Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Comeau

UFC 91: Kenny "Asterisk Man" Florian's Proving Ground

Michael Comeau — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:00:28 -0500

After reading Brian Oswald's latest piece "Kenny Florian Will Never Get a Title Shot," I decided to give my own thoughts on Kenny Florian as we head into his bout with Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 on November 15th.

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I like Kenny Florian. He's a game opponent always striving to fight better competition, and more importantly, he's good for the sport. While The Ultimate Fighter has devolved into a circus of vomit-inducing food tampering, Kenny's friendly personality and professional appearance give the public a different picture of what an MMA fighter can be.

But has he proven himself as a top lightweight? I don't think so.

I call Kenny the "Asterisk Man" because I feel compelled to add an asterisk to just about every one of his victories in the UFC:

Roger Huerta* - With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Roger is an average fighter who couldn't handle quality competition after being fed a string of easier opponents.

Joe Lauzon* - Joe gassed in the second round, essentially handing victory over to Kenny. Prior to that, the match was fairly close and Joe could have grinded out a win.

Din Thomas* - Din blew out his knee against Kenny, leaving Ken-Flo's submission victory looking better on paper than it did in reality.

Kit Cope* and Sam Stout* - Both these guys are one dimensional strikers who obviously weren't ready for anyone with a decent ground game.

Alex Karalexis* - This is a cut stoppage victory over a guy who subsequently moved down to the WEC - not very impressive in my opinion.

So while the UFC is clearly positioning Kenny for a title shot, I'm not sold on the story just yet. From a technical standpoint, Kenny is up there with the best in the UFC's lightweight division, but he needs an impressive win over a top-quality opponent to get me on board.

And at UFC 91, he'll have one to tangle with in Joe Stevenson. Joe will be a huge test for Kenny, mostly because Joe presents a rough approximation of Sean Sherk—a guy who beat Kenny via sheer brute physicality at UFC 64.

Joe Daddy will not go quietly. He has a great ground game and brutal strength, and is coming off a submission victory over Gleison Tibau, the biggest lightweight fighter in MMA. Tibau is so big that Kenny Florian will feel like a little kid in comparison.

Has Kenny's technical skill-set evolved to the point where he can overcome a physically imposing top-10 lightweight? The betting odds say yes, but for now I'm saying no.

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Visit MMAEruption.com right now and find out if Brock Lesnar can beat Randy Couture!

5 Reasons The UFC Should Sign Jake Shields Right Now

Michael Comeau — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:44:34 -0400

As the entire MMA world knows, EliteXC is going out of business and a whole bunch of fighters ranging from Robbie Lawler to Kimbo Slice are going to be out of work. The first question in my mind is, who should the UFC sign first? The answer: EliteXC welterweight star Jake Shields.

Here's why:

1) You Can Never Have Too Many Quality Fighters

Jake Shields is an excellent fighter with a very strong ground game that would make the hyper-competitive UFC welterweight division even better. UFC is THE place to be for welterweight fighters and the stable would be even more impressive with Jake in it.

2) There Are Tons of Great Fights for Jake in the UFC

Jake would likely have to work his way up to a title shot, so along the way there would be plenty of chances for great match-ups. For example, Jake Shields vs. Dustin Hazelett could be a grappling barn burner. He could also face guys like Diego Sanchez, Karo Parisyan, and Dong Hyun Kim as the main event on Ultimate Fight Nights.

3) Georges St. Pierre Needs More Victims

GSP has already beaten Matt Hughes (2X), BJ Penn, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch. And in all likelihood, he'll beat BJ Penn in their January rematch. Plus, I don't think Thiago Alves has a strong enough ground game to have a reasonable shot at taking out Georges. Jake Shields has already expressed interest in fighting GSP, and in all likelihood he'll get murdered, adding another notch to GSP's belt.

4) You Can Take Him Home to Mom

Jake Shields is a likeable, marketable guy that would make a great representative for the sport of MMA, similar to Kenny Florian. He is exactly the type of guy that would look good on traditional sports channels and if the UFC decided to back him, he would go over well with traditional sports fans.

and finally...

5) If Jake Shields Craps Out, the UFC Still Wins

Let's say Jake comes into the UFC and completely craps out. Dana White gets to come out and say "See? Nobody can compete with the UFC's fighters. Jake was the top welterweight outside of the UFC and he couldn't hang with our top guys."

GracieFighter.com, the home of Cesar Gracie's stable of fighters said last night that "Jake Shields in the UFC has now become a real possibility." Let's hope that possibility turns into into reality soon.

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Related Content->>

Why the UFC Should Sign Gilbert Melendez

P.S. Visit MMAEruption.com and read about Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture!

Stick a Fork in Brandon Vera: He's Done in the UFC

Michael Comeau — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:48:04 -0400

Last night's decision loss against Keith Jardine marked Brandon Vera's fourth straight disappointing performance inside the octagon, and my spidey sense tells me that he could be finished in the UFC, at least for the time being. Brandon's back has been up against the wall for a while now, which combined with his high salary makes him a good candidate for a temporary exodus from the UFC.

Given his heritage, Vera is most definitely part of the UFC's efforts to break into Southeast Asia, notably the Philippines, and he's a marketable guy with a good personality. But he's running out of excuses for his uninspired performances. With Tim Sylvia, it was a broken hand. With Fabricio Werdum, it was a bad ref stoppage. With Reese Andy, it was the first weight cut to 205.

We can reasonably say that Jardine is a bad style matchup for just about anyone, but let's remember that Jardine hurt his leg in the second round. That should have given Vera the edge to take the second and third rounds, and the decision victory.

I don't think the UFC should necessarily cut Brandon permanently. But it might not be the worst idea to suggest a break from the UFC to compete in a few bouts in smaller promotions before coming back. Because with a contract paying him $100,000 to show up and $100,000 to win, giving Vera chance after chance to prove himself, is a slap in the face to guys who go out and give it all for 10 grand.

P.S.: Visit MMAEruption.com and read about the UFC Drinking Game!

Do Or Die For Brandon Vera at UFC 89

Michael Comeau — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:59:13 -0400

Brandon Vera’s career inside the Octagon has been something of a roller coaster since his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 in late 2005.

However, “The Truth” is now at a crossroads in his career, and he’ll have to pull off an impressive win against "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine next Saturday Night at UFC 89 to get back on the path towards becoming a star.

An undersized heavyweight, Brandon proved he could nonetheless play with the big boys by peeling off four straight wins in the UFC, all of them being first or second round finishes.

However, following a year-long layoff in the midst of contentious contact negotiations, Brandon suffered back-to-back losses to top 10 heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum.

After Brandon’s loss to Werdum, he wisely dropped down to the light heavyweight division, which is most certainly a better fit considering his frame, which looks downright frail relative to brutes like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.

However, it appears that Brandon’s first weight drop didn’t go well, as his light heavyweight debut was just a month after the loss to Werdum.

Even though he came out the winner by unanimous decision, Brandon’s performance against Reese Andy at Ultimate Fight Night 14 failed to impress MMA fans stoked to see Brandon fighting in his natural weight class.

If three straight disappointing performances weren’t enough, Brandon received criticism that he was significantly overpaid as he picked up $200,000 (including a $100,000 win bonus), that night, a figure equal to Anderson Silva’s pay for the same event. Needless to say, it is do or die time for Brandon Vera at UFC 89 this Saturday night.

It won't be enough to merely beat Keith Jardine, who is also in need of an impressive win after being demolished by Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84. Brandon must do so in decisive fashion.

And not only to win over fans suspicious that he was overhyped while facing questionable competition, but to win over UFC management, who have been paying him the salary of 10 lightweights for performances that have been lackluster at best.

The only question is, will “The Truth” stand up?

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Thanks for reading folks - please post a comment and let everyone know if you think Brandon will come out on top against Keith Jardine! And if you have a minute, visit MMAEruption.com!

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UPDATE: I wrote an article with my full UFC 89 predictions, check it out here.

EliteXC Came Awfully Close to Fixing a Fight: Can I Get a Lil' Outrage?

Michael Comeau — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:13:02 -0400

I'd like to say that this interview with Seth Petruzelli shocked me. Sadly, it didn't. Fast forward to the 10:30 mark and you'll hear Petruzelli make the following comments regarding a very special request from his promoters ahead of his fight with Kimbo Slice:

"The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him."

"They didn't want me to take him down, let's just put it that way."

"It was worth my while to try to stand up, stand up and punch with him."

It's one thing to engage in matchmaking in order to build up a certain fighter. The UFC has done that with many guys, most notably Roger Huerta.

But to use money to try and influence what happens inside the cage crosses a whole new line. This absolutely stinks of the worst-smelling bullsh*t on the planet, and I'm just going to pray it's not true because it makes me question some other things I've seen during EliteXC fights.

You know, like that highly questionable standup in the Arlovski/Nelson fight.

Even the smallest hint of the possibility of fight-fixing puts a dark cloud over EliteXC's legitimate athletes just by association. Now I'll ask two obvious questions:

1) What the heck is the Florida State Boxing Commission going to do about it? Because shady business practices like this make MMA look a lot like professional wrestling.

2) Is CBS willing to continue working with EliteXC after this weekend's debacle?

Props to Fightlinker.com for the audio link.

Lloyd Irvin Smashes Criminals, Proves He Is the Man!

Michael Comeau — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:50:54 -0400

I had to pass this story along in case you guys haven't seen it:

Grappling guru Lloyd Irvin, who is famous in the fighting world for his incredible recovery from a horrifying spinal injury, was held up at gunpoint Saturday morning, along with his family and UFC contender Brandon Vera. Needless to say, the outcome could have been tragic. Lloyd, no stranger to adversity, had other plans for his attackers. BloodyElbow has the story:

While one gunman held Irvin's family hostage, another gunman directed Irvin to the the master bedroom. According to Irvin, he led the gunman toward his bedroom. Once in the bedroom, Irvin said he noticed the other gunman was far enough away down the hall to make a move to disarm the attacker in his bedroom. Irvin, an expert in Sambo defensive gun and knife techniques, was able to get ahold of the gun in the attacker's hands, first separating the clip from the gun and then removing the gun from the attacker's hands.

I would have liked to hear about these piece of trash criminals suffering some broken bones at the hands of Irvin and Vera, but for now, let's give thanks that the good guys won, and that Lloyd's family is safe and sound.

Also, let's hope that this past weekend's events don't mess with Brandon's head given his key match with Keith Jardine this weekend at UFC 89.

Thanks for reading this! Please take a moment to visit MMAEruption.com!

Everything You Wanted To Know About the UFC's Lightweight Division

Michael Comeau — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:41:46 -0400

While the UFC's light-heavyweight and welterweight divisions are widely regarded as two of the most competitive divisions in MMA, the lightweights simply can't be overlooked, given the depth of up-and-coming talent and the potential for some pretty awesome matchups.

The Title Picture

At the top of the division is BJ Penn, who is widely regarded as the No. 1 lightweight fighter in the world. Given his dominating victories over Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk at UFC 80 and 84, respectively, I don't see anyone in the UFC's 155-pound division that will put up much of a fight.

Of course, we could easily see BJ vacate the lightweight title should he beat Georges St. Pierre in their rematch, which is expected to happen in January 2009 during Super Bowl weekend.

Right down the list is Kenny Florian, who will do battle with Stevenson at UFC 91 in November. BJ's other recent victim, Sean Sherk, will fight Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 on Oct. 25. It is unlikely that Sherk or Griffin will be offered title shots any time soon, as UFC President Dana White likes to see guys finish fights, and neither Griffin nor Sherk have been able to do so in recent victories.

Plus, Stevenson was shown to be no match for Penn, so it's unlikely that he'll be thrown back in for a rematch any time soon. My instincts tell me the UFC would like to see Kenny Florian getting in there for a title shot, given his marketability and status as a TUF alumnus.

Kenny has finished most of his fights, albeit against competition of mixed quality, and he's a good representative for the sport.

But in any case, we're not likely to see a lighweight title fight for the next eight months, unless BJ vacates it or the UFC strips him of the belt for taking too long to defend it. So let's take a look at the future contenders, who are rounding out the division, one by one.

The Up and Comers

Here's where things get exciting for me. There are so many guys that are on the cusp of breaking into title contention, and even if some of them aren't destined to be contenders, they're still going to put on some great fights. Here's a fighter-by-fighter breakdown of the names to watch.

Marcus Aurelio - Great submission skills, but at 35 years of age, he needs some quality wins under his belt soon to stay relevant. I think he has a very good chance of beating Hermes Franca at UFC 90, as Hermes doesn't always bring the best gameplan to the table.

Rich Clementi - "No Love" is in need of a nickname, but with four-straight wins, Rich is doing pretty well in the UFC. Also, you have to admire a guy that fought at two straight events (UFC 83 and 84). I expect Rich to have a tough time against Gray Maynard at UFC 90, but I'm also not counting him out.

Mac Danzig - Mac's loss to gatekeeper Clay Guida at UFC Fight Night 15 was a tough break, given that he was largely favored to win, but it's not the end of the world, given how early Mac is into his UFC career. However, another loss or two would definitely put his long-term viability into question.

Nate Diaz - After what I thought was a pretty lousy performance against Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night 13, Nate looked much improved against Josh Neer at UFC Fight Night 15 on Sept. 17. Plus, I like that Nate seems to be craving a step up in competition, and I'm sure he'll be getting it the next time he steps in the cage.

Frankie Edgar - Frankie is a bit undersized for the division, but his solid striking and excellent wrestling skills help make up for it. It's a bit difficult to decide exactly where he ranks in terms of moving up the ladder—of his four wins in the UFC, he only finished one fight—but he has won Fight of the Night twice.

Hermes Franca - I like Hermes quite a bit; he always puts on a damn good show for the fans. However, as Fightlinker pointed out, he need to rethink his strategy when facing wrestlers. Hermes has the striking and submission skills to win; he just needs to put together better gameplans.

Manny Gamburyan - While Manny doesn't get much love from MMA fans (that cheap shot at Jeff Cox didn't help), I think he has the potential to be a force in the lightweight division. His weak standup was exposed by Rob Emerson at UFC 87, but Manny has a nasty submission game and fights at an absolutely furious pace.

And let's not forget the fact that before his should injury, he was clearly beating Nate Diaz in their match at the Ultimate Fighter Five finale.

Clay Guida - Clay is largely regarded as a gatekeeper in the 155-pound division, and while his win/loss record isn't terribly impressive, he gives his all 100 percent of the time, and MMA fans absolutely love him. I don't see Clay as a contender for the title any time soon, but he deserves a spot on any card in need of an injection of excitement.

Joe Lauzon - Looks like a nerd but fights like a beast. I was really hoping Joe would come out on top against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 13. Joe didn't look to be in great shape that night and may have been affected by the altitude in Colorado, and he's already back in the mix with his recent victory over Kyle Bradley.

Gray Maynard - Gray lived up to his nickname "The Bully" when he tossed Frankie Edgar around for three rounds at UFC Fight Night 13. Gray's wrestling is excellent, but he'll need to build a more well-rounded game, as well as a more colorful personality to get in line for a title shot.

Kurt Pellegrino - Batman has a mixed record inside the octagon, and he recently admitted to having some issues with self-confidence inside the cage. However, Kurt always puts on a good show, and if his head remains screwed on straight, he can make his mark on the lightweight division.

And finally....

Roger Huerta - I don't know if it's even worth bringing up Roger, because he looked awful against Kenny Florian at UFC 87, and his record has been padded with weaker opponents. Plus, I can't imagine he's in good standing with the UFC after complaining about money issues in the August issue of FIGHT! magazine.

If you look back to the PPV broadcast of UFC 87, the Florian/Huerta fight was actually aired BEFORE the relatively meaningless Manny Gamburyan/Rob Emerson bout. You'd think hometown favorite Huerta would mean airtime closer to the end when more people are watching. Plus, if Huerta was interviewed postfight, it wasn't aired on the pay-per-view. Unless we hear otherwise, consider Roger to be on ice.

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If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Post a comment below and let me know what you think!

Also, I plan on posting the five lightweight matches I hope to see in 2009 sometime soon, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, please take a minute to visit my blog at MMAEruption.com.