Bleacher Report - Articles by Rear Naked

UFC 101 "Declaration" Full Results

Rear Naked — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:24:28 -0400

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Jesse Lennox vs Danillo Villefort

-Lennox Wins by 3rd Rd TKO (cut)

-The cut was from an accidental headbutt. Villefort went for an armbar and there was a collision. A timeout was called and the doctor wouldn't let it go on. Don't be surprised if this one ends up a "No Contest" at some point in the future. The replays showed it was a headbutt and not a strike.

-Crowd is pretty nuts. Villefort got some boos for running away and refusing to touch gloves following a restart. Lennox received applause for escaping an armbar attempt.

George Roop vs George Sotiropoulos

-Sotiropoulos Wins by 2nd Rd Submission (Kimura)

-Dominant performance.

Matt Riddle vs Dan Cramer

-Riddle Wins by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)

-Those scores don't tell the story. Cramer put up a good fight. I had it 29-28 Riddle.

Thales Leites vs Alessio Sakara

-Sakara Wins by Split Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

-Awful 1st Round. Even worse 3rd Round.

-Honestly, that was one of the worst fights I've ever seen. It was basically a toss-up going into the 3rd Round, yet the referee had to stop things at one point to tell them to engage. Unbelievable.

John Howard vs Tamdan McCrory

-Howard Wins by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Kurt Pellegrino vs Josh Neer

-The officials who rub vaseline on the fighters before they enter the cage are wearing these ridiculous Tapout cut shirts. I think Paulo Filho was the guest designer.

-Dan Miragliotta sighting.

Round 1

They trade shots to begin things and both connect. Pellegrino slams Neer to the mat. Neer active on the bottom. Pellegrino having trouble landing anything. Neer shifts into an armbar. Very nice transition. Pellegrino gets out. Pellegrino lands a right. Neer pulling on the arm and going for another armbar. Pellegrino stands out of it. Elbow connects for Pellegrino. Right hands to the body of Neer. Short elbow by Pellegrino. RNN Scores it 10-9 Pellegrino.

Round 2

Neer lands a solid leg kick. Another. Pellegrino replies with a combo. Straight right connects for Pellegrino and he shoots for a single leg. After working for ten seconds, he gets the takedown. Neer throwing elbows from the bottom. Neer looking for a triangle. Can't quite get it. Pellegrino having all sorts of trouble with Neer's guard. He fires a nice right that lands. Neer answers with an elbow. Neer attempts another triangle, but Pellegrino turns out of it. Neer goes for a kimura. Pellegrino counters and gets mount. He shifts to Neer's back. He can't get a choke hooked, though. RNN Scores it 10-9 Pellegrino.

Round 3

Body kick by Pellegrino. Neer tries a kick and Pellegrino takes him down. Neer goes for an omoplata, but Pellegrino pulls out of it. Pellegrino landing light stuff from the top. Pellegrino gets the mount. Neer shifts and is briefly on top. Pellegrino stands right up and takes a hold of Neer's leg. As Pellegrino's head is down, Neer lands about twenty elbows to the head. Pellegrino bloody as the round ends. He wasn't in any danger, but the elbows definitely landed. RNN Scores it 10-9 Pellegrino.

Kurt Pellegrino Wins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ricardo Almeida vs Kendall Grove

-5 inch reach advantage for Grove.

Round 1

Almeida charges forward and presses Grove into the cage. Grove defends the takedown well. He's looking for the clinch, but Almeida keeps powering out. Grove turns off the cage and they're back to the center. Almeida lands a right. Another tie-up near the cage. Almeida grabs a leg and looks for the takedown. Grove slips his leg out. Almeida keeps working for the takedown and finally gets it with a minute and forty to go. Grove landing short elbows from the bottom. Almeida has side control. He lands a couple knees to the side. Grove is able to stand back up. Almeida picks him up and slams him back down. RNN Scores it 10-9 Almeida.

Round 2

Almeida dives in and takes Grove down. Picture perfect transition by Grove into an armbar. Almeida turning and trying to get out. It's locked in. Almeida manages to break free. That looked bad. Almeida on top throwing light stuff. Grove active on bottom with short elbows across the face. Almeida steps up the pace and lands a few strikes. He passes Grove's guard and is into side control. Grove works back to half guard. Big punches from the top by Almeida. Grove takes them and somehow stands up during the barrage. Tie-up near the cage. Grove lands a solid uppercut and a knee. Almeida working for another takedown and he gets it with seconds remaining in the round. RNN Scores it 10-9 Grove.

-Very tough round to score. I gave it to Grove because of the armbar. Almeida controlled things, but that armbar almost finished things.

Round 3

Almeida lands a couple leg kicks. He pushes Grove back and gets another takedown. Grove stands back up almost immediately. Grove lands a knee to the chest, as they're tied up. Center of the cage and a left lands for Grove. Almeida drops into guard and eats some shots from the top. Grove lets him back up. Almeida dives in with a right. Another takedown for Almeida. Two minutes to go. Not much action. Almeida looks tired and is basically laying on top. Grove trying to throw from the bottom, but nothing is landing hard. Grove pushes him off with his foot and they're back up. Almeida comes forward and pushes Grove into the cage. RNN Scores it 10-9 Almeida.

Ricardo Almeida Wins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Amir Sadollah vs Johny Hendricks

-6 inch reach advantage for Sadollah

-Pretty big ovation for Sadollah.

-Another Miragliotta sighting. They're pushing their luck.

Round 1

Sadollah charges in with a nice combo. Hendricks counters with a left hook. Hendricks landing uppercuts. Sadollah goes down. Hendricks throwing while he's down, but he's not connecting. MIRAGLIOTTA STOPS IT!!!! You gotta be kidding me! Totally awful.

Hendricks Wins by 1st Round TKO

-Seriously, I think it's time this guy gets fired. He's like a clueless WWE referee. Sadollah went down, but he wasn't in any real trouble. He was literally trying to get up when Miragliotta jumped in. I should also mention the stoppage, because it was funny. Miragliotta jumped in, grabbed Hendricks, and threw him. He reacted like Hendricks was standing over Sadollah with a gun pointed to his head.

Shane Nelson vs Aaron Riley

Round 1

A left by Riley. Another left pushes Nelson into the cage. He crashes into the barrier and falls. He's right back up. Body kick by Riley. Nelson lands a couple knees from the clinch. Riley pushing forward and applying pressure. Left lands for Nelson. Knee to the body by Riley. Another one lands. Head kick partially lands for Riley. RNN Scores it 10-9 Riley.

-Randy Couture shown sitting between two blondes who probably don't even add up to his age.

Round 2

Riley putting more pressure on Nelson. Tie-up near the cage with mostly Riley landing. Back to the center. Nelson lands a knee from the clinch. Riley lands a head kick. Nelson looked wobbly for a second, but he regains his composure. Riley trips him to the ground. Short elbows by Riley. Referee stands them up after a minute of nothing. Combo lands for Riley. RNN Scores it 10-9 Riley.

Round 3

Nelson connects with a body kick. Nelson sorta falls to the ground. A fight has broken out in the stands. No one paying attention to the cage. Not that they're missing anything. Riley is on top controlling things. Nothing much landing. RNN Scores it 10-9 Riley.

Aaron Riley Wins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

-Thank God that's over.

Forrest Griffin vs Anderson Silva (Non-Title 205 lbs)

-Griffin enters to his usual "I'm Shipping Up To Boston". Huge ovation from the crowd. It's impossible not to like this guy.

-Silva looks pissed off. Fans give him a solid ovation too.

-Silva has a half inch reach advantage.

-Griffin going nuts during introduction.

Round 1

Griffin misses with a head kick. Fans chanting all sorts of stuff. Silva catches a leg kick and throws a strike back. Griffin sorta stumbled back, but he's fine. Another attempt at a head kick by Griffin. Silva moves forward and drops Griffin with a punch. Griffin back up and Silva hits him with a right. Griffin seems ok. Silva pounds chest and yells at Griffin. Silva drops him again. Silva sizing him up from the top. He lets Griffin back up then shakes his hand. Griffin moving forward, but Silva counters perfectly. Silva very confident. He's got both hands down and is moving out of the way of everything Griffin throws. Griffin misses with a right/left combo and walks into a short right. It's over. Referee stops it. 3 minutes and 23 seconds. Silva was actually moving backwards when he landed the punch. I think Griffin was hurt prior to it from the other knockdowns. The last strike was not a classic knockout punch at all. When Griffin got up, he literally ran out of the cage and into the back.

Anderson Silva Wins by 1st Round TKO

-I don't even know what to say about that one. Griffin's gameplan seemed flawed from the start. He was standing in front of him and letting Silva counter. He didn't even try to get in close and push him around. Silva's performance was amazing. He landed whatever he wanted. I have no idea what happened with the last punch. It landed flush, but I think Griffin was just demoralized at that point. He went down three times in the span of about a minute. The accumulated effects of the strikes ended the fight. Very exciting fight. Great to see Silva motivated again.

Kenny Florian vs B.J. Penn (Lightweight Title)

-Oh no! Miragliotta is back! If anyone can screw up two fights in one night, it's him.

-Penn enters to weird Hawaiian chanting.

-Penn's eyes looked crazed. He's either on cocaine or really really focused.

-4 inch reach advantage for Florian.

-Penn going old school with some tight shorts. I heard a rumor he's paying homage to Larry Bird. Not sure if it's true or not.

Round 1

Head kick by Florian is blocked by Penn. Penn drops Florian, but he doesn't look hurt. Florian gets right up. Elbow lands for Penn. Fans chanting "BJ! BJ! BJ!". Tie-up and some body shots land for Penn. A left and right lands for Penn. Tie-up near the cage. Neither can break free and land anything. Back to the center of the cage. Florian dives at Penn and looks for a takedown. Penn doing his usual thing and doesn't go down. Florian drives Penn into the cage. Florian gets tagged with a right and a flying knee as the round ends. RNN Scores it 10-9 Penn.

Round 2

Leg kick lands for Florian. Florian pushes him into the cage. They break free. Florian pushes him into the cage again. I think he's trying to wear him out. He's not looking for the takedown. He's just kinda pushing him and making Penn work. Florian misses a Superman punch. Another tie-up along the cage. Penn lands an uppercut and a left hook. Leg kick by Florian. Penn connects with a right. Leg kick by Florian. RNN Scores it 10-9 Florian.

Round 3

Penn ducks and partially connects. Florian again pushes Penn into the cage. I'm not sure how the judges will view this. He's not doing anything. He's just pushing him into the cage then holding him there for a little bit before Penn breaks free. Body shots by Florian. Florian connects with a left, but he eats a shot in return. Florian grabs a leg and pushes Penn into the cage. Penn active and lands a knee in close followed by a right. Penn counters out of it and lands a flurry of strikes. RNN Scores it 10-9 Penn.

Round 4

Penn catches him coming in with a right. More pushing into the cage by Florian. Penn lands an uppercut and as Florian moves away he takes him down. Half-guard for Florian. Short elbows to the side of the head by Penn. Penn looking to pass. He lands a couple good strikes to the head. Penn mounts. Florian gives up his back. Back to mount briefly before Florian gives up his back again. Penn begins heel kicking Florian in the midsection, as he works for a choke. Rear Naked and Florian taps.

BJ Penn Wins by 4th Round Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

-Penn outclassed him. It was obvious from the start that Florian didn't want to strike with him. I think he also thought he'd be able to take Penn down once he tired him out with the constant tie-ups near the cage. Penn never went down and Florian didn't have a backup plan. Even if he did go down, I don't think Florian could have kept him there for long.

-This fight was a good example of why the best gameplan doesn't win a fight. In the end, if you don't have the talent advantage, you're probably going to lose. St-Pierre tired Penn out by pushing him into the cage, but he had the talent and ability to take him down and do damage. Florian didn't.

UFC 100 Preview and Picks

Rear Naked — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:14:32 -0400

(RearNakedNews.com will have UFC 100 Live Results tomorrow night. Don't miss any of the action with our Full Play-by-Plays as the fights happen.)

Mark Coleman vs .Stephan Bonnar

One of my big rules is I never put much stock into a fighter who has had one great camp. It happens all the time. A fighter who has looked bad moves camps and suddenly, "He's working with _____ now and he's evolved so much in the last few months."

One camp is not enough time to makeover a fighter. I don't believe a word of the Coleman hype about how he's a cardio machine now. I also don't believe we're going to see anything different than the Coleman we've always seen.

He's a 44-year-old wrestler who has never had a striking game. When he steps into the cage tomorrow night, he'll still be a 44-year-old wrestler without a striking game.

As for Bonnar, I think he's undervalued in the eyes of most fans. He took some highlight reel punishment at the hands of Jon Jones, but he also looked solid at times on his feet. Everyone forgets the second half of that sentence.

I think Bonnar takes this fight pretty easily. He'll tire Coleman out early then finish him late in the 1st Round. Bonnar by 1st Rd TKO.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Alan Belcher

I don't see how anyone can say with certainty how this fight turns out. Working against Akiyama we have the UFC Asian Curse, a size disadvantage, and a long layoff. Belcher must contend with fighting a more experienced opponent and his first real taste of PPV pressure. Let me talk about the UFC Asian Curse first.

For various reasons, Asian fighters do not do well in the UFC. To me it boils down to size in most cases. The UFC is full of huge fighters. They've mastered cutting weight and use every pound to their advantage.

Asian fighters are smaller. They do not come from wrestling backgrounds where weight cutting is a fact of life. It's difficult to compete with someone who outweighs you by 10+ lbs on fight night.

That's the situation most Asian fighters find themselves in. Akiyama will be significantly smaller tomorrow night. Check out the size difference.

Akiyama comes from a judo background, which should help alleviate Belcher's size. Judo guys always fight bigger than they actually are. I'm not too worried about Belcher manhandling Akiyama. His reach is what concerns me. If Belcher fights smart, he should be able to stay out of Akiyama's range.

The question is whether Belcher can remain calm enough to execute such a plan. Again, we're talking about UFC 100 here. Everyone who steps into the cage will have an extra surge running through their body.

With that in mind, I think the excitement gets to Belcher. He'll walk into a bad position following a successful strike and get tossed. Once on the ground, Akiyama makes quick work of him. Akiyama wins by 2nd Rd Submission.

Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson

It's sink or swim time for Bisping. He's had a very soft slate of opponents since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3. Henderson is an enormous step up in competition. While he isn't the same fighter from his Pride days, Henderson remains one of the best Middleweights in MMA. He knows how to win and is fine with grinding out decisions.

Add in a solid chin and you've got someone who is extremely difficult to defeat. The only thing working against Henderson is his age. He's been competing for a long time (1992 Olympian) and it adds up.

We've seen a string of veterans losing to younger fighters in the past year. Bisping might be the next to take out a legend.

I think the Henderson/Franklin fight is the template Bisping will use to fight Henderson. Franklin came extremely close to winning the fight. I re-watched it yesterday and what struck me was how Henderson faded.

He limped to victory. That was at 205 lbs against a small Light Heavyweight. At UFC 100, he'll be fighting at 185 lbs against a big Middleweight.

Most would agree the fight probably isn't ending early. With that in mind, I'm taking Bisping. I see him dropping the 1st Round due to takedowns. He'll get through it without taking much damage and force Henderson to use more energy than usual to keep him down (crucial point).

In the 2nd, he'll begin to connect more just like Franklin did. By the 3rd, Henderson will be in trouble. He's gonna be desperate for a takedown, but Bisping will be smart enough to avoid the tired fighter. He'll land a good percentage of strikes and impress the judges. Bisping wins by Unanimous Decision.

Thiago Alves vs Georges St-Pierre (WW Title)

To me, this is the best play of the night. Alves isn't in St-Pierre's league. He's too young, too predictable, and not as "strong" as everyone keeps saying. It isn't his time yet and he's facing a beast. He's never fought anyone who could beat him standing or take him down and submit him.

St-Pierre might not be the best pure striker or the best pure wrestler or the best pure jiu-jitsu fighter, but he's near the top in each category. If I had to quantify it on the scale of 1-100, he'd get 90s in each.

The only other fighter I'd say that about is Fedor. This makes St-Pierre incredibly difficult to defeat. Some point to his chin as a weakness. I agree, it's not world class. The issue is hitting him with a powerful strike. He takes guys down when they're balanced. If someone loads up with a power shot, it's even easier to get them down. And once you're down, you're gonna get tagged.

This makes his opponents cautious with their strikes. At this point, I don't think anyone in the Welterweight Division has a chance against GSP. He's gonna have his way with Alves and finish him on the ground with strikes. St-Pierre wins by 2nd Round TKO.

Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar (HW Title)

I was very high on Mir after he dismantled Nogueira. Then the news broke about Nogueira's knee injury and his battle with staph prior to the fight. Looking back it makes sense.

I'm no longer of the belief Mir evolved into Lennox Lewis. His striking game is better. It's just not as good as it looked at UFC 92. He's still mostly a jiu-jitsu specialist who can hold his own in the other areas. Is that enough to defeat Lesnar again?

The first time they fought, Lesnar did not get any help from Steve Mazzagatti. The stand-up for striking the back of the head was comical to say the least. If someone throws a punch and their opponent turns their head, it's not the striker's fault. The fact he deducted a point made it even more laughable.

I still wonder what was going through Mazzagatti's head that night. On some level, the point deduction probably fed into Lesnar's aggressiveness. Once he got Mir down again, he went straight for the kill.

At UFC 100, he won't have to even consider points because it's a five round fight. In a three rounder, you can't give away rounds. You're forced to be aggressive.

Championship fights are more methodical. It's not the worst thing to give away a round, if it helps your overall plan. This will help Lesnar avoid another sloppy submission loss.

I think this fight comes down to striking. How clean can Lesnar hit Mir? Can he hit him hard enough to really do damage? Flash knockdowns aren't going to help Lesnar. He needs to knock Mir clean out or hurt him significantly.

Anytime the fight is on the ground, he's at risk of being submitted. Mir's submissions are some of the best in MMA. I believe Lesnar's striking remains underrated. He might only use a big right, but it works. He's dropped everyone he's faced with it.

Unless he secretly has staph and comes into the cage with one working knee, I'm picking Lesnar by 1st Round TKO. Big right, clean shot on the ground, referee stops it.

Actual Picks I'm Making

Dollaway
Fitch
Bonnar
St-Pierre

WEC Top Fighters Want More Money

Rear Naked — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:31:18 -0400

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Most problems begin with poor judgment.

Tim Sylvia let Monte Cox talk him into fighting Ray Mercer. It was a fight the former UFC Heavyweight Champion should have never even considered.

He had nothing to gain from it and now, following his embarrassing knockout loss, Sylvia's stock is subterranean. He made a bad decision and created a problem for himself.

It usually works this way.

Zuffa has another sort of problem with a different cause.

In December, it will be the three year anniversary of their WEC purchase. At the time, it did not seem like a major deal. The WEC was a minor MMA promotion with little fanfare attached to it.

Zuffa's biggest move was to bring the 135 and 145 pound weight classes to the forefront. Since they became the focus, the promotion has grown significantly. The lighter fighters are very active in the cage, and it makes for some of the best fights you'll see anywhere in the world of MMA.

This great idea by Zuffa led to their current problem, which is their biggest WEC stars want to be paid like their UFC brethren.

Urijah Faber has been particularly outspoken about the issue. He recently told MMAWeekly, "I feel like I'm making a pretty good name for myself and I'd like to be compensated for this."

It's hard to argue with his logic. Faber is the WEC's biggest star, yet for his recent main event fight with Mike Brown, he only made $35,790 ($25,790 to show plus $10,000 bonus for Fight of the Night).

To give you an idea of how low this is, Chris Lytle made $18,000 to show against Kevin Burns at the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale last month. As always, reported salaries are not the actual totals fighters make. For some ridiculous reason, MMA promotions still get away with not releasing the actual salaries.

Still, the fact that Faber and Lytle are only separated by $7,000 is troubling. Faber is a main event fighter who brings in an audience whenever he fights.

Lytle is a journeyman.

Their salaries should not be this close.

The WEC simply does not have enough revenue yet to pay large salaries to their biggest names. The UFC makes the bulk of their money with PPVs. There are other revenue streams from advertising, merchandising, and live gates, but the majority of their money is PPV related.

For the WEC, their revenue is mostly based on their live gates. WEC 41, which featured Brown vs. Faber, sold 13,027 tickets and brought in $818,415. It topped their previous high by $70,000.

Their events do not always bring in that much money. In fact, last December at WEC 37 (headlined by Miguel Torres), the gate was only $90,125, while the salaries totaled $219,000.

This isn't to say they're struggling. Most events bring in a profit, but when you factor in the money spent on marketing, arena fees, and employee payroll, there isn't an enormous amount left.

Any increases to salaries would not be drastic at this point.

The good news is the promotion continues to grow, and it's only a matter of time before they put together a PPV. The additional PPV money will lead to the type of increases it'll take to keep their top fighters happy.

The WEC definitely has a problem, but it's not a bad one to have at all.

Tito Ortiz Is Still Talking

Rear Naked — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:27:00 -0400

It always amazes me how he can talk for so long without stopping.

Notice the "sleazeball" doing the interview. He'd be better off staying behind the camera next time. He also asks one of the worst phrased questions I've ever heard...

Sleazeball: Is it possible that you would ever, if, the respect was there, if the dollars was there, whatever, under the circumstances all together, is it possible we could ever see the legacy of Tito Ortiz have another fight, uh, with UFC, ever, you think?

(My favorite part is how he gets upset with his bumbling opening and says "whatever" halfway through. Subconsciously, he knows he's an idiot.)

UFC 100 Odds

Rear Naked — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:34:00 -0400

With UFC 100 around the corner, it's time to get into betting mode and review the odds. Like all sports betting, MMA odds change over time, so it's important to keep an eye on them from when the bout is announced all the way till fight night. You want to maximize the line to your advantage whenever possible.

UFC 100 Odds

Lesnar -240
Mir +190

St-Pierre -300
Alves +220

Henderson -230
Bisping +180

Fitch -450
Thiago +325

Akiyama -300
Belcher +220

Bonnar -350
Coleman +250

Miller -200
Danzig +160

Jones -450
O'Brien +325

As of tonight, I like Bonnar, Fitch, and Bisping.

A lot has been made of Mark Coleman's new-found dedication to cardio training. The fact he just discovered the need for cardio shows me all I need to know. You can't undo decades of neglect with one proper training camp.

Fitch will not fall into the trap Koscheck did. He'll grind his way to a victory over Thiago, instead of standing and trading with him.

And I like Bisping, even though no one else does. I think it's a close fight either way. Henderson's inability to finish fights will come back to haunt him. Bisping has the technical striking game to outscore Henderson like Rich Franklin did. He'll avoid enough takedowns, keep it standing, and win a decision.

Rampage Sued For Death Of Fetus

Rear Naked — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:58:00 -0400

Holli Griggs, the pregnant woman whose SUV Rampage Jackson rammed into with his monster truck, has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the incident. TMZ quotes the figure at "more than $25,000."

Griggs had a miscarriage following the accident, but it was ruled the monster truck ramming into her SUV did not cause it. It's possible to have a miscarriage because of stress, so I'm unsure how they determined his ram job could not have caused it.

Anyway, this one will settle out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. It'll be significant.

Perhaps Rampage took the coaching job on Ultimate Fighter 10 because of the impending lawsuit. Make a nice salary coaching and fight an easier opponent or take on Machida for the title. From an economic standpoint, it's not a difficult decision.

Gabriel Gonzaga on the Brink

Rear Naked — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:00:00 -0400

UFC 66 - WIN Marrero (Preliminary Card)
UFC 70 - WIN Cro Cop (Main Event)
UFC 74 - LOSS Couture (Main Event)
UFC 80 - LOSS Werdum (Main Card)
UFC 86 - WIN McCully (Preliminary Card)
UFC 91 - WIN Hendricks (Main Card)
UFC 96 - LOSS Carwin (Main Card)
UFC 102 - Tuchscherer (Preliminary Card)

The first time you fall off the main card is not a huge deal. As long as you were previously a name, you're not in danger of being cut.

The second time you fall to the preliminary card, you're in trouble.

Notice the talent difference between his first trip to the prelims and his second. Chris Tuchscherer is the guy who tried out for TUF 10 and they thought he was too good, so they signed him to a contract instead.

This is a whole different ballgame than fighting McCully/Hendricks. The UFC hoped for Gabriel Gonzaga to get back on track by placing him in those fights.

There is no hope for the Tuchscherer fight. Gonzaga needs to win or he might be looking for a new employer.

MMA is a strange sport. Your opportunities don't last long.

It's like when you're at a bar talking to a pretty girl. Unless you've found the Holy Grail of bars, the ratio of pretty girls to guys is always working against you (kind of like the ratio of championship belts to fighters). You need to capitalize on the conversation or else you might not get another opportunity.

Gonzaga stumbled over his words, the pretty girl is talking to someone else now, and he's stuck with a fat chick who thinks too highly of her boobs.

Good luck, Gabe. You're gonna need it.

Carwin vs Velasquez

Rear Naked — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:27:00 -0400

Inside Fights is reporting that Shane Carwin will face Cain Velasquez at UFC 103 in Dallas, TX. The fight makes sense on a variety of levels. They've reached the point where they can't put off sorting out the future of the Heavyweight Division any longer. I still say the winner of Couture/Nogueira is assured a title shot, but after them it's without a doubt the winner of Carwin/Velasquez (if it pans out and they both agree to the fight).

Velasquez's Mexican roots also won't hurt ticket sales.

The other bout mentioned is Amir Sadollah. Hughes desperately needs a big win to stay relevant and Swick desperately wants recognition. It's not the type of fight that gets me pumped, but it's solid.

Inside Fights also mentions the long shot of Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin. Dana White's commercial interview with Amir Sadollah seemed to open the door for Liddell's return. Does a fight with Franklin make any sense?

Well, actually, yes. Franklin is in a strange limbo. He's good enough to decision most of the 205 pounders in the UFC. He's not good enough to finish the top guys. They could put him in a fight with a rising star like Luis Cane, but you run the risk of Franklin getting a decision on him and ruining Cane's potential. The solution is to let Franklin fight the aging veterans who aren't in the title picture anymore, such as Henderson (not in the 205 title picture), Silva (not in any title picture), or Liddell (only picture he is in is at some random bar with a porn star strapped to his side).

Book it. I'll watch Liddell chase him around for three rounds and lose a split. At least we won't have to see him get knocked-out again.

Bellator's Solid First Season

Rear Naked — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:52:00 -0400

Bellator will have live English language broadcasts for Season Two, which kicks off in the fall.

In many ways, their debut season without live English television was a blessing. They were able to build without expectations. Fans tuned in to see the highlight knockouts and submissions, but they weren't pouring over every minute of the broadcasts with a critical eye.

When Season Two begins, Bellator will have the experience of twelve shows to draw on and an ever growing list of exciting fighters.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the tournament structure as a foundation for an MMA organization. As a viewer, there are certain fights I want to see, and I don't feel like waiting around for a tournament to shake out for them to happen.

For fighters, though, the tournament structure is very enticing. Eddie Alvarez fought three times in a little over two months. He took home $175,000 in reported pay for his three victories.

It's not only tournament winners who thrive financially. Since Bellator puts on one show a week, there are more opportunities for all their fighters to compete. In other promotions, fights are stretched out over months.

Three fights in a year is considered a lot. Bellator turned this notion on its head. I'll guarantee we see some bigger names make their way to Bellator for the increased fighting opportunities.

Going along with that thought, it'll be interesting to see how aggressive Bellator is with free agents. Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard (MW Winner) are legit top level fighters. They won their tournaments and need opponents during Season Two.

Apparently, they plan on holding more tournaments and the winners will face the champions from Season One. A nice idea on paper, but you better fill out the Season Two tournaments with more well-known commodities, if you expect to sell the Season One Champs vs Season Two Champs as a PPV event (see Sherdog link in final point for more info on their PPV plan).

Overall, a solid start. Bellator managed to get fans interested despite their abundance of unknown fighters. Moving forward, Bellator needs to prove their economics work.

I'm a little dubious about how they intend to make money. A broadcast deal with one of ESPN's English stations would go a long way to convincing me. According to Sherdog, they might not land on ESPN or ESPN2, though.

It might not even be a channel within the ABC/ESPN family. They also plan on doing PPV events, which seems premature to me. Alvarez is their biggest draw and I'd say 50 percent of the mainstream MMA audience doesn't have any idea who he is.

That's a bad sign when you're talking PPV buy rates and such.

Eddie Alvarez vs. JZ Cavalcante

Rear Naked — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:55:00 -0400

According to MMANews.com, Eddie Alvarez and JZ Cavalcante will do battle at DREAM 11 on Sept. 23. This will be Alvarez's biggest test since his loss to Shinya Aoki.

The Bellator wins were nice, but they weren't against top talent.

For all those fans who don't bother with Japanese MMA, you're missing out, especially on the Lightweights. DREAM's stable of 155 pounders is the best in the sport.

Plus, they almost always put on exciting fights. These guys go out to kill each other.

I highly recommend you tune in for this fight.

Also on the card, the semifinals of the Super Hulk tournament with Choi/Minowa and Mousasi/Sokoudjou.

Vitor Belfort and The UFC

Rear Naked — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:36:00 -0400

During a commercial break, Spike gave us another segment with Amir Sadollah. Usually these are pointless, but last night we got some interesting news. Apparently Dana White is fishing for Middleweights to challenge Anderson Silva. He named Vitor Belfort as someone he believed could give the enigmatic champ a fight. The reason this is interesting is because Belfort is under contract with Affliction. In recent weeks, White has teased fans with the promise of signing a Middleweight who would "blow our minds." Is Belfort that Middleweight?

I'm gonna say definitely.

While my mind remains in tact, it would be a significant addition to the division.

(By the way, has anyone ever parlayed their TUF win into a better situation than Sadollah? He hasn't even fought in the UFC since winning the show a year ago yet he's interviewing Dana White on Spike TV. It pays to be a likeable fighter these days.)

TUF Finale Thoughts

Rear Naked — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:26:00 -0400

-Clay Guida returned to his brawling roots last night and it cost him the fight. He came out wild and took some of the worst Round One punishment I've ever seen. He's gotta be killing himself for not using his strength advantage to put Sanchez on his back from the start of the fight. He still managed to get a split decision, which proves to me that he's actually a title contender and not just some guy who puts on entertaining fights. What he needs is a trainer he respects enough to listen to. Someone who will all but force him to fight his game the entire time. He could Couture his way through the Lightweight Division, if he just stopped trading with guys for more than two-three strikes at a time. As soon as he gets hit, he needs to tie-up and push his opponent around. I hope he finds that guy soon because taking punishment adds up quickly in MMA.

-I can't remember the last time I was that psyched during a UFC staredown.

-James Wilks' beatdown of Damarques Johnson delighted me. I'm sure he's a nice enough dude in real life, but Johnson came off as the Ultimate Douche on the show.

-Ross Pearson's pre-fight video was more entertaining than his win over Andre Winner. "Here's me girlfriend. She's called Jenny." I'm definitely introducing my girlfriend that way from now on.

-Kevin Burns might as well embrace his illegal tactics and become a full blown heel. I say he shows up to his next fight with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in his corner and spits green mist into his opponent's eyes like The Great Muta.

-I'm not jumping off the Nate Diaz bandwagon yet. He's very young. His brother went through a similar patch of decision losses before realizing how to put it all together. Nate's dealing with that now. Give him a year of mid-level fights and he'll be back. One thing he needs to solve immediately is his over-reliance on fighting from his back. He's a great jiu-jitsu guy, but fighting from your back makes it almost impossible to win a decision in the UFC. A lot of fighters fall into this trap. When a fight goes to the ground, judges score based on control. They rarely factor in submission attempts from the bottom. Diaz needs to forget about submissions at times and just work on reverses or getting up. I'm confident he will figure this out, combine it with better striking, and be a top five Lightweight before he's 27.

-Sanchez vs the winner of Penn/Florian. I'm cool with it. With Sherk out of the way, there isn't anyone else deserving of a title shot. Plus, Diego puts on great fights. I hope the layoff isn't too long, though. He mentioned he had trouble with the cut and I'd rather not see him balloon up in weight before having to lose it all.

-And finally, shut the hell up with the Twitter crap. My God, I thought I was watching a Jonas Brothers concert or something.

Cro Cop On DREAM 10 Card

Rear Naked — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:08:00 -0400

Mirko Cro Cop will face Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga July 20 at DREAM 10.

There has been considerable Mirko bashing since he fled the UFC after EPKO-ing Al Turk. I'm just as pissed as everyone else, but lets remember this is not Pride Cro Cop. In the UFC, he'd have had all kinds of trouble with the top guys (the ones he claims he wanted to fight).

Whenever the UFC put him into the cage with Lesnar, Mir, Couture, Carwin, or Velasquez, he was losing. It was inevitable, and in a way I'm happy to see it end this way. I don't want to watch anymore former Pride greats get dominated.

In Japan, he can end his career against mediocre competition and hold onto the last shred of his past dominance. Kick dudes in the head, cash your checks, and ride off into the sunset Mirko. I'm fine with it.

Josh Gross reporting.

Marcus Davis Isn't Getting a Rematch

Rear Naked — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:49:00 -0400

I've been a vocal supporter of Marcus Davis, but he needs to forget about a rematch with Dan Hardy. He lost. Whenever fighters let things go to the judges, you run the risk of losing a decision.

MMA scoring is suspect at best. I don't think it's corrupt. It's just a difficult sport to score. The only way around it is finishing the fight. Davis had his chances and could not put Hardy away.

A rematch does not make sense for anyone other than Davis. Hardy and the UFC have nothing to gain from it. The UFC has gone out of their way to market itself to England and Hardy's rise into relevance bolsters their thin lineup of UK fighters. There's no need to throw him back into the cage with Davis.

UFC 99 Final Thoughts

Rear Naked — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:25:00 -0400

-One of the stranger nights of fights in recent memory. Some highlights, off the top of my head...

Saunders and Swick trash talking during the fight and you could clearly hear it, an eye poke, a river sized gash, two questionable decisions on the main card (Franklin/Silva and Fisher/Uno), one coin flip decision (Hardy/Davis), Bruce Buffer didn't give the scores for Fisher/Uno or Franklin/Silva, Miragliotta strikes again, and Velasquez almost got knocked out twice yet won every round convincingly.

-After rewatching the Franklin/Silva fight, I still think Wandy took it. To me, it's not enough to control the action like Franklin did. You need to do something with the control. Silva inflicted more serious damage. If a fighter takes his opponent down in the first ten seconds, lays on top throwing light punches for four minutes, then gets dropped with a strike in the last ten seconds of the round, I don't think his four-plus minutes of control should win the round.

-Cro Cop vs Overeem. Cro Cop vs. Fedor. I like either of those fights a lot more than Cro Cop vs Couture or Cro Cop vs Nogueira. And, yes, Fedor will be in Japan before the year ends.

-Time to get Mike Swick a top opponent. The possibility of a fight with Matt Hughes intrigues me, although I don't know why.

-Cain Velasquez's win was not impressive. We all knew Kongo couldn't wrestle to save his life. Velasquez could not put him away, despite landing hundreds of strikes. I give him credit for working through the punches he ate on his feet, but he's no longer a sure thing in my book. A decent wrestler with powerful strikes will beat him (Lesnar and Carwin come to mind). Lets see how Velasquez evolves now that Kongo poked a couple holes in his aura.

-Where does Wanderlei Silva go from here? He's 2-5 in his last seven fights stretching back to 2006. More troubling was the news he cut 12 lbs the day before weigh-ins. He looked spent after one round with Franklin. It wasn't like Franklin tired him out with grappling, either. If the UFC really believes in him and his future, they'll set him up with an easy opponent for his Middleweight debut. Someone he can knock out early would be best. If it goes deeper than a round, he's in trouble.

-Seriously, what the hell was Buffer's deal? Did he decide on his own not to read the scores? Did he forget (um, twice)?

-Rich Franklin is quietly adding to his Hall of Fame legacy. Even though I thought he lost the fight, he got the decision. Fight long enough and you end up on both sides of strange decisions. Franklin's last time out, he lost a split decision to Dan Henderson, a fight many fans believe Franklin won. I want to see Franklin fight again at 195 lbs. Give him a rematch with Henderson (if he loses to Bisping) at the catchweight.

Ray Mercer KOs Tim Sylvia

Rear Naked — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:26:00 -0400

Monte Cox has all but sewn up the 2009 Worst Manager award. The loss can't be blamed on him, but putting Sylvia into the position can.

Managers are supposed to look out for their clients and steer their career into the right directions.

A former UFC Heavyweight Champion should never be in Alabama fighting a 48-year-old boxer. Sylvia had nothing to gain from it.

The real loser in all of this is Affliction. If Sylvia isn't injured and can still fight on August 1st against Paul Buentello, they will be paying an obscene amount of money to a fighter who just got knocked out by Ray Mercer. How do you hype a fight like that?

I don't even know if Sylvia can be medically suspended since Alabama does not have an Athletic Commission. God, what a mess.

All right, one last time.

Cro Cop Leaves UFC

Rear Naked — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:04:00 -0400

The UFC's experiment with a one-fight deal did not go so well. Mirko Cro Cop has signed a three-fight deal with DREAM and totally burned his bridge with the UFC.

It's an unexpected move, as Cro Cop seemed genuine about his return to the Octagon.

Before the fight, Dana White talked openly about how he never gives one-fight deals and this is why.

Cro Cop promised to sign on for two additional bouts after the fight, but for some reason had a change of heart (DREAM officials saw him win a fight on a UFC PPV and offered him crazy money).

It's unfortunate because Cro Cop remains a very popular fighter. I think he's at the tail end of his career and wants to make the most money he can while he's still a draw.

DREAM gives more upfront money, while the UFC gives you the chance to make huge money, as long as you win. Cro Cop took the easy money and financially it's probably his best option.

Still sucks for fans who wanted to see him matched up with the best the UFC has to offer.

UFC 99 Results

Rear Naked — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:33:00 -0400

www.RearNakedNews.com

-A better name for this event would have been "Ramifications". The winner of Kongo/Velasquez becomes an instant title contender and if Silva defeats Franklin, he's probably getting a shot at the Middleweight Title in the latter half of 2009.

There's also the return of Cro Cop, which could set up a huge fight with Couture/Nogueira, if he can keep it together and take out Al Turk.

I can't think of another PPV in a while with so many Ramifications. See, it works much better than "Comeback".

Preliminary Card
John Hathaway vs Rick Story
-Hathaway Wins by Unanimous Decision
Denis Stojnic vs Stefan Struve
-Struve Wins by 2nd Rd Submission (RNC)
Paul Kelly vs Rolando Delgado
-Kelly Wins by Unanimous Decision
Paul Taylor vs Peter Sobotta
-Taylor Wins by Unanimous Decision
Dennis Siver vs Dale Hartt
-Siver Wins by 1st Rd Submission (RNC)
Terry Etim vs Justin Buchholz
-Etim Wins by 2nd Rd Submission (D'arce)

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

-The "bad blood" between Marcus Davis and Dan Hardy is comical to say the least. I enjoy seeing the UFC stoop to this. The feud is based on Davis saying he's Irish and Hardy saying he's not. That's dumber than a mid 90s WWF angle.
-Davis wearing an Irish kilt and an ugly sponsor t-shirt. Probably the strangest clothing combo in the history of fashion.

Round 1
Leg kick by Hardy. Body kick by Davis. A takedown attempt by Davis is initially stuffed by Hardy. Davis still working for it. He finally drags Hardy down. Davis quickly into full mount and throwing punches. Hardy works back to full guard.

Davis has his back with Hardy on his knees. Punches to the side of the head by Davis. Back to their feet and Hardy lands a big right elbow. RNN Scores it 10-9 Davis.

Round 2
Solid leg kick lands for Hardy. Davis lands a left. Both connect lefts at the same time. Another left by Davis. Action picking up. Another exchange with both landing, but Hardy gets the better of it.

Hardy connects with a big knee. He follows Davis to the ground. Davis regains composure and seems to be all right. Hardy working from full guard. Davis goes for an arm bar, but can't totally hook it in. Elbow from Hardy. Davis working like crazy from the bottom. Lots of elbows. Referee stands them up.

Davis mauls him into the cage. Hardy lands a knee to the body from the clinch. A big left lands for Davis. He takes Hardy down. Throwing lefts from Hardy's full guard. RNN Scores it 10-9 Hardy.

Round 3
Davis lands a left and Hardy goes down. It looked like somewhat of a slip. It landed, though, and will score points with the judges. Davis passes to half guard. Not throwing much. Davis rolls and grabs Hardy's foot.

They scramble for a bit with Davis trying to sink in the submission. Looked bad for a second, but Hardy gets out. Back to their feet. From a tie-up, Hardy takes Davis down. Hardy connects with an elbow and some punches. Davis is cut. Referee stops it to check the cut.

Fight restarted. Bad break for Hardy. Davis was wobbly when he stood up. That gave him 15 seconds or so to recover. Weird cut check, to say the least. Referee stands them back up.

Blood all over Davis. Davis lands a left and Hardy a leg kick. Fight ends in a tie-up along the cage. RNN Scores it 10-9 Hardy.

Dan Hardy Wins by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

-Nightmare to score. Davis controlled the fight, but Hardy did the most damage. After they announced the decision, Hardy tried to shake hands and Davis waved him off.

Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno

Round 1
Uno shoots and is stuffed. Knees to the side by Fisher. Still tied-up and on their feet. Knees to the body by Fisher. Referee finally splits them after two minutes of nothing but partially connecting knees. Fishers lands a left.

Solid leg kick by Fisher. A short right hook connects for Fisher. Uno shoots again, but another nice sprawl by Fisher. Fans whistling and saying angry things in German. Rounds mercifully ends to a chorus of boos. Fisher frustrated by the crowd's reaction. RNN scores it 10-9 Fisher.

Round 2
Fisher connects with a left. Uno grabs him and takes him down. Fisher gets up quickly. Uno goes for takedown and Fisher sprawls perfectly, again. Good leg kick by Fisher. Then a better leg kick by Uno. Another by Uno. He shoots and Fisher sprawls. They scramble and Uno ends up on top in Fisher's full guard.

Very cool escape by Fisher. When Uno stood in his guard, Fisher grabbed his foot and tripped him to the ground. Back to their feet and another tie-up. Fisher goes for a sweep, but Uno ends up on top. Back to their feet.

Rogan trying to explain why this fight doesn't suck (basically it's a fight only high brow MMA fans can enjoy). Whatever, dude. RNN Scores it 10-9 Uno.

Round 3
Tie-up with Uno driving Fisher into the cage. Uppercut lands for Fisher. A big left slaps against Uno's head. Uno is unfazed and grabs a leg. Yet another tie-up along the cage. Yamasaki finally wakes up from his coma and breaks them apart. A solid leg kick by Uno. Fisher lands a right hook and then takes Uno down. Fisher passes to side.

Uno whips him off and drives Fisher into the cage. Fisher lands a good combo, but Uno comes in and takes him down. Uno into mount. Throwing nice punches and elbows from the top. Uno doing some damage. RNN Scores it 10-9 Uno.

Spencer Fisher Wins by Unanimous Decision

-Another tough one to score. I gave it to Uno, but it doesn't surprise me the judges didn't.

-Boring fight. Rogan can defend it all he wants, but that fight sucked.

Ben Saunders vs. Mike Swick

-Make or break time for Saunders.
-"He's confident, but not an ass." Rogan on Swick.
-Bruce Buffer looking more and more like Vince McMahon with every passing event. By UFC 105, the transformation should be complete.

Round 1
Saunders grabs Swick, but ends up on the bottom. He sorta pulled guard. Swick staying active on top. Saunders holding on. Swick landing body shots. Some trash talk between Saunders and Swick. Referee stands them up after over three minutes on the ground without anything happening.

Good exchange with both landing. Tie-up with Saunders pushing Swick into the cage. Knee to the head by Saunders. It partially landed. Swick reverses him into the cage. RNN Scores it 10-9 Swick.

Round 2
Swick charges in with a punch and lands a couple knees from the clinch. Swick takes him down and moves right into the mount. Saunders fights him back to guard. Swick throwing light stuff from the top. Crowd groaning.

Referee stands them up in less than two minutes! He's learning! I don't know who he is, but I think his first name is Leon. He's white too. You don't hear of too many white guys named Leon anymore. As you can tell, this fight isn't too exciting.

Anyways, Swick opens things up with a punching charge. He's landing. Saunders backing away. Rights are getting through. He nails him on the temple and Saunders is down. Referee stops it.

Swick Wins by 2nd Rd TKO

-That could have been a great fight, if Leon would have stood them up quicker. You can't let things stagnate on the ground. Once the action stops for thirty seconds, stand them up. Big John is the best at knowing when exactly to stand fights up.

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Mostapha Al Turk

-In the pre-fight video, Al Turk tries to use the Rocky IV "He's a man!" defense.
-Oh no...Dan Miragliotta.

Round 1
Turk lands a right. He goes for a takedown and Cro Cop throws him off. Leg kick by Turk. Straight left by Cro Cop. Cro Cop charges in with a right left combo. He drops him with a left. Then lets Turk back up. Cro Cop pokes him in the eye (Miragliotta misses it on cue). Turk covering up. Cro Cop attacking. Turk eats a big strike. It's over.

Cro Cop Wins by 1st Rd TKO

-First, Cro Cop was gonna TKO this guy at some point. Turk was throwing wild punches and Cro Cop had already dropped him. But...the eye poke led to the finish. Miragliotta totally missed it. He never disappoints.

Cain Velasquez vs. Cheick Kongo

-Miragliotta on the scene again. I guess they don't think he can screw up twice in one night. It would be impressive if he managed to do it in back-to-back fights.
-5 inch reach advantage for Kongo.

Round 1

Kongo catches him. Big strike. Another one. Two huge rights. Velasquez still somehow gets a takedown. Great recovery. Kongo pushes him off. Scramble and Velasquez is back on top. Side control for Velasquez. Elbow from the bottom by Kongo.

Mount by Velasquez. Going for a choke. Kongo rolls out of it. Back up, but Velasquez takes him right back down. He's in side control.

Right hands landing for Velasquez. Kongo back up for a second before Velasquez takes him down again. More ground and pound. RNN Scores it 10-9 Velasquez.

Round 2
Kongo connects again at the start with a right. He clinches, though, and it allows Velasquez to recover. Velasquez takes him down. He hurt him again. He just can't follow it up. Velasquez into mount. He has his back.

Punches to the side of the head of Kongo. Kongo stands and gets taken down again. Velasquez into side control. Elbow from the bottom by Kongo. More punches from the top by Velasquez. Knees to the body. Kongo is bleeding from his nose. RNN Scores it 10-9 Velasquez.

Round 3
Kongo connects again at the start. This time not as flush. Kongo takes Velasquez down. Velasquez pivots out of trouble and has Kongo's back. Throwing rights to the head. Kongo back up. He's landing knees to the body.

Kongo landing punches. Velasquez hurt a bit. Kongo comes in too quickly and gets taken down...again. Another mount by Velasquez. More punches from the top. RNN Scores it 10-9 Velasquez.

Cain Velasquez Wins by Unanimous Decision

-Kongo made the same mistake three times. He connected with big punches then moved forward. Every time he walked into a takedown. Once down, it was like watching a heavyweight college wrestler taking on a lightweight high schooler.

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

-Silva is so cool he makes "Sandstorm" seem like a manly entrance song.
-Rogan calls Silva the most exciting fighter in MMA history. That's probably true. Least exciting fighter in MMA history? Reese Andy, of course.
-Am I the only one who doesn't believe Silva is really 32 years old? I'm not being sarcastic. I think his actual age was altered at some point. He's probably 35-36.
-Silva starting to look like Mark Coleman.

Round 1
Slow start with both tentative. Silva comes forward, Franklin counters. Neither landed solid. Body kick by Franklin. Silva throwing high kicks. Silva catches a body kick and takes Franklin down. Silva in Franklin's full guard.

Silva throwing and missing from top. Body punches mixed in with strikes to the head. Nothing major landing yet. Franklin gets up and has Silva down. Franklin connecting with punches to the head. RNN Scores it 10-9 Franklin.

-"I think I broke his nose" says Franklin.

Round 2
Body kick by Silva. Franklin counters. Good exchange with both landing. Silva misses with a big right. Silva breathing heavy. Maybe the cut was too much for him. He's swinging hard.

Franklin drops him, but doesn't go in for the kill. Silva back up. Silva throwing hard again. He lands and Franklin is hurt. Silva throwing, but he can't end it. Franklin seems ok. Exchange and both landing. RNN Scores it 10-9 Silva.

Round 3
Silva looks very tired. Franklin lands a left. Silva lands a right. Franklin tags him with a left. Franklin is doing whatever he wants. Loops a punch in that connects. Low blow. Franklin kicked Silva in the nuts. Quick restart. Both fighters land.

Silva coming forward. A knee to the head by Silva. Silva raises hands and pumps up crowd. Franklin lands a combo. Silva charges in and has Franklin somewhat hurt. Franklin weathers the storm and takes Silva down. Silva kicks him off and gets up.

Round ends in a tie-up. Franklin the the back throwing punches and Silva throwing elbows. RNN Scores it 10-9 Silva

Rich Franklin Wins by Unanimous Decision

-Kind of a weird one. It goes with the theme of the night. One fighter controls the fight, the other does more damage.

UFC 99 Predictions

Rear Naked — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:40:00 -0400

Wanderlei Silva vs Rich Franklin
-Silva by 1st Rd TKO
Cain Velasquez vs Cheick Kongo
-Kongo by 1st Rd TKO
Dan Hardy vs Marcus Davis
-Davis by Unanimous Decision
Ben Saunders vs Mike Swick
-Swick by Unanimous Decision
Mirko Cro Cop vs Mostapha Al-Turk
-Cro Cop by 2nd Rd TKO

I can't decide if my sentimental nature messes up the Silva pick or not. Since he's facing Franklin, I think you could make the argument that picking either has an element of sentimentality to it. They're both fan favorites who are in the later stages of their careers.

Picking a winner based on logic is out of the question. Feelings come into play on this one no matter which way you go. Maybe the MMA Gods will intervene and allow Silva to have one last run. They owe it to all the fans who did not see his Pride dominance as it happened. It would also make up for bringing Kimbo Slice back into our lives.

Sylvia-Mercer Bout Back On!

Rear Naked — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:43:00 -0400

The saga continues...Earlier today the boxing match between Tim Sylvia and Ray Mercer was canceled over sanctioning issues by the Association of Boxing Commissions (whatever the hell that is).

Here's a transcript of their meeting:

Corrupt Boxing Commissioner No. 1: That fat MMA dude Tim Sylvia is boxing Ray Mercer this weekend in Alabama?

Corrupt Boxing Commissioner No. 2: Ray Mercer is still alive?

Anyways, they freaked out, put pressure on the right people, and the boxing match was canceled. Promoter Monte Cox did not take the hint. Instead of scrapping the main event, he got Sylvia, and more importantly Mercer, to agree to contest the fight under MMA rules. This gets the ABC out of the picture.

I know everyone was pumped for the six round boxing war, but don't worry. Apparently Sylvia has agreed to fight Mercer in a boxing match in the future. Yup, that's right...Rematch, baby.

I've always heard rumors that Cox plans on releasing a tell-all book about his struggles promoting this epic bout. It's tentatively titled "A Work of Staggering Stupidity."

VIDEO: (And of course, it's still hilarious the 50th time you see it)

Xtreme Couture Supplements

Rear Naked — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:21:00 -0400

Xtreme Couture now has a line of supplements.

It's about time a fighter poked their nose into this world. It's been sitting there waiting for a couple years.

This is one reason I think MMA managers are horrible. You have a perfect match between fighters and supplements.

Everyone is enamored with MMA training at the moment. It's the new Tae Bo. All you really need is a popular fighter to be the spokesman for the products and some investors.

Why has it taken this long for someone to do it?

Even a moderately successful operation could turn out millions a year. Instead MMA managers cash their 10 percent checks, wait for calls from promoters, and line up ugly sponsor t-shirts for their fighters to wear.

Supposedly (probably not), this is Randy Couture's supplement schedule. Not surprisingly, he takes every product they offer. What are the odds?!

Check out this stock photoof the Xtreme Couture research lab. Looks like they're working on a new Orange Julius shake of some sort.

Urijah Faber's Hand Steals the Show

Rear Naked — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:09:00 -0400

Nothing was settled last night. Mike Brown slid by an injured Urijah Faber. An amazing performance by Faber, even in defeat. He resorted to throwing elbows instead of punches. He couldn't grasp Brown in the clinch or any time they wrestled.

It was spectacular to watch and at the same time frustrating, because this rematch had the makings of a back and forth classic. Without his right hand, Faber was a shell of himself, and Brown took advantage often enough to get the decision.

I hope Brown makes it through Jose Aldo and Faber heals up, because a third fight between these two is the best thing WEC has going.

Strikeforce "Lawler vs Shields" Recap

Rear Naked — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:27:00 -0400

-Did you see Mike Kyle's improbable TKO victory over Rafael Feijao? Yeah, me either. I did get to see Kevin Randleman gas in a minute and a half, though.

-Kevin Randleman's striking technique reminds me of a T-Rex trying to bat coconuts from a tree.

-"Catchweight fights can also open a door to Pandora's box." Oh, that explains it. Thanks for the insight, Shamrock.

-Phil Baroni kept asking for more water before the fight. Never a good sign.

-"World renowned Cage Master" - Jimmy Lennon Jr. in reference to Nick Diaz.

-I hope Scott Smith invests his money well, because he's gonna be a mess as an old man. You could actually hear his brain weeping with each passing shot. Strikeforce needs to sideline him for at least six months and let his head heal.

-Big John is the best. I love his confidence. Most refs are afraid to break up stalled clinches, but not Big John. He doesn't mess around.

-Has Nick Diaz entered the upper echelon? I think he needs one more big win before he's fully made the leap, but he's well on his way. His evolution into a top fighter has been one of the best stories of 2009. I hope Strikeforce finds him some quality opponents at 170 lbs, which is where he belongs.

-"Some great Heavyweights in attendance...Fedor, Josh Barnett." - Gus Johnson snubs Tim Sylvia.

-As soon as I saw Michael Moore in Arlovski's corner, I knew my prediction was spot on. Arlovski needs to make a decision. Is he a boxer or a Mixed Martial Artist?

-I don't want to see Rogers get murdered against Overeem. Let him develop more, please.

-"Andrei chose the wrong tactic." - Fedor sums it up.

-How bad was Ranallo's interview with Fedor? With all the softballs flying around, I thought I was watching a Rock n' Jock.

-Lawler's pre-fight dance routine was more entertaining than the main event. He did realize there were cameras on him the entire time, right?

Strikeforce "Lawler vs Shields" Preview

Rear Naked — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:26:00 -0400

Kevin Randleman vs Mike Whitehead

I'm indifferent towards this fight because it bumped Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante off the main card. He should walk through Mike Kyle, but it still bothers me that Strikeforce would lower him on the card for Randleman/Whitehead.

Neither of these two is making a title run anytime soon. Feijao, on the other hand, is one of the best young fighters in the sport. You gotta showcase him, even if it's against a replacement fighter.

That said, I'm favoring Whitehead. Randleman is one of those guys who gets more credit than he deserves. His record is a pedestrian 17-12. You might say, "Well, Couture doesn't have a great record, either." The difference is Couture has lots of big wins. Randleman has very few.

I also tend to stay away from fighters who recently had a kid, got engaged, got married, are planning a wedding, or had knee surgery. Randleman got married like a month ago. Combine this with Randleman's sketchy submission defense and I think Whitehead takes it by 1st Round Submission.

Joe Riggs vs Phil Baroni

Baroni makes me laugh and I wish I could pick him, but Riggs seems motivated and barring a random punch, wins this one rather easily. Riggs by 1st Round TKO.

Nick Diaz vs Scott Smith

Smith puts on entertaining fights, is as tough as they come, and has elite level knockout power. With that out of the way, he's overrated. His stock is artificially high. In the first fight with Lawler, he was getting smoked and would have eventually been knocked out. In the second fight, he was outclassed.

Against Radach, he was being pummeled for three rounds before connecting. I don't buy his status as a title contender. Diaz should have his way with Smith. He's smart enough to win without putting himself into danger. Diaz by 2nd Round Submission.

Andrei Arlovski vs Brett Rogers

This is a difficult fight to predict. Arlovski is coming off a truly horrific knockout loss to Fedor. Historically, fighters do not rebound well from those. There is also the late booking. This fight was announced two and half weeks ago.

Arlovski was supposed to be preparing for a six round boxing match on June 27th. It's weird to say the least. I'm not sure if Arlovski is crazy or stupid. For Rogers, the decision to take the fight was a no-brainer. It's an excellent opportunity for a power puncher to knock out a big name opponent who often goes down hard.

Let me explain a little bit about why the timing of the fight perplexes me. Arlovski is training for a boxing match. His mindset is completely on stand-up. No wrestling, grappling, etc. He might be in great shape for a boxing match, but I find it hard to believe his body is ready for wrestling. It's a different conditioning.

This isn't to say Rogers is a wrestling powerhouse and will wear down Arlovski. He is good in close, though. He also outweighs Arlovski by twenty pounds. If Rogers leans on Arlovski a bit early, we might see a tired fighter as the fight goes on. I just don't get why he and his camp would ever agree to the fight on two and half weeks notice.

I'm going with the underdog. He will probably lose the 1st Round, but I think Arlovski will tire a bit in the second and leave himself open for a big strike. Rogers by second Round KO.

Jake Shields vs Robbie Lawler

Shields is one of the best MMA jiu-jitsu guys out there. He's also one of the worst strikers among top fighters. The best comparison is to Matt Hughes. Both are great fighters, elite fighters, but their striking is comically below average. It's going to be an enormous mismatch on the feet. Lawler is a brutally effective striker. If I had to name the five best strikers (pure striking on its own), Lawler makes the list.

Shields needs to survive on his feet and somehow get the the fight to the mat. The problem will be getting a bigger opponent down without getting knocked senseless in the process. I don't think he can wrestle Lawler down. I also don't think he knocks him down with a strike. That leaves the third option, which is getting hit.

Shields will need to capitalize on Lawler's aggressiveness. He needs him to follow him to the ground and I think he has a good shot at getting it to happen. This is where the fight will be won or lost. Either Shields pulls a crazy submission or Lawler finishes it from the top with strikes. I'm going with the latter. Lawler by second Round TKO.

Viewer's Guide to TUF 10

Rear Naked — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:18:00 -0400

Why would the UFC want Kimbo Slice on The Ultimate Fighter?

The UFC has been very successful by drawing hardcore message board posting fanatics alongside mainstream casual fans. They walk the line carefully and it has paid off for them. Kimbo represents a portion of the public the UFC has yet to capture.

They are spectacle fans. The type of people who want to see something for the sake of seeing it. They don't necessarily care about MMA all that much. There are a lot of them, and Kimbo brings them in.

The Ultimate Fighter operates as a giant advertisement for the UFC's PPVs. During commercial breaks they almost always run a PPV promo. The more people watching the show, the more who see the promos. Kimbo's presence increases promo viewership. It's all about the money.

How much is Kimbo being paid to be on the show?

According to Dana White, it is a standard Ultimate Fighter contestant agreement. He will get paid the same amount as the rest of the cast. The difference is what happens after the show.

Kimbo and the UFC have an agreement in place for a lucrative contract, if he ends up fighting in the UFC. (White's words were, "If he makes it into the UFC, his contract is different.")

Why would Kimbo want to be on the show?

I think in some ways Kimbo resents the way EliteXC used him. They rushed him into the spotlight and never gave him a chance to develop. He went along with it because they paid him obscene amounts of money. It's not like he was a victim, but I definitely believe he was relieved when the ride ended with the loss to Seth Petruzelli.

Being on The Ultimate Fighter is a chance to salvage his career. EliteXC Kimbo was an artificial bubble. We all knew it was a matter of time before it popped. UFC Kimbo has the opportunity to put a solid foundation under his stardom. All he really needs to do is train hard and win a fight. Do that and he's fighting for the UFC following the season.

Wasn't Kimbo getting offers elsewhere?

Yes, but nothing close to the UFC's offer. Think about it like this...the UFC offers you a chance to be on TV, work with top notch trainers, and a large contract if you make it to the UFC. He doesn't have to win the whole thing to get the contract.

Most of the contestants on previous seasons of The Ultimate Fighter end up fighting in the UFC. It's really a tremendous offer.

Kimbo's other options were Strikeforce, Japan, or boxing. Strikeforce did not offer a big contract. They operate under a strict budget (one of the reasons I respect the hell out of them) and they did not plan on using Kimbo as a main event fighter.

The Japanese promotions were in the mix; however, Kimbo would have had to be a cartoon character the rest of his career. The last option was boxing with Gary Shaw as his manager. A noose and a ledge is a better option than having Gary Shaw manage your career.

Does Kimbo have a chance at winning the show?

Probably not. Despite being in main events on network TV, Kimbo is inexperienced. The TUF casts usually have a couple terrible guys, mostly mediocre guys, and one or two studs. Kimbo falls in the mediocre category. Good enough to win a fight, but not a contender.

His concentration needs to be on training hard. One of the best reasons for going on TUF is getting noticed by training camps. If a fighter like Junie Browning can end up with Xtreme Couture, I see no reason why Kimbo won't get a similar opportunity.

Enough Kimbo stuff. Who else is on the show?

At this point, the full list is not out. We do know there will be four guys who could be called former NFL players.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. At least two of them should be solid—Marcus Jones and Brendan Schaub. I'm pegging Schaub as the early favorite until I see the rest of the list.

When does the season begin?

They began filming this week. It will premiere Sept. 16 on Spike TV.

I still hate Kimbo. Do you?

Nope. I can't help but be interested in how this pans out. He's taking a chance and it'll be fun to watch. If he fails, I'll enjoy it. If he succeeds, I'll enjoy it. Seeing people attempt to perform under pressure is one of my favorite things to watch on TV.

No one has ever had this sort of pressure on them in the Ultimate Fighter house. We've seen fighters crack over trivial issues like missing their girlfriend. Imagine what Kimbo will be going through. It's fascinating no matter how you look at it.

Kimbo Slice on 'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 10

Rear Naked — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:33:00 -0400

Kimbo Slice will be a contestant on the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The show is shaping up to be a circus with Rampage and Evans as coaches and Slice now added to the cast.

Obviously there will be a fair amount of outrage over Slice's addition, but in some ways I respect the decision on his part. It's a last ditch effort to salvage his career. I enjoy watching stuff like that.

For the UFC, it's all about ratings. With Slice on board, the show will break records. More ratings equals more exposure for their PPV ads, which appear during almost every commercial break.

Does he have a chance at winning?

He can definitely win his first fight. I don't see them matching him up with any of the better fighters. There are always guys at the bottom of the cast who stink (Gabe Ruediger).

This will be especially true with the heavyweights featured. It's a very shallow division. After the first round, it's probably lights out on his TUF run.

Odds of Rampage using his "Black on black crime" joke in the first episode?

2/1

Mousasi vs Babalu

Rear Naked — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:26:00 -0400

The Mousasi/Belfort weight impasse could not be worked out.

It's probably for the best.

Belfort's career has been reborn at Middleweight and a move up in weight to face a younger top prospect would have been a dubious decision. The answer to the dilemma turned out not to be Matt Lindland, as I thought, but instead Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

Mousasi and Babalu will most likely fight at 205 lbs., where Sobral currently holds the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title.

Babalu does not get the credit he deserves.

There are two reasons for this:

First, the Liddell highlight reel losses are what everyone remembers. No way to erase those from the public's consciousness.

Second, he beats who he's supposed to. It's kind of a backhanded compliment. Meaning, when he faces top competition, he loses.

Maybe this will be Babalu's moment to get a huge win.

Okay, maybe not.

Mousasi is a beast. He's better on his feet and can match Babalu on the ground. It's a very solid fight, though. I'm glad Affliction did not go with Lindland and possibly derail Mousasi's career with a boring split decision loss.

Affliction: Trilogy

Josh Barnett vs Fedor Emelianenko
Gegard Mousasi vs Renato Sobral
Dan Lauzon vs Chris Horodecki
Jay Hieron vs Paul Daley
Tim Sylvia vs Paul Buentello

Tim Sylvia's Not Too Bright

Rear Naked — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:59:00 -0400

"Its something I've always wanted to pursue and if it works out like I'd like for it too, I can switch over. I don't want to be done with MMA, but the money is a lot better in boxing. Plus its a lot easier on your body and its a lot easier to train for a boxing match than it is an MMA match." - Tim Sylvia via Fighters Only

Money and easier training. Wow, Sylvia didn't hold back. Most guys would have said to test themselves.

His idea of boxing paydays is way off. Yes, there are 3-5 boxers who make millions a fight. No, Sylvia does not have any chance of ever being one of them.

He's fighting Ray Goddamn Mercer in Alafrigginbama. Probably not the best way to launch your multi-million dollar boxing career.

There is also the problem of Sylvia not being a draw. In MMA, the fans barely cared about him. Crossing over to boxing makes him even less interesting. I think we will eventually see an MMA fighter make a ton of money on a boxing PPV, but it isn't gonna be Sylvia.

(Never gets old)

Rampage Jackson: No Need To Sugarcoat It...

Rear Naked — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:40:00 -0400

Rampage is ducking Machida.

The UFC offered him a title shot, and he turned it down in favor of fighting Rashad Evans. This has nothing to do with whether the UFC wanted Evans on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Rampage.

He even said it himself, "They told me I could fight whoever, and I had my mind set I would fight Evans."

An offer was made and he declined. If he accepted, the UFC would have reached out to Machida and asked him to coach. Or, they would have taken Rampage off the show.

A title bout trumps it. After all, the major function of The Ultimate Fighter is to serve as an advertising vehicle for UFC PPVs.

In MMA, opportunities are fleeting. I think this is a huge mistake. While Rampage is wallowing in Ultimate Fighter limbo, the guy who took his title will be facing Anderson Silva.

A win by Forrest Griffin would bump Rampage from the No. 1 contender spot. Couple that with a loss to Evans, and Rampage won't sniff a title shot in 2010.

If his goal is to get "his belt" back, he's going about the wrong way.

Who Can Beat Machida?

Rear Naked — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:44:00 -0400

Quinton Jackson

Why He Can Win: Jackson punches as hard as anyone in the Light Heavyweight division. All it takes is one shot to end a fight (Silva, Liddell). We still haven't seen what happens when Machida gets hit with a clean strike.

Why He Can't Win: I can't see him getting through the fight without his lead leg breaking. If the fight goes on for longer than a round, he's in trouble.

Likelihood of Fighting: Barring an injury, Jackson will get the first crack at the new champion, probably in November or December.

Mauricio Rua

Why He Can Win: A healthy Shogun has the all-around game to match Machida stride for stride. He's quick, has power, good in the clinch, can sub you on the ground. The only hole is, well, you know.

Why He Can't Win: Although he won the Liddell fight, you can't help but wonder about his conditioning. In a five-round fight, it's tough to feel confident he won't gas.

Likelihood of Fighting: Rua needs another big win before he can be considered a title contender.

Forrest Griffin

Why He Can Win: Griffin might just be crazy enough to forget about the Machida aura and take the fight to him. How will Machida respond to adversity in the cage? We don't know yet and it'll continue to be a mystery until someone pressures him. Griffin's submissions are also very underrated. We saw Machida get caught in a triangle against Tito Ortiz, so it's not far fetched to think it can happen again.

Why He Can't Win: He takes too many strikes. Griffin gets hit against everyone he fights. The other problem is Griffin is not a finisher. To defeat Machida, he'd need to win a decision, which means getting through five rounds without getting beheaded. In a three-round fight, I'd like his chances a lot better.

Likelihood of Fighting: With a win over Anderson Silva at UFC 101, Griffin would position himself as next in line to face the winner of Machida/Jackson.

Randy Couture

Why He Can Win: As much as they want to build Machida up as a superb wrestler, I think it's actually his one weakness. The problem is getting in without getting hit. Couture still has the wrestling ability to overpower opponents.

Why He Can't Win: When you get older, your reactions slow down. It's not dramatic, but the extra hundredth of a second it takes could be the difference between Machida's straight left hitting you on the chin or partially landing. Couture is just too old for this sort of opponent.

Likelihood of Fighting: It's a long shot. There are better fights for him at Heavyweight (with a win he gets Lesnar/Mir, with a loss he gets Cro Cop). Either way, I think Couture finishes his career at Heavyweight.

Dan Henderson

Why He Can Win: Like Couture, Henderson has the blend of wrestling and toughness I believe it will take to defeat Machida. He can take a strike and keep coming forward.

Why He Can't Win: Henderson and Griffin have the same problem. They do not finish fights.

Likelihood of Fighting: Slim. Henderson's future depends on his fight with Michael Bisping. If he wins, he's getting a Middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva. If he loses, well, then things get interesting. Henderson would probably make the move to Light Heavyweight for good, since he'd fall behind Bisping and Marquardt/Maia on the list of contenders. At 205 pounds, he'd still have some viability as a contender. Personally, I want to see him and Wanderlei Silva fight again.