game.

“I’m bringing a lot of Jiu Jitsu guys in. Two Brazilians that I can’t pronounce their names right now,” Lesnar said.

While fans should not expect to see Lesnar showcase a repertoire of flashy submissions, they should expect to see him safer in the ground. In Jiu-Jitsu, students learn proper position control and submission defense before moving on to the complexities of submission offense.

The combination of submission defense and Lesnar’s size, strength, and wrestling abilities, could spell trouble for Mir. Reports out of Lesnar’s camp are that his boxing has improved significantly since the Couture fight, and his National Champion wrestling abilities make it unlikely that Mir will outwrestle Lesnar.

That leaves submissions as Mir’s only significant advantage, an advantage that Lesnar has been working tirelessly to nullify.

Next Saturday, fans will see if Lesnar’s work will pay off. What fans can be sure of is that a big part of Lesnar’s game is already on display; his confidence.

“I’m just trying to do the right things and end this fight like it should have been ended the first time,” Lesnar said.

If all goes right, that ten second window from last fight will be slammed shut.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached for questions and comments at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

UFC to Ban Fighters That Sign with EA?

Cameron Gidari — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:53:21 -0400

The UFC is threatening to not sign fighters that sign on with video game publisher EA, MMAscraps.com reported.

MMAscraps cited two forum posts, one by MMA agent Ken Pavia of MMAAgents.com. Pavia confirmed that the UFC informed fighter managers that if their fighters not currently under contract with the UFC sign with EA for its upcoming MMA video game, they will be forever banned from fighting for the UFC.

The UFC has an exlusive contract with publisher THQ, who put out UFC 2009 Undisputed earlier this year.

If this rumor is true, then fighters like Tim Sylvia, and most notably Fedor Emelianenko, will suffer this lifetime ban.

Sylvia stated that he and Randy Couture have signed with EA. It will be interesting to see how the UFC handles Couture, who is still under contract with the company, if this is indeed true.

This is not the first time that the UFC has taken a strong arm approach to the video game industry. Jon Fitch was cut from the UFC for refusing to sign away his digital rights to the company, and UFC president Dana White threatened to stop doing business with the American Kickboxing Academy altogether. The situation was quickly resolved, and Fitch was brought back to the UFC days later.

Eight Things I Learned from UFC 99

Cameron Gidari — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:17:26 -0400

From MMAMadness.com

1. Judging criteria are as confusing as ever

There are two schools of thought when it comes to scoring a fight. The first (and the one currently employed) believes that each round should be scored on a point system. The second believes that a fight should be looked at as a whole, rather than broken up by rounds.

Both of these systems have merit. The problem is, judges need to decide which one they are using. Case in point: Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy. There is no question that Hardy did more damage.

He dropped Davis with a knee to the head in round two, and opened up a huge cut on Davis’ nose in round three. Davis’ face was a mess at the end of the fight, Hardy looked fine.

Based on that assessment, Hardy won the fight. Unfortunately, that’s not how fights are supposed to be judged. In order for Hardy to have won that fight, you have to convince me that one effective knee is worth more than three minutes of effective grappling on the ground.

After being dropped, Davis was extremely active from the guard, attempting numerous submissions and landing effective elbows. Despite being on his back, Davis dominated the ground game in round two.

One judge saw it that way, but one judge does not a decision make. Hardy was awarded the split-decision victory. Until we establish consistency, there will always be cases like this where the wrong decision is rendered.

2. Despite what Joe Rogan wants everyone to believe, Caol Uno and Spencer Fisher WAS a boring fight

The most memorable quote of the night came from commentator Joe Rogan. As fans were booing Caol Uno and Spencer Fisher for most of their fight, Rogan pointed out that to the “average drunken meathead,” this fight was boring, but to a hardcore fan, it was really exciting.

As a ‘hardcore’ fan, I could not agree less. Fisher and Uno are both skilled wrestlers, and those skills effectively cancelled each other out. While the result might have been impressive, it was anything but exciting.

A knowledgeable fan can watch a fight and understand the nuances of the clinch game. I understand this. But regardless how much I understand it, it is still boring to watch two fighters clinched up against a cage for the majority of a fight.

3. The criticisms of Cain Velasquez are completely unwarranted

After Velasquez’s domination of Cheick Kongo, Rogan remarked that while the fight answered a lot of questions about Velasquez, it raised new ones, specifically Velasquez’s ability to finish opponents and his kickboxing skills.

I found both of these critiques somewhat comical. How quickly we forget that before Kongo, Velasquez had finished all five of his professional fights, with only one even making it to the second round.

Does Velasquez have the ground-and-pound skills of Shane Carwin? Of course not. Carwin might be the hardest hitter in the Heavyweight division, so it is ridiculous to criticize a young fighter like Velasquez for not matching that power.

True, Velasquez’s kickboxing did not look amazing, but few people look amazing trading punches with Kongo. The bottom line is that Velasquez withstood three flush punches from Kongo that would have knocked most fighters out and recovered to take Kongo down on two of those occasions.

We are watching the maturation of a gifted, young fighter who could make waves in the division. To insinuate that there are serious questions about him after one fight that he won convincingly is ridiculous.

4. The Heavyweight division is becoming deep and entertaining

What was once the shallowest division in the UFC is quickly becoming one of the best. In addition to Carwin, Velasquez and Kongo, we have Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Randy Couture, “Minotauro” Nogueira, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Junior Dos Santos, just to name a few.

Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter will focus exclusively on Heavyweights, which virtually guarantees that we will see at least several mid-level fighters emerge as popular figures. The next couple of years will be very exciting for fans, as young fighters like Velasquez and Dos Santos will continue to grow to challenge the veterans.

5. Wanderlei Silva is not ready to take on the elite Middleweights in the UFC

Silva’s first trip below 205 was not an embarrassment by any stretch of the imagination, but the reports that he was 12 pounds overweight the day before the fight are troubling.

Silva was noticeably sluggish during most of the fight, and did not push the pace the way he normally does. If a cut to 195 gave him so much difficulty, imagine what is going to happen when he cuts to 185.

I think Silva can ultimately be effective in the Middleweight division, much like how Vitor Belfort has revived his career at that weight. For his next two fights, however, Silva should be given no higher than mid-level opponents, which will allow him to acclimate to the weight cut without much risk of losing.

6. The sport could use more guys like Rich Franklin

Viewers love angles. The attention paid to the bad blood matchup between Davis and Hardy proved that. What viewers should love are fighters like Rich Franklin.
Franklin is the absolute epitome of class. Respectful and gracious in both victory and defeat, he is a model that younger fighters should strive for.

You will not hear Franklin disrespecting his opponent in the media, and you certainly will not see him disrespect his opponent in the ring.

The display of class and sportsmanship between Franklin and Silva was refreshing, and serves as a reminder that this sport came from martial arts, where respect is valued above all else.

As MMA continues to strive for the mainstream, the UFC will be wise to trumpet fighters like Franklin, fighters that mothers would not mind their little boys growing up to be.

7. The full mount is no longer the dominant position it once was

Remember the old UFC, where the full mount meant sheer destruction in a matter of moments? Those days are over.

Once the most dominant ground position in the sport, the full mount has lost much of its effectiveness. We saw several fighters achieve full mount Saturday, and none of them were able to finish the fight from there.

There are several factors that have contributed to the demise of this position. The cage wall allows the fighter on his back to push off of something with his feet, giving him the leverage to reverse the position. The illegality of punching to the back of the head also means that rolling over and giving up your back is not the death warrant it once was.

In the future, we are going to see more fighters opting for side mount or half guard positions, which offer better control and submission opportunities, rather than risking losing position for the striking opportunities in the mount.

8. Mirko Cro Cop has virtually guaranteed that we will never see Fedor in the UFC

Say what you like about Dana White, but he should be upset that Mirko Cro Cop signed a deal with DREAM after verbally committing to a two-fight deal with the UFC.

Cro Cop contacted the UFC about fighting in Germany, and the company accommodated him. They even let him handpick his opponent, giving him an overmatched Mustapha Al-Turk when they really needed a replacement opponent for Velasquez.

Then, the UFC used its marketing power to promote the return of Cro Cop, only to see him capitalize on that exposure by jumping ship.

With this embarrassment, it is now even less likely that White would be willing to do a one-fight deal with Fedor Emelianenko. Sure the company gains revenue in the short term, but why waste your advertising space promoting a one-time fighter when you can be hyping up the next superstar that guarantees you multiple payoffs in the future?

The economics of it don’t make sense, and with White now extra sensitive to these sorts of arrangements, the dream matchups that so many fans have been craving will likely never come.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions and comments at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

The Ocho: Eight Things Casual MMA Fans Say That Drive Me Crazy

Cameron Gidari — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:57:24 -0400

Sometimes they are someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend tagging along to a party. Maybe they happened into the bar the same night that a fight was airing on the big screen. No matter, their backgrounds are irrelevant. As a hardcore devotee to the sport, I do not expect everyone to follow mixed martial arts with the same fanatical thirst that I do. I’m more than happy to explain the sport to someone who doesn’t watch it regularly. For the most part, I’m an understanding person. That is, however, up to a point. Because it is a virtual certainty that at some point during the night, a casual fan is going to say something that makes me grind my teeth. The comment alone isn’t what gets me, but that I’ve heard that same comment 100 times already. So I am writing this article to you, dear casual fan. Print it out, study it. File these following eight things away in your brain under the NEVER EVER SAY category. If you do so, it will make watching the sport more pleasant for you and me. I won’t get annoyed, and you won’t have something thrown at you.

Begin Slideshow

Tito Ortiz Sued Over Interview Comments

Cameron Gidari — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:45:42 -0400

From MMAMadness.com: Tito Ortiz has always been known for his trash talking, but his mouth has landed him in some serious legal trouble.

TMZ.com is reporting that Juanito Ibarra, a trainer and fighting expert, is suing Ortiz for comments he made during an interview.

In the interview, Ortiz called Ibarra a "thief," and that he had financially "taken advantage of" Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.

Ibarra is also suing various blogs and publications that reprinted Ortiz's comments. Specifically, he is suing Ortiz and these sites for defamation, invasion of privacy, and emotional distress.

The suit was filed on the same day that Ortiz became an unrestricted free agent. Ortiz's contract with the UFC ended last May at UFC 84: "Ill Will" last May, but the UFC still had the option to match any offer from another organization. That option ended June 5, 2009.

Madness Reaction: It's hard to imagine that Ibarra filing the lawsuit on the same day that Ortiz became a free agent is coincidence. Ibarra must be hoping that Ortiz is on the verge of a big deal with another organization.

That being said, I have a hard time seeing Ibarra winning this case. In order to prove defamation, he has to show that Ortiz's comments directly caused him damage. So unless he can show that there was a substantial drop in his client base after the interview, he won't win. I also don't know how he will prove that Ortiz invaded his privacy, as Ortiz was simply voicing an opinion on what sounds like a public matter.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions and comments at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

Thom Ortiz: Getting Better To Give Back More

Cameron Gidari — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:37:29 -0400

From MMAMadness.com: It is 9:30 on a blistering Arizona morning. In a hot one-room gym in Mesa, fighters are already rolling on the ground, practicing Jiu Jitsu. One fighter looks a little different from the rest.

Thom Ortiz has been responsible for coaching UFC fighters CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and Cain Velazquez to collegiate success. Now, the former Arizona State head wrestling coach is making the transition to mixed martial arts, at 42 years young.

Ortiz brings 34 years of wrestling experience to the table. He is helping young fighters like Efrain Escudero and Santino DeFranco improve that aspect of their skill sets.

“My major focus is helping these current MMA guys,” Ortiz said. “They know how to wrestle, but there are the finer details that I can add to their MMA game.”

However, Ortiz has not come to the sport of mixed martial arts as a wrestler. He is working with gyms around Arizona, learning Jiu Jitsu, learning kickboxing. Ortiz is looking to do what some fighters half his age struggle to do; become a well-rounded fighter.

“You really have to be sharp on all aspects if you want to compete at a high level,” Ortiz said. “How am I going to tell a kid to shoot if I don’t know where a punch or a knee is coming from?”

“A lot of wrestlers are going out there without learning the other martial arts,” Ortiz said. “That’s why we’re in here doing Jiu Jitsu. It’s foreign to me, but sometimes Drew [Fickett] tells me, forget about wrestling. Doing too much wrestling will get you in trouble, get you armbarred.”

Mornings Ortiz works on his Jiu Jitsu at Southwest MMA. In the afternoons, he works on kickboxing. All of this work and preparation is being done so that Ortiz can help the next generation of fighters a little more. He is even preparing to step into the ring himself.

“If I’m going to help you, I want to know what you’re going through,” Ortiz said. “When I coached at Arizona State, I’ve been there. I’ve been to the NCAA tournament; I know what you’re going through. So I want to be able to tell these guys, I know what you’re going through [in a cage].”

From a distance, this dedication to helping others might be surprising. But to those who know Ortiz, it’s the kind of coach he is.

“When it came down to us getting into MMA, he did anything and everything to help us out,” said Ryan Bader, who Ortiz coached to three Pac-10 championships. “I support him 100 percent.”

“He was always there for me,” added Cain Velazquez, Bader’s teammate at Arizona State. “He’s a great coach. He’s never led me wrong.”

Ortiz says he gives so much to MMA, and to wrestling before it, because he gets out ten times what he puts in. Growing up in a rough part of Tuscan, Ariz., Ortiz began wrestling at the age of eight.

He eventually translated those wrestling skills into a scholarship at ASU, where he received his education and wrestled under legendary coach Bobby Douglas.

With MMA growing in popularity, Ortiz has found another way to give back.

“[The sport is] giving me the opportunity to help these wrestlers find a career,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz recognizes the advantages that a wrestling background can give a fighter. That being said, he knows that the sport is not for everyone.

“It’s not for every wrestler. Not every wrestler likes getting hit,” Ortiz said. “[The sport is] very demanding, requires a lot, but the wrestling mentality is a great foundation for the fighting game.”

Ortiz is working with wrestlers to help them adapt to the fight game, and working with non-wrestlers to help give them a wrestling mentality.

For someone who has practiced a craft for over 30 years, Ortiz is surprisingly open to other styles.

“You let go of your pride and you take everything in to get better, and in turn you make other people get better,” Ortiz said. “I come in with a new attitude. At my age, I can’t afford to be stubborn.”

This is why, after getting tapped out with a triangle, Ortiz jumps up with the enthusiasm of a teenager, ready to try it again. Bader says that Ortiz will continue to better the sport, and he is right. When he is done, the number of fighters that he will have helped will be immense. That list is already growing.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached for comments and questions at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

The Undisputed Review of UFC 2009 Undisputed

Cameron Gidari — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:28:40 -0400

From MMAMadness.com: Mixed martial arts fans have been without any sort of MMA fighting game on this current generation of consoles. The nuances of the sport have proved difficult for game developers to recreate, and few have even attempted it.

THQ have thrown their hat into the ring with UFC 2009 Undisputed, and have put forth an impressive debut effort.

Boasting a combat system built from the ground up, Undisputed provides fans with almost everything that they could hope to see in an MMA game.

The term ‘photo-realistic’ is used by many game developers, but Undisputed might be the closest thing to it on any system. The fighter models are absolutely gorgeous, and look and behave like their real-life counterparts.

Fighters bruise and bleed convincingly, and the knockout physics, while somewhat over the top, are still fun to look at.

When on the verge of being knocked out, the screen will turn grey and the noise will dampen (a la Fight Night), which is a nice touch.

The most impressive thing about the look of the game is the clipping, or rather the absence of it. After close to 100 matches, I have yet to see a fist go through an opponent’s head or an arm go through another arm during a takedown.

Achieving this in a game with so much contact between fighters, especially on the ground, is a remarkable feat.

I’m disappointed that THQ did not include the fighter entrances or weigh-in shots. I would have also liked to see the referee run in and pull my fighter off of the other one during a TKO pounding, rather than simply waving his arms. Really though, I’m just splitting hairs.

The announcing in the game is spot on. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan recorded over 30 hours of conversation, and gamers will want to play as each fighter in the game simply to hear the interesting facts that the announcers state.

As with all sports games, the announcing will start to become repetitive, but with so many different fighter combinations, it is hardly noticeable.

The menu music, on the other hand, is a weak spot in the game. THQ decided to mix in audio clips from actual fights that play at random over the music.

While this is a good idea in theory, it is often hard to understand what is going on in each clip. If you do not know that Houston Alexander knocked out Keith Jardine in under a minute, all you will hear is Goldberg announce the start of the match, followed by a lot of fans screaming.

The controls in Undisputed are easily the best thing about the game. Punches and kicks are performed with the face buttons and modified with the left shoulder buttons, blocks are performed with the right shoulder buttons, and various grappling and submission maneuvers are performed with the right thumb stick.

The game has an extremely steep learning curve, but THQ should be given props for not sacrificing detail for accessibility. Casual gamers might be turned off by the time needed to master the control scheme, and the tutorial is absolutely essential if you want to survive your trip inside the octagon.

Single player options include exhibition mode, classic fights mode, and career mode. The career mode is broken down into a week-by-week schedule, where you must manage your stamina between training, sparring, and attending PR events like autograph sessions.

It is a blast to watch your fighter mature as a martial artist. Unlike other leveling-up games where you have a vague idea that you’re stronger, you will actually see the fruits of your labor pay off here.

Your fighter starts out relatively weak, but put in some time and effort, and he will blossom into a champion right before your eyes. My only complaint in career mode is that other fighters do not progress in the same fashion that yours does.

That means that you will end up fighting the same top-level fighters over and over again.

It hurts the realism factor a bit when you have “Created Fighter vs. Hughes 7,” and it would be nice to see up-and-coming fighters like Efrain Escudero progressing as they will in real life.

Classic fights mode challenges you to recreate some of the most important fights in UFC history. A brief introduction video (like what you see before a pay-per-view fight) explains the significance of the fight, and then you are left to try to duplicate the results.

Doing so unlocks a highlight montage of the fight. This mode is perfect for newer UFC fans, as it acts as a chronicle of the sport’s history.

Online mode is where the serious UFC gamers will glean more gaming for their buck. Undisputed offers an all time leaderboard and a weekly leaderboard, and gamers gain and lose experience based on their performances in the ring.

Lag is seldom an issue, and you rarely have to wait more than a minute before being thrust into a match.

However, online play has one major issue, one that almost makes it frustratingly unplayable. Gamers have the ability to quit at any time, which invalidates the match. While other games feature penalties for such behavior, Undisputed does not.

This means that crafty gamers can quit when they are seconds away from getting knocked out or submitted, and they do not suffer a loss.

I personally have had 15 wins (and I am keeping track) that have not counted due to this loophole, and it is maddening.

THQ has said that they are aware of the issue and are discussing the best course of action, but until then online warriors are left to hope that their opponents are sportsmanlike.

In all, UFC 2009 Undisputed is the mixed martial arts game that fans of the sport have been awaiting for a long time.

The realism and presentation, along with the variety of modes and online play, means that you will dedicate, a long, long time to making your fighter the best in the world.

OVERALL SCORE: 90/100

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He is sad that he can no longer blame his excessive play of UFC Undisputed on work, but will still take occasional breaks from the game to answer reader questions and comments. He can be reached at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

Eight Things I Learned from UFC 98

Cameron Gidari — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:48:30 -0400

From MMAMadness.com: UFC 98 was a spectacular card from start to finish. The card featured submissions, brutal knockouts, and hard fought decisions. At the end of the day, a new champion was crowned, a bitter rivalry was put to rest, and several fighters took steps towards a title shot in their divisions. Here are the eight things that I learned from watching:

1. Fans will eventually root for talent

How quickly fans forget. Only two fights ago, fans were booing Lyoto Machida as he earned a unanimous decision over Tito Ortiz. Fast forward past a first round KO against Thiago Silva, and fans are suddenly chanting “Ma-chi-da, ma-chi-da!”

The UFC did an excellent job promoting Machida for this fight, hailing him as the rebirth of "pure" martial arts. Once fans started buying into this concept, Machida’s fighting style became much more impressive to watch. Expect fans to only fall more in love with Machida, if only to try and figure out how to crack his impeccable ring skills.

2. Yves Lavigne is going to get a fighter seriously injured

Refereeing mixed martial arts is one of the hardest jobs in sports. Refs are only given a split second to make judgment calls on a fighter’s well being, and as a result there are going to be stoppages that fighters and fans will be unhappy with.

While this is an unfortunate and unavoidable part of the sport, there is no place for referee indecision, and worse, confusion.

Fans watching the televised card last night might have noticed the fans booing Yves Lavigne every time he was announced. They had good reason. Early in the preliminary card, Kyle Bradley dropped Phillipe Nover with a short punch. Nover dove for a single leg to protect himself, only to slip and fall forward onto his face.

Lavigne grabbed Bradley from behind, seemingly to stop the fight. Nover rolled to his back, clearly conscious, causing Lavigne to let Bradley go. Confused, Bradley tried to throw more punches, but Nover kicked him away and stood. Lavigne then waved his arms, signaling the end of the fight.

For those keeping score at home, this is the second time in three months that Lavigne has moved to stop a fight, only to let it continue. The Matt Brown/ Pete Sell fight was worse in the sense that Lavigne overcompensated for the early stoppage by allowing Sell to take much more damage than he needed, but both fights are punishment worthy, and the athletic commission should step in.

If not, the next time Lavigne false starts on a stoppage, it might cause a fighter to drop his guard, leading to disastrous consequences.

3. Give Phillipe Nover a break

Despite the controversy, Nover’s record inside the octagon stands at 0-2. Headlines across the web are reading, “Watch the next Anderson Silva/ GSP lose his second consecutive fight.” The lampooning of Dana White’s proclamations is fair; the criticisms being leveled at Nover are not.

Nover lost to TUF winner Efrain Escudero, and then to a much more experienced Kyle Bradley, neither of whom are easy fights. As such, Nover should not be judged by labels placed by White, but rather as a talented but young and inexperienced fighter.

4. Sean Sherk needs to return to his roots

Sometime in the past year, Sherk forgot that he has some of the best wrestling in the lightweight division, and started trying to be an ‘exciting’ fighter. His Fight of the Night decision victory cemented the notion that to be exciting, you have to stand and trade.

The only problem is, Sherk does not have exceptional boxing skills. Content to move forward and look for the one punch knockout, Sherk shows little in the way of footwork or head movement.

Frankie Edgar was able to do a fantastic job on the feet, using lateral movement and bobs and weaves to fire off stinging combinations. Sherk clearly had the strength factor on his side, and would have been much better served to work for a clinch and overpower the smaller Edgar.

The sooner Sherk goes back to his old ways, the sooner he will climb the ranks back to another title shot. If he neglects his wrestling, he may be lost in the deep sea of talented 155lb fighters.

5. All pre-fight trash talking is hype, nothing more

I hold sportsmanship in the highest regard, but even I was disappointed to see Matt Serra and Matt Hughes become buddy-buddy after their fight.

Perhaps there is something therapeutic about trading blows with your arch nemesis for three rounds, but I cannot believe that a person can go from “I hate him so much” to hugs and hand raises in 15 short minutes. I’m not attacking Hughes or Serra, but I will dismiss any further hate talk between any two fighters as white noise, until they prove otherwise.

6. I don’t want to see “Hughes vs. Alves 2”

The win over Serra must have felt good, but Hughes is no longer an elite fighter. I selfishly want to remember Matt Hughes as the most dominant welterweight in UFC history, not as the guy who got manhandled towards the end of his career.

Hughes says he wants a rematch with Thiago Alves to avenge his earlier loss, but that fight would end in exactly the same highlight reel fashion as the last one. Hughes can still be an effective fighter, but his days of fighting the top talent in the division are over.

7. Krzysztof Soszynski is for real

Soszynski is as tough as his name is to spell, and he has quietly racked up three straight wins in the UFC. His boxing technique needs improving, but Soszynski has the power to make for it.

Soszynski also has a pension for finishing fights by kimura, something that the submission-starved UFC can use. He is not ready to take on the elite of the division yet, but I can see Soszynski achieving a level of success similar to that of Keith Jardine.

8. Lyoto Machida will be the Pound For Pound king

What do Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn all have that Lyoto Machida does not? The answer is a loss.

Machida has not yet fought the talent necessary to be anointed the top pound for pound in the world, but the talent rich light heavyweight division will provide plenty of opportunities for Machida to prove his worth.

If Machida can string together several title defenses against the likes of Quinton Jackson, “Shogun” Rua, Forrest Griffin and maybe even Rich Franklin, there will be little dispute over who the real king is.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. When he is not playing UFC Undisputed, he responds to reader questions and comments. He can be reached at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

Which Matt Will Win at UFC 98?

Cameron Gidari — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:21:55 -0400

From MMAMadness.com:

Seldom do we see a fight where the combatants hate each other as much as Matt Serra and Matt Hughes do.

Both fighters have swung verbal haymakers at each other for over two years, the ferocity of which has only seemed to increase as the months drew on. At UFC 98, fans will finally get to experience the biggest grudge match in UFC history.

The reasons for picking either Matt to win are as divisive as the fighters themselves. Serra brings to the table a strong Brazilian Jiu Jitsu background and knockout power, Hughes a wrestling base considered to be one of the best ever seen in the octagon.

Let us examine the fight from both perspectives, to see if we can determine who will finally have their hand raised.

Matt Hughes will beat Matt Serra

It is no secret that both of these fighters are on the decline stage of their careers. The only difference is that Hughes is descending from a much higher peak.

A surefire hall of famer and one of the most dominant champions the UFC has ever seen, Hughes is an icon of the sport.

When comparing the bodies of work of both fighters, Hughes is clearly the better fighter. Serra’s record is an uninspiring 9-5, with the only win of real consequence coming via a fluky knockout of an unprepared Georges St. Pierre.

Fans need only to look at the St. Pierre/Serra rematch to see that said victory was a fluke.

Critics cry that Hughes has lost three of his last four fights, but two of those losses were to St. Pierre (who Hughes also holds a victory over) and the other was to top contender Thiago Alves. Serra is not nearly on the same level of competition as either of these fighters.

Serra is also coming off of a major injury. While both fighters have had extended layoffs, Hughes’ athleticism will allow him to shake off the ring rust much easier.

Hughes will have no problem taking Serra down to the ground, and will neutralize Serra’s Jiu Jitsu much like he neutralized the Jiu Jitsu of Serra’s mentor, Royce Gracie.

Matt Serra will beat Matt Hughes

Serra predicted that Matt Hughes’ ego will be his downfall, and this Saturday will prove that prediction true. Georges St. Pierre took Serra lightly before their first bout, and the result was an early knockout in Serra’s favor.

Hughes will fall into a similar trap, and will gaze up at the lights with a stunned look as the fighter that he proclaimed is not even a top 20 welterweight celebrates.

At this stage in his career, Hughes’ wrestling abilities are significantly overrated, and Serra will have no problem warding off takedown attempts.

If the fight does stay standing, Serra will have the significant striking advantage, and the fight will end by knockout. If the fight goes to the ground, Serra will use his superior Jiu Jitsu to catch Hughes, who will only be looking to lay on him, in a submission.

Most importantly, Serra is coming into this fight in the best shape of his career. The extended layoff has given him time to get healthy, and he has prepared for the fight like never before.

Serra has not even touched a slice of pizza or pasta in the last three months, and to hear him tell it, someone is going to have to pay for him not getting any sauce. That someone will be Matt Hughes.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness. When he is not busy playing UFC Undisputed, he responds to reader comments and questions. He can be reached at cgidari@mmamadness.com

Payan, Munoz Fail to Make Weight For Bellator VI

Cameron Gidari — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:33:50 -0400

Estevan Payan and Hector Munoz have failed to make weight for Bellator VI. Both fighters have been penalized, but will still fight.

Payan is in the semifinal round of the Featherweight championship. The former Army Staff Sergent weighed in at 148.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the 145 pound limit.

Munoz, fighting in a non-tournament bout, weighed in at 164.5 pounds, well over the 155 pound limit.

All other fighters on the card made weight. Bellator VI will take place on May 8, and will be aired via one day tape delay on ESPN Deportes on May 9.

The full weigh-in results are as follows:

Tournament

Joe Soto (145.5) vs. Wilson Reis (145.5)
Estevan Payan* (148.5) vs. Yahir Reyes (145.5)

Non-tournament

Diego Garijo (154.5) vs. Hector Munoz* (164.5)
Luis Palomino (146.5) vs. Nick Gonzalez (146)
Roberto Vargas (145) vs. Daniel Pineda (146)
Dustin Phillips (145.5) vs. Jose Santibanez (146)
Chris Spicer (186.5) vs. Bubba McDaniels (183.5)
Ira Boyd (162) vs. Hector Urbina (174)

* These fighters were penalized for being over.

For more insight and breaking stories, make sure to check out www.mmamadness.com.

Payan Fighting for More Than Just Title at Bellator

Cameron Gidari — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:06:12 -0400

Many people know Estevan Payan as a semi-finalist in Bellator's World Championship Featherweight tournament, but few know his story.

Payan, a father of five and former Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, has served three tours of duty in Iraq, where he proved to himself and his country that he is a true warrior possessing the highest levels of courage and discipline.

Payan enlisted in the military at a young age. While the military served as a tool that taught Payan how to fight with great strength and discipline, it is his experience as a father that has taught him how to fight for his beliefs and his family.

Payan will draw on these experiences when he steps back into the cage on May 8 for Bellator VI, to face off against kickboxer Yahir Reyes. The winner of the bout will earn $50,000 and the right to compete for the Bellator Fighting Championships’ Featherweight world title.

Payan retired from military service a little over a year ago to pursue his dream of becoming a mixed martial arts champion. He made the cut from welterweight all the way down to featherweight in preparation for Bellator’s tournament debut.

Payan made his Bellator debut on his 26th birthday, and scored a quarter-finals upset against favored Luis Palomino. The victory netted him $25,000, money that Payan is using to support his five children, all of whom are under the age of six. If Payan wins at Bellator VI, it would provide him a chance to fight for the featherweight title, and a chance to net$175,000 in just three fights.

Bellator’s unique tournament structure has allowed Payan to showcase his skills against top rated opponents Palomino and Reyes. Fighter seeding allows for underdogs like Payan to quickly make a name for themselves, just by winning one or two fights.

For Payan, he won't just be fighting for his own name—he'll be fighting for the family name.

For more insight and breaking stories, make sure to check out www.mmamadness.com

Bellator Not Concerned with Swine Flu

Cameron Gidari — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:29:08 -0400

Bellator Fighting Championship has no plans to move or cancel its May 8 show in Robstown, Texas, despite reports of swine flu in the state.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAmadness.com that they have watched the situation closely, and determined that the venue is safe.

"We've kept a keen eye on this situation and given the feedack we've received from CDC, coupled with the fact that every other major sports league (NBA, NHL, MLB) are continuing to hold events with 30,000, 40,000 and more people in a single venue, we are comfortable moving ahead with our event," Rebney said in a statement.

Texas has confirmed 64 cases of swine flu. The only two confirmed swine flu fatalities in the U.S. have also been in Texas. On April 27, a toddler from Mexico City died while visiting relatives in Houston, and just today, a woman in her mid 30s in Cameron County passed away. Both victims had pre-existing medical conditions.

For more insight and breaking stories, make sure to check out www.mmamadness.com

THQ Says UFC Undisputed "Is Going To Be The Best MMA Game Ever Made"

Cameron Gidari — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:59:17 -0400

Those are the words of THQ’s UFC project manager Nevin Dravinski when asked about UFC Undisputed 2009, which releases on May 19th for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. MMAMadness caught up with Dravinski to discuss the game, and Dravinski is not shy about singing the game’s praises.

“The UFC’s tagline is, ‘as real as it gets,’ and that’s been our official motto for this project,” Dravinski said. “We set out to make the best MMA game ever made, and I think [that] we’ve delivered.”

These words are especially bold, considering the difficulties of creating a mixed martial arts game.

One of the hardest aspects of MMA is the sports many nuances. Boasting a control scheme built from the ground up, Undisputed aims to deliver an experience so real, Dravinski compares it to watching a pay per view event.

“We knew that we really had to create a control scheme that still offered easy accessibility, but requires you to invest time to learn the nuance and the subtleties of the control scheme to get better,” Dravinski said.

Dravinski likened the controls to real MMA training. Players will have to invest the time to master all aspects of fighting, including clinching, striking, and submissions, but the results will pay off.

Rich Franklin asked Dravinski during a visit to the studio, “if I get good at this game, am I gonna be able to beat Anderson Silva?” While Dravinski didn’t have an answer, he assured us that everyone in the game is beatable, but players will have to use strategy and pick their spots if they hope to beat the best fighters.

The fighters performing these moves onscreen certainly look as real as it gets. THQ took hi-resolution scans of every fighter to create a mesh to work with. From there they took hi-definition pictures of every imaginable angle, from the top of a fighter’s hand to the bottom of his foot, and attached those images to the mesh, creating fighters that look remarkably accurate.

The graphics won’t just be for show. Dravinski explained that as fighters sustain more damage throughout a fight, they will become sweaty, bruises will form, and cuts will open. Recognizing these indicators will allow gamers to judge how hurt their fighter is, and how close they are to finishing their opponent.

While players can choose from any of the 80+ fighters currently on the roster, the real hook of Undisputed promises to be career mode. In it, couch warriors will be able to create a fighter from scratch, pick his martial arts disciplines, and then turn him into a legend.

Much like in real life, fighters in career mode will train and spar to increase their skills. Looking to improve your Jiu Jitsu? You can travel to Hawaii to train with Team Penn. New moves, like the superman punch, will become available as you gain experience, so training your fighter is crucial for success.

Career mode also introduces ‘cred,’ a points system that fighters can use to upgrade gym equipment and fighter stats. Sponsors like Tapout will become available as you win more fights, and their logos can be put on your shorts.

In all, Undisputed is shaping up to be a can’t miss title, and Dravinski is hoping that the game will be successful enough to warrant a yearly release, with different fighters rotating in and out of the roster.

“We’re definitely part of the UFC’s plan for global domination,” Dravinski said.

With the way the game looks right now, that’s certainly apparent.

To read more of my work, or to see other great writers and articles, check out MMAMadness.com.

Ben Henderson: The Nicest Guy to Tap You Out

Cameron Gidari — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:13:04 -0400

From MMAMadness.com

“Threatening” is not a word you would use to describe Ben Henderson after you first meet him.

He’s friendly. He left an event after promising me an interview (not his fault, we just didn’t cross paths), but came back after just one text message to give it.

He’s well-mannered, someone you would be thrilled to have your daughter date.

He’s pious, citing God as his biggest supporter.

But Henderson (9-1) is anything but nice when he steps in the ring. Riding an eight-fight win streak after an impressive comeback TKO victory against Shane Roller at WEC 40, Henderson has quickly become one of the can’t-miss prospects in the lightweight division.

Henderson swears that his personality in and out of the ring is anything but Jekyll and Hyde.

“I’m the same guy inside the ring as I am outside the ring,” Henderson said. “I’m not one of those guys who’s nice outside, and inside the ring I change personalities. It’s just another side of the personality. Who you are really comes through inside the ring.”

Henderson credits much of his success to the Lab, the Glendale-based camp that he helped establish.

“It’s awesome building up a family together, [with fighters] who are there from the very start,” Henderson said. “These guys are my brothers and I love them to death. The things we go through and put ourselves through, it’s just really special to see us grow up together.”

Family is something that Henderson seems to incorporate into every aspect of his life, from his training partners, to his sponsors.

“I’m not a guy who will represent anybody, just pay me the bucks and ill put you on my shorts,” Henderson said. “I like to know the company and build a good relationship with them.”

With the support systems in place, Henderson seems poised to make a run at superstardom at 155 pounds, be it in the WEC or the UFC. Just don’t expect him to start calling out opponents.

“I’m not one of those guys who calls out people,” Henderson said. “I wanted to fight the best of those types of genres, the standup fighter, the wrestler, the Jiu Jitsu guy and I’ve already done that, so now I’m ready for whoever’s next.”

Whoever that someone is, they should take note. Ben Henderson has become a force to be reckoned with.

To see this article and other great articles like it, make sure to check out MMAMadness.com.

Forrest Griffin Talks UFC 101, New Book

Cameron Gidari — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:58:00 -0400

When Forrest Griffin (16-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) steps into the Octagon on Saturday, Aug. 8, for UFC 101, it will have been almost eight months since his last fight. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion kept busy during the break, training, touring, and writing a book.

The book, Got Fight?, has been well-received by critics, and Griffin has been promoting it in his typical, self-deprecating way.

“It will probably make you dumber if you read it,” Griffin told Ground & Pound Radio. “It’s just kind of my philosophy on life; an unorthodox manner of getting ahead, I suppose.”

Griffin admits he’s actually not too excited about the book’s release.

“People might hate it. And then that’s going to suck because I actually tried a little bit,” Griffin said.

In fact, it’s the fear of failure that motivates the Georgia native far more than the thrill of victory.

“It’s easy to have a little success and lose your hunger,” Griffin said. “I’m not a huge fan of winning, but losing really sucks.”

With that in mind, Griffin is especially wary of his next opponent, knockout specialist Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

“I’m coming off a loss. I’m fighting a guy who is pretty damn good,” Griffin said. “It’s kind of a scary thing.”

“[Silva] trains at a really good school. I really like those American Top Team guys,” Griffin said. “He’s got a good style. Good Thai clinch, comes forward. I think it’s a good matchup.”

If Griffin is victorious at UFC 101, don’t expect any elaborate post-fight celebration.

“It’s like Barry Sanders; he never once spiked a football in the end zone or did a dance,” Griffin said. “His dance was on the way to the end zone, and that’s something I always really liked.”

“I don’t usually celebrate after fights. The celebration is the fight”

Ground & Pound Radio broadcasts live every Tuesday at 9:30 pm EST (6:30 pm PST). The show is hosted by MMAMadness.com’s Hector Castro and Fight! Magazine’s Johnny Dunn. For more information, or to download previous episodes, go to here.

The Five Worst Jobs in MMA

Cameron Gidari — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:49:38 -0400

Mixed Martial Arts is filled with glamorous positions. Announcers, fighters, matchmakers, presidents, the list goes on. But what about the other jobs, the ones that you would have to be crazy to take? I've compiled a list of what I think are the five worst jobs in MMA. Think I missed some? Post them in the comments section, I would love to see what everyone comes up with.

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UFC President Dana White Has Crossed the Line

Cameron Gidari — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:34:08 -0400

I was doing some research on the UFC Fight Night card, when I came across this vlog posting by Dana White. At about the four-minute mark, Dana discusses an article written by Sherdog's Loretta Hunt.

In the article, Hunt was critical of the UFC for not allowing some of its fighters to have their managers and agents backstage during a fight. Dana took offense to the article, particularly the anonymous source that Hunt used, and voiced it with some particularly colorful language.

Rants like this are nothing new for White. I cannot recall a time when he has been on camera for more than a minute without letting an "F bomb" fly. That's Dana, for better or worse.

The problem that I have with this particular rant, however, is that he chose to use a homophobic slur when speaking about the anonymous source. This is unacceptable, hateful, and akin to him using the "N word" when describing a black person.

Can you imagine David Stern using a derogatory slur like that during a news conference? Or Bud Selig? How about the CEO of a company?

No, it's unimaginable, and it should be. For a sport that craves mainstream credibility, Dana has done the UFC and MMA as a whole the ultimate disservice. Slurs like that only reinforce the mainstream stereotype that MMA is backwards and uncultured.

I respect the hell out of Dana, and the contributions that he has made to MMA are beyond question. But he has crossed the line with this language.

He won't be forced to apologize, like so many athletes and managers often do, because there is no league conduct to abide by and no threat of suspension (or any kind of discipline at all, for that matter).

No, in this instance, it will be the fans of Mixed Martial Arts that suffer, as we watch Dana lob a softball to anyone looking to criticize the sport we follow and its organization.

In closing, I'll quote the UFC president, but make a slight word choice alteration:

Dana White, you're a f**king idiot.

Defending The Ultimate Fighter

Cameron Gidari — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:16:31 -0400

I came late to the Ultimate Fighter scene. Season Seven was the first season that I watched all the way through, and I have since gone back to re-watch every season I missed. With Season Nine right around the corner, the criticism aimed at the show has been louder than the hype for the show itself.

A lot of this criticism is warranted. I certainly don't want to see the sport that I love degenerate into a show about bodily fluids and drunken destruction.

These problems seem especially acute because MMA still feels fragile, and is still trying to establish itself as a legitimate sport. Any actions that are counterproductive to this goal, or that paint fighters in a less-than-professional light, should be and usually are criticized.

However, the Ultimate Fighter does provide something essential to the sport, and something that no other promotion outside of the UFC can offer; it helps us decide who to root for.

Mixed Martial Arts faces the same problem that most non-team sports face, in that the competitors do not always resonate with fans the same way that city-based teams do.

A basketball fan growing up in Phoenix will usually become a Suns fan, based on nothing other than geography. But what happens when you're watching a fight between a fighter from Brazil and a fighter from Alabama?

TUF gives fans the opportunity to familiarize themselves with fighters, to build a bond with them, and to pick a favorite. As I said before, I went back to watch the first six seasons of TUF, and watching them with preconceived notions of the contestants gave me an interesting perspective. It also changed my opinions of some current fighters.

Nathan Quarry was someone that I had seen fight several times, but had never made a lasting impression on me. Seeing his personality on TUF, however, immediately made him someone that I took notice of in the future.

Likewise, Jorge Gurgel was a fighter I had little interest in, until I watched his professionalism and cognisance of his role as an MMA ambassador in Season 2. I now follow both of these fighters much more closely.

This is what TUF does. Hardcore fans might know about every fighter on a card, but for the casual fans (the one that TUF is aimed at,) a big card might only feature two or three names that they are familiar with.

That number is usually doubled if the fan has watched TUF. The show helps bring fans closer to fighters, and as a result brings fans closer to the sport itself.

Does this benefit completely excuse all of the behavioral mishaps on the show?

No. I'm not arguing that the show is perfect, or that there are no aspects of it that need tweaking. I am arguing that the show still has value, and that the absence of it would hurt the UFC, more so than the immature antics on it hurt the company now.