Bleacher Report - Articles by Brian Oswald

Does A “Lyoto Machida vs Shogun Rua” Rematch Rescue the Division?

Brian Oswald — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:21:54 -0400

Controversy might not be a good thing, but is certainly never a bad thing—especially if it can be used to divert attention away from a deeper-seated problem.

At the UFC 104 post fight press conference, UFC President Dana White grinned at the prospect of putting together a rematch between the two best light heavyweights currently competing inside the octagon.

And why not, it’s not like he had anyone else to legitimately market in a title fight.

The light heavyweight division isn’t exactly what it used to be.

Gone is the shake your tail feather of Chuck Liddell. Lost to a lighter division is the former fear factor of Wanderlei Silva. Misplaced by the lights, camera, and action is the unflappable Quinton Jackson.

What’s left standing starts with the UFC 108 winner of Rashad Evans vs Thiago Silva‚ neither of whom let their respective fights with Machida go to the judge’s decision.

Also in the mix: the return of the forty-six year old prodigal son Randy Couture who is set to scrap with Brandon “the truth is relative” Vera at UFC 105.

And let’s not forget the rematch fans have been waiting years for: Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz at UFC 106…fill in your own sarcasm.

If Machida would have won the fight in a more dominating fashion (cough)…then the question burning a whole in Dana White’s suite pocket would have been, “Who is next?”

The judges—who are contemplating three blind mice as their Halloween costumes—as luck would have it gift wrapped another light heavyweight title fight to MMA fans.

While a nation is bemoaning the outcome of the first fight, they will soon forget the bad taste it left in their mouth and move on to part duex.

In the meantime, perhaps some of the aforementioned combatants can create some of their own noise and make the case for their future marketability in a TBA affair.

UFC's Top 10 First-Time Title Defenses

Brian Oswald — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:06:37 -0400

They say you aren’t a true champion until you successfully defend your belt. Just ask former “champions” like Matt Serra, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, and most recently Rashad Evans—all of whom came up short their first time around.

At UFC 104, Lyoto Machida will get his first crack to defend the belt he stripped away from Rashad Evans when he steps into the octagon against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Fans and pundits alike started proclaiming it was the beginning of the “Machida era” before Evans even realized what had happened to him.

While Machida’s style looks like it could forge a new era of fighting in mixed martial arts, one thing remains fact: Anything can happen when you are wearing four ounce gloves.

In recognition of Machida’s first title defense, lets go back in time to pay honor to the ten best first-time title defenses in UFC history (in chronological order).

1. UFC 15: Maurice Smith vs. David “Tank” Abbot

Mark Coleman may have been the first heavyweight champion in UFC history but he came up short in his first title defense against Maurice Smith at UFC 14.

At UFC 15, Smith defeated the gassed out “Tank” by submission (verbal submission due to fatigue) at 8:08 to retain the UFC Heavyweight Title.

Smith was unable to defend his belt for a second time when his title was lost in translation to Randy Couture before at UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan. While Smith wasn’t the greatest UFC champion of all time, he was the first ever to successfully defend his belt.

2. UFC 44: Randy Couture vs. Tito Ortiz

Who could forget the “spank heard round the MMA world.”

In his light heavyweight debut, Couture took on long-time No. 1 contender Chuck Liddell for the interim light heavyweight championship winning by TKO in the third round.

Couture went on to face five-time defending champion Tito Ortiz for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Couture won a unanimous decision and became the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion at age 40.

But what people will remember most from that title fight was when Couture had Ortiz in a compromising position and decided to make light of the situation by tapping his "Bad Boy" opponent on the behind.

Some won't count defending an interim belt as defending a title, nonetheless, when Couture defeated Tito Ortiz it was one of the ten best “first-time” title defenses in UFC history, right?

3. UFC 52: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg

Two-time welterweight champion Matt Hughes had not one but two successful first-time title defenses. And who could forget his second, a fight with Frank Trigg at UFC 52 which many consider one of the best fights in UFC history.

Hughes would sink in another trademark rear naked choke on Trigg which catapulted Hughes into three-straight title defenses. His streak was finally snapped by George St. Pierre at UFC 65.

4. UFC 54: Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn

Chuck Liddell knows how to mix title fights with a side of revenge. At UFC 52, Liddell avenged a previous loss to Randy Couture, winning the UFC light heavyweight title in the process.

Then, at UFC 54, Liddell got his revenge on Jeremy Horn, the first man to ever beat Liddell inside a cage, and the only one to ever submit him. In addition to the settling the score, Liddell defended his belt for the first time.

The “Iceman” would go on to successfully defend three more times before getting iced by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71.

5. UFC 73: Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt

Most will remember Anderson Silva’s middleweight title fights for his destruction of Rich Franklin, not once but twice, as well as losing the first round of his title fight to Dan Henderson before choking him out in the second.

But not to be overlooked was Silva’s equally impressive performance over one of the most seasoned MMA fighters in the sport, Nate Marquardt at UFC 73. Marquardt showed that one wrong spin in the spider’s web weaves dire consequences.

6. UFC 74: Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Randy Couture’s hall-of-fame career is filled with accolades and more then memorable moments. His title defense against Gabriel Gonzaga was no exception. Many thought that the younger, bigger, and more aggressive Brazilian would come in and overwhelm the cagey veteran.

Just the opposite is what unfolded before an ecstatic crowd. Couture put on one of the finest performances of his career, beating Gonzaga at every step, eventually putting his opponent on the ground and pounding him out.

While this wasn’t the first time Couture had defended a UFC belt, it was the first title defense coming off the dramatic win over then Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.

Due a strained working relationship with the UFC, Randy Couture did not return to defend his belt until UFC 91, where he was engulfed by the hammer fists of the newcomer Brock Lesnar.

7. UFC 75: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Dan Henderson

At UFC 75 two champions collided when newly minted UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson defended his belt for the first time against incoming PRIDE champion Dan Henderson.

What ensued was a five round war of attrition which ultimately saw Jackson emerge victorious on the judges' scorecards. While Jackson was successful in his first title defense, Henderson gave him everything he could handle and them some.

Like others before him, Jackson was unable to defend his belt two times in a row. At UFC 86, TUF 1 winner Forrest Griffin engaged Jackson in another five round war, with Jackson being the one coming up short in the judge’s minds this time around.

8. UFC 84: BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

After UFC 84, there was no doubt about who the best lightweight in mixed martial arts was. B.J. Penn battered Sean Sherk for three rounds before finally finishing him with a flying knee that left his opponent crumpled on the canvas floor. Penn emphatically defended his belt for the first time.

While a subsequent crushing loss to St. Pierre left many doubting the prodigy, it didn’t stop him from defending his lightweight scrap for a second consecutive time when he forced Kenny Florian to submit at UFC 101.

Penn will look to defend his belt for a third consecutive time when he takes on Diego Sanchez at UFC 107, but it will be hard to top the dominating performance of his first-time title defense.

9. UFC 87: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch

Two-time welterweight champion George St. Pierre successfully defended his belt for the first time in what was technically his fifth title fight, including his interim title fight against Matt Hughes at UFC 79.

That accumulated experience was showcased as St. Pierre dominated a never-say-die Jon Fitch for five rounds. His win over a fighter many still consider the No. 1 contender in the welterweight division validates just how impressive his first title defense was.

St. Pierre has gone on to defend his belt two more times and looks to keep his streak alive when he returns from injury in 2010.

10. UFC 100: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

Brock Lesnar will always get grief for never earning his title shot to begin with—and with good reason. But Lesnar has done everything right to validate that he is the deserved champion, at least when it comes to the actual fighting aspect.

Many new champions could have crumpled under the epic expectations that UFC 100 produced, but Lesnar went out and did what many expected him to do by pounding Frank Mir out of commission.

Up next for Brock Lesnar is a UFC 106 showdown with heavy hitting Shane Carwin. If Lesnar is successful in his second title defense, the critics will all have to get that much quieter.

UFC 103 Stock Report

Brian Oswald — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:06:20 -0400

UFC 103 is the first fight card since UFC 92 where every fight on the main card avoided going to the judge’s scorecard. As a result, the consequences to each fighter’s career paths were clearly punctuated. Let’s take a look at the stock of each UFC 103 combatant, both rising and falling.

Rising stock

Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort’s stock rose last night as rapidly as those infamous technology stocks of the late 1990’s. Belfort appears to have secured himself a title fight with a fellow Brazilian and current middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

When UFC President Dana White was asked at the post fight press conference about Belfort and a future title shot he simply stated, "I think Vitor might be ready now."

White went on to state that he believes Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt, who are a combined 0-2 against Silva, should duke it out to determine who deserves a rematch.

Like those technology stocks of the late 1990’s, one could argue Belfort is being overvalued here. Despite that, the combination of his name recognition and a flash win over a former champion will be enough for the phenom to shoot straight to the top of the middleweight ladder.

The only thing standing in the way of a title fight is Anderson Silva.

Silva has come off a bit erratic in his public statements as of late, and one can only guess where the current champion prefers to fight next. If Silva does balk at the idea of fighting Belfort, plan B would be a compelling rematch with Wanderlei Silva.

If a title fight does happen, it would be a perfect addition to UFC 108, also dubbed Ultimate 2009. The year-end show, which takes place January 2, is supposed to be the most marquee fight card of the year, and this year’s card currently lacks a marquee fight.

Junior Dos Santos

Pummeling a legend in the sport is always good for one's career aspirations. For Dos Santos, the victory over Mirko Cro Cop propels him into the upper echelon of the heavyweight division, or as Dana White put it, “He’s in the mix.”

Figuring out who is next for Dos Santos will be the question. One fighter who is not the answer is Antonio Nogueria. Nogueria, who is coming off his impressive UFC 102 win against Randy Couture, is the mentor to the young Brazilian fighter.

The most immediate and viable option would be a fight against Gabriel Gonzaga. Gonzaga has turned into a bit of a gatekeeper in the heavyweight division and would be one last tough test for Dos Santos before being branded ready for a title shot.

Another option would be to pit Dos Santos against the Cain Velasquez-Ben Rothwell winner—those two square off at 104. Velasquez may earn himself a title shot with a win though, unless the UFC decides to give the aforementioned Nogueria the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin.

Paul Daley

For Daley, his fight with Martin Kampmann was filled with upside. No one expected the British Muay Thai fighter to beat Kampmann in his UFC debut, but beat him down is exactly what he did. In the process, Daley knocked out a potential opponent for champion Georges St. Pierre and threw the welterweight division into flux.

Daley will find himself squared off against a top 10 welterweight in his next fight. His aggressive fight style is something that the UFC will want to promote following a high profile win over Kampmann, and that leaves several big names available for Daley's next opponent.

One option would be to pit Daley against Mike Swick, the man who was originally slated to fight Martin Kampmann. If the UFC doesn’t want to propel Daley that fast, there are plenty of other options available in the welterweight division, like a scrap with Josh Koscheck or Carlos Condit.

Regardless of opponent, Paul Daley has sent a wrench into the welterweight mix.

Josh Koscheck

Koscheck rebounded in perfect fashion from his huge upset loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95. A quick TKO victory over the returning Frank Trigg will get Koscheck back on track and looking for a title shot in 2010.

At the post fight press conference Koscheck said he is willing to fight anyone and at a moment's notice.

“I will fight next month if they need me to,” he declared.

Koscheck stated he would love a rematch with champion Georges St. Pierre and would also like to fight Matt Hughes if given the chance.

Given Koshceck’s willingness to fight anyone, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva can use Koscheck where needed. Picking the right opponent will be based on whether or not the UFC wants to push Koscheck back into the title picture or simply use him as a puzzle piece to book fights as needed.

Tyson Griffin

Tyson Griffin had developed a reputation for exciting fights that always went to a decision. Finishing the fight against a durable opponent in Hermes Franca will serve him well as he looks to work his way back up the lightweight ladder toward a potential title shot in 2010.

A great potential fight would be with the undefeated Gray Maynard, who just beat Roger Huerta at Ultimate Fight Night 19. The only road block to booking that fight is the fact that Griffin and Maynard are teammates.

At the post fight press conference Griffin seemed to indicate he would be open to fighting Maynard if it was a fight that guaranteed a title shot. It was an answer that left Dana White smiling and stating, “This kid has all the right answers.”

If that fight does not go through, the UFC could market a rematch between Griffin and UFC veteran Sean Sherk. Sherk beat Griffin in a razor thin decision back at UFC 90, with some thinking that Griffin actually won.

Falling Stock

Rich Franklin

Rich Franklin was knocked out for only the third time in his UFC career. The other two came courtesy of Anderson Silva. Franklin will limp back to the light heavyweight division without the momentum toward a title shot he wanted.

He will still be considered a top 10 fighter in the division though and find a fight against a similarly ranked fighter.

Looking at the light heavyweight landscape, the most immediate option would be a fight with the ultra aggressive Thiago Silva. Silva is coming off his UFC 102 win over Keith Jardine. For Franklin, he may have had his fill of fighting hard-hitting Brazilians, although he may have no other option.

If Silva is not in the cards, Franklin could fight the loser coming out of the Lyoto Machida-Shogun Rua UFC 104 title fight. Beyond that, Franklin could always be pitted against divisional gatekeeper Keith Jardine.

Mirko Cro Cop

Mirko Cro Cop is no longer the fighter that once terrorized the PRIDE organization with his brutal knockout power. Cro Cop re-signed with the UFC with the intention of making a run at the heavyweight title, but Dos Santos showed the MMA world that Cro Cop is in the twilight of his MMA career.

In post fight remarks, Cro Cop even hinted that he may in fact retire. Dana White said he will sit down with Cro Cop and figure out the dejected fighter’s next move. If Cro Cop does not ask to be let out of his contract he will most likely be used for future European cards.

Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampmann was perhaps the biggest loser of the night given what he had to lose. Kampmann was originally scheduled to fight Mike Swick in what was being billed as a number one contenders fight.

The loss to Daley completely eliminates Kampmann from any shot at a title fight in the already crowded welterweight division.

Kampmann will likely be pitted against the loser of an upcoming welterweight fight. A potential opponent could come from either the Jon Fitch vs. Ricardo Almeida UFC 106 fight or Thiago Alves vs. Paulo UFC 107 fight.

Frank Trigg

Like Mirko Cro Cop, Frank Trigg came back to the UFC to make one last run at a title. That run was quickly thwarted by the crisp striking of Josh Koscheck. Trigg will now finish out his MMA career as a gatekeeper in the crowded welterweight division.

Beyond playing the role of gatekeeper, one last marketable fight for Trigg would be a match with short time welterweight champion Matt Serra. The fight would feature two UFC veterans who once made waves throughout the division.

UFC 103 Live Color Commentary Blog

Brian Oswald — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:39:09 -0400

Bleacher Report is live from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX. This is the first trip to Dallas, TX for the UFC and the crowd has filled in nicely for the first fight of the night, which is now underway. Check back to get updates on the fights as well as any non-related fight tid bits.

5:38 pm: A fan in the audience just yelled out "Tito you are my hero" and the crowd erupted. Tito stood up and threw his hands in the air to further pump the crowd up.

5:44 pm: The crowd delivered thunderous applause as the first fight of the night came to an end. It was a great stand up scrap between lightweight fighters Rafael dos Anjos and Rob Emerson. Dos Santos took a 30-27 decision on all three judges scorecards.

5:48 pm: Igor Pokrajac is now entering the cage, making his UFC debut. He chose "Back in Black" by ACDC for his walk out song and the crowd seems to approve.

6:00 pm: The crowd here the American Airlines Center is a vocal one...some of the commentary cant be published in good taste. One fan instructed the fighters to "sweep the leg" an obvious reference to what must be many MMA fans favorite movie, "The Karate Kid." The crowd appreciated the reference to Johnny being instructed to cheat to win the tournament.

6:13 pm: This fight proved why it is important to have a good nick name. Fans werent yelling for Vladimir Matyushenko but rather his memorable moniker "The Janitor." Matyushenko rewarded the crowd for knowing his name by picking up a good decision win over Igor Pokrajac which saw plenty of good fisticuffs.

6:16 pm: Eliot Marshall is jamming his way into the octagon, courtesy of a DMX song. Marshall is best known for his time on season eight of the Ultimate Fighter. Most of the crowd seemed to watch that season judging by the applause he received.

6:35 pm: It is not just the fighters that are getting love from the crowd. UFC ring girls Arianny Celeste, Logan Stanton, and new comer Natasha Wicks get a rise out of the crowd every time the circle the octagon. Who is your favorite...one of the brunettes or the blonde?

Even UFC referee Dan Miragliotta was shown some love when a fan yelled out "Hey Dan" as he walked by the crowd.

6:40 pm: The crowd is growing a bit restless as the third fight of the night resulted in another decision. Something tells me the crowd is ready for a knockout. They boo as Marshall hand is raised, recording a split decision win. For Jason Brilz, it is his first loss inside the octagon.

6:45 pm: UFC newcomer Brian Foster enters the octagon to an acoustic version of Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man." The acoustics are so good in the American Airlines Center it felt like lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington were singing the song live on stage. The UFC is definitely half sporting event half concert.

6:54 pm: Fellow UFC newcomer Rick Story finally gave the crowd what they wanted...a fight that didn’t go to the judge's scorecards. The crowd rewarded Story with lively applause when he successfully submitted Brian Foster with an arm triangle in the second round. What was even more impressive was...he did it from the guard position.

6:55 pm: Dallas fans were certainly hungry for their first UFC event. The crowd is near capacity which is always impressive during the undercard. The "Veteran Voice of the Octagon" Bruce Buffer just walked by and the crowd went nuts yelling, "Bruce, Bruce, Bruce."

7:25 pm: For those keeping score at home, Lentz defeated Oliveira by one more decision. Tito Ortiz started getting restless in his seat and decided to venture into the crowd. Tito is doing what he loves best, giving and getting attention from the fans. Is everyone excited to have the "Huntington Bad Boy" back in the octagon?

7:33 pm: Lightweight and fan favorite Jim Miller is coming out to the octagon to the classic "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I am sure singer John Fogerty would approve of Mr. Miller's blue collar sensibilities.

7:40 pm: No one likes things to end prematurely, not like this at least. UFC newcomer Steve Lopez appeared to seperate his shoulder and had to wave of an imcoming Jim Miller. The crowed booed at first until the replays clearly showed the shoulder of Lopez was not cooperating. It is time for a break as the UFC gets ready to begin telivision coverage over on Spike TV. I am going to go wonder around and see if I can spot any fighters and other celebrities in attendence. Wish me luck!

8:15 pm: For all you fans like name dropping here goes: I was able to spot Diego Sanchez, Urijah Faber, the Nogueria Brothers, Jay Hieron and new heavyweight standout Todd Duffee. The highlight though was running into Martin Kampmann in the men’s restroom. We explained pleasantries while using the urinal…very cool and not awkward at all.

8:18 pm: Drew McFedries and Tomasz Drawl were supposed to deliver a knockout to the SPIKE TV audience and they looked like they were on their way, banging early on. Drawl had other plans and submitted his ruthless opponent. Back to the drawing board for Mr. McFedries

8:41 pm: Wow. Cole Miller said he was better standing. I wonder if he is going to remember saying that. The crowd finally got the finish they wanted with many still standing on their feet. It is safe to say they are ready for the main event to start!

9:12: pm: I took a walk before the main event and was able to spot Tito Ortiz once again taking pictures with fans. His wife, Jenna Jameson, seemed more reserved as she sat in her chair. Nearby, Dana White was also playing to the crowd. It is hard to argue he is not the most popular person within the UFC. Also in attendance is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca is now underway.

9:20 pm: And the crowd boos...Tyson Griffin is pretty prowd of his ability to earn "Fight of the Night" honors but him and Franca better step it up if they want to earn that bonus money.

*edit: Brian is having technical problems with Bleacher so I (Shawn Smith) will be taking over for a while.

11:15 pm: Brian says that Koscheck ran out into the crowd to celebrate his quick victory over Trigg before getting pulled back by security.

11:25 pm: Man, Dos Anjos really destroyed Emerson's leg. For a kickboxer you think he would be able to check a kick better than that!

11:45 pm: Despite the victory Dos Santos did not look overly spectacular. His body shots were rather nice however. Cro-Cop cut yet again perhaps?

11:59 pm: Brain says there is a huge brawl in the crowd. Also, Tyson Griffin went and sat in the audience after his fight and they were loving it.

12:16 pm: Wow, did not see that coming. Is Vitor really next in line for a title shot? I think we should have first ever MMA triple threat match!

Top 10 Best/Worst Comebacks in UFC History

Brian Oswald — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:56:02 -0400

With the return of Vitor Belfort and Tito Ortiz, this is a good time to take a look back at some of the best and worst returns in UFC history.

Sometimes taking time off from the octagon can benefit you, while other times it can send a fighter into a downward spiral.

Whether it went good or bad for the fighter, a UFC return is always memorable for the fans.

10. Kimo vs. Tank Abbott

Back at UFC 43, the infamous Kimo Leopoldo returned to the octagon after a seven-year absence from the UFC and having not fought for over a year. His opponent was fellow infamous fighter, Tank Abbott.

Kimo made short work of Abbot by taking him to the ground and choking him out in the first round. It was a successful return for Kimo, but he was unable to put together a winning streak.

In his next fight at UFC 48, Kimo was finished via TKO in the first round by Ken Shamrock. It was the last fight in the octagon for a fighter who was recently—and falsely—reported dead by the media.

9. Evan Tanner vs. Yushin Okami

The late Evan Tanner was a former UFC middleweight champion and a much respected fighter in the mixed martial arts world.

At UFC 59, Evan Tanner defeated Justin Levens by first round triangle choke. He then left the UFC for two years to focus on setting up a home for disadvantaged athletes and young men at risk. UFC president Dana White stated that Tanner would be welcomed back whenever he was ready.

He returned at UFC 82 to fight top-ranked UFC middleweight Yushin Okami, but things didn't turn out his way. Tanner didn't have much to offer against the power and size of Okami and ended up getting knocked out in the second round.

Even as a former champion, Evan Tanner was unable to do enough to pull off the comeback. Tanner went on to lose a tough-fought split decision in his next bout, against Kendall Grove at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, in what would be the beloved fighter’s final fight before his passing.

8. Vitor Belfort vs. Chuck Liddell

At UFC 103, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort will return after a four-year hiatus from the octagon, where he will face former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. Whether he can recapture his past success remains to be seen; what we do know is that on June 22, 2002, he had an unsuccessful octagon return against Chuck Liddell at UFC 37.5

Despite the decision loss, Belfort would bounce back by demolishing Marvin Eastman at UFC 43. It took Vitor just over a minute to explode on Eastman, get a TKO win, and deliver one of the most gruesome cuts in UFC history to his opponent.

"The Phenom" was back this time, and in his next fight he captured the UFC light-heavyweight belt by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 46, albeit via a cut suffered by Couture. The limelight was short-lived, though, as Belfort lost in his first defense to Couture.

A follow up loss to Tito Ortiz at UFC 51 had him pack his UFC bags and head for Japan, where he fought in the PRIDE organization.

7. Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar

Randy "The Natural" Couture is arguably the biggest legend in the UFC. After his UFC 74 win over Gabriel Gonzaga, Couture had contract problems which kept him away from the octagon for nearly a year.

Meanwhile, a behemoth named Brock Lesnar was making an impact in MMA. When Couture finally resolved things with the UFC, he was scheduled to return to defend his heavyweight title against Lesnar at UFC 91.

Although Couture did well throughout the fight, he got caught with a right punch that crumpled him to the canvas, where Lesnar was able to finish off the hall of famer with a barrage of hammer fists.

Couture has always been known for overcoming the odds, but the odds were literally too big that night, as a new champion was crowned.

6. Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes

Most of the current fighters got hooked on MMA because of one man, Royce Gracie. Gracie had the ability to make anyone tap out in a fight, no matter how big or how strong his opponent was.

He was the winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4. Eleven years after leaving the octagon, he returned to face the most dominant welterweight fighter at the time and then-champion, Matt Hughes, at UFC 60.

Hughes proved that this time size and strength mattered and that MMA had evolved greatly since the days of a prime Royce Gracie. Hughes TKO'ed Gracie in the first round, which was enough for the legend to call it quits in the octagon once and for all.

5. Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz

The rivalry between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz boiled over after Ortiz defeated and flipped off Shamrock's friend and training partner, Guy Mezger, at UFC 19. Tito later became the UFC light-heavyweight champion and a fight between these two seemed inevitable.

Shamrock had not fought in the UFC since 1996. Unfortunately for Ken, his return against Ortiz in UFC 40 was disastrous, as he was dominated by the champion for three rounds before his corner stopped the fight.

This lost seemed to be the first of many as Ken Shamrock went on a downfall from there, winning only two of his next seven MMA fights, including two more losses at the hands of Tito Ortiz.

4. Frank Mir vs. Marcio Cruz

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was mowing down the competition in the UFC heavyweight division before suffering a severe motorcycle accident in 2004.

Unable to defend his newly acquired belt, Mir was stripped of the title and had to undergo surgery and rehab before getting back into the octagon. Mir finally returned in 2006, at UFC 57, against Marcio Cruz.

Although physically able to return, Mir wasn't 100 percent mentally ready for a comeback, and it showed. Cruz dominated Frank and TKO'ed him in the first round. It seemed as if Mir had nothing to offer in the fight.

Mir was able to miraculously get his career back on track and go on to beat Antonio Nogueira for the heavyweight interim belt, but that fight against Cruz was the toughest loss of his career.

3. BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre

At UFC 46, BJ Penn became UFC welterweight champion when he choked out Matt Hughes. Afterwards, he signed a contract with a rival promotion and was stripped of his belt.

He eventually returned at UFC 58, against top welterweight contender Georges St. Pierre. The fight was a dream match for most UFC fans and the winner would also get a shot at the champion, Matt Hughes.

Penn came off strong in the first round, using his superior boxing skills to bloody St. Pierre. Unfortunately for Penn, he gassed out in the second round and slowly got picked apart by St. Pierre, who did enough to win a split decision.

The return fight was not one Penn likes to remember—the loss haunts him to this day.

He went on to rebound and eventually capture the lightweight title against Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. He also got a rematch with St. Pierre at UFC 94, only to get dominated beyond recognition.

2. Jens Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon

Jens "Little Evil" Pulver was the first UFC lightweight champion—and a good one at that. He dominated the division with his superior stand-up skills and knocked out all the competition.

He left the UFC after his title defense against BJ Penn in 2002, only to return in 2006 at UFC 63. There was a lot of hype surrounding the return of Pulver, but the hype wasn't enough as UFC newcomer Joe Lauzon crashed Pulver's comeback party with a shocking 48 second KO win.

Everybody in attendance had their jaws dropped to the mat because of what they had just seen. Lauzon later proved he was a good fighter and one of the top prospects in the lightweight division. In his next fight, Pulver lost a grudge rematch to Penn and decided to cut weight and fight for the WEC.

1. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia

A disappointing loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 sent Randy Couture into retirement. One of the greatest fighters had finally had enough and left. Little did we know, he would return to author one of the greatest comeback stories in UFC history.

A phone call made to Dana White about an eventual return was all that was needed to hype up his next fight. At UFC 68, Randy returned to fight the considerably bigger UFC heavyweight champion, Tim Sylvia.

Couture stunned the 6’7" giant eight seconds into the fight with a punch that sent the champion to the canvas. He went on to dominate Sylvia to win a decision and the title, doing so at the age of 44.

To this day, there is no comeback in UFC history that has been as spectacular as this one.

Will Ultimate 2009 Have Enough Firepower For a Year End Show?

Brian Oswald — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:29:51 -0400

The UFC has made it a part of their marketing strategy to build their year end show as the biggest of the year.

Ultimate 2008, also known as UFC 92, was a perfect example.

The fight card featured a light heavyweight title fight between Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. It also hosted a heavyweight interim title fight involving Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira and added a grudge match between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva for good measure.

The show was a huge PPV success, pulling in between 1.1 and 1.2 million buys which, at the time, broke the record previously held by UFC 66 which featured the rematch between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

Ultimate 2008 has since been passed by UFC 100 which did around 1.65 million buys.

Looking ahead to UFC 108: The Ultimate 2009, one would think that this card would be even more stacked then last year’s very successful show. But that may not be the case.

The problem starts with finding a credible main event. Because of injuries and scheduling conflicts, there will likely be no titles on the line when UFC 108 goes down on January 2.

Brock Lesnar is defending his heavyweight title against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 on November 21, which rules out the emergent winner fighting on the year end show. The same is the case for a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez. That fight is being contested at UFC 107 just three weeks after the Lesnar bout.

As far as welterweight and middleweight title fights, both look very unlikely.

George St. Pierre is currently recovering from the injury he sustained at UFC 100 in a title fight with Thiago Alves and will likely not be ready until early February of next year. As for Silva, an upcoming elbow surgery will cost the middleweight champion the rest of the 2009 fight season.

That leaves the light heavyweight division as the only one with an outside chance of being represented in a title bout on the Ultimate 2009 show.

Lyoto Machida defends his belt against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on October 24 at UFC 104. That would leave the winner a mere ten weeks to turn around and defend their belt. That's a quick turnaround.

The other pressing issue would be deciding a contender.

The number one contender to the belt in waiting is the winner of Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, but even without their fight getting pushed back, neither would have been ready for a title fight until March of 2010 at the earliest.

With Forrest Griffin having been flattened by Anderson Silva at UFC 101, he is several fights removed from another title shot. Thiago Silva, who made quick work of Keith Jardine at UFC 102, could theoretically be an option, but he previously fought Machida at UFC 94 and got dismantled. He likely needs at least one more big win before being granted a title shot.

Dan Henderson has said he would vacate the middleweight division if not given an immediate title shot at Anderson Silva, and it appears that won't be happening any time soon. Would Henderson be deserving of an immediate title shot at 205?

That however may not be where th UFC is headed. It is now being reported that Dan Henderson could face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event at UFC 105. Even if he were to win, a turnaround for UFC 108 would seem out of the question.

The front runner could be Rich Franklin if he emerges victorious against Vitor Belfort at UFC 103. Back to back wins over Belfort and Wanderlei Silva would be impressive, except for the fact that Franklin was defeated by the aforementioned Dan Henderson in a scrap back at UFC 93.

Just to cover every corner, even Randy Couture could be considered an option. While it may seem preposterous for Couture to get an immediate title shot in the light heavyweight division after coming off a one-sided loss to Antonio Nogueira, there is some historical precedent on Couture’s side.

Back in 2002, Couture was coming off back to back heavyweight losses to Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez. His next fight after Rodriguez was an interim light heavyweight title fight against Chuck Liddell at UFC 43, a fight he shockingly won.

Even if the UFC can somehow get a light heavyweight title fight on The Ultimate 2009, it doesn’t seem like the fight card will have the same firepower as last years record breaking show. Dana White and match maker Joe Silva certainly have their work cut out for them.

Forrest Griffin: Seven Seminal Moments

Brian Oswald — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:12:07 -0400

With former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin set to take on one of his toughest challenges to date in current Middleweight Champion and world-renowned Anderson Silva this Saturday, it marks an important milestone in what has been a memorable career that is still developing and emerging—even at 30 years of age.

Here are seven standout moments from Griffin’s near eight-year career, one he hopes will have another seminal victory attached to it following UFC 101.

Losing to a Legend

It is not often you fight an MMA legend in your first appearance and even more rare when you offer to fight that person for free. However, that is exactly what Griffin did when he took on UFC Hall-of-Famer Dan “The Beast” Severn in his professional debut in October 2001 in Augusta, GA.

For Severn, years removed from his glory days at the time, it was just another fight. For Griffin, it was just the beginning.

Talking about the fight, Griffin explained, “I was a hometown kid and they wanted to use the angle of the local kid fighting Dan Severn. The promoter said he'd give me $250 and I said. ‘What the hell… I'd do it for free.” It was a win-win situation. No matter what happened, it was Dan Severn."

Forrest would drop a three-round unanimous decision to the former UFC legend in a less-than-exciting affair. But losing in lackluster fashion was of little consequence as it kicked off this Georgia cop’s true calling, that of a professional fighter.

Bad to the (Broken) Bone

Two years after the Severn loss, Griffin took his fight game far away from Georgia in a battle with Edson Paredao in Natal, Brazil, as part of Heat FC 2. In his first round KO win, Griffin would learn that even victories come with a price, thanks to a kick he blocked with his left arm.

“I felt a burst of pain in my forearm, but I forgot about it as he pummeled me repeatedly in the face. A few minutes later, I knocked him out with a hard right hand. After the fight, the pain in my arm set in. Adrenaline, piss, and vinegar can numb an injury in the heat of a fight, but that numbness doesn’t last for long,” Forrest recalls in his New York Times best selling book Got Fight?

The arm was broken and Griffin needed surgery to implant a steel plate. However, without medical insurance or a regular income, that wasn’t an option and life in law enforcement seemed to be a near certainty and inevitability. But after hearing about an MMA-tinged reality TV show in the works, Griffin tempted fate and sent in an application. The rest is history.

The UFC’s Ultimate Fight

Nearly every MMA fan is familiar with what UFC President Dana White credits as the "most important fight in UFC history,” the same one that helped bring MMA back into the mainstream consciousness and the same one recently voted No. 1 in the Spike TV 100 top UFC fights of all time series.

For 15 furious minutes, Griffin and Stephan Bonnar battled back and forth with neither willing to break. Their collective performance earned both six-figure professional contracts with the UFC and had them celebrating the night in style—a hospital emergency room.

“Stephan’s girlfriend picked up some McDonald’s and Rory (Forrest’s trainer) purchased some beers. When they walked in, Stephan and me were sitting next to each other. It was quite fun," quipped Forrest.

Rising from the ashes

Following his abrupt T(KO) loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 66, a demoralized Griffin sat in his corner crying. Moments later, he walked away from Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, saying "I don't ev...Keith came in, and he did exactly what I wanted to do and he knocked me the (expletive) out. Let's go home."

Griffin walked off camera and left Rogan by himself, but returned moments later to simply say, “I'll be back" as he headed out of the Octagon. He would win his next three fights, obviously learning something from what could have been a career-ending defeat.

The loss was a make or break moment in his career and he chose to break through and become a better fighter.

Lamb to the Slaughter

Griffin’s September 2007 fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 76 was expected to be the coming out party for Rua in front of the American mainstream audience. The former PRIDE Grand Prix Champion was widely considered the best 205-pound fighter in the world at the time and most thought he would walk right through the Forrest.

But Forrest defied the odds, dominating most of the action on his way to an amazing third-round rear naked choke submission victory. Despite Rua injuring his knee, it was a no-doubt victory that would catapult Griffin into a situation that would have never happened if he stayed out of MMA: a world title shot in Las Vegas, NV.

From TUF to Title Holder

Going into his Light Heavyweight title match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 86, Griffin’s toughness and desire was never in question, trademarks forged through his war with Bonnar, the loss to Jardine, his split decision loss to Tito Ortiz and his surprising win over Rua. Griffin was legit, but was he world title material?

The answer was yes.

“By watching footage of Quinton Jackson, I picked up on a number of his patterns. Armed with this knowledge, my coaches and I worked on a game plan.”

Griffin noticed Jackson liked to throw combinations, connecting with a left hook followed by a right uppercut or a left hook followed by a right hook. To combat this, he threw left head kicks at Jackson all night long as he “wanted to damage his right arm as much as possible to take power away from it.”

Griffin survived a five-round, 25-minute war with Jackson to become the Light Heavyweight Champion via unanimous decision, putting himself among elite company as just the seventh man in company history to wear the title.

Grin and Bear it

Six months later, Griffin would hand his title over to Rashad Evans at UFC 92 with a smile on his bloody face.

Griffin controlled the first two rounds with effective striking, but Evans was able to get inside his guard in the third round and ground and pound his way to a TKO victory for the gold. As Evans rained down blows, you could see Griffin smiling, a man happy inside the middle of the Octagon even while getting pummeled.

This Saturday will be the first time Griffin has got back into the cage since that Dec. 27 night (he suffered a broken hand that he’s recovered from) and for the former Light Heavyweight champion, there is no ‘tomato can’ or easy opponent standing across from him.

On Saturday, in the middle of a screaming throng of Philadelphia fans, the 16-5 Griffin will battle 24-4 Anderson Silva, he of the 10-fight win streak and battering of names like Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, James Irvin, and Dan Henderson. Heavily criticized over his past two fights for giving lackluster performances, it will be interesting to see what Silva comes out swinging and how his second foray in the UFC’s 205-division will end up.

No matter what, he’ll have a smiling face there to receive and deliver the pain.

The majority of quotes were taken from Forrest Griffin's New York Times best selling book Got Fight?

Fedor Emelianenko Signs with Strikeforce

Brian Oswald — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:56:23 -0400

NEW YORK (August 3, 2009)—After a week of intense negotiations and speculation, the hottest topic of discussion in the professional fight world has come to a head as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight and most sought after mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko has signed a historic, multi-fight agreement that will see him headline mega events co-promoted by world championship promotions STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global.

Emelianenko, known globally as Fedor, will make his premium television debut this Fall when his first fight under the new agreement airs live on Showtime. Up until now, Emelianenko’s live fights have aired exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States.

“I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level," said the 33-year-old Emelianenko. During his nine year professional fight career, which included a four and a half year stay with the world’s former top MMA promotion, the now defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship, the Russian native has faced and defeated all comers.

In his last effort, the 6'0", 235-pound Emelianenko decimated the number two ranked heavyweight at the time Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski with a single punch in the first round (3:14) of the main event of Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center on Jan. 24.

“STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world,” continued Emelianenko. “I am prepared to fight any of them.”

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts fight promoter of over 25 years. “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”

“With the addition of Fedor and STRIKEFORCE’s new relationship with M-1 Global, Showtime is now the home of the best pound-for-pound male and female fighters in the world,” said Ken Hershman, Senior VP and General Manager of Showtime Sports.

“The Aug. 15 Carano-Cyborg matchup on Showtime will clearly determine the best female mixed martial artist on the planet. Then, come this Fall, our subscribers again will witness history when the universally recognized best male fighter—Fedor Emelianenko—joins the already long list of world-class athletes on the STRIKEFORCE roster, and for the first time ever plies his skills live on Showtime.”

Hershman continued: “We are better positioned now than ever before to deliver on our promise to televise the top fighters in mixed martial arts today.”

“I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1 Global. “We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.”

Though his official professional record is 30-1, Emelianenko is considered undefeated. The only blemish on his record is a Dec. 22, 2000 fight that was stopped after 17 seconds and declared a TKO in favor of his opponent, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, due to a cut Emelianenko sustained in the opening seconds of the matchup in Osaka, Japan.

Amongst those on Emelianenko’s list of impressive conquests are former PRIDE Heavyweight Champions Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic as well as former UFC Heavyweight Champions Kevin “The Monster” Randleman and Tim Sylvia, whom Emelianenko submitted with a rear naked choke only 36 seconds into their main event showdown at Affliction: “Banned” on July 19, 2008.

Despite his extensive experience, Emelianenko’s debut under the new STRIKEFORCE-M-1 venture will, interestingly enough, mark his first start in a cage. To date, all of his bouts have taken place in a ring.

Dana White's Conference Call: Live Color-Commentary Blog

Brian Oswald — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:35:30 -0400

UFC President Dana White will break the latest UFC news via media conference call at 2:00 pm ET time. Check back in about thirty minutes, as Bleacher Report will be live blogging the call—twitter style.

1:50 pm ET: Anxiously awaiting the conference call to start.

The big speculation is that Dana White will announce Tito Ortiz is back in the UFC. Also, there could be an announcement that the UFC has entered into a mainstream deal with ESPN-ABC. Both could be confirmed today, and possibly much more. With the way the MMA world has been turned on its head this last week...anything is possible.

1:58 pm ET: As we wait, it is worth thinking about who Tito Ortiz might fight in his first fight back. Alot of people thought he would fight against Rich Franklin in the main event at UFC 103, but the time table doesn't seem to work out.

Tito just started training again, coming off his back surgery, so he will likely need much more time to get MMA-ready for his UFC re-debut...should that be the case.

2:15 pm ET: Dana White talks about how bad he wanted to make the Fedor deal happen. He wants the best to fight to prove who “the best of the best is.” Dana says that Fedor will never get a better deal than what he was offered. They would not compromise on the co-promotion aspect.

Dana confirms that Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin will headline UFC 103 in Dallas, TX.

Dana confirms that Dan Henderson will definitely be next in line to fight Anderson Silva.

Dana confirms that will they signed the deal with ESPN to broadcast UFC over in England and Ireland for free, starting with UFC 101.

Tito is announced to be on the call. Tito has signed to compete in the UFC. Dana said Tito will retire with the UFC.

Dan Lauzon has been added to the list of fighters signed by the UFC. Dana says they are in talks with other Affliction fighters, and will announce deals when they are done.

Tito said that competition was the key in coming back to the UFC. He quipped, who would he fight in Strikeforce? He said he would crush Renato Sobral, and if he fought Frank Shamrock again it would be the first death in the UFC.

Tito is back in training, and would like to fight by the end of the year—maybe the New Year’s Eve show.

Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin will fight at 205 pounds in the light heavyweight division.

Tito Ortiz will likely fight Mark Coleman first fight back. Tito laughs, and thanks Dana for informing him.

Dana talks about how the UFC is going to invade Canada, calling it the mecca of MMA right now. He loves going to Canada, and wants to do shows in Toronto, Vancouver, etc. as soon as they can.

Dana White says he has no interest in Andre Arlovski or Tim Sylvia.

Dana White says he is going to jump off the Mandalay Bay Events Center (based on the UFC 100 buy rate breaking 1.5 million buys). Would you believe me if I told you I asked him the question that got that answer?!

Dana said that Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva could happen very soon if Silva comes out of his UFC 101 fight with Forrest Griffin relatively unscathed.

Dana White is asked whether or not Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 could happen. Apparently, Liddell has been using twitter to talk about that fight. Dana White said, "I don't know."

Dana states that if M-1 Global would drop the whole co-promotion thing that they would be announcing Fedor in the UFC today. That is what Dana wanted to happen.

Tito Ortiz says that he is at peace and pain-free more so then he has been since he was last UFC champion. He feels that he can make a run at the light heavyweight title, given that he is healthier then he has been in years.

Dana says they are "very close" to making a deal that will change the MMA landscape forever, but would not comment on whether it was a mainstream TV deal or not.

Dana White says that the hatchet has been buried with the Affliction, including Tom Atencio.

Dana White was asked about Bud Light and if he has talked to them (remember Brock Lesnar insulted them at UFC 100). Dana said he apologized to them, and they are fine.

Dana said that over 25 million people watched UFC 100, and he couldn't be happier with the TV deal they have down there. They will be putting on a live MMA event down in Mexico as soon as they can. Tito Ortiz said he would like to fight in the main event in Mexico City.

Dana said at the beginning of the call he would not talk about Fedor, but that didn't hold. Dana was asked again about Fedor, and he reiterated that they were willing to do whatever it took to make the deal happen. But M-1 only cared about co-promoting, and that was the deal killer.

Dana said, who is M-1 Global to get to co-promote with the UFC? Dana said the offer they put out there is still standing whenever M-1 Global wants to make the deal happpen—and they can call him up and make it happen.

Dana said when they want to make the deal, he will do it...otherwise, he doesn't want to talk about Fedor anymore.

Important Announcement To the MMA Community

Brian Oswald — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:20:00 -0400

Greetings to the MMA Community!

As your Community Leader, I want to update you on some exciting developments within the MMA community that will provide you—as a hardcore fan and passionate writer—with some great opportunities. You'll see that Bleacher Report is committed to continually rolling out new programs to further bolster the strength of the existing community.

New MMA Categories

Check this out! If you have not already noticed, we are expanding MMA's home on B/R, and have included new links to category pages for each of the different organizations at the top of the page. Currently there are categories for UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce.

The team here is thrilled to see the explosion of MMA and it felt the increasing need to add these sections. In fact, we have even extended our reach to include pages for Japanese and Regional MMA.

The engineers are working hard to make room for links to those two sections on the main page. In the meantime, go to the "People" link on the main page and once there, you will see the appropriate links to the DREAM and Regional MMA pages.

The creation of these new categories will ensure every organization is properly represented in terms of content and commentary. It also was done to establish a network of ambassadors who can reach out to the respective organizations to develop working relationships.

And most importantly, don't forget to tag! It's important to tag your article appropriately so it ends up in the right sub-category so all those interested can enjoy reading it. If you have any questions about this, send a message to the respective community leader.

New Community Leaders

New leaders take charge! With the sudden increase of MMA content and its growing popularity, we are happy to announce that we’ve added 10 new Community Leaders to serve these new communities. These leaders will serve to build up the networks, and keep pertinent information updated and posted for each organization.

Tap into the MMA news source—sign up for each organization and reach out to the Community Leaders to develop relationships with them. They are a great resource for collaboration on any article you’re writing, can provide constructive feedback, and help you post an article that will generate the most interest.

Since the leaders have direct access to their respective organizations, opportunities will arise for writers on the site to interview fighters from those organizations. Want to learn more about what it takes to interview fighters and get a behind the scenes look at MMA?

Contact me and I can help you facilitate this fun and exciting process! Just send me a private message on Bleacher Report or email me directly at brian@bleacherreport.com.

The stronger the individual communities, the better we can represent the respective MMA organizations. The continued expansion and credibility of the MMA community is contingent upon the success of the organizations. As we all begin to take on more responsibility, we together, will see the community grow and flourish.

And now, introducing your new leaders:

• UFC: Derek Bolender—Derek has been writing on Bleacher Report for a year and has become quite accomplished. His articles have been featured across the Web on sites like FoxSports.com, SI.com, CBSSports.com, as well as popular MMA blog sites. He has also covered numerous live events and interviewed some of the finest in the sport including Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Rich Franklin.

• UFC: Mitch Ciccarelli—Mitch displays a great passion for all things MMA and his writing has appeared at TheLightsOutShow.com and MMAHQ.com. He is currently a staff writer for MMAMadness.com. His specialties include Top-10 based articles, fighter interviews, fight breakdowns, and event recaps. He has also been syndicated to SI.com.

• WEC: Nate Lawson—Nate has shown a particular passion for the WEC, and in doing so, has developed a great working relationship with the organization. He has interviewed WEC General Manager Reed Harris, along with fighters Mike Brown, Donald Cerrone, and Benson Henderson. Nate is a staff writer for Inside Fights and has been syndicated to both SI.com and FoxSports.com

• WEC: Jessy Morris—Like Derek, Jessy has been with Bleacher Report for about a year and has come a long way in that time. Jessy is one of several Canadian MMA writers in the community and brings the fervent passion that fans in Canada are known for. Jessy has also been syndicated to both SI.com and FoxSports.com

• Strikeforce: Derek Wizzle—Derek is a sportswriter from the San Francisco Bay Area and runs his popular sports blog, "D Wizzle's World". Derek has a great working relationship with Strikeforce. He has covered live events in the past and will continue to do so to provide the best Strikeforce content available.

• Strikeforce: Mike Leanza—Mike has been on Bleacher Report for almost a year and has shown both his love and commitment for MMA in that time through his writing. Mike is known for writing opinionated feature articles and recently has committed to covering everything Strikeforce. Mike has recently signed on to write for fiveknuckles.com. He has also been syndicated to SI.com.

• Japanese MMA: Sean Smith—Sean is another one of our Canadian writers and has been writing on Bleacher Report for over a year. Sean has a passion for Japanese MMA and has spent many a night staying up till 6 A.M. to finish watching a fight card from Japan. He has written for Inside Fights, MMACanada.net, and has been syndicated to Fox Sports.

• Japanese MMA: Aki—Aki is currently a writer for Inside Fights and Scrapp! Fight Magazine. Fluent in Japanese, he looks to keep his finger on the pulse of the Japanese MMA scene and translate the wealth of information at his disposal into meaningful coverage on B/R. Aki has been syndicated to both SI.com and FoxSports.com.

• Regional MMA: Nick Colon—Nick has been covering MMA with Bleacher Report for a year and also covers MMA for his college newspaper. Nick has shown a particular interest in Regional MMA, covering shows like WCF in Massachusetts. Nick has also developed a good working relationship with Bellator and plans to cover their future live events.

• Regional MMA: Jaime Moreno—Like his regional MMA counterpart, Jaime has been covering MMA on Bleacher Report for about a year. Jaime is known for his Preview and Predictions articles that are done for every major MMA event, but he also has a strong passion for Regional MMA. Jaime has covered Bellator’s recent fight card in Texas and plans to cover future regional shows in the state of Texas.

Syndication

Ever dream of having your work published for the entire world to see?

Well now is the perfect time to have your articles reach a whole new audience. The recent success of Bleacher Report has attracted the attention of major media outlets, and we currently have content partnerships in place with SI.com and CBSSports.com.
Writers such as Derek Bolender, Mike Leanza, Nate Lawson, Mitch Ciccarelli, and Jessy Morris have had their articles syndicated and published on these very outlets. And the opportunity is now available to those passionate about pursuing it.

Every B/R writer has the opportunity of having their MMA articles syndicated if they craft thoughtful, top-notch articles. How is that achieved? These organizations are looking for "bigger picture" stories that are insightful and unique.

Look beyond a traditional fight recap, and focus on providing perspective about a future event, trends on the industry as a whole, or what the implications of a specific event (e.g.,. UFC 100) could mean for future events and the future of the organization.

A few tips to help you along the way:

• Don’t just report the news, make sense of it.
• Be creative. Be funny. Be opinionated.
• Content partners turn to B/R because the writers are passionate and knowledgeable about MMA and your content should reflect that.

This is a great way to build your name within the industry and to be classified as a first rate writer. To learn more, contact me directly at brian@bleacherreport.com; also contact the other writers who have been syndicated to get their perspective.

Media Credentials

The explosion of the MMA Community on Bleacher Report has also generated amazing opportunities unlike any other community on the site.

Select writers who display the know-how and drive will have the opportunity to secure media credentials to cover live events. Derek Bolender and I have both had the opportunity to attend two such events—Strikeforce in St. Louis and UFC 100. And I can say that it was an amazing experience.

It is hard to put into words how covering an event as a member of the media changes your point of view on the sport. Getting credentialed to cover live events will be a selective process based on a number of factors, but anyone is eligible to submit an application.

One factor that will determine credentialing, will be location. The closer in proximity you are to an event, the better it will work in your favor. And do not just consider major events!

Regional opportunities are a great way to gain experience, experience which can position you better to cover larger events in the future. Talk to your Regional MMA community leaders to learn more about the work they are doing with local promotions and how to become involved.

Bleacher Report's Fastest Growing Community!

Can you believe it? We're the fastest growing community on the B/R Web site. Which makes sense since MMA is the fastest growing sport. And as the sport and the community grow, it will expand both the role and opportunities for writers who make the most of it.

While Bleacher Report will always be based on the point of view and know-how of the hardcore sports fan/writer—that’s you—the viewpoint and knowledge of the B/R writer is rapidly evolving through the power of our burgeoning brand name.

The experience of the fan-writer is at the heart of everything Bleacher Report does. We believe that there is unlimited potential for you, if you are committed to being a part of a team that is dedicated to your success.

So please reach out to me, reach out to the new community leaders, and start on the road to creating the experience and success you want to have.

The Real Reason Fedor Emelianenko Won't Sign with the UFC...with a Twist

Brian Oswald — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:23:34 -0400

So just what is the real reason Fedor Emelianenko won't sign with the UFC?

Aleksander Emelianenko—Fedor's brother—has his own opinion on the matter and offered it up to the Russian website sports.ru.

"You can deal with UFC. I know that they have flexible contract system. All these talks about 'strict' contract terms with signing with UFC come ONLY from Vadim Finkelstein, who wants to push his own business projects through Fedor's fights."

So why is Aleksander calling out Finkelstein?

Perhaps he is simply looking out for his brother's best interests, or maybe he and Vadim have a strained relationship. Could it be he is posturing to get himself a UFC contract (not likely)?

The whole Fedor-to-the-UFC saga will always leave us with more questions than answers. Aleksander's comments lead one to believe there is more to all of this than meets the eye—as if that should come as a surprise.

So will Fedor ever fight in the UFC?

If you put any stock in "brotherly love," the answer to that question just might be, "if Vadim Finkelstein lets him."

Tito Ortiz, Welcome Back to the UFC?

Brian Oswald — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:44:36 -0400

Dana White loves Twitter, but can his latest tweet be true?

In White's latest, he finishes with a casual yet cryptic: "Oh yea and welcome back[,] [T]ito[.] :)"

It has been previously reported that White and Tito Ortiz put their famous feud behind them. It was even speculated that Ortiz might come back to fight Rich Franklin in the UFC 103 main event. That role has since been relegated to Dan Henderson.

For those that don't remember, Ortiz is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and defended his belt five consecutive times, a record he currently shares with Matt Hughes and Anderson Silva.

Tito Ortiz has said recently that he just started back with his training regimen, and it would be at least three months before he returns to action.

With the folding of Affliction, Ortiz's list of possible organizations has been narrowed down to two, and it appears as if White has narrowed it down even further.

That is if you take his tweets to heart.

Affliction folds MMA promotion, will sponsor UFC

Brian Oswald — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:46:57 -0400

According to Kevin Iole, over at Yahoo!Sports, Affliction and the UFC are expected to release a statement sometime today in which it will be announced that Affliction will cease operations as a promoter and that its clothing division will become a UFC sponsor.

Mr. Iole goes on state that Affliction was on the verge of a deal with Strikeforce for some sort of merger, but that fell apart in the last 24-48 hours.

That’s when talks began anew between White and Affliction. They had spoken earlier in July about such a scenario, but were unable to come to a deal.

While it is known that Affliction will now quit promoting fight cards, the status of the fighters is unknown. They could either revert to the UFC or become free agents, able to sign with the promoter of their choice.

This is by no means a guarantee that Fedor will be fighting in the UFC.

There is still a lot of red tape to cut through—specifically the same philosophical differences that M-1 Global, Fedor's management company, and the UFC have clashed over time and time again.

However, it certainly doesn't hurt the chances of Fedor one day fighting inside the octagon.

Will Strikeforce Salvage What Is Left of Affliction Fight Card?

Brian Oswald — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:23:46 -0400

With Affliction: Trilogy cancelled, the one question that comes to mind is: "What about the other fights on the card fans wanted to see?"

The first fight that comes to mind is the co-main event, which was set to feature the U.S. debut of young phenom Gegard Mousasi taking on crafty veteran Renato Sobral.

Mousasi (25-2-1) had effectively cleaned out the middleweight division—outside of the UFC—and his move to the 205-pound division was the natural progression.

Taking on a fighter the caliber of Sobral (35-8), who many consider a top 10 light heavyweight, was a match many fans were very much looking forward to.

Perhaps Strikeforce can come to the rescue.

Sobral is the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, and Mousasi has expressed interest in fighting for Strikeforce. Given that, moving the fight to, say, the Aug. 15 Strikeforce show, makes sense, given the title implications.

All of this would hinge on whether Affliction is permanently cancelling the event or just postponing it like they did with their second event "Day of Reckoning."

Another intriguing fight involved Vitor Belfort, the man most thought would end up fighting Fedor, and Jorge Santiago. Both are considered top 10 middleweight fighters, and the winner would have been unofficially crowned the best 185-pounder not fighting for the UFC.

It will be interesting to see where Belfort goes from here. Dana White has previously expressed interest in getting the former UFC fighter back in his organization. Belfort could find his way back home, or perhaps Strikeforce can lure him into their house.

Adding Belfort and Santiago to a division that already includes Cung Le, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith along with Jake Shields and Nick Diaz (when they fight at a catch-weight) would make an already strong division suddenly much deeper.

Other fighters worth fighting over include heavyweights Paul Buentello, Gilbert Yvel and Ben Rothwell, welterweights Paul Daley and Jay Hieron and lightweight Japanese supestar Takanori Gomi.

With all the recent collaborating between Strikeforce and Affliction, a merger of some sort seems much more imminent.

Affliction Trilogy: 'Fedor vs. Barnett' Canceled

Brian Oswald — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:32:41 -0400

According to CNNSI, the recently troubled Affliction: Trilogy card has been canceled.

The troubles for the promotion started when Josh Barnett was forced off the card due to testing positive for a banned substance. From there, the organization scrambled to find a last minute replacement to fight Fedor, the top ranked heavyweight in mixed martial arts.

From Bobby Lashley to Vitor Belfort to Brett Rogers; apparently no one would fit the bill. Even fighters like Jeff Monson and Don Frye volunteered to fight the unbeatable Russian.

Fedor had said would prefer to fight Brett Rogers, the undefeated rising star under the Strikeforce banner, but Strikeforce said he was off the table.

Vitor Belfort was eager at opportunity to fight Fedor so one could speculate that Fedor and his management team would not sign off on the fight, thus dooming the main event. There were reports from Belfort's camp that bout agreements had been signed and that fight was a go.

MMA Weekly is adding to the early report by saying that Affliction’s pay-per-view provider, Showtime, played a major factor in the cancellation. Perhaps that is the real reason for the cancellation.

Not to be overlooked, another loss is not getting to see the U.S. debut of Gegard Mousasi who was taking on vetran fighter Renato Sobral in the co-main event.

Perhaps Affliction simply needed more time to regroup and this event will be postponed, like their second event "Day of Reckoning."

Stay close to Bleacher Report as details break.

Deciding Three Highly-Contested UFC Fights With Statistics

Brian Oswald — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:49:29 -0400

If you start to Google the word statistics, one option that appears is the expression “Statistics don’t lie, but statisticians do.”

With that said, if you have never used Fight Metric, now is the time to start. Fight Metric proclaims to be the world's first comprehensive mixed martial arts statistics and analysis system.

Using results and data from thousands of MMA fights, the FightMetric system has commissioned itself with determining the true value of every strike, submission attempt, takedown, and position change in the sport.

According to the website, fights are carefully studied and tracked for 67 individual occurrences. Employing an innovative algorithm to synthesize the results, the FightMetric system produces objective, easy-to-understand scores that measure the totality of the fight.

While statistics alone should not be the basis for determining every fight, they can play a crucial role in breaking down a fight by removing emotion and individual perception.

Given that, let’s take a look at three recently contested decisions in the UFC and see how Fight Metric scored those fights. Click on the title of each fight to get to the official breakdown over at Fight Metric.

UFC 100

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

Many fans thoughts Belcher won the fight. Belcher himself was beside himself. He went over to Dana White after the fight. Akiyama won 29-28 on two judge’s scorecards and 30-27 on the third judge’s scorecard. Many thought Belcher won the fight 29-28.

Let’s see how Fight Metric scored it.

Based on their unique scoring method Fight Metric had Akiyama winning round one 140-95 and round two 78-59. The third round was razor thin with them giving the round to Belcher 148-144. Overall Fitch Metric had Akiyama winning the fight 362-302.

The fight was determined in large part in the striking department, where Akiyama outscored Belcher 319-274. A detailed breakdown reveals Akiyama dominated in the head strikes. He landed 65 total shots while Belcher landed 39. Belcher was very successful in the kicking department though, landing 26 of 33 leg kicks which allowed him to close some distance.

Akiyama also took Belcher down 3 out of 4 times and scored striking damage while there. Belcher did knock Akiyama down with a looping left in the first round, which likely had a majority of fans giving Belcher the first round—which Fight Metrics statistics clearly did not.

UFC 99

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

The UFC 99 main event was a close, 15-minute battle and fans of both fighters were convinced their man won. Fight Metric scored the fight very close, with Franklin winning the overall statistical battle 217-188.

Round one clearly went to Franklin as he won 55-19. Round two was taken by Silva with him outscoring Franklin 84-70. Franklin took the decisive round three 92-84. When a round is that close it is easy to see how fans could be split on who actually won such a see-saw battle.

This fight was all about the statistical striking, and if you look at the breakdown Franklin wins on volume. Franklin landed 67 total strikes to Silva’s 55, although those who gave Silva the win do so because he did more “damage”—especially the hard right hand Silva landed to Franklin's temple in the second round, that left him staggering backward.

In this fight it comes down to your perception of what constitutes a win. Clearly the judges went with volume and overall control of the fight, thus giving Franklin the razor thin win.

UFC 99

Dan Hardy vs. Marcus Davis

We are all familiar with the fallout from this fight. Davis was emphatic that he won the fight, while Hardy said little to indicate he thought he won the fight. It was a good old fashioned split decision, although some in the media thought Hardy won all three rounds.

Fight Metric scored the fight very closely, giving the fight to Hardy 162-141. They actually gave Davis the first and third round, 41-37 and 41-29 respectively. So according to a 10-must system, Fight Metric gave Davis the fight 29-28. But on a statistical basis they have Hardy winning the fight because of a dominating second round where he outscored Davis 97-59.

If you look at the striking breakdown, Fight Metric has Hardy winning in that department 125-97—which seems puzzling since Davis out landed Hardy 104-73 in total strikes. He out landed him in head strikes 62-41 and body strikes 37-22. Hardly did have the edge in leg kicks 10-5.

Hardy also had the big knockdown in the second round, while Davis was not credited with the knock down in the third—they likely viewed it as Hardy tripping and falling. On first review, it appears that Davis should have won this fight, so a further breakdown will be needed. Hardy no doubt gets style points for landing the shots that did more visible damage to the face of Davis.

So, Fight Metric statistics confirm the judge’s conclusion that Akiayama, Franklin and Hardy all won their fights—although Fight Metric has Hardy losing on the 10 point must system.

There are plenty of other classic fight breakdowns on Fight Metric so check it out—like Quinton Jackson beating Forrest Griffin and Matt Hamill beating Michael Bisping.

Affliction: Trilogy 'Fedor vs. Barnett' Conference Call Notes

Brian Oswald — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:08:19 -0400

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio answered questions this afternoon from the press related to the recent fallout surrounding the Josh Barnett steroid situation . Atencio was cut in dry in his remarks, with the following notes providing the highlights from today's call.

-Barnett has appealed the results from the original test and the state athletic commission is checking a second sample taken to validate the original test.

-Atencio is talking to three different fighters, but would not mention any names.

-Atencio confirmed Fedor is willing to face anyone and wants the best opponent possible.

-Atencio confirmed that he is working with Strikeforce to see about a possible opponent from their organization.

-Atencio said that every single name people are speculating on has been mentioned to him and is being considered. His goal is to put together the best fight possible given the circumstances.

-Atencio has said that despite rumors (specifically with Vitor Belfort), there are no contacts signed and in place. Things are being negotiated on several fronts and he won’t comment on any potential opponents until he has contracts in place.

-As soon as contracts are in place for Fedor and his opponent that information will be revealed.

-Atencio said that if Barnett’s second test comes back postive he won’t be able to fight in his organization anymore.

-Atencio said his organization was moving ahead and even if the second sample comes back negative, Barnett will not be an option to fight Fedor on the August 1 card.

One thing is for certain: the Aug. 1 date for the Affliction: Trilogy show is set in stone barring an act of God. Speculating on who Atencio will choose as Fedor's opponent now becomes the x-factor and with 10 days to go, anything could happen.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for details as the situation develops.

UFC Light: Is the WEC "Great Taste...Less Filling!?"

Brian Oswald — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:53:59 -0400

Miller Lite's long-running "Great Taste...Less Filling!" ad campaign was ranked by Advertising Age magazine as the No. 8 best advertising campaign in history.

Ad experts had to be clever to convince a nation to sip on this newfangled concoction. Why else would a right-minded beer drinker want to drink water packaged in a beer bottle?

In 1975, the company started to heavily market “light beer” by using masculine pro sports players and other macho figures of the day in efforts to reach the key beer-drinking male demographic.

Miller Lite would become the first mainstream light beer, and in 1992 the light beer industry as a whole became the biggest beer category in America.

In mixed martial arts, you have your choice between Budweiser and Miller Lite. The UFC is the full-bodied “King of Beers” but is the WEC "Great Taste...Less Filling!?"

While the UFC showcases the behemoth in Brock Lesnar cutting weight to make the 265 pound heavyweight requirement, the WEC features a fighter in Miguel Torres who throws his fists at a sinewy 135 pounds.

But where Budweiser and Miller Lite diverge for many—on robust flavor—the lighter side of mixed martial arts may just have its full-bodied counterpart beat.

In the past year alone some of the most thrilling fights—"fight of the year" fights—have come from the WEC. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda, WEC 34; Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCullough, WEC 36; and Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber, WEC 41 to name just a few.

Yet despite those fights, the WEC still has its work cut out for it. It has to convince fans that its product is anything but watered down. The man heading up that advertising campaign is WEC General Manger Reed Harris.

Harris is the most accessible and straight-forward leader of an organization in all of sports. And while part of that is necessitated out of a need, it also is because he knows he has a great product—one that will easily sell itself if given half a taste.

In three weeks, Harris & Co. will get a perfect opportunity to market their sport. At WEC 42, their bantamweight champion Miguel Torres will be back in action to defend his belt for a notable fourth consecutive time.

With a 37-1 record, Torres is considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. With his combination of dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and potent Muay Thai striking, one could draw parallels to another pound-for-pound best in Anderson Silva.

His opponent at WEC 42, undefeated No. 1 contender Brian Bowles, is a scrappy young fighter who trains mixed martial arts out of the same southern town that former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin did.

Ironically Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin are fighting one day before Miguel Torres and Brian Bowles when they collide at UFC 101. With the two events stacked together in one weekend, it will be one of the biggest for the sport of MMA coming off the heels of UFC 100.

That's the sort of good fortune that must have the advertisers that put together "Great Taste...Less Filling!" smiling down on the WEC from somewhere.

Strikeforce C.E.O Scott Coker Delivers

Brian Oswald — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:50:29 -0400

In a previous interview conducted with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, he spoke about his vision for what a Strikeforce fight card would look like.

"We would like to hearken back to the old PRIDE days when you used to see a lot of big fights in one night. Not just a headliner and four okay fights. That is what we want to get back to. When a fan can come in, pay as little as $30 to get into the stadium, and see five superstar fights. I think that everyone would like to see that."

It looks like Scott Coker is making good on his promise.

Not only can you get a ticket for the August 15 fight card starting at $30, but the current lineup for the show in San Jose includes a major-promotion record four title fights.

Instead of spreading those title fights out over the course of several events, the main card is being stacked with a heavyweight, welterweight, and lightweight title fight to go along with a woman’s title fight—the first ever to headline a major MMA show.

Some will say it’s a necessary thing for Strikeforce to do if they want to stay competitive with the UFC from a marketability standpoint. It's no secret that Strikeforce cannot currently compete when it comes to comparing the talent and star power from the respective organizational rosters.

Be that as it may, it’s encouraging to see such a show being put together. Whether or not Strikeforce is able to maintain this trend will be the intriguing part. Their willingness to co-promote with other organizations certainly helps in that respect.

An interim middleweight title fight featuring Jake Shields and a light heavyweight title fight featuring current champion Renato Sobral are considerations for a potential October show. Finding the right opponents will be critical to keep momentum going.

It will be impossible to maintain a pace of four title fights per show which is why it is critical for Strikeforce to bring and build up talent to their promotion. While Strikeforce has its work cut out for itself, having a man like Scott Coker at the helm allows MMA fans to be optimistic for the future.

Four UFC 100 Standouts Ensure the Hits Will Keep On Coming

Brian Oswald — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:04:09 -0400

With the historic show now a part of history, it is time to take stock.

Four fighters emerged from the fight card as clear-cut winners going forward. Two current champions, a former two-time champion, and one young phenom will look to take their momentum from UFC 100 and use it to move onward and upward in their respective careers. Let’s look at where they are headed.

Brock Lesnar

Forget the hoopla surrounding Brock Lesnar and his post-fight speech. Lesnar cemented his status as a legitimate mixed martial artist, and with each subsequent win, the doubters can remove from their minds the fact that he is just five fights removed from a pro wrestling career. Well, sort of.

The treacherous trifecta of Lesnar’s physical tools, lofty learning curve, and dogmatic desire to be the best are brewing the belief of an insurmountable predicament—that Brock Lesnar can’t be beaten.

Suspending the Fedor Emelianenko talk for a moment, Lesnar has four potential opponents who will look to prove that notion premature. The list will be divided in half when two winners emerge respectively from the Randy Couture-Antonio Nogueira and Shane Carwin-Cain Velasquez fights.

From a marketing standpoint, Couture would appear the obvious choice. Their fight at UFC 91 was one of the most anticipated and watched fights in UFC history. A win over Nogueira would be just enough for Couture to get a rematch title shot, but would anyone give Couture a chance to surface a winner?

While purists would love for Couture to remove the immovable object from the heavyweight throne, they may be more inclined to put their faith in larger, stronger, and younger men in Carwin or Velasquez.

Both fighters have certified the resilience of their respective chins by absorbing punishing punches from their previous hard-hitting opponents. Add to that their great wrestling base and ability to deliver their own heavy punches, and you have the needed ingredients for a potential stand-up war with Lesnar.

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will ultimately determine who Lesnar’s next antagonist is, but signs point to the Couture-Nogueira winner getting the next title shot. If things go according to plan, that fight would serve as the main event of the year, ending the Ultimate 2009 show.

Georges St. Pierre

Anyone who thought that George St. Pierre would dominate Thiago Alves to the extent he did was the exception, not the rule. The UFC brass never considered St. Pierre would walk through his Brazilian "counterpart" with such ease. The lopsided loss by Alves creates a vacuum in the division.

The Mike Swick-Martin Kampmann winner at UFC 103 would have been the next No. 1 contender, but the UFC can no longer build a credible case for putting together that title fight. No lack of respect intended; there’s just no need to shuffle guys in there who carry little perception of winning the fight.

It would be analogous to when Anderson Silva was put into title with Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. It is not fair to the champion or the challenger in question. What would be much more reasonable to put together is the buzzed-about superfight between two imposing champions.

Talk of a fight between St. Pierre and Silva started prior to UFC 100, and the topic should reach a fever pitch over the coming months. One could argue that St. Pierre has surpassed even Silva in terms of divisional dominance, and the UFC will be forced to take a hard look at a "meeting of the minds."

St. Pierre has been vocal that he fights for the biggest challenges and for his legacy. Silva would without question offer St. Pierre the biggest challenge of his career, and a win over another Brazilian would catapult his legacy into the stratosphere.

With St. Pierre injuring his groin, the UFC will have time to consider all their options. Silva has to do his part and beat Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 to keep momentum going for the superfight. But don’t be surprised if a St. Pierre-Silva fight serves a co-main event to another Lesnar main event at the Ultimate 2009 show.

Dan Henderson

While legends of the sport like Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes are on the decline, Dan Henderson appears better then ever. Henderson can now move past the distraction of Michael Bisping and concentrate on convincing Dana White to give him a rematch with Anderson Silva.

It will be a tall order, though. Dana offered little indication for a rematch in the post-fight press conference. Henderson wavered by saying that a trip back to the light heavyweight division was an option. It is the option Dana will likely concur with for now. Despite that, Dan’s stock remains high.

Henderson’s next fight should come against a fighter in the top 10 of the light heavyweight division. If White isn’t going to give Henderson another crack at Silva’s title, he will certainly acquiesce to letting the future Hall of Famer make a run at the 205-pound title.

If Silva beats Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in four weeks, Griffin would be the most marketable fight at light heavyweight for Henderson. Perhaps a more viable option would be the winner of the UFC 102 fight between Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva.

Circling back to the middleweight division, Henderson’s best bet would be a fight with Nate Marquardt if Marquardt beats Demian Maia at UFC 102. Marquardt, like Henderson, has a loss to Silva and has been pining for a rematch. The winner of that fight would get his rematch by attrition.

Jon Jones

"Bones" Jones cut through right Jake O’Brien en route to this third octagon win, all before the ripe old age of 22. Jones has been touted as the future of the light heavyweight division, and it will be interesting to see what the UFC does with one of their hottest new commodities.

They can continue to bring Jones along by putting him up against tier two fighters—Jones has said he is "learning to fight as he goes" inside the octagon—or they can give him a shot against a top 10 fighter. Jones is fine with either option and has no desire to call out a specific opponent.

There are a slew of possibilities for the young phenom, so speculating on a future opponent would be just that. Just for fun, some possible opponents are the Matt Hamill-Brandon Vera loser, the Keith Jardine-Thiago Silva loser, or someone like Krzysztof Soszynski (who Jones shares an opponent with).

Regardless of who Jones fights next, fans will continue to speculate on whether or not he is the real deal and why he has the confidence to proclaim that one day he will beat guys like Lyoto Machida.

UFC's Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights: 51 To 30

Brian Oswald — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:01:05 -0400

Tonight, the UFC and Spike TV unveiled part three in a series where they are counting down the top 100 UFC fights of all time. Over two million votes were cast at the UFC site to determine the following list.

There have been plenty of great fights in the 16-year history of the organization. Without further ado, here is the list of some of those fights:

50-26

50. UFC 92: Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva

49. UFC 71: Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine

48. UFC 35: Jens Pulver vs. B.J. Penn

47. UFC 31: Chuck Liddell vs. Kevin Randleman

46. UFC 71: Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell

45. TUF 4 Finale: Scott Smith vs. Pete Sell

44. UFC 83: Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra

43. UFC 45: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg

42. UFC 56: Georges St. Pierre vs. Sean Sherk

41. UFC 81: Antonio Nogueria vs. Tim Sylvia

40. UFC 15: Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort

39. UFC 84: Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine

38. UFC 31: Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo

37. UFC 3: Royce Gracie vs. Kimo Leopoldo

36. UFC 52: Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture

35. UFC 48: Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia

34. UFC 84: B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk

33. UFC 63: Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn

32. UFC 74: Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

31. UFC 75: Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson

Tune in tomorrow night to see what fans voted as their top 30 fights in UFC history.

UFC's Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights: 75 to 51

Brian Oswald — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:08:39 -0400

Tonight, the UFC and Spike TV unvieled part two in a five part series, where they are counting down the top 100 UFC fights of all time. Over two million votes were cast at the UFC site to determine the following list.

There have been plenty of great fights in the 16-year history of the organization. Without further ado, here is the list of some of the fights:

75-51

75. UFC 1: Royce Gracie vs. Gerard Gordeau

74. UFC 58: Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau

73. UFC 52: George St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller

72. UFC 92: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Nogueria

71. Ulimate 96: Don Frye vs. Tank Abbot

70. UFC 17: Pete Williams vs. Mark Coleman

69. UFC 34: B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno

68. UFC 84: Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz

67. UFC 31: Shonie Carter vs. Matt Serra

66. UFC 94: Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn

65. UFN 10: Spencer Fisher vs. Sam Stout

64. UFC 62: Chuck Liddell vs. Renato Sobral

63. UFC 50: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre

62. UFC 72: Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida

61. UFC 80: B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson

60. UFC 46: Georges St. Pierre vs. Karo Parisyan

59. UFC 91: Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture

58. UFC 38: Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton

57. UFC 69: Roger Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia

56. UFC 42: Rich Franklin vs. Evan Tanner

55. UFC 92: Rashad Evans vs. Forrest Griffin

54. UFN: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Leben

53. UFC 64: Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian

52. UFC 40: Chuck Liddell vs. Renato Sobral

51: UFC 88: Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

Sound off on the fights chosen, and if you think the fans ranked a particular fight too high or too low.

UFC 100 Fighter Jon Fitch: The Ultimate Teammate

Brian Oswald — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:45:13 -0400

MMA is supposed to be a solo sport, right?

Well, that’s not entirely the case for welterweight contender Jon Fitch.

While he does go into the octagon and win his fights on his own, mixed martial arts means much more than individual accomplishments.

To fully identify with the mindset of Jon Fitch you have to understand the importance of his training camp, American Kickboxing Academy, and his fellow welterweight teammates Josh Koscheck and Mick Swick.

Their UFC path was supposed to commence on the first season of the hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter. It was a path that quickly diverged before ultimately coming back together.

Koscheck and Swick were both contestants on the first season. Fitch was supposed to be there right alongside them, but he got cut from the reality show at the last minute. He explained what happened in our recent interview.

“I had been through the whole process. I had quit my job. I told all my family and friends that I was going to be on the show. I was at the airport waiting to board the plane when the producer called me and told me not to get on the plane. He apologized and said that they didn’t have room for me, that they were reformatting the show.”

Fitch was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as Josh Koscheck lost to Diego Sanchez in the middleweight semifinals and Mike Swick lost to Stephan Bonnar in the light heavyweight semifinals. Despite the losses, the road was far from over for this talented trio of fighters.

Fitch would go on to win his UFC debut in October of 2005, just six months after Koscheck and Swick won their respective UFC debuts on The Ultimate Fighter season finale. Fast forward to today and Fitch, Koscheck, and Swick are all top 10 fighters in the welterweight division.

For Fitch, their success is tied to the team mentality at American Kickboxing Academy.

“I think we have a good mindset and atmosphere at A.K.A. We really strive to be martial artists and not just fighters trying to make a buck or make a name for ourselves. We really try to focus on bettering ourselves, making ourselves the best athletes and fighters we can be. It’s not just about the end-all, be-all of getting paid or becoming famous."

That team mentality seems to be paying off big dividends for all three fighters as their individual accomplishments inside the octagon are impressive to say the least.

“This fight with Paulo Thiago at UFC 100, I win this fight and it’s my tenth victory inside the octagon. Koscheck has ten wins and Swick just picked up his ninth win. Not everyone is able to win that many fights inside the UFC. In terms of total wins we are all right there with some of the biggest names in the sport. We are proud of what we've accomplished as a team.”

For the teammates, it would seem inevitable that at some point they will have to fight each other, given all three are in the top of their division.

What will happen when two of them were asked to face off for a title fight? For Jon Fitch, it’s simply not an option.

“I don’t see even that being a factor for us to fight each other. There is no point in tearing down what we’ve built up as a team over the past seven years for one fight. Who trains with what training partners, who gets to train with what trainers, who gets to use the gym at what time?

And after that fight, who is to say everything goes back to normal afterwards. The reason why were all ranked as high as we are, it’s because our team functions the way it does. I think if we were to damage our team and our team we would all suffer as fighters.”

That team sentiment will be put to the test soon enough as Fitch and Swick are the fighters at the front of the line for a title shot against the Georges St. Pierre-Thiago Alves winner at UFC 100.

Fitch says the one who deserves a title shot first is not up to any of them.

“The bottom line is we aren’t the ones who get to pick who fights for the title. That’s the job of the UFC. You never know who they are going to think is deserving of a title shot.

"They are in the business of selling fights and making money so all we can do is perform to the best of our ability and keep knocking off top fighters to keep ourselves in a position where the UFC can’t ignore our dominance and our ability to challenge for that title."

Fitch was staunch in his answer when pressed if he would take the title shot over one of his teammates, if given the opportunity.

“I have never turned down a fight and to turn down a title fight would be insanity. My teammates wouldn’t hold that against me, no one would doubt it for a second. Everybody would understand and respect that decision. You can’t ever turn down a title shot. No one would ever expect anyone else to turn down a title shot.

"To be honest, I wouldn’t have a problem if Alves wins his fight at UFC 100 and the UFC goes to Josh Koscheck and says, ‘you know what, we think it would be a great rematch between you guys’ and they give him the title shot. I wouldn’t blame Josh for agreeing to take that fight.

"And that’s just an example. Both Koscheck and Swick are my teammates so whoever they give a shot to, I can’t argue it because they work hard and deserve it. I will help them as much as I possibly can to get that belt, even if it’s before me."

The truest reflection of Fitch as a teammate came when he discussed the scenario of one of his teammates holding the belt for an extended period of time.

“If it came down to a point where one of them held onto the title for six or seven fights and it didn’t look like they were going anywhere, it would be a consideration for me to move up in weight class.

"I would move up to middleweight before fighting Swick or Koscheck for the title.

"What it comes down to for me is that I will benefit more as a martial artist training with Swick and Koscheck as teammates then I would if we were to split up. As a fighter, I become better by sticking with my training partners.”

Despite being the consummate teammate, don’t doubt for a second that Fitch still has his own goals in mind. While Fitch does not make predictions on fights, he does know what he wants to happen.

“I am hoping GSP wins his fight with Alves and in 2010 I will be able to get a rematch with him for the belt. The next time I get a shot at GSP it will be a much different fight. First things first though, I have to get through Paul Thiago at UFC 100.”

Whether Jon Fitch is fighting for the title, or one of his teammates, expect the three partners to stick together through thick and thin, redefining what it means to be an MMA teammate in the process.

UFC's Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights: 100 to 76

Brian Oswald — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:00:20 -0400

Tonight, the UFC and Spike TV partner up to give us part one in a five part series, counting down the top 100 UFC fights of all time. Over 2 million votes were cast at the UFC website to determine the following list.

There have been plenty of great fights in the 16-year history of the organization. Without further ado, here is the list as the fights are revealed.

100-76

100. UFC 80: Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor

99. UFC 31: Carlos Newton vs. Pat Miletich

98. UFN 13: Kenny Florian vs. Joe Lauzon

97. UFN 8: Rashad Evans vs. Sean Salmon

96. UFC 60: Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie

95. UFC 90: Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin

94. UFC 32: B.J. Penn vs. Din Thomas

93. UFC 78: Thiago Alves vs. Chris Lytle

92. UFC 92: B.J. Penn vs. Matt Serra

91. TUF 1 Finale: Rich Franklin vs. Ken Shamrock

90. UFC 41: B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno

89. UFC 66: Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine

88. UFC 67: Frankie Edgar vs. Tyson Griffin

87. UFC 54: Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn

86. UFC 45: Evan Tannar vs. Phil Baroni

85. UFC 49: Karo Parisyan vs. Nick Diaz

84. UFC 30: Pedro Rizzo vs. Josh Barnett

83. UFC 49: Chuck Liddell vs. Vernon White

82. UFC 54: Georges St. Pierre vs. Frank Trigg

81. TUF Finale 6: John Koppenhaver vs. Jared Rollins

80. UFC 42: Rick Franklin vs. Evan Tannar

79. UFC 69: Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre

78. UFC 76: Keith Jardine vs. Chuck Liddell

77. Silva vs. Irvin: Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

76. UFC 42: Matt Hughes vs. Sean Sherk

Sound off on the fights chosen and if you think the fans ranked a particular fight too high or too low.

USA West Clinches M-1 Challenge Post-Season Berth

Brian Oswald — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:42:36 -0400

Seoul, South Korea: USA West became the first team from the 2009 "M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction" (www.M-1Global.com) season to clinch a semifinal playoff berth on Saturday night.

The post-season berth was locked down after taking first place in Group B by defeating the defending 2008 M-1 Challenge Champions, Team Russia Imperial.

While family and friends celebrate the Fourth of July at home in America, USA West held a celebration of its own in Seoul after recording its second 5-0 shutout of the season by sweeping Imperial.

The statement victory allowed the Americans to finish the regular season with an unblemished 3-0 challenge record and a remarkable 13-2 record in individual fights.

During the dominating performance, both David Jansen and Shane Del Rosario of USA West preserved their undefeated records in professional MMA.

Jansen, a product of Matt Lindland's Team Quest, moved to 11-0 following a guillotine submission victory via submission just 22 seconds into his encounter against Imperial's Amirkhan Mazikov.

Del Rosario, an EliteXC veteran, bested Jansen's time by one second following his TKO at 0:21 over Maksim Grishin. The heavyweight improved to 7-0 with all seven fights having ended inside the distance and six of them ending in round 1.

Team South Korea also competed on its home turf for the second time in two years on Saturday. Facing Group B rival Brazil Naja in a best-of-five series televised live on SBS, the Koreans fell one victory short of sending its countrymen and women home happy.

In the opener, Brazilian lightweight Hacran Dias was handed the first defeat of his career after dropping a unanimous decision to Korea's Nam Yui Chul. With the loss, Dias still maintains an impressive record of 11-1-1 and while Chul is now 9-2.

During the most anticipated bout of the evening, Brazil's Eduardo Pamplona finished the M-1 Challenge regular season with a perfect 3-0 record after winning a decision over Doh Hyung Kim at 2:59 of round three due to a cut.

Soon after both fighters made their respective charismatic entrances, Kim sustained a wound that opened up during the course of the fight.

When medical officials examined Kim in round three and decided to call a premature end to the bout, the outcome of the fight reverted to the scorecards of the judges. The judges ruled that Pamplona, 11-2, won the fight in unanimous fashion.

The encounter between the two welterweights lived up to the hype, with both Kim and Pamplona earning unofficial "Fight of the Night" honors.

Following Korean middleweight Jae Young Kim's two-round majority decision loss against Daniel Acacio, Brazilian light heavyweight Alexander Machado clinched the team victory for Naja after submitting Dool Hee Lee with a rear naked choke at 3:26 of round 2.

Despite losing in front of their home fans, Team South Korea still gave everyone watching live in the arena and at home something to celebrate when Hae Joon Yang recorded the unofficial "Knockout of the Night" after sending Brazilian heavyweight Joaquim "Mamute" Ferreira sprawling to the canvas in a short but highly enthralling brawl.

Needing just 14 seconds to take out Ferreira, Yang improved to 3-0 in his professional career with all three victories coming via first round (T)KO.

During the night's team challenge opener, Finland improved to 2-1 in Group B with an impressive 4-1 victory over Bulgaria. Competing without its top fighter, middleweight Lucio Linhares, Finland kept its playoff hopes alive by dominating the Bulgarians.

With Linhares focused on training for his Affliction and M-1 debut on pay-per-view on Aug. 1, lightweight Niko Puhakka, light heavyweight Marcus Vanttinen, heavyweight Toni Valtonen, and welterweight Janne Tulirinta, who recently received his brown belt from Linhares, all stepped up.

With the exception of Linhares' replacement, Mikko Suvanto, every other Finnish fighter not only won but stopped their respective opponent within the distance.

If Group C leader USA East loses on Aug. 15 in Amsterdam, Finland still has a mathematical chance to supplant the Americans.

However, the Fins' chances of making the playoffs still remain slim, as USA East would not only have to lose but fail to win two bouts during its head-to-head series vs. Team Benelux.

With its sixth edition now in the books, the seventh edition of the '09 M-1 Challenge is scheduled to take place during a two-day MMA festival in Amsterdam from Aug. 15-16.

In addition to USA East and Benelux, teams from Japan, France, Spain, and England will also all be in action. Additional information concerning the event will be released on www.M-1Global.com later this week.

Official results from today's event are listed below:

Bulgaria vs. Finland -

1. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) - Niko Puhakka (FIN) def. Yanko Yanev (BUL) via TKO (strikes) at 2:16 of round 1
2. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) - Janne Tulirinta (FIN) def. Ivan Ivanov (BUL) via TKO (strikes) at 3:44 of round 1
3. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) - Rosen Dmitirov (BUL) def. Mikko Suvanto (FIN) via majority decision
4. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) - Marcus Vanttinen (FIN) vs. Emil Samoilov (BUL) via submission (verbal) at 3:42 of round 3
5. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) - Toni Valtonen (FIN) def. Nikola Dipchkov (BUL) via submission (triangle) at 4:49 of round 1

Finland defeats Bulgaria 4-1

USA West vs. Russia Imperial -

6. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) - Dave Jansen (USA) def. Amirkhan Mazikhov (RUS) via submission (guillotine) at 0:22 of round 1
7. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) - Fabio "Negao" Nascimento (USA) def. Marat Ilaev (RUS) via submission (armbar) at 2:13 of round 2
8. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) - Giva Santana (USA) def. Radmir Gabdulin (RUS) via submission (arm triangle) at 3:47 of round 1
9. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) - Tony Lopez (USA) def. Viktor Nemkov (RUS) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:06 of round 2
10. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) - Shane Del Rosario (USA) def. Maksim Grishin (RUS) via TKO (strikes) at 0:21 of round 1

USA West defeats Russia Imperial 5-0

South Korea vs. Brazil -

11. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) - Nam Yui Chul (KOR) def. Hacran Dias (BRA) via three round unanimous decision
12. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) - Eduardo Pamplona (BRA) def. Do Hyung Kim (KOR) via unanimous decision
13. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) - Daniel Acacio (BRA) def. Jae Young Kim (KOR) via two-round majority decision
14. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) - Alexander Machado (BRA) def. Dool Hee Lee (KOR) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:26 of round 2
15. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) - Hae Joon Yang def. Joaquim "Mamute" Ferreira (BRA ) def. via knockout at 0:14 of round 1

Brazil defeats South Korea 3-2

Nissen Osterneck, Doug Evans to Headline Free Shark Fight Card

Brian Oswald — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:27:03 -0400

Amarillo, TX. - July 3, 2009 - Shark Fight Promotions, a Texas-based mixed martial arts fight promotion company, recently announced that they will be hosting a free mixed martial arts event on July 18th in Amarillo Texas at Gamboa's Outdoor Event Center.

The popular Texas fight promoter was recently forced to cancel their Shark Fight 5 Outdoor Bash and Brawl event, due to unpredictable weather. The promoter felt that the best way to make it up to the fans would be to re-schedule the event and give away the tickets. The Shark Fight event on the 18th will be a free admission show.

Jim Larson, president of Shark Fight Promotions, had this to say: "Despite the bad weather, thousands of loyal fans came out to our Shark Fight 5 event to show their support. Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel the fights due to the rain.

"We didn't want to just reschedule the event; we wanted to find a way to make up for the cancellation. In light of that, Shark Fight executives unanimously agreed to host a free event for the fans, and the rest is history. To the best of my knowledge no promoter has ever put on a free MMA event. "

Shark Fight Promotions appropriately named the free event "Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose." Many of the fighters that were on the official Shark Fight 5 card will return to fight in the 5.5 version.

The event will also feature Shark Fight Promotions' first featherweight title bout. Douglas Frey (5-1-0) will face Doug Evans (9-4-0) for the coveted Shark Fight Featherweight belt. The full Shark Fight 5.5 official fight card will be announced soon.

Although no admission will be charged for the "Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose" MMA event, fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance. Tickets will be available at the Shark Fights store in Amarillo's Westgate Mall, beginning on July 6th.

Before UFC 100, All Woman's MMA Fight Card

Brian Oswald — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:33:36 -0400

Caption: Could LaTasha Marzolla be the next face of woman's MMA?

If you are going to be in Las Vegas for the weekend of UFC 100 and want to squeeze in some extra MMA, then perhaps "Tuff" Girls" may be just what you’re looking for.

Taking place the night before the biggest event in MMA history, UFC 100, “Tuff Girls” will showcase amateur women fighters who could one day be competing with professional fighters like Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

Tuff-N-Uff, the nation’s premiere amateur mixed martial arts organization, will present an all-female MMA card at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 10. “Tuff Girls” will be headlined by Barb Honchak and Las Vegan Meegan Thomas who will fight in the 125-pound weight class for the Tuff Girl Belt.

Barb Honchak has compiled an impressive record of 6-1, while her opponent Meegan Thomas is undefeated with three wins under her belt. The other bouts will feature battles in weight classes ranging from 105 pounds to the 170 pounds.

The state of woman's mixed martial arts is at a critical juncture with "Carano vs. Cyborg" just around the corner. In order to capitalize on the momentum of that event, it will need stars to rise up from the ranks and be the future of the sport.

One particular star in the making could be former playboy model LaTasha Marzolla. Along with Gina Carano, LaTasha appears in the 2005 quasi-documentary Ring Girls about 5 women who, under Muay Thai trainer Master Toddy, fight in Las Vegas and Thailand.

LaTasha made her MMA debut on May 30, 2009, defeating Christy Tada by corner stoppage at the end of round 1 in a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas. She was supposed to be fighting on this fight card, but her broken nose sustained in her last fight did not heal in time. Latasha currently trains at Xtreme Couture under Shawn Tompkins.

Don't be surprised if you see some UFC fighters hanging around. Call it a hunch but we were also able to confirm it with VP of Tuff-N-Uff Jeff Meyer who said it's not uncommon to spot your favorite male fighters in attendance.

Main Event:

125 pounds: Barb Honchak (6-1) vs. Meegan Thomas (3-0)

135 pounds: MaEisha Lowe (3-1) Amanda Lavoy (3-1)
145 pounds: Patricia VanDermeer (2-0) vs. Moa Palmer (3-1)
170 pounds: Brooke Guidry (0-1) vs. Latoya Walker (0-0)
120 pounds: Lauren Feldman (5-1) vs. Jessica Laubacker (3-1)
110 pounds: Jaclyn Greenwell (1-1) vs. September Thornton (1-1)
155 pounds: Courtney Stowe (1-1) vs. Aleaha Williams (1-2)
140 pounds: Robin Hartman (2-2) vs. Stephanie Webber (2-2)
135 pounds: Kiley Martin (0-0) vs. Paige Zio (1-0)
135 pounds: Michelle Velebit (0-0) vs. Tamara Riley (0-1)
120 pounds: Gabriella Lakoczky (0-0) vs. Kate McGray (0-0)

Tickets for the event are on sale for $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the fight. Tickets may be purchased by calling 702.284.7777, online at www.orleansarena.com. Also be sure to check out the TUFF-N-UFF website for pictures and more information.

UFC 100 Vs. Affliction:Trilogy

Brian Oswald — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:40:21 -0400

There was a time when speculation told us that Affliction was considering putting their third, and possibly final show, up against UFC 100.

Whether there was any truth to that speculation is now irrelevant.

UFC 100 will go down on July 11 while Affliction: Trilogy will happen August 1. And for the record, their third fight card will not be their last.

So, while the UFC 100 vs. Affliction: Trilogy is not a battle of head-to-head PPV’s, it is a segue into which card is more stacked. While UFC 100 appears the apparent answer, let’s do it up MMA style and pit one fight against the other.

Main Event

Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir vs. Fedor Emelianenko-Josh Barnett

While a lot of MMA fans would love to see the winners of these two fights clash, that won't happen. These four fighters are the top four ranked divisional heavyweights in all of MMA—which makes both fights equally interesting.

Lesnar looks to exact revenge upon Mir, who holds the only win over Lesnar in his short career.

Whoever emerges will be known as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. As for the other fight, it’s an epic fight between two friends that is years in the making, with the winner most likely considered the top heavyweight in the sport today.

Co-Main Event

George St. Pierre-Alves vs. Renato Sobral-Gegard Mousasi

In another tough battle, we have a welterweight title fight going up against an exciting light heavyweight fight. St. Pierre is looking to defend his belt for the third time against an opponent in Alves who many consider his toughest test to date.

With a win, St. Pierre could position himself into a super fight with Anderson Silva.

Sobral is sharp veteran who most consider a top 10 light heavyweight fighter.

Mousasi is a young phenomenon who many consider to be the best young fighter in all of MMA. This will be Mousasi’s first official fight as both light heavyweight and in the United States. A win for him would catapult him into the consciousness of all MMA fans.

Rest of the Card (that counts)

Michael Bisping-Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago vs. Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel

Yoshihiro Akiyama-Alan Belcher vs. Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron

Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien* vs. Chris Horodecki-Dan Lauzon

So there you have the top six fights on each card doing battle. Now its time for you to decide which has the bettter top heavy fight card. UFC 100 or Affliction: Trilogy.

_________________________________

*UFC 100 clearly has a better undercard so Jones vs. O'Brien was chosen to represent the undercard in this match-up. If you disagree, feel free to pick another fight.

M-1 Challenge Headlines MMA This weekend

Brian Oswald — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:20:51 -0400

With no major U.S. based organization offering an MMA fight card this July 4th weekend, the M-1 Challenge takes center stage.

M-1 Challenge, billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” is a team-based competition which features a series of events around the world where MMA clubs from different countries compete against each other. Each team consists of five athletes with one in each weight class ranging from lightweight to heavyweight. Teams are placed in Group A though Group D.

The latest destination for this weekend’s competition is Seoul Korea where six different teams are in action. The slated match-ups pit Bulgaria (1-1) vs. Finland (1-1), USA West (2-0) vs. Imperial Russia (0-2), and Brazil Naja (1-1) vs. Korea.

The M-1 challenge operates as a global minor league MMA system, and if successful, fighters can work their way to the main stage of the sport like past M-1 fighters Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Keith Jardine, Alistair Overeem, Yushin Okami, Ben Rothwell, Mike Pyle, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang, Martin Kampmann, and others have done.

With that said, lets take a look at five of the individual matches which feature fighters who could be headed to a major MMA organization in the not too distant future.

Welterweight Fight: Janne Tulirinta (Finland/11-3) vs. Ivan Ivanov (Bulgaria/5-2)

Tulirinta is even better then his his 11-3 indicates. Already a talented submission fighter, Tulirinta’s standup game has made remarkable strides this season and is the best welterweight in this year’s M-1 Challenge. With the welterweight division outside of the UFC lacking, Tulirinta could be ready now.

Tulirinta did not suffer a scratch during his 11 second TKO over USA East’s Anthony Ford just 30 days ago. Ivanove is a legitimate threat and with the win for Tulirinta will put himself in a position to take his career to the next stage.

Middleweight Fight: Giva Santana (USA West/12-1) vs. Radmir Gabdullin (Russia Imperial/4-1)

11 of Santana’s 12 wins are via armbar submission. “The Arm Collector” is looking to add to that list and take Gabdullin’s arm back home with him to Team Oyama in Orange County, Calif. But with a strong Sambo background and all four of his pro wins coming via submission, Santana will not have an easy time on the ground.

As such, don’t be surprised we if we see some of Santana’s improving standup, as his striking skills have begun to evolve thanks to a lot of sparring with USA West heavyweight Shane Del Rosario. With a another submission win, Satanta would make a nice addition to the Strikeforce Middleweight division.

Heavyweight Fight: Shane Del Rosario (USA West/6-0) vs. Maksim Grishin (Russia Imperial/2-2)

After competing for ShoXC and once for the M-1 Challenge, Del Rosario finds himself with a perfect 6-0 record and a reputation for being one of the most dynamic strikers in the heavyweight division. A member of Colin Oyama’s Team Oyama, Del Rosario has been working hard with Giva Santana to improve his ground game.

If his submission skills can rival his standup ability Del Rosario will move one step closer in his evolution from a top heavyweight prospect to a legitimate title contender. A win there could send Del Rasario into a high profile fight under the Affliction or Strikeforce banner.

But a win over Grishin is hardly a given, as he is rates as one of the best prospects coming up in the new generation of Team Imperial fighters.

Lightweight Fight : Hacran Dias (Brazil Naja/11-0-1) vs. Yui Chul Nam (South Korea/12-2)

Hacran Dias is one of the best blue chip prospects fighting out of Brazil fight now. With a record of 11-0-1, Dias is good enough to compete in any organization in the world right now. A Nova Uniao fighter, Dias made his M-1 Challenge debut in May during an event in Sao Paulo.

Facing fellow M-1 Challenge rookie Amirkhan Mazihov, Dias needed just 3:58 to finish the fight courtesy of a rear naked choke. Dias will look to improve his M-1 Challenge record to 2-0 and if successful the sky appears to the the limit for his undefeated prospect.

Nam has a impressive record but is looking to record his first M-1 Challenge win following his decision loss to USA West’s Dave Jansen during the ‘09 season opener. Being that Jansen is one of the top lightweight prospects in all of MMA, there is no shame in losing to Jansen, and with an upset win over Dias, Nam will be right back in the mix.

Welterweight Fight: Do Hyung Kim (Korea/25-5) vs. Eduardo Pamplona (Brazil Naja/11-2)

Kim is one of the most charismatic fighters in all of the M-1 Challenge Kim is a tremendous fighter who without question rates as one of the top prospects in this year’s competition. The Sunhu Gym product holds notable victories in his career over the likes of Mikhail Malyutin, Erik Oganov, and Farouk Lakebir.

Kim is moving up to 170 for what looks on paper to be an amazing matchup against Pamplona. With just one loss in his last 12 fights, Pamplona is looking to take his career to the next level following impressive wins over notables such as Juliano Belgine, Daniel Acacio, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, and Jorge Pantino. A win over Kim could be exactly what he needs.

Lightweight Fight: Dave Jansen (USA West/11-0) vs. Amirkhan Mazikhov (Russia Imperial/2-1)

Rising lightweight prospect David Jansen improved to 11-0 following his hard fought decision victory over Yui Chul Nam during April's M-1 Challenge event in Japan. This Team Quest member has already fought three times this year capturing notable wins having over Matt Lee and Flavio Alvaro.

Jansen wasn’t originally part of the 2009 roster with Palace Fighting Championships 155 lb. champion Brian Cobb listed as its lightweight representative. However, Cobb left USA West just ten days prior to the M-1 Challenge season opener on Feb. 21 in order to accept a contract with the UFC as a last-minute replacement at UFC 95.

The last-minute move from Cobb to Jansen has paid dividends for USA West, as Cobb was TKO’d by Terry Etim at UFC 95 and has not fought since. Meanwhile, Jansen will look to improve his record to 12-0 overall and 3-0 under the M-1 Challenge banner.

Renato Sobral Vs. Gegard Mousasi: Experience Vs. Youth Collide

Brian Oswald — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:58:44 -0400

Gegard Mousasi has declared his fight against Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Renato “Babalu” Sobral an all-out war. “Sobral is so tough. When he comes, he comes to fight,” says Mousasi, as he trains for one of the biggest challenges of his career.

Babalu Sobral ranks in the top 10 of light heavyweights and has been training since Mousasi was a newborn. Besides the 10 years difference in age and experience, Mousasi will have to contend with Sobral’s explosiveness and dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills in the ring. Sobral, on the other hand, prepares for the power and athleticism that comes with Mousasi’s youth.

Although Babalu is well aware of the dangers Mousasi presents, he fully intends on continuing his current winning streak. “On the ground,” Babalu contemplates his possible advantage over Mousasi, “...probably that’s where I can take advantage (of him). Whatever it takes.”

“It will be a good test for me,” asserts Mousasi. “With Sobral, I will try to fight (a) stand up game. If it goes to the ground, I will take top position and work him over with my ground and pound.

"Sobral will have to watch out for my elbows; I want to use them in this fight. If I end up on my back, I can defend myself and eventually we will stand back up again.”

Although he has other plans for the fight’s outcome, Babalu is ready for Mousasi to try to keep the fight on his feet and to adapt to whatever the fight may bring. Sobral (32-8), enters the bout as one of the division's most compelling fighters, with five consecutive wins.

Babalu is always ready to fight, saying he is “on the top of the wave” right now “waiting to drop.” And although he won’t reveal it in interviews, he has some tricks up his sleeve for his upcoming bout with Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi, who made the majority of last year’s “Fighter of the Year” lists.

But the seasoned Sobral is ready, bringing to the bout the same passion and ferocity he brings to all his fights, along with a tried and true game plan. “Whenever I see a space, I’m gonna push the fight,” Sobral states. “When he makes a mistake, then I’m going to finish.”

While all eyes will be Fedor vs. Barnett at Affliction: Trilogy, August 1, the co-main event between Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi could very easily steal 'fight of the night' honors.