Bleacher Report - Articles by david ritchie

Knockout Pretty Much Guaranteed in Cro Crop vs Dos Santos

david ritchie — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:36:55 -0400

On Sept. 19, two Heavyweights, one gunning for the glory and dominance he once knew and the other looking to solidify the hype, will clash.

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic once the most feared striker in all of Mixed Martial Arts is coming off a controversial tko victory of Mostapha Al-turk, in which it appeared an eye poke enabled Cro Cop to finish the struggling Al-turk.

His opponent on the night is a 25 year old Brazilian Kickboxing Champion called Junior Dos Santos. Unlike Cro Cop, whose UFC career has been littered with devastating disappointment, Dos Santos has destroyed everyone he has faced and quickly.

His debut occurred at UFC 90 against one of the best UFC Heavyweights at the time, Fabricio Werdum. Dos Santos was supposed to get overwhelmed and pretty quickly, but instead a mere 81 seconds into the first round Dos Santos knocked Werdum out with a crushing uppercut, he followed the win up with a 54 second destruction of Stefan Struve.

The winner will propel themselves up the ladder and should Cro Cop's laser accurate strikes put Dos Santos to sleep the fans will without doubt claim his resurrection is complete.

On the contrary should Dos Santos overwhelm Cro Cop with his tormenting haymakers then Dos Santos has truly arrived and is without doubt worth the hype.

Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia: Cementing Your Claim

david ritchie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:12:08 -0400

At UFC 102 the main event is between two legendary combatants. But before Randy Couture and Antonio Nogueira wage war, two middleweight contenders vouching for the chance to try and seize Anderson Silva's belt will do battle.

The two contenders in question are Nate "The Great" Marquardt and Demian Maia.

Nate Marquardt, a former King of Pancrase, is no stranger to the limelight. In fact, he found himself at UFC 73 in the middle of the greatest limelight of them all, that being in the form of Anderson Silva. However, on this occasion the limelight proved too much for Nate as he succumbed to a late first round TKO.

The man who will stand across the octagon from Marquardt is the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu enigma Demian Maia, a softly spoken man who believes victory in MMA matches does not necessarily have to include excessive violence. A change from the "I'm going to try and kill you" remarks. An ADCC champion, Maia has proved to be quite the success in his transition from the Jiu Jitsu world to the cage.

Maia has fought five times in the Octagon against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Nate Quarry, and Jason McDonald, to name a few. All of his five bouts have ended with submission, in his favour of course.

When Marquardt and Maia meet, one thing is for sure. Both will try everything in their power to get the victory as the winner potentially will be granted a title shot. Nate has a significant advantage in the stand-up department as well as strength and experience.

Maia's obvious strength is his Jiu Jitsu and should the match find itself on the mat Maia will have a significant advantage. That said, Nate is no slouch and also holds a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.

Who will win is a hard question to answer. Will Nate move one step closer to possible redemption or will Maia prove yet again his impeccable Jiu Jitsu technique may untangle the Spider's web?

Randy Couture Vs Antonio Nogueira: The Battle For Resurgence

david ritchie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:03:48 -0400

On August 29th, two MMA legends will try to propel themselves back into title contention

The two legends in question are Randy "The Natural" Couture and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. Both fighters are coming off debilitating TKO losses.

Randy fell to the UFC Heavyweight Champion and real life monster Brock Lesnar, but despite the loss, Randy managed to give Brock his toughest fight to date.

Noguiera, on the other hand, is coming off a loss which cannot even be considered competitive.

At UFC 92 the seemingly impossible was accomplished as Frank Mir became the first man in a great list to finish Nogueira.

Now both will meet at a critical moment in their respective careers.

Should "The Natural" lose, the critics will say father time has finally caught him and retirement could ensue.

Should Nogueira lose again, critics will say his legendary and barbaric battles have without doubt sealed the final nail in the coffin. Like "The Natural", the question of retirement will knock on the Brazilian's door.

Could BJ Penn Become the P4P King?

david ritchie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:02:35 -0400

After recent performances from guys such as Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Lyoto Machida, BJ Penn has been discarded as being the man who could top the MMA mountain.

Not surprising, after he got dismantled by Welterweight boss Georges St-Pierre.

However, in spite of the humiliating loss to St-Pierre, BJ Penn seems to be unstoppable in the weight class his frame for which he was built.

After two failed attempts to seize the lightweight strap, a decision loss to Jens Pulver and a draw with Caol Uno, BJ finally managed to capture what he felt was always his at UFC 80 in January of 2008.

UFC 80 also marked the day that MMA fans finally got to see the prodigy reach his true potential, and unfortunately for Joe Stevenson, he was the victim. BJ showed what he is truly capable of and choked out a bloody and battered Stevenson late in the second round.

BJ finally cemented his place as the true lightweight champion at UFC 84, when he took on the former title holder Sean Sherk, who had been stripped of his belt due to a positive test for steroids following his UFC 73 win over Hermes Franca.

BJ dismantled Sherk with relative ease, eventually scoring a third round TKO. However, this marked the night that BJ felt it was time to vocally state he wanted to avenge his 2006 split-decision loss to St-Pierre.

He got his wish at UFC 94 and in what was hyped as the biggest rematch in MMA history, BJ found out that a man who is around 15 pounds heavier and of equal skill level will usually win.

In this circumstantial win in devastating fashion, Penn's cornerman threw in the towel at the end of the fourth, and with such a devastating loss, many immediately wrote BJ off, saying he was always overrated and lazy.

However, BJ soon managed to make people reminisce on why he is the lightweight champion at UFC 101. He went into the fight against Kenny Florian, who was riding a six fight win streak, since his failure to capture the lightweight strap.

In the bout, BJ made it look like a glorified sparring session, as Florian tried to employ a similar tactic and St-Pierre tried to exhaust BJ by pushing him against the cage. But at 155 lbs., BJ is the lightweight version of St-Pierre, and in the fourth round, he decided enough was enough.

BJ simply hoisted Florian into the air, landed in half guard, progressed to mount, and, with the expectancy of the MMA population, he got the choke.

BJ said that he "Only wants to be known as the best ever," and at 155 lbs. he can without a doubt try to become that.

Guys like Edgar, Maynard, and Sanchez will all suffer the same fate, and certainly, BJ Penn can become the best pound for pound fighter in the MMA.

Lyoto Machida: Over Complicating the Complicated

david ritchie — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:30:37 -0400

As the majority of mixed martial arts fans will know Lyoto Machida is the new UFC Light-heavyweight Champion, a statement that is becoming annoyingly regular.

Before the fighters entered the cage I was of the opinion that Rashad Evans explosive hand-speed and solid wrestling skills would at least give Machida his own problems to solve. But after hearing Rashad's striking coach say that if the crowd is "booing" then Rashad was doing well, my heart sank.

Rashad employed the tactic of trying to entice Lyoto in and that was all Lyoto needed. Machida proved to quick and elusive for Evans and one has to wonder if Evans gameplan was simply over complicating an already complicated enigma.

Evans landed his two strikes when he threw back at Machida. So perhaps if Evans had fought the way he did against Forrest Griffin, he may still be champion. Or if the wrestler in Evans had made an appearance, would he still be champion?

That is the million dollar question, but Rashad's sacrifice paves the way for future challengers. Now all of enter the cage with the Dragon know they must not stand back and counter punch to such an extent.

All you have to do is go back to Machida's fight against Bj Penn. Bj came out aggressive and mixed standup with grappling and fared a lot better than Evans did, hell he even landed a power-punch that delivered from a genuine Light-heavyweight fighter could of shut Machida off, could being the main word here.

So if I were in the corner of Machida's next opponent, which it appears will be Shogun Rua, I would simply tell him to fight the way he did against Liddell and simply go with the flow. After all, why change your style if it has gotten you so far?

Judas Ibarra Is Bad For MMA!

david ritchie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:23:48 -0500

Juanito Ibarra was once a well respected mma and boxing coach of fighters such as Oscar De La Hoya and Rampage Jackson.

Everything appeared to be going so well, with Juanito's tutelage Rampage managed to successfully capture the UFC Light-heavyweight Championship and later become the first ever Unified world champion in mma history when he defeated Dan Henderson.

Despite this things started to go wrong rapidly. These problems seemed to arrive when Rampage was asked to be the Ultimate Fighter 7 coach alongside Forrest Griffin. Rampage has stated that this was when problems started to arise.

So when the show was done Rampage fought his rival coach at UFC 86. But Rampage appeared to be distant and very one dimensional in this bout. Instead of mixing his fantastic boxing skills with his world famous wrestling, Rampage simply looked for the big shot.

It was evident Ibarra had underestimated Forrest and decided that Rampage did not need a game-plan. In heavy contrast Forrest executed a superb game-plan and won.

After the bout Rampage criticised Ibarra saying that he refused to bring in a new boxing coach for Rampage when Ibarra cracked a rib while holding pads. Then Ibarra and Rampage split-the full reasons are still hazy but allegations of extortion have been hinted at not to mention Rampage saying Ibarra was a control freak

Now the "Born again Christian" is telling Wanderlei Silva he is more than willing to help reveal how to be Rampage "Easy." Even going as far as sending Wanderlei his number! This is the actions of a traitor and is more like the actions of Judas Iscariot than a "Christian."

However Wanderlei Silva showed true class and warrior spirit when he revealed he would not use Ibarra saying that if he was willing to do it to Rampage he could do it to him.

Ibarra should do what he promised and retire! He has no place in MMA and is simply trying to remain a factor by being willing to commit such atrocities. If you don't retire go back to boxing where this type of behaviour is the norm, MMA doesn't need you to pollute it. RETIRE!

Sherk vs Sanchez Possible—Who Takes It?

david ritchie — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:34:15 -0500

With Diego Sanchez's recent revelation of his intentions to drop to 155 it seems he is already being called out. The man who has issued the challenge is former Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk.

If this battle were to go ahead it would certainly gather intrigue and promises fireworks.

Diego Sanchez is the first ever Ultimate Fighter winner, albeit in the middleweight division. What is more interesting is the man he beat in the final was the current number one contender to the Lightweight crown Kenny Florian.

Sanchez went on a stampede during his first couple of years in the UFC with dominate wins against Nick Diaz, Karo Parysian and Joe Riggs. All was looking well for the 'Nightmare' and he was destined to get a shot at the Welterweight strap providing he could defeat another man he defeated on the Ultimate Fighter, wrestling sensation Josh Koscheck.

The two rematched at UFC 69, but it did not go well for Sanchez. The relentless onslaught that the fans were use to seeing was not there and instead he was defeated by Decision. However it has been suggested that he had a staph infection days before the fight.

His chance to return to that hellish form occurred at UFC 76 against Koscheck's training partner Jon Fitch. Despite a valiant effort Sanchez appeared to struggle with Fitch's size and strength, losing a split decision. Despite the two consecutive losses Sanchez returned with two tko wins over David Bielkhden and Luigi Fioravanti.

His chance to gain number one conterndership was granted when he accepted to fight Thiago Alves at UFC 90. Unfortunately Sanchez got injured during his preparations and was forced to withdraw from the fight. What is interesting is that despite the fact he did not lose he has decided a move down in weightclass is the best move for his career. Could it be because his replacement the nemesis Josh Koscheck was completely dominated by the huge Alves?

The man who called him out has had an outstanding career. He has a record of 33 wins and three losses. All of those losses to legendary champions BJ Penn, GSP and Matt Hughes. His victories include Karo Parysian(twice), Nick Diaz, Hermes Franca, and Tyson Griffin.

He was on top of the Lightweight world and appeared to be the most ferocious champion in the UFC. That was until after his complete domination of Hermes Franca he tested positive for steroids.

He would soon be stripped off his title and banned for nearly a year. He returned at UFC 84 against BJ Penn, who had done his up-most to get under Sherk's skin. It appeared to work, instead of the Sherk's usual relentless take-down attempts he decided to get involved in a kickboxing match. This resulted in a tko loss at the end of the third round. Was a bad game-plan to blame?

Well at UFC 90 he returned against rising star Tyson Griffin and in a spectacular fight Sherk managed to combine crisp accurate striking with his superb wrestling, resulting a decision win.

Now both men seem destined to collide. But who will win? It is a hard question as both men are evenly matched. Sanchez's new improved stand-up combined with his phenomenal ground skills seem to match up well with—Sherk's insane wrestling and cardio not to mention his own new and improved stand-up.

I would tend to lean towards a Sherk decision, I feel Sherk may be able to control the standup and overwhelm Sanchez should it hit the mat. One thing is for sure if the bought does go ahead it guarantees to light up the Octagon

UFC: It Finally Hits Home for Chuck Liddell

david ritchie — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 08:09:53 -0500

Chuck Liddell was once the most feared and seemingly untouchable Champion in any sport. He had a list of KO victims that is without doubt the best ever in MMA. Randy Couture(2), Tito Ortiz(2), Babalu Sobral(2), Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, and Alistair Overeem. Not too shabby is it?

He was riding high in 2007 and was fresh off his fourth title defense, with a KO victory over Tito Ortiz. However, all was about to change for the "Iceman."

The last man to beat him, Rampage Jackson, had just entered the UFC and Liddell was keen to avenge the loss. The victory would mean he had beaten every man he had ever fought and secure his status as perhaps the best ever.

His chance to do this arrived at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007, however, this was not the fairytale ending Liddell and Dana White had imagined.

Instead, Liddell seemed somewhat intimidated by Rampage's ferocious focus and a mere 113 seconds in Liddell had been KO'ed and his nightmares were just beginning.

After the loss, Liddell was given a match against Keith Jardine, a match he was supposed to win in style. Yet again, though, things were not meant to be.

Instead Jardine battered Liddell with savage leg and body kicks and even managed to knock Liddell down with a big right hand. Jardine managed to pull out the split-decision win due to a brilliant game-plan and by his execution of this game-plan.

The "Iceman's" aura and swagger had seemingly left him, so what did the UFC do? They put him against perhaps the most ferocious fighter in MMA history, Wanderlei Silva, who himself was on a two-fight losing streak both by vicious KO.

They commenced battle on Dec. 29 at UFC 79. The historic fight did not disappoint, and both men swung earth-shattering bombs. Liddell's bombs though landed with more conviction and regularity, earning him a Unanimous Decision win. Liddell appeared to be back...and back big time.

But a young man by the name of Rashad Evans had other rather disturbing ideas. At UFC 88, Chuck Liddell fell victim to something he use to be quite good at, a simply brutal KO that was so savage it should have been illegal.

As Liddell lay alarmingly unconscious and seemingly staring into the bright light at the end of the tunnel, it seemed that Liddell was destined to never regain his title.

But why has the seemingly unbeatable former Champ fell from his throne with such a bump? No one can be 100 percent sure, but it seems stagnant training and predictability appear to be the most obvious reasons.

So Mr. Liddell has took a massive step in the right direction and has begun training at American Top Team, which is bound to contribute to more rounded skills and more varied game-plans. Although he will still represent his regular camp, "The Pit."

So now we must wait to his return to see if this is going to help reveal the 'Iceman' of old. Will he utilise his wrestling credentials? Will he show tighter standup?

We dont know, but one thing's for sure; this is the right move at this stage in his dwindling career.

What Next For Hendo and Ace After Their Dublin Duel?

david ritchie — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:05:17 -0500

At UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland two former champions will collide.Those two former Champs come in the form of Rich "Ace" Franklin and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson.

Rich Franklin is the former UFC Middleweight Champion who holds a record of 24 wins and three losses. He has victories over Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner (twice), David Loiseau, Yushin Okami, Travis Lutter, and Matt Hamill—quite a star studded list of victims.

Franklin won the title at UFC 53 against the late Evan Tanner. He defended it twice with a brutal KO of Nate Quarry and a unbelievable battle against Loiseau. All appeared to be rosy for the poster boy of the UFC, that is until a Spider crawled into the UFC. At UFC 64 Ace was battered brutally by Silva in one of the most devastating performances ever seen in the Octagon.

Despite the loss Franklin rebounded with two consecutive wins against Jason McDonald and Yushin Okami. Franklin was rewarded with a second shot at Silva, this time in his hometown of Cincinnati (did he really want it?).

The support of his hometown was not enough as he was stopped in the second round, although his performance was alot better; Silva simply reved up his engine and turned on his swagger. That was that.

Yet once again Franklin rebounded from his second loss to his boogeyman and got another two consecutive victories against submission specialist and fellow Silva patient Travis Lutter and wrestling powerhouse Matt Hamill. He will be looking to get three in a row against Hendo.

His opponent on January 17th is former welterweight and middleweight Pride World Champion Dan Henderson. Hendo holds a who's who of victims that include Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Sobral, Bustamante and Palhares.

Hendo became a Champion at Pride Shockwave 2005 against Bustamante this secured him his Welterweight title. Two years later he would become the first man to hold two world titles simultaneously when he avenged a previous loss against Wanderlei Silva in a dominating performance which saw him knock Wanderlei out cold.

He returned to the UFC to challenge the then Light-heavyweight Champ Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson at UFC 75 in London. Despite a valiant effort Jackson proved to be too big for Hendo and got the Decision win.

So with a loss of his Light-heavyweight belt Hendo saw a drop to Middleweight to challenge Anderson Silva as the best way forward. Despite a dominant first round Hendo succumbed to a rear-naked choke late in the second round.

So with two losses in a row Hendo started to hear the whispers that he was getting to old. He had different ideas and he returned with a victory against grappling guru Rousimar Pahlares at UFC 88—the same night Franklin stopped Hamill.

Now at UFC 93 bothmen will collide. The winner is certainly hard to chose as both men are tantalisingly matched. I certainly cannot chose. If Hendo can get Ace down then he should get a win, however wrestling powerhouse Matt Hamill could not manage to keep Ace down. If Ace can keep it on the feet he has more of a chance as his standup is much more well rounded, although he must be concerned about that wrecking right hand on Hendo.

But where does the winner go? One has to think if Hendowins he gets his rematch with Middleweight King Anderson Silva. If Ace wins he will certainly get a top Light-heavyweight opponent, perhaps the loser of Machida-Silva or Rampage-Wanderlei. We will have to watch and see!

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to Return with a Bang?

david ritchie — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:43:39 -0500

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has experienced some monumental ups and some demoralizing downs in his career. He rose to stardom in Pride, where he was a wrecking machine and was found kicking peoples heads in with uncaring ruthlessness.

Shogun has destroyed most of his opponents. The list is star-studded, with names such as Rampage, Rogerio Noguiera, and Randleman. However, his greatest high came on August 28th, 2005 in the Pride Grand Prix.

On this magical night, Shogun faced Alistair Ovreem in the semi-finals; Shogun had no problem dismantling Ovreem inside seven minutes with strikes.

In the final, he faced the extremely dangerous Jiu Jitsu specialist Ricardo Arona. However, Shogun obliterated Arona in less than three minutes via brutal strikes. This win cemented his place as one of the best 205 pounders in the world.

With only one loss on his record at this point, nobody thought he would experience any downs for quite a while.

That thought was wrong. In his next bought against the wrestling powerhouse and daddy of ground and pound Mark Coleman, he suffered a debilitating loss.

While Coleman tried for the takedown Shogun fell awkwardly, resulting in a dislocated elbow. The devastation of the loss was compounded with a brawl in the ring between Chute Boxe and team Hammer House.

Despite this loss, Shogun returned with four dominating wins in a row, two coming against Randleman and Ovreem again.

After these wins, the American fans were now going to get to see the Pride superstar, due to the UFC's purchase Pride. His first opponent was Forrest Griffin; many thought Griffin was going to take a battering. But, Griffin had different ideas.

Griffin pushed the pace at a level that Shogun could not tolerate. With 15 seconds left in round three, Griffin did the unimaginable and choked Shogun out.

After the loss, Shogun was heavily criticized due to for "terrible" cardio. However, it is thought that Shogun went into the fight with a substantial knee injury. But, nothing can be taken away from the now present Light-Heavyweight Champ Griffin.

Since this loss, things have gotten worse for Shogun. A scheduled bout with Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 had to be scrapped due to a horrible knee injury which required surgery.

Now, after more than a year out, Shogun will make his return at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland against Mark Coleman, the man that dislocated his elbow. Can he come back with a bang and avenge the loss decisively? I believe he can.

Does BJ Penn Deserve Rematch With Georges St. Pierre?

david ritchie — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:26:17 -0500

BJ Penn has been granted his rematch with the last man to beat him by Santa himself Dana White. But does he really deserve it?

Following his close loss to Georges (although I did not think it was as close as most people think—getting taken down multiple times does not spell close to me), BJ was stopped for the first time by Matt Hughes at UFC 63. In rather alarming contrast GSP returned from his injury and obliterated Hughes 2 months later.

Bj's two consecutive losses in which his cardio was exposed forced him to supposedly "re-dedicate" himself. He proceeded to drop down to lightweight and become coach on season five of the Ultimate Fighter along side the other man he was obsessed with due to defeat Jens Pulver.

In their rematch BJ steamrolled Jens, finishing him with a slick rear-naked choke in the second round. Was this new Bj a force to be reckoned with? Well it seemed so when he overwhelmed Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 to win the vacant Lightweight title, again by a rear-naked choke.

This win of course made the obnogtious BJ think he could then say he was going to kill Sean Sherk. He got his chance to 'kill' Sherk at UFC 84. He did what he promised to a certain degree, by stopping Sherk at the end of the third round. Although most people think BJ picked Sherk apart with relative ease, I did not see this. I thought Sherk was giving BJ as good as he got.

Despite these wins we have got to take things into consideration. Jens Pulver is not even a lightweight and his drop down to featherweight has proved unsuccessful. Stevenson is simply a decent gatekeeper, just look what Kenny Florian done to him a couple of weeks ago. Finally Sherk had not fought in nearly a year and since the loss looked fantastic against Tyson Griffin.

So does he deserve a shot at GSP? I think not.

Look at a guy like Thiago Alves. He is on a 7 fight win streak with the majority of these victories coming by KO/TKO. Match him against BJ and think, Alves way superior striker, alarmingly bigger and probably better conditioning. Also add the takedown defense he showed against a legit welterweight in size and one of the best wrestlers in all of mma and you have to think could BJ get such a strong guy to the mat?

Due to BJ's ego, Alves now has to wait god knows how long to get his shot and in that time could lose a match and his No. 1 contendership.

Personally, I feel BJ is underestimating how much Georges has improved in every aspect, and cannot wait for Georges to send the ignorant, egotistical and inconsistent Penn back down to lightweight, were he will probably lose his title due to lack of motivation.

Is Lyoto Machida As Good As Everyone Thinks?

david ritchie — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:41:45 -0500

Lyoto Machida is certainly a rising threat to the UFC Light-Heavyweight crown, but is he as good as many fans think?

In his career he is 13-0. He holds notable victories over Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar, B.J. Penn, Sokoudjou, and Tito Ortiz. These are impressive names to have on your resume, but is he the type of fighter you want to see as Champion in the best division in MMA?

His style is one that raises both admiration and criticism. His style is Karate (combined with all other elements Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling etc). The style he employs is admired due to how technically beautiful and exquisite it is.

However, his style involves lots of in-and-out work, which some consider boring and not worthy of a Champion, and one has to take into consideration that we have yet to see Machida pushed nor hit. So how will he respond? We don't know until that happens.

Of his five UFC victories, he has finished only one - that being his fight with Sokoudjou via arm triangle. All of his other victories have come via decision against Sam Hoger, David Heath, Nakamura, and Ortiz.

Apart from Ortiz, none of these fighters are considered to be high-caliber, and are no longer in the UFC, not to mention that Sokoudjou appears to have been over-hyped.

While his performances he make his opponents appear foolish, surely he has to start finishing his fights. Fighters who finish fights bring the UFC money. Griffin vs Machida does not sound as interesting as Griffin vs Rampage II or Griffin vs Wanderlei.

In my opinion, he has the technique of a Champion, but until I see him finish fights and beat a real high-caliber opponent, I am not convinced. At UFC 94, I may be proven to be foolish as he battles a high-caliber opponent in Thiago Silva.

We can only wait and watch.

Can Frank Mir Do It Again? Or Will Nogueira Be Next for the Rodeo?

david ritchie — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:19:21 -0500

With Brock Lesnar the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world, one piece of the heavyweight puzzle is complete, and now the other piece must be solved.

Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will battle for the Interim Championship at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. Both of these men are coming off the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, as opposing coaches and are known as the two best Jiu-Jitsu heavyweights of all time.

Mir was the Heavyweight Champ back in 2004, but due to a horrific motorcycle accident was unable to defend his title and fulfill his unfinished legacy. Since his return to action, Mir has had monumental ups and downs.

On his first fight back he was stopped by Marcio Cruz, he then managed in his next fight to get his first win back against Dan Chrisitison in a lackluster performance. Was the old Mir back? In his next fight, most people thought not, as he was obliterated by Brandon Vera at UFC 65.

However, since that brutal loss, he has managed to get to Submission wins against Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk, but more importantly he managed to overcome an early Brock Lesnar bludgeoning at UFC 81 and secure a vital victory via sublime kneebar.

The man he will lock horns with at UFC 92 is perhaps one in a million. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champ and current Interim Champ of the UFC. Nogueira's Pride victories included Josh Barnett, Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Ovreem, Werdum, and Coleman.

His UFC carrer hasn't been too shabby either, with victories over Heath Herring again, and the man he defeated for the Interim Championship, Tim Sylvia. One thing that is extraordinary about both these fights is how Nogueira managed to get the victories.

Against Heath Herring, he was on the receiving end of a left shin to the jaw, which sent him thundering to the canvas and apparently DONE. However, Nogueira managed to overcome the odds and secured the decision win. He then got his chance for the interim title at UFC 81 against Sylvia and on the same night that Lesnar and Mir dueled. For two-and-a-half rounds, he was battered but somehow managed to secure the guillotine and get the win.

So who will win? I get the feeling that Nogueira may pull out the win. But can he then beat the monster Brock Lesnar? I think he can, as Nogueira has never been stopped, not even by Fedor, on both occasions, and he is a wizard off his back. But before that, he will have to overcome the somewhat mirror image in Frank Mir.

Rashad Evans: Future Champ?

david ritchie — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:55:14 -0500

Rashad Evans has accomplished quite a lot in his unbeaten career, he was the winner of the Ultimate Fighter 2 as a heavyweight and although he has been somewhat doubted by many, all of those doubters were seriously silenced with his last victory. A ridiculous KO of the former UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell.

It is difficult to really see any reason for him to have doubters. He has defeated solid opponents such as Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping. KO'ed Jason Lambert, Kicked Sean Salmon's head off and cracked the Iceman unconscious.

So why the doubters? Perhaps his doubters feel some of his fights may be boring, but no one can say he does not know how to win and on various occasions with beautiful barbarity.

His chance to silence any doubters he may still have will occur on Dec. 27 at UFC 92 against fan favourite Forrest Griffin. This pits the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 and 2 winners against each other. One has to think that this may be Forrest's hardest test. Rashad trains with Keith Jardine the last man to beat Forrest and he did with a first round KO. Jardine also defeated Liddell before Evans so does this foreground something to us?

I say this may be Forrest's toughest test for various reasons. Evans you would have to think has the more explosive and devastating striking with his fists or legs and also the quicker movement. Evans could also if he wanted utilise his wrestling to take Forrest down.

The only question is whether Forrest can whether the storms and perhaps use his reach however this may be irrelevant as Evans head movement is spectacular. On the other-hand many feel Evans may become gassed with the pace that Forrest could set, although I am sure Evans will be in the best shape of his life as it is his chance at the title.

If I had to give a prediction I would pick Evans as I feel any where this fight goes Evans can finish it whether by pounding on Forrest while on top or giving Forrest another taste of what getting KO'ed feels like. My prediction will be shown to be true or false on Dec. 27, when at least one Ultimate Fighter winner will be leaving the Octagon as champion of the world.

The Forgotten Battle

david ritchie — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:26:49 -0500

Before the "Biggest Fight in UFC History" between the age defying Randy Couture and the real life hulk Brock Lesnar takes place, two of the best lightweights in the world will commence battle to determine the No. 1 contender for B.J. Penn's Lightweight crown.

Those two men are Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian and Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Two men who have both fought for the title, but fell significantly short when their chance arrived.

Florian was given his chance at UFC 64 against "The Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk, but was overwhelmed by Sherks relentless conditioning and unmatchable strength. Although, during the bombardment, he managed to open a massive cut on the side of Sherk's head and showed heart that was worthy of the crown.

Stevenson's chance arrived in Newcastle, England at UFC 80 against the current champ B.J. Penn. Both men were fighting for the vacant title due to Sherk testing positive for steroids after his UFC 73 defense against Hermes Franca.

Stevenson, however, was simply dismantled by the re-energized Penn and he was on the receiving end of a horrendous cut and a picture perfect rear naked choke at the mid way point of the second round. Despite this, beating Stevenson also showed heart worthy of the title, despite the cut he battled on bravely until Penn lured him into the choke.

So who will win? That is extremely hard to answer as both men are very evenly matched in every department. Stand up would, perhaps, go to Florian as he appears to have the crisper muai thai, but Stevenson himself is a threat on the feet.

On the ground, both men are terrors. Florian and Stevenson are both black belts (Stevenson was awarded his a matter of weeks ago.), but in my opinion Florian may just be that much better in this department as well. Stevenson's advantages may come in the wrestling and physical strength department. This could play a major factor as Stevenson may be able to get Florian down and pound on him, however Florian's elbows from bottom are something to behold.

The biggest factor in this fight, however, may be conditioning. This is maybe a clearer department to decipher. Florian, since his loss to Sherk, has improved his conditioning significantly and I feel this may give Florian a decisive advantage.

Most of all this fight will come down to heart, which both men have in abundance and with Dana White announcing, the winner gets a title shot; we can expect a barn burner for sure.

Can Rampage Finally Overcome His "Kryptonite"

david ritchie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:55:40 -0500

On December 27th, two titans will clash to write the final chapter of their epic trilogy.

The first time these two men met was at Pride Final Conflict in 2003. Both men had fought earlier that night with Silva defeating Hidehiko Yoshida in a hard earned Unanimous Decision—Rampage on the other hand pummeled and stopped Chuck Liddell.

Forty five minutes later Rampage and Silva collided.

The stare down itself was historic and so was the stoppage. Silva stopped Rampage with one of the most debilitating and savage KO's of all time. An astonishing seventeen unanswered knees collided with Rampage's skull as he was left a battered and abused fighter; although he did somehow manage to give Silva a smile in the midst of the onslaught.

A little less than a year later the pair met again, in what many consider one of the best mma fights of all time.

This time the reborn christian Rampage gave Silva one of the hardest battles he has ever endured. Both men went toe to toe and at the end of the first ten-minute round Rampage had done the unthinkable and actually dropped the seemingly indestructible champion. Luckily for Silva the bell rung, and he came out with a ferocious intensity in the second round. With Rampage seemingly gassing, carnage was ahead.

Silva managed to hit Rampage with a massive right hand that would have KO'ed most fighters but instead the brave Jackson backed up. Unfortunately for him, the man who is called the 'Axe Murderer' for a reason, swarmed him and a few knees and a broken nose later Rampage was hanging unconcious outside the ropes.

Both of these encounters were over four years ago. Since then numerous allegations have been made from Jackson such as steroid use from silva to match fixing. But one thing is for sure both men took very different courses.

Silva defended his belt a few more times, but in his last two fights in Pride was brutally KO'ed himself by Cro Cop and Henderson. He then returned to the UFC on December 29th 2007 to finally meet the also former champion in Chuck Liddell. Although Silva would lose a thrilling three round war it seemed perhapsthe old Silva may be coming back, this may have been confirmed when he obliterated Keith Jardine at UFC 84.

Jackson on the other hand went on a tear when he left Pride. First, he earned a hard earned decision over Matt Lindland. Then the UFC purchased the WFA and with it earned Jackson's contract.

So on February 3rd 2007 Jackson made his UFC debut against the first man to ever beat him Marvin Eastman. Jackson would extract revenge with an exclamation mark as he knocked out Eastman withuppercuts and hooks from the clinch.

Had Rampage finally mastered the art of the clinch which has been so costly for him against Silva?

With this win, Rampage got his shot at the title against the seemingly unstoppable Chuck Liddell, the man Rampage had battered in Pride four years earlier. Rampage entered the fight with a terrifying focus and ferocity. 113 seconds later Rampage had knocked Liddell in and out of consciousness.

A few months later Rampage collided with the man who had KO'ed Silva to earn the belt Jackson could never win. Jackson in a five-round battle managed to defeat Henderson and become the first ever Unified World Champion.

However, after a role as coach on TUF7, and a year long layoff, Rampage would lose his title to Forrest Griffin in a very debatable decision. One thing was for sure though, Rampage did not look his usual destructive self.

Now on December 27th both men have a lot to prove. Is Silva really back and can the significantly improved Rampage finally defeat the man who seems to have his number?

One thing is for sure in this encounter: fireworks are going to light up the octagon.