Bleacher Report - Articles by Craig Jolicoeur

Affliction Main Event May Pass To Belfort After Barnett's Failed Pre-fight Test

Craig Jolicoeur — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:25:27 -0400

While not officially confirmed by Josh Barnett himself, numerous reports are suggesting that the California State Athletic Commission has suspended Barnett due to a failed pre-fight test.

According to Loretta Hunt:

Multiple sources have told Sherdog.com that the California State Athletic Commission will not license Josh Barnett after a positive test result. Calls to Affliction Entertainment were not immediately returned. The CSAC said a comprehensive statement would be issued Wednesday.

As a result, the main event of the upcoming Affliction: Trilogy fight card between Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko is not going to happen.

Reports are that Affliction has offered the chance to replace Barnett to both Bobby Lashley and Vitor Belfort. According to Hunt, Lashley had not been contacted and didn’t seem to interested in taking the fight on short notice.

Vitor Belfort, on the other hand, is reportedly considering the offer. “The Phenom” is currently scheduled to fight Jorge Santiago at middleweight on the Trilogy fight card, so he presumably is already been training for a match. Fighting the world’s best fighter at heavyweight on a week’s notice is a whole other prospect however.

The California State Athletic Commission said they will release a comprehensive statement about the situation later today, so stay tuned to MMA HQ for further details as they emerge.

UFC 103 Adds Henderson vs. Franklin 2

Craig Jolicoeur — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:32:16 -0400

The UFC officially announced yesterday that former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former PrideFC welterweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson will meet for the second time at UFC 103.

“Hendo” and “Ace” first met at UFC 93 with Henderson picking up a split-decision victory in an extremely close battle. Franklin bounced back with a big victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99 while Henderson proceeded to brutally knock out Michael Bisping last month at UFC 100.

Rich Franklin was unhappy with the decision against Henderson in their first fight and has always contended that he should have won the fight and things would be different if the two met again.

Dan Henderson was hoping and originally expecting another title shot at Anderson Silva following his KO against Bisping, but the UFC management had different ideas.

While not officially discussed by the UFC, the fight is expected to take place in the light heavyweight division, although another catchweight fight at 195 lbs. is a distinct possibility.

Zaromskis Wins DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix

Craig Jolicoeur — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:45 -0400

DREAM.10 was held yesterday in Japan and the even featured the finals of the 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix tournament.

The semifinal competitors included favorite Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Andre Galvao, Marius Zaromskis, and Jason High.

In the semifinals Brazilian BJJ expert Andre Galvao was matched up against American Jason High. Galvao seemed to easily control the first round on the mat as he attempted numerous submission attempts but was unable to finish the fight.

In the second round, Jason High was able to keep the fight standing and picked apart the submission ace with strikes which gave him enough on the judges scorecards to win a split decision victory and advance to the finals.

DREAM.10 was expected to be a showcase event for crowd favorite Hayato Sakurai, but Marius Zaromskis had other plans. Zaromskis was all energy from the opening bell and opened up a cut over Sakurai’s left eye the forced a pause in the action to stop the bleeding.

When the match restarted, Zaromskis continued his high pace and dropped “Mach” Sakurai with a nice high kick where he finished the fight with a few more strikes.

In the finals, High and Zaromskis seemed to be at a stalemate early on as neither wanted to give too much room to his opponent. After some grappling back and forth on the mat, the fight was stood back up by the referee and Zaromskis saw his opening. Another beautiful high kick landed firmly on High’s chin and sent High to the mat unconscious.

In other action, Shinya Aoki defeated Vitor Ribeiro in an extremely boring standup fight between two of the best grapplers in MMA today.

Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho returned to action and appeared to be looking at another loss at the hands of Melvin Manhoef after a full eight month layoff. Filho ate several of Manhoef’s trademark power punches and hit the mat early on.

The Brazilian was able to withstand the punishment however and was able to take down the Dutchman later on in the round. Once Filho found himself in dominant position on the ground, it was only a matter of time before he secured an armbar submission to end the fight.

Below are the full results for DREAM.10

Marius Zaromskis def. Jason High via KO – Rd 1
Shinya Aoki def. Vitor Ribeiro via decision
Jesse Taylor def. Dong Sik Yoon via TKO – Rd 1
Paulo Fihlo def. Melvin Manhoef via submisison – Rd 1
Katsunori Kikuno def. Andre Amade via TKO – Rd 1
Jason High def. Andre Galvao via decision
Marius Zaromskis def. Hayato Sakurai via TKO – Rd 1
Tarec Saffiedine def. Seichi Ikemoto via decision

UFC: Kampmann or Swick Next Up For GSP

Craig Jolicoeur — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:53:36 -0400

UFC President Dana White has verbally confirmed that the winner of the Martin Kampmann-Mike Swick fight at UFC 103 will determine the No. 1 welterweight contender and the next to fight Georges St. Pierre.

“Wherever we go, fans know UFC delivers great fights,” UFC president Dana White said. “Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann could be fight of the night at UFC 103 because the winner takes on Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title.”

UFC 103 takes place this September and it is unknown when the next welterweight title fight will take place.

St. Pierre injured his groin at UFC 100 and the extent of the injury and recovery time needed is not known at this point.

Top Ten Pound-for-Pound Fighters in MMA

Craig Jolicoeur — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:08:51 -0400

Josh Sanchez provides his thoughts on the top P4P fighters today in a guest editorial for MMA HQ.

The best pound for pound fighter—lists like these always spark a debate.

There is no exact science, and that’s why people can get overly offended and defensive when discussing such a thing.

You have to look at the fighter’s dominance in their own division. This isn’t matching up guys saying who could beat who, it’s a list compiling the most dominant fighters in the sport, regardless of their weight.

It’s hard to pick ten, but enjoy the guys I have picked as the best mixed martial artists in the world.

Honorable Mentions:

Shinya Aoki (DREAM), Jake Shields (Strikeforce), Yushin Okami (UFC), Dan Henderson (UFC), Josh Barnett (Affliction), Shogun Rua (UFC), Rashad Evans (UFC), Jose Aldo (WEC)

10. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson – UFC

Record: 30-7-0

Rampage Jackson is a fan favorite. He will always say and do what he wants. He’s very charismatic and he makes his presence known everywhere he goes.

Jackson is 4-1 in his last five fights. In that time, Rampage has some impressive victories over top guys like Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan Henderson. His only loss in that time was to Forrest Griffin.

Rampage is set to coach season ten of the Ultimate Fighter against Rashad Evans. The two will fight after the show with the winner facing either Lyoto Machida or Shogun Rua for the title.

9. Mike Brown – WEC

Record: 22-4-0

Mike Brown is the current featherweight champion in the WEC. He hasn’t lost since December of 2005, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

His most recent bout was a rematch against Urijah Faber. The match was a Fight of the Year candidate, and it proved that Mike Brown’s first victory over Faber was no fluke.

Brown has no shortage of competition in the division. There are guys like Wagnney Fabiano and Jose Aldo who are ready to step in and fight. With this level of competition, Brown can either keep climbing the rankings or lose his spot in the top ten.

One thing is for sure—Brown is an incredible fighter, and there’s no shortage of excitement in his fights.

8. Gegard Mousasi – DREAM/Affliction

Record: 25-2-1

Gegard Mousasi is no question one of the best fighters in the world. It is just a shame that he doesn’t get the publicity that he deserves.

Mousasi holds an impressive 25-2-1 record and he is just 23 years of age. He is a former DREAM and Cage Warriors middleweight champion, but he is currently fighting in the light-heavyweight division and potentially will end up a heavyweight.

Mousasi would be a star signing to any organization. His next fight is at Affliction: Trilogy where he will be facing Renato “Babalu” Sobral and then he will face Sokoudjou in October at DREAM 12.

If you don’t already know Mousasi, go out and look him up. He will be a household name in the future.

7. BJ Penn – UFC

Record: 13-5-1

BJ Penn has his hands full these next few fights. After dabbling in the welterweight division only to get destroyed by Georges St. Pierre, Penn is returning to the division that calls him champion.

His next fight is against Kenny Florian next month in Philadelphia. If Penn can retain his belt he is likely looking at a match against the always-dangerous Diego Sanchez.

Penn is a legend in the sport. His jiu-jitsu is phenomenal, but he needs to keep training hard to stay in the mixed martial arts elite. The rest of the lightweight division is coming hard.

6. Nick Diaz – Strikeforce

Record: 20-7-0

Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz is one of the best fighters in the world. His boxing is textbook, and his ground game is world-class.

Diaz is riding a five-fight winning streak, and will fight Joe Riggs for the Strikeforce welterweight title on August 15th.

Diaz is often looked at as a villian in the sport. His antics before, during, and after fights often get his opponents off their game. A lot of people may not like his attitude, but you can’t deny his skill. His only setback is his marijuana usage.

If he could stay drug free, he could wind up back in the UFC for a potential fight with Georges St. Pierre. It’s purely speculation, but the match would be incredibly technical, and an all-time great.

5. Ryoto “Lyoto” Machida – UFC

Record: 15-0-0

Lyoto Machida has never lost, or been hurt, during a mixed martial arts fight. Machida is a karate wizard, and his style is so unique and unpredictable that it has catapulted him into fame.

Machida is currently the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight Champion after his impressive knockout win over Rashad Evans.

When you look through his record and see wins over Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, and Rashad Evans, you know Machida’s the real deal.

He’s the most intelligent fighter currently in the sport. He’s the champion in a loaded division, and this will only help him show his dominance.

In his next fight, Machida will face Shogun Rua for the title, and if he can win, he will face the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson.

What we are witnessing with Machida is magical; don’t take his skill for granted.

4. Fedor Emelianenko – Affliction

Record: 30-1-0 (1 NC)

At every UFC event, you hear the chants of “Fedor, Fedor, Fedor,” and it looks like soon, the fans will be getting their wish. UFC President Dana White has said that the organization will sign Fedor.

There is no denying the talent. Fedor is a monster with a record of 30-1 (1 NC), his only loss being filled with controversy.

Fedor’s Sambo and his Judo skills are some of the best in the world, and it translates to him being the most feared heavyweight.

He has an upcoming match with Josh Barnett that will headline Affliction: Trilogy. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see where Fedor winds up.

3. Georges St. Pierre – UFC

Record: 19-2-0

Georges St. Pierre is a physical freak. He’s got incredible conditioning, and he’s one of the best wrestlers in the sport.

St. Pierre is 9-1 in his last ten fights, and his last two wins have come in dominating fashion. He’s shown the ability to control where the fight goes and get the win.

There’s no competition for St. Pierre inside the UFC’s welterweight division, so everyone would like to see him fight Anderson Silva. If this fight is to happen, it would be one of the best in the sport’s history.

2. Miguel Angel Torres – WEC

Record: 37-1-0

Miguel Torres, the WEC Batamweight Champion, is one of the most under-appreciated fighters. He has won 17 straight fights and has not lost a bout since 2003.

A lot of people want to discredit Torres’ accomplishments because the “135 division isn’t that strong,” but when you steamroll through everyone like Torres has, you are clearly a top-tier fighter.

Torres has unorthodox and incredible Muay Thai skills, and if you take him to the ground he will beat you with his black-belt BJJ game.

WEC 42 in August against Brian Bowles is where Torres will next defend his title. If he runs through another opponent, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a Mike Brown vs. Miguel Torres fight in the future.

1. Anderson Silva – UFC

Record: 24-4-0

Anderson Silva does it like no one else. He is slick, intelligent, and unbelievably accurate.

Silva has a ten-fight win streak, and his only loss since 2004 was by DQ after an illegal kick.

People have criticized Silva after his last two fights, but he’s not to blame. He stays on his game and just picks apart his opponents. They have no answer for him.

Silva remains at the top of the sport. He will fight Forrest Griffin next month in Philadelphia as he tries to pick apart the 205 pound division, like he did his previous division.

UFC 100: Fighter Payouts

Craig Jolicoeur — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:11:55 -0400

Here are the official fighter salaries for the UFC 100: Making History fight card as released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Brock Lesnar – $400,000
Georges St. Pierre – $400,000
Dan Henderson – $250,000
Michael Bisping – $150,000
Mark Coleman – $100,000
Jon Fitch – $90,000
Thiago Alves – $60,000
Yoshihiro Akiyama – $60,000
Dong Hyun Kim – $58,000
Frank Mir – $45,000
Stephan Bonnar – $25,000
Jim Miller – $22,000
Mac Danzig – $20,000
Alan Belcher – $19,000
Jon Jones – $18,000
Tom Lawlor – $16,000
CB Dollaway – $14,000
Jake O’Brien – $13,000
Shannon Gugerty – $10,000
Paulo Thiago – $8,000
Matt Grice – $7,000
TJ Grant – $5,000

The total disclosed fighter payout was $1,790,000.

MMA HQ Fight Camp Update

Craig Jolicoeur — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:57:05 -0400

Here are the results for the MMA HQ Fight Camp at MMAPlayground.com after Saturday night’s UFC 100: Making History event.

Points Winners

Lam – 73 pts
Banned2 – 63 pts
MMAHQ – 51 pts
MikeD – 51 pts
bvrasp – 50 pts

Wager Winners

MMAHQ – $1,190
Banned2 – $615
Lam – $335
littlenurselaura – $260
Bola14 – $240

Current Season Standings

Lam – 73 pts
Banned2 – 63 pts
MMAHQ – 51 pts
MikeD – 51 pts
bvrasp – 50 pts

UFC 100 was the first of 10 events for Season Six. If you are interested in joining the MMA HQ Fight Camp, now is a great time. You have only missed one event, and have plenty of events left to make a run at the title in Season Six.

Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar Dominate at UFC 100

Craig Jolicoeur — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:10:57 -0400

Brock Lesnar easily dispatched Frank Mir last night and unified the UFC heavyweight title. Lesnar possesses one “skill” that Frank Mir couldn’t overcome: brute strength. Brock caught Mir in a headlock/armlock and sat on it through the first round and a similar wrist lock in the second round. Watching Frank Mir try to escape from Lesnar’s single hand hold, told the whole story. Lesnar’s physical strength is impressive.
For what it’s worth, I was impressed with Frank Mir’s performance despite the loss. Mir was active and and kept looking for submissions during the first half of round one. Mir also was able to survive through the second half of round one where a lot of fighters probably would have been out with the strikes Brock was landing. It’s good to see Mir back in shape and concentrating on fighting and I look forward to seeing him in upcoming fights.
Personally, I still don’t think Brock Lesnar has improved his MMA game much and still lacks many rudimentary skills that all other top MMA athletes possess today. Lesnar has wrestling and strength and that is all. He doens’t have a good striking game and he has absolutely no ground game. Lesnar sat still and didn’t look to improve his position on the ground for nearly 4 minutes in the first round; but, then again, he didn’t really need to as his strength allowed it to stay put and keep Mir from moving. Mir had the skills and technique, just not the strength. Will a fighter with equal strength, say a Shane Carwin, be able to deal with Lesnar’s grip? Only time will tell.
Dana White and Co. have to be getting increasingly frustrated with Brock Lesnar and the way he portrays himself during “official” UFC duties. MMA has had “heels” before, but never one who embraced and fostered the stigma as much as Lesnar is doing. I guess you can take the fighter away from professional wrestling, but you can’t take the professional wrestling away from the fighter. For the UFC’s marquee event, UFC 100, I’m sure White loved Lesnar trying to leave the pre-fight press conference early on three separate occassions. I’m sure White loved Lesnar flipping the crowd off and intentionally bashing the UFC’s largest corporate sponsor, Bud Lite. Lesnar is fighting to get a paycheck and Zuffa will continute to provide it, but hopefully they are starting to sour on Lesnar as the face of the promotion. In a post-fight interview with ESPN, Lesnar apologized to fans for his actions and to Bud Light for his comments – you can be sure this was a direct order from Zuffa.
Georges St. Pierre continues to prove that he is easily the best in the world at 170 lbs. With three commission officers watching GSP like a hawk, there can be no possible “excuse” for GSP’s domination of Thiago Alves
If you still are impressed by the way St. Pierre dominates his opponents or with the ease that St. Pierre takes his opponents to the ground, stop. Just stop it. Stop being impressed, because with GSP it’s just commonplace.
I really hope Zuffa and the MMA crowd stop trying to push GSP into a fight at middleweight, something he clearly doesn’t want to do. There is nothing wrong with St. Pierre wanting to concentrate on his weight class and work towards his legacy of being the best MMA welterweight of all time.
Oh boy, I can’t begin to say how much I enjoyed watching Dan Henderson absolutely crush Michael Bisping. Bisping clearly was a bit intimidated or anxious for this fight as he was very jumpy and unwilling to engage in the first round. Henderson continues to load up and look to land his big right hand and was finally able to do so for the first time in the UFC. That right hand made Henderson famous in PrideFC and has now done the same for the UFC-centric fanbase.
I loved the diving, full weight “hulk smash” Hendo threw at Bisping’s face to finish the match off as well. He didn’t settle for a downward strike from the top, he went with the full, flying bomb.
In my opinion, Alan Belcher won his fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama last night. I had Belcher winning 29-28 in what proved to be a solid fight. How judges like Adelaide Baird continue to get named as judges for MMA events is beyond me. This isn’t the first time Adelaide has pulled out some crazy scorecards and giving a 30-27 nod to Akiyama last night is ridiculous. The fight was close, but in no way was it a 30-27.
Jon Fitch didn’t do much to rebuild his status last night against Paulo Thiago. Thiago showed how good of a BJJ practitioner he is and impressed me a bit, but I still don’t think he is long for the UFC.
Mark Coleman got his victory over Stephan Bonnar but looked just as grizzled doing it. Not good news for Bonnar who is now in a tough spot, but Coleman didn’t show any more stamina or techniques that warrant continued exposure in the UFC.
With each and every time I hear him speak, I continue to despise Mike Goldberg more and more. It’s hard to believe that a guy who has been doing UFC events for years is so unknowledgeable and so infuriating to listen to as a commentator.

UFC 100 Weigh-In Results

Craig Jolicoeur — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:42:13 -0400

Here are the official weigh-in results for UFC 100. The weigh-ins were held today in Las Vegas, NV for tomorrow night’s UFC 100 fight card.

Main Card (in pounds)

Frank Mir (245) vs. Brock Lesnar (265)
Georges St. Pierre (170) vs. Thiago Alves (170)
Dan Henderson (185) vs. Michael Bisping (186)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (185) vs. Alan Belcher (185)
Jon Fitch (170) vs. Paulo Thiago (170)

Undercard

Mark Coleman (205) vs. Stephan Bonnar (205)
Mac Danzig (154) vs. Jim Miller (155)
Jon Jones (206) vs. Jake O’Brien (206)
Dong-Hyun Kim (171) vs. TJ Grant (170)
CB Dollaway (186) vs. Tom Lawlor (184)
Shannon Gugerty (156) vs. Matt Grice (155)

UFC 100: Fight Card Preview

Craig Jolicoeur — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:40:33 -0400

The UFC celebrates a milestone this weekend with the UFC 100 fight card. While this is not the UFC’s 100th event, or even the 100th Pay-Per-View card, reaching the centennial mark is a great accomplishment for a promotion that was close to extinction only a few years ago.

Main Card

Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar

The UFC’s newest heavyweight hope, Brock Lesnar, will have the opportunity to stand alone at the top of the mountain, or suffer a major setback in his MMA hopes.

Most of the awe surrounding Lesnar revolves around his “massive” size and girth, but Frank Mir is not a small man by any means. While Lesnar will undoubtedly weigh-in at 265 lbs., Mir will probably tip the scales somewhere around 255 lbs. himself.

It would be foolish for me to suggest that Mir will be able to match Lesnar’s strength, but as far as physical size, I think both men will be pretty evenly matched.

Lesnar is also widely regarded for his background as a top collegiate wrestler, but those skills most likely won’t help him in this matchup against Frank Mir. Mir will gladly welcome Lesnar to the canvas in hopes of a repeat of their first matchup.

While Mir insists he has the tools to defeat Lesnar standing up, most fans recognize that the smart move is for Mir to attempt to work the fight to the mat and use his vastly superior submission skills.

Brock Lesnar definitely is a strong man, and in turn, a powerful striker, but let’s not forget this is still only Brock’s fifth professional fight. Powerful striking is not the same as technical striking, and it’s not the same has being an experienced striker.

While Mir is not known as a striker, his striking skills are up to par on a technical level with Lesnar’s. Working with Mark Delegrotte in training can only have improved Mir’s standup that much more.

While this fight truly could go either way in my mind, I have to give the nod to Frank Mir in this matchup, just for the experience factor.

I think Mir will be able to hold his own with Lesnar on the feet during the first round, and that will be enough to put some doubt into Lesnar’s mind. Eventually, Mir will be able to work the fight to the ground and pull off a submission victory to regain the heavyweight title outright.

Winner: Frank Mir

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves

I’m looking forward to this fight for several reasons. First, I’m a huge GSP fan and always look forward to his fights, but I’m also excited to see GSP’s gameplan, and see him completely control another fight.

The UFC has been hyping Thiago Alves to no end, calling him “GSP’s toughest test to date”, and calling Alves a “bigger, stronger” opponent. I realize of lot of the talk is just the UFC “hype machine”, but I have to consider GSP’s last matchup with BJ Penn a tougher fight than facing Alves now.

The UFC 100 Countdown special on SpikeTV hyped the fact of how Alves quickly knocked out Matt Hughes, and how he dominated his last fight against Josh Koscheck. Not sure how they seem to forget that GSP also easily KO’d Matt Hughes and dominated Josh Koscheck as well.

Alves' strength is clearly his striking game, and more specifically his kicking game. While Alves may be a purely stronger fighter, I think St. Pierre’s boxing skills are equal to Alves’. I do give Alves the advantage in the kicking game, both in power and technical accuracy.

Alves' weakness is his ground game, however, and that is where Georges St. Pierre excels. GSP was able to effortlessly get takedowns against the likes of Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and BJ Penn, so I don’t see him struggling to bring Thiago Alves to the mat.

Takedowns are also one area where Alves’ kicking game will be a detriment to him. With a skilled wrestler and takedown artist like Georges St. Pierre, throwing a few leg kicks is like sending a huge invitation to be dragged down to the canvas.

I expect GSP to take the fight to the ground from the outset, and work his trademark ground-and-pound game to victory.

Winner: Georges St. Pierre

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

I have some pretty strong personal opinions about this matchup, mostly because I still don’t see the fascination with Michael Bisping. Sure, Bisping is a decent fighter, but in my opinion he is only pushed heavily by the UFC so they can secure successful events in Europe and the United Kingdom.

If we are going to be analytical, let's really look at Bisping’s career record in the UFC. His first victories were against Josh Haynes, Eric Schafer, and Elvis Sinosic. If anyone is impressed by any of those victories, then you shouldn’t be an MMA fan. Bisping was losing the Sinosic fight until he was able to turn things around in the second round.

Bisping’s next “victory” was against Matt Hamill, a fight that everyone outside of the UK acknowledges Bisping really lost. Next up was Rashad Evans, a loss that forced him to move down to the middleweight division.

Bisping was then handed a gift-wrapped opponent in Charles McCarthy, followed by Jason Day and Chris Leben. Not exactly any top-tier victories. Now I’m not saying Bisping is a bad fighter, I’m just saying he’s not a great fighter, and not on Dan Henderson’s level.

Bisping possesses solid striking, but a rather weak ground game. If Rich Franklin, Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, and a slew of other fighters have been unable to KO Hendo, I don’t think Bisping will either.

Dan Henderson should be able to win this matchup standing or on the ground. I anticipated “Hollywood” looking to take the fight to the ground and beat on Bisping early and often, as Dan is looking to punish Bisping and embarrass him.

Henderson’s wrestling and ground-and-pound game are easily too much for Bisping to handle, and will provide Henderson with an easy avenue for victory.

Winner: Dan Henderson

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago

Why this matchup is even taking place has me seriously scratching my head. Jon Fitch is still one of the top three welterweights in the UFC, in my opinion. Paulo Thiago probably isn’t in the top 20.

Thiago first fought in the UFC at UFC 95 as a late replacement against Josh Koscheck. Thiago didn’t even have a guaranteed contract at the time, and was only fighting on a one-fight deal as a fill in. That is how little the UFC expected from him.

However, we all know what happened, and Thiago managed to knockout Koshcheck in the first round to improve his record to 11-0. So, the question remains: how good is Paulo Thiago?

The answer: not nearly good enough to defeat Jon Fitch, and not good enough to beat Josh Koscheck again, most likely.

Fitch’s striking is better, his wrestling is better, and, most likely, his ground game is at least on par, if not better than Thiago’s. I expect an extremely easy victory for Fitch.

Winner: Jon Fitch

Alan Belcher vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama will make his UFC debut after signing with the promotion back in February.

For whatever reason, Akiyama is bringing a lot of hype and expectation into this debut. I've covered Akiyama's checkered past before, and you can be certain he won’t be bringing any brass knuckles or body lotion into this matchup with Alan Belcher.

Akiyama does have strong punching power and good judo throws, and, if he fights smartly, he should be able to handle Belcher. However, we’ve seen in the past that fighters don’t always compete up to their potential the first time they step into the Octagon.

Belcher’s strength is his strong Muay Thai skills, his weakness has been consistency. We’ve seen Alan Belcher look like an explosive world beater, and we’ve also seen fights where Belcher looked like a middle of the pack fighter.

If Belcher can keep the fight from going to the ground, where he is weakest, I think he’ll be able to outpoint Akiyama, and perhaps gain a TKO victory.

Winner: Alan Belcher

Undercard

Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar – Winner: Stephan Bonnar
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller – Winner: Jim Miller
Jon Jones vs. Jake O’Brien – Winner: Jon Jones
Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant – Winner: Dong Hyun Kim
CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor – Winner: Tom Lawlor
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty – Winner: Shannon Gugerty

MMA: A Tale of Three Fight Cards

Craig Jolicoeur — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:28:07 -0400

The months of July and August will provide some excellent mixed martial arts action for both the hardcore and casual MMA fans.

The UFC is putting their full weight behind this weekend’s UFC 100 event and the associated UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, NV.

Just around the corner in August, however, both Strikeforce and Affliction will put on equally impressive fight cards.

Zuffa has said all along they were going to do something “big” for the centennial event, and there really is no denying that UFC 100 is an excellent fight card. But is it any more spectacular than other UFC events in the past?

The main fight card features both the UFC’s heavyweight and welterweight belts on the line, as well as a No. 1 contender’s match in the middleweight division.

Throw in Jon Fitch and the North American debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama, and the PPV portion of UFC 100 is tough to top.

Not to be outdone, though, Affliction will hold their third event on Aug. 1, with their Affliction: Trilogy fight card.

Trilogy brings perhaps an even more star-studded lineup to their PPV main card. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett, Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato Sobral, Jorge Santiago vs. Vitor Belfort, Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel, Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley, and the North American debut of Takanori Gomi.

While the average UFC fan might not get as excited for the Trilogy fight card, most MMA fans would have a hard time picking UFC 100 over Affliction: Trilogy.

Also throwing their cards into the mix, Strikeforce continues to add new fights to their event scheduled for Aug. 15 on Showtime.

Strikeforce will hold the first major MMA event to be headlined by a women’s fight as Gina Carano finally takes on Cristiane Santos.

Strikeforce will also one-up the UFC as they put three title belts on the line: Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez will rematch for the lightweight title, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum will fight for the heavyweight belt, and Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs will fight to crown a new welterweight champion.

Which fight card is best?

I don’t think it really matters. MMA fans are being treated to three excellent fight cards with stacked fight cards.

How can we be anything but happy?

Iceman and Mask Newest UFC Hall-of-Famers

Craig Jolicoeur — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:35:06 -0400

Last night, UFC President Dana White announced via Twitter that the the UFC Hall of Fame would be inducting two new members at this weekends UFC Fan Expo.

Hey guys chuck liddell and charles “mask” lewis will be inducted into the ufc hall of fame at the ufc fan expo this friday at 630pm

Chuck Liddell has a current record of 21-7 with a record of 16-6 in the UFC. Liddell became the “face” of the UFC during its rise through the middle part of this decade as he held the UFC light heavyweight and appeared to be invincible.

Time has since caught up with Liddell, and it is uncertain whether or not he will retire or complete the one fight remaining on his current contract.

Charles “Mask” Lewis was an original founder of the Tapout brand of clothing and was a well-known figure in the sport of MMA since its inception.

Liddell and Lewis will join Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, and Randy Couture as the only members of the UFC HOF.

Belfort vs. Santiago Official for Affliction: Trilogy

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:58:07 -0400

Affliction Entertainment has officially confirmed that Vitor Belfort and Jorge Santiago will fight on the upcoming Affliction: Trilogy fight card.

Belfort was first expected to fight Gegard Mousasi, but that fight was later cancelled when Vitor refused to meet at a catchweight. The Belfort vs. Santiago fight will take place at middleweight.

Vitor Belfort has fought on both Affliction fight cards to date, defeating Terry Martin in 2008 and Matt Lindland this past January, both by KO.

Jorge Santiago is riding a nine-fight winning streak dating back to early 2007 and has fought most recently in the Sengoku promotion defeating the likes of Yuki Sasaki, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Kazua Misaki.

Affliction: Trilogy is currently scheduled for Aug. 1 in Anaheim, California and will be headlined by a heavyweight fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett.

Also on the fight card are Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato Sobral, Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley, Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon, and Takanori Gomi vs. Brett Cooper.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale Preview

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:05:26 -0400

Another season of The Ultimate Fighter winds down this Saturday night as the TUF 9 Finale takes place in Las Vegas. New lightweight and welterweight “Ultimate Fighter” crowns will be handed out, and two featured lightweight matches will set up the UFC lightweight division for the coming months.

Main Card

Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida

Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida should put on an excellent performance for the main event. Both fighters are known for their high-octance approach to fighting, and both fighters should go all-out for the full 15 minutes.

Diego Sanchez has the edge in skillset and technical prowess, but Clay Guida has shown over his career that his gutsy, all-out style can be effective.

Guida’s strength comes in his wrestling skill, but I think he will be equally matched by Sanchez in this fight. Diego’s striking speed seems to have greatly improved since his drop to lightweight, and I look for him to take full advantage of that new speed and power against Guida.

If, and when, the fight does enter the clinch and hit the mat, Diego is seasoned enough to wrestle with Guida, and has the skills to pull off a submission.

I look for Diego to end this fight by KO sometime late in the second or third round.

Winner: Diego Sanchez

Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz

This matchup between Diaz and Stevenson is the fight I’m most looking forward to on the fight card. The fight is an excellent matchup, and one that truly could go either way.

Both fighters are clearly highly skilled on the ground; Diaz for his submission game and Stevenson for his wrestling game. I expect Stevenson should be able to use his larger physical presence to be able to control position over Diaz on the ground early on.

The problem with ground fighting against Nate Diaz is Diaz’s comfort level both on top and off his back. Stevenson will have to be fully aware and on his best guard on the mat to avoid falling in to one of Diaz’s many submission attempts.

On the feet, I think I have to give the edge to Diaz in the striking. Neither Nathan, nor his older brother Nick, seem like they should be good strikers, but both of them ultimately are solid on the feet.

Expect Nate to get the majority of points on the feet, and win the fight via submission sometime in the second or third round.

Winner: Nate Diaz

Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns

This matchup between Chris Lytle and Kevin Burns should provide exactly the type of fight the UFC is looking for on a TUF finale. Both fighters will most likely stand and trade blows from the feet.

Burns has some good submission skills as evidence by his submission victory over Roan Carneiro. However, judging by his last two fights with Anthony Johnson, Burns is more interested in striking, which will be his downfall in this fight.

Chris Lytle should be able to hold his own with Burns on the ground and his experience and striking skill should allow him to work Burns over and get the victory on points.

Winner: Chris Lytle

Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner

The TUF 9 lightweight final matchup isn’t that exciting in my book. Ross Pearson fights just like he looks—like a bulldog. What Pearson lacks in raw talent and skill he makes up for with his “straight-ahead” fighting style and endurance.

Andre Winner, on the other hand, brings more skill to the table, and should be able to win this fight. If Winner can avoid getting worn down early on by Pearson and keep the fight at a comfortable distance his skill and athletic abilities should propel him to the victory.

Winner: Andre Winner

Damarques Johnson vs. James Wilks

Johnson and Wilks will fight for the TUF 9 welterweight title, and I personally don’t see this being much of a close fight.

James Wilks took nearly a full 15 minutes to put away a depleted Frank Lecster in the semifinals, and just doesn’t match up well physically or talent-wise with Damarques.

Damarquest will win this fight quickly, and by whatever means he desires.

Winner: Damarques Johnson

Undercard

Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia – Winner: Brad Blackburn
Melvin Guillard vs. Gleison Tibau – Winner: Gleison Tibau
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal – Winner: Mike Ciesnolevicz
Cameron Dollar vs. Jason Dent – Winner: Jason Dent
Frank Lecster vs. Nick Osipczak – Winner: Nick Osipczak

Mayhem vs. Jacare Three Set for DREAM.11

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:45:03 -0400

The vacant DREAM middleweight title will once again be contested by Jason Miller and Ronaldo Souza this September at DREAM.11.

Mayhem Miller disclosed the information yesterday via Twitter.

Jacare and Mayhem first fought at DREAM.4 in 2008 in the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix quarterfinals in one of the best grappling fights of the year. Souza took the victory in that fight by unanimous decision.

The two fighters next met last month at DREAM.9, where the fight was stopped just under three minutes into the fight due to a severe cut Souza suffered on his head from an illegal kick by Miller.

Miller and Souza exchanged some heated words in the ring after the stoppage and I’m sure both fighters will be glad to put this trilogy behind them and finally crown a middleweight champion.

While no official date has yet been set, DREAM.11 is expected take place in Japan this September and will feature the next round of the Featherweight Grand Prix and the next round of the “Super Hulk” Grand Prix.

Lessons Learned From UFC 99

Craig Jolicoeur — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:26:28 -0400

Wanderlei Silva does still possess that aggressive fighting style that made him so dangerous during his PrideFC glory days, he just doesn’t show it. We saw the “real” Wanderlei in the final minutes of round three against Rich Franklin, which while exciting, was also part of the problem. Wanderlei needs to fight with that same style from the opening bell to be effective. The “Axe Murderer’s” biggest fighting asset is the fear he used to drive into opponents, and he can only do that by coming on strong from the first minute.
Wanderlei Silva might struggle at middleweight. While its nearly impossible to tell if the cut to 195 lbs. really did affect Silva, it definitely appeared that Wandi struggled with endurance and stamina. If that is the case, cutting an additional ten pounds to 185 lbs. could be devastating for his power and chances at middleweight.
Rich Franklin is a very smart fighter and that will probably be his biggest asset while he continues to fight at light heavyweight. Franklin’s gameplan against Wanderlei Silva was smart and allowed him to outpoint his opponent.
Now that we’ve finally seen the “other side” of Cain Velasquez’s game, I hope everyone can settle down on the hype and let him grow into the fighter he should be. While Cain was riding the “heavyweight hype train” and declared as the next big thing, we really had never seen his ground game, his stamina, or his defenses. Well, last night against Cheick Kongo we got too see all three and it’s clear that Velasquez still needs a bit of work before he is able to compete with the heavyweight elite. Velasquez ate several solid jabs that sent him to his knees which shows he needs to tighten up his defense. Velasquez was also unable to finish Kongo on the ground or do much significant damage which indicates his power might not be all it was cracked up to be. In a match between Velasquez and fellow rising heavyweight Shane Carwin, I’d have to take Carwin at this point.
I said before the event that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic would have to show me something significant before I declared him as back to his former self. Well, Mirko didn’t show me anything and looked listless and clearly not like the Mirko of several years back. The weak heavyweight division in DREAM should provide several Al-Turk-style opponents that will setup nicely for the current Cro Cop.
The Ben Saunders vs. Mike Swick fight was a bit disappointing I thought. Saunders didn’t really look to engage with his hands and Swick looked to play the extremely safe fight. I still don’t think Swick has a shot at the middleweight title. Most MMA critics seem to now be calling for a fight between Swick and Martin Kampmann; I agree and would love to see this matchup as a good test for Swick.
The Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno fight was fun to watch. Caol (yes, it’s Caol, not “Carl” as Mike Goldberg whole lead you to believe) is non-stop action and will be fun to watch no matter who else he fights during his second stint in the UFC. Spencer Fisher continues to be a tough matchup for anyone and his grappling defense skills have greatly improved over the past couple fights.
I really was hoping for a bit more in the Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy fight. As I thought, Davis took Hardy down early on, but he was simply unable to do much from the top position on the ground. Don’t get me wrong, the fight was exciting to watch with action the whole time, but it definitely didn’t deliver the “fireworks” that I think most fans were expecting.
Watching Bruce Buffer try to speak German was fun to watch.

Dana White Tastes His Own Medicine

Craig Jolicoeur — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:27:36 -0400

For once, it’s finally nice to see UFC president Dana White get a taste of his own medicine.

For the week leading up to UFC 99, much was named about the “verbal agreement” that Dana White had in place with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

For the first time in White’s reign, a bout was agreed to by word-of-mouth alone and not accompanied by pen-and-paper. White insisted he was good friends with Cro Cop and trusted the croatian’s word when he said he was ready to make a run at the UFC’s heavyweight title.

Well, Mirko’s return was extremely brief as Cro Cop revealed he would not be returning to the UFC as he already had a three-fight contract in place with DREAM.

As you can imagine, Dana White was not too happy:

“Isn’t that a dirty [expletive] thing to do?” White asked rhetorically after being queried about Filipovic’s deal with DREAM. “He [ expletive] me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he [ expletive] me.”

“He didn’t keep his word,” White said, who said he’d had a two-hour talk with Filipovic on the day Filipovic texted and asked to be able to return. “He talked about honor and all this other [expletive] and he [ expletive] me.

“He fed me this bull [expletive] about wanting to take a run for the title, and what I think he did was, he went out and did this. He turned down every other [expletive] fighter I offered him, because I needed him to fight Cain. He didn’t just poke Al-Turk; he poked me, too.”

For a strong businessman as White, not signing a fighter to a contract was an extremely amateurish mistake.

However, I have a feeling the last laugh may be on Mirko. If no official contract was actually signed and since the match took place in Germany and outside the jurisdiction of any US-based athletic commission, I would not be surprised at all if we hear that Zuffa refuses to pay Cro Cop for his victory at UFC 99.

UFC 99: The Comeback Weigh-In Results

Craig Jolicoeur — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:56:52 -0400

Here are the official weigh-in results for UFC 99: The Comeback:

Main Card

Rich Franklin (194) vs. Wanderlei Silva (194)
Cain Velasquez (239) vs. Cheick Kongo (230)
Mike Swick (169) vs. Ben Saunders (169)
Marcus Davis (171) vs. Dan Hardy (170)
Spencer Fisher (154) vs. Caol Uno (155)
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (233) vs Mustapha Al-Turk (236)

Undercard

Terry Etim (156) vs. Justin Buchholz (155)
Dennis Siver (156) vs. Dale Hartt (156)
Peter Sobotta (169) vs. Paul Taylor (169)
Paul Kelly (156) vs. Roli Delgado (155)
Denis Stojnic (241) vs. Stefan Struve (248)
John Hathaway (170) vs. Rick Story (169)

UFC 99: The Comeback Preview

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:30:00 -0400

The UFC will travel to Germany for the first time this Saturday night as UFC 99: The Comeback takes place in Cologne, Germany.

For a fight card that started off appearing rather weak, the lineup now is full of good, exciting matchups.

Main Card

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

When the matchup between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva was announced, I had to sit back and scratch my head a bit.

I didn’t, and still don’t, see what the UFC is trying to accomplish with this matchup—but the more I look at it, the more excited I am to see this fight.

After losing four of his last five fights, Wanderlei Silva made the decision to drop down to the middleweight division and try his luck at 185 lbs. Rich Franklin, on the other hand, is now testing his luck in the light heavyweight division after his inability to compete with Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown. The two fighters will now meet in the middle at a catchweight of 195 lbs. for this fight.

Wanderlei Silva clearly doesn’t strike the same fear in his opponent’s hearts like he did in years past, and the former champ has taken his share of KO losses in the past few years. Wandi’s strengths remain his aggressive style and superior clinch game. While Silva is highly trained in grappling, he very rarely will take the fight to the ground.

Defending against a strong clinch game is obviously something that Rich Franklin has had issues with in the past. Franklin needs to use his quickness and kicking game to avoid Wandi’s clinch. Franklin is strong enough to not be overpowered by Wandi and should the fight hit the ground, I think Rich probably has the edge in pure wrestling.

Where this fight will be won or lost for both fighters is on the feet. If Rich can avoid getting clipped by any of Silva’s wide, looping power strikes, he should be able to win this fight.

A strong kicking game to keep Wandi off-balance will go a long way for Franklin. Wandi needs to make this fight one of his signature “brawl” style fights and just look to put that old-style “Axe-Murderer” pressure on Franklin.

Winner: Rich Franklin

Cheick Kongo vs. Cain Velasquez – For all the victories he’s had in the UFC, Cheick Kongo continues to be a gate-keeper type fighter in the heavyweight division.

Cain Velasquez is the new “hot thing” (along with Shane Carwin) in the UFC’s heavyweight division, and this fight will be one of those “put him over” fights. If Velasquez can dispatch Kongo with the easy and power he has used against his first five opponents, then Cain can expect to start receiving some serious hype and backing by the UFC brass. Should Kongo come out on top, I don’t think he is placed anywhere closer to his desire for a title shot.

Kongo needs to use it reach advantage and kicking game in this fight to keep Velasquez at a distance. If Cain is allowed to get in close and throw his heavy strikes, Kongo could be in trouble.

I see this fight going the full three rounds, as Kongo is a tough opponent to finish. But in the end, I think Velasquez lands more power shots and out-points the Frenchman on way to another victory.

Winner: Cain Velasquez

Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders

While Ben Saunders had a brilliant Muay-Thai clinch victory over Brandon Wolff last December, I’m not quite sure why he is being matched up with Mike Swick in this fight. In my book, Saunders still has a ways to go before he fights a guy like Swick, as I think Swick easily outclasses Saunders in all aspects on the match.

Mike Swick’s hand-speed and power will be quicker than Saunders. Swick should be stronger than Saunders, now that he has a few attempts at the 170-lb. weight-cut under his belt.

While you can never count any fighter out of a matchup, I don’t see many ways for Saunders to win this fight, and I look for Swick to end the fight sometime in the first or second round.

Winner: Mike Swick

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

For all the trash-talking these two fighters have been doing back and forth, I think that the actual fight might be a bit of a let-down. One would expect both guys to stand and trade strikes for the whole fight as both Hardy and Davis are known for their punching power.

However, if you look back over Marcus Davis’ career, he has won nearly twice as many fights by submission than he has by knockout, and I think that will be the surprise of this match. I look for both fighters to stand and trade blows to open the match, but I anticipate Davis trying to use more of a ground and pound style in this fight with hopes of securing a submission.

Now, on the other hand, if both fighters do decide to stand and duke it out for a full three rounds, we could see some fireworks—and it's really anyone’s guess as to who catches whom first.

Winner: Marcus Davis

Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno

Caol Uno is an MMA veteran and will be returning to the UFC for the first time in nearly seven years. While Uno has recently enjoyed a bit of resurgence in his MMA career, I think that Spencer Fisher will bring too much to the table for the crafty veteran.

For Uno to be successful, he needs to avoid the striking power of Fisher at all costs and work as hard as possible at getting the fight to the mat. Uno’s strength against Fisher will lie in his grappling skills, and he needs to do everything possible to secure a submission early on in the fight.

Spencer Fisher has never lost via submission in his 26-fight career and has been known to win via submission himself. I think Fisher has too much power in the striking game and will be physically stronger than Uno when the fight hits the mat. If Fisher can stay composed as he often does and work to overpower the smaller Uno on the ground, he should be able to win this fight via TKO or decision.

Winner: Spencer Fisher

Mirko Filipovic vs. Mustapha al Turk

While all things are setup for Mirko “Cro Cop” to make a triumphant return to the UFC, I don’t necessarily think the going will be that easy. Cro Cop is coming off another knee injury that required surgery and will be back in action for the first time in six months.

While Al Turk isn’t the most formidable opponent, any opponent could be trouble for Mirko should he not show up in top shape with crisp striking. If Al Turk is smart he will bully Mirko up against the cage where the Croatian is uncomfortable and use the ground as much as possible. While Mirko has the tools needed to win this fight easily, he needs to prove he is back to performing at a high level before I can throw any faith at him.

Winner: Mustapha al Turk

Undercard

Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz – Winner: Justin Buchholz
Dennis Siver vs. Dale Hartt – Winner: Dennis Siver
Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta – Winner: Peter Sobotta
Paul Kelly vs. Rolando Delgado – Winner: Paul Kelly
Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve – Winner: Denis Stojnic
John Hathaway vs. Rick Story – Winner: John Hathaway

Andrei Arlovski: A Retrospective

Craig Jolicoeur — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:39:59 -0400

With his recent loss to Brett Rogers on the Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields fight card, it became evident that the career of Andrei Arlovski is winding down to an end.

You could see the anguish and disappointment in “The Pitbull’s” eyes as he sat on the stool in his corner, while being looked over by the doctor’s. Arovski’s eyes welled up and became red as the full weight of the flash KO to Rogers settle over him.

The loss dropped Andrei’s career MMA record to 15-7, and with his trainer Freddie Roach consistently hinting toward a career change to boxing, we may not see Arlovski involved in too many more MMA fights.

Early Career: 1999-2001

Ominously enough, Arlovski’s career began with a knockout loss.

After enjoying success as a Sambo fighter, Arlovski made his professional debut at an M-1 MixFight event in Russia back in 1999. Viacheslav Datsik gave “The Pitbull” his first taste of professional MMA and KO’d the native of Belarus after six minutes of fighting in the first round.

Undeterred, Arlovski returned to the training room and won the M-1 MixFight heavyweight title the following year, winning his first match quickly by submission and his final match by TKO over Roman Zentsov.

Andrei made his UFC debut in late 2000 at UFC 28 where he defeated Aaron Brink via submission in under a minute. Next up for Arlovski was a more formidable opponent in future UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez. Arlovski battled hard against the larger heavyweight, but ended up losing via TKO midway through round three.

Rise to Stardom: 2000 - 2005

The loss to Rodriguez knocked Arlovski back a few rungs on the heavyweight ladder and his climb back up was met with some early resistance. Pedro Rizzo was coming off two straight title attempt losses to the reigning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, and would be the next opponent for Arlovski.

Once again, Arlovski put up a strong battle, but fighting the heavy-handed Rizzo ended with Andrei being KO’d midway through the third round.

After an eight month layoff, “The Pitbull” began to find his groove and striking power in the UFC, and won three straight fights. Victories over Ian Freeman, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Wesley “Cabbage” Correira set Arlovski up for a shot at the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

At UFC 51, Andrei would meet the fighter would would really come to define his career in Tim Sylvia. Arlovski walked away from UFC 51 as the UFC heavyweight champion after submitting Sylvia via ankle lock.

With an anemically weak UFC heavyweight division at the time, Arlovski appeared to be an unstoppable force. A first-round knockout against Justin Eilers and a 15-second flash knockout against Paul Buentello only further solidified this reputation.

Andrei Arlovski was a bona-fide MMA star and enjoying his success in North America. Unfortunately for Arlovski, the next few years would not be so kind.

A Star Begins to Fall: 2006 - 2008

Tim Sylvia is a fighter most MMA fans love to hate, and for whatever reason, Sylvia would prove to be the biggest stumbling block in Arlovkski’s long-term success plans.

Arlovski vs. Sylvia headlined UFC 59 as the two met for the second time. Unlike UFC 51 however, Sylvia got the upper hand this time around and KO’d Andrei halfway through round one. The rather abrupt end to the fight really began the “weak chin” talk surrounding Arlovski.

The two foes would meet again just three months later at UFC 61 as Arlovski looked to recapture his title from Tim Sylvia. The fight that ensued was, and still is, one of the most boring title fights in UFC history.

Both fighters were scared to engage to frequently for fear of a quick loss and both heavyweights were content to stand and dance with each other from the outside. Arlovski lost the fight via unanimous decision and his hopes of every regaining the UFC heavyweight crown seemed dim.

Even with the back-to-back losses, Arlovski still was a fan favorite and one of the UFC’s best heavyweights. Andrei returned at UFC 66 and quickly dispatched Marcio Cruz and four months later defeated Fabricio Werdum via decision.

With only one fight left on his contract with Zuffa, Arlovski entered renegotiations in an unenviable position—as a former champ who had been fighting poorly in the recent past. Nearly a full year past without much word or action from Arlovski and his camp and it became evident that the contract negotiations were are some sort of impasse.

In March of 2008, Andrei fought in the UFC’s Octagon for the last time when he defeated Jake O’Brien via TKO late in the second round. Failing to come to terms on an agreement, Arlovski announced to Sherdog.com that he had signed a three-fight deal with the new upstart promotion Affliction.

“The Pitbull’s” UFC career came to an end with a record of 10-4.

Days of Affliction: 2008 - Present

Affliction held their first fight card on July 19, 2008 in California and Andrei Arlovski was a featured fighter. Matched up against former IFL standout, Ben Rothwell, Arlovski once again showed some of that aggressive style that had made him so popular in the past and battled with Rothwell for three rounds.

Early in the third round, Arlovski finally got the better of the taller Rothwell and ended the fight with strikes to cap off an impressive fight.

Andrei’s next opponent was expected to be one of his toughest to date in Josh Barnett. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it), Affliction was forced to postpone their second event and the fight with Barnett was scrapped.

With a stable of fighters under contract not seeing action, Affliction loaned out Arlovski’s services to the now defunct EliteXC promotion.

Roy Nelson, the beer-bellied former IFL heavyweight champion, would be “The Pitbull’s” next challenger and once again, Andrei was able to end the fight with strikes in the second round, this time handing Nelson the first stoppage loss of his career.

With the postponement of Affliction’s second fight card, and his current five-fight win streak, Arlovski was next in line for a shot at the most feared fighter alive today: Fedor Emelianenko.

With the WAMMA heavyweight title on the line, Fedor and Andrei met on the “Affliction: Day of Reckoning” fight card in January of 2009. Whether it was Andrei who looked sharp or Fedor who looked off his game, most critics agree that Andrei was winning the opening few stanzas of the first round. WAS being the operable word in that statement.

Perhaps being over zealous or perhaps seeing some kind of opening, Arlovski attempted some sort of flying knee with Fedor in the corner. The uncharacteristic move from Arlovski proved to be a terrible decision, as Fedor coolly and calmly landed a right hook that sent Andrei to the mat like a sack of bones.

Once again, a single well-place strike to the chin had ended Andrei’s night.

Andrei’s title hopes once again had been dashed, this time in the Affliction promotion. Another period of inactivity by Affliction once again led to Arlovski’s services being lent out, this time to the Strikeforce promotion.

Brett Rogers, the promising young heavyweight talent, would be Arlovski’s next (and most recent) opponent. Heading into the fight, Arlovski was considered a slight favorite, mostly because of his past experience and the lack of top-level fighters Rogers had faced.

No sooner had the opening bell rung however, before Andrei once again found himself down on the canvas with a referee ending the fight. Roger’s was able to land a jab and get Andrei backpeddling into the cage. A few more punches square to the jaw briefly knockout the former champion and sent him down to his hands and knees.

What Does the Future Hold?

So, what does the future hold for Andrei? It would appear there is not much left for him to do and/or attempt in the world of mixed martial arts. Andrei won’t be looking at another title shot for Affliction and his days of competing with the top level of heavyweights in the UFC is also clearly over.

Andrei’s boxing trainer Freddie Roach insists that Andrei will cross over and compete in professional boxing and be able to challenge for a title there relatively quickly. While I don’t know much about the boxing world, I can’t think that taking that career change would be a wise choice.

With the superior striking skills that top level boxers have, it doesn’t appear that Andrei has the chin and defensive head movement needed to be competitive in that arena.

Andrei has also tested the waters of an acting career and does have the physique and chiseled features that Hollywood action movies are always looking for.

Personally, I’d like to see Andrei walk away from MMA completely. I wouldn’t mind seeing him compete in one more “showcase” fight for Affliction. A sort of “send off” fight seems like the appropriate gesture and venue for a fighter who has entertained fight fans for years.

More The Ultimate Fighter 10 Contestants Revealed

Craig Jolicoeur — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:29:06 -0400

MMAMadness.com is reporting that MMA veterans Wes Sims and Roy Nelson will be contestants on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Roy Nelson was the reigning heavyweight champion of the International Fight League at the time of its demise, but lost his last two fights against Andrei Arlovski and Jeff Monson respectively.

Wes “The Project” Sims fought in the UFC back in 2003-04 but lost all three of his fights, twice to Frank Mir and once to Mike Kyle. At 6′10″, Sims is easily one of the tallest fighters in any division and is known for his wild nature and personality both in and outside the cage.

WEC 41 Fighter Payouts

Craig Jolicoeur — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:17:42 -0400

Here are the official fighter salaries for last night’s WEC 41 event held in Sacramento, CA.

Jens Pulver - $31,253
Manny Gamburyan - $26,960
Urijah Faber - $25,790
Mike Brown - $25,256
Donald Cerrone - $17,682.54
Jose Aldo - $17,625
Josh Grispi - $17,381
Antonio Banuelos - $9,840
Cub Swanson - $8,940
Scott Jorgensen - $5,530
Frank Gomez - $3,962.41
Seth Dikun - $3,940
Rafael - Rebello - $3,650
Anthony Pettis - $3,302.10
John Franchi - $3,108
Mike Campbell - $2,950
Rolando Perez - $2,890
Noah Thomas - $2,630
Kyle Dieta - $1,840
James Krause - 1,692

The total disclosed fighter payroll for the event was $216,222.05.

The WEC also awarded $10,000 superlative bonuses to the following fighters: Mike Brown and Urijah Faber for “Fight of the Night”, Jose Aldo for “Knockout of the Night”, and Seth Dikun for “Submission of the Night.”

If you think the payout numbers seem a little weird, you are not alone. I can only conclude that the WEC is now paying fighter salaries based on the total revenue from each event, based on the “fractional” amount of the dollar figures. This is just pure speculation on my part, however.

Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Preview

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:30:00 -0400

Strikeforce returns this Saturday night with their second fight card on Showtime and the main televised card is full of solid, exciting matchups.

Main Card

Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields - When ProElite (and EliteXC) folded, I think many MMA fans, including myself, were hoping that both Jake Shields and Robbie Lawler would find their way to the UFC.

Shields is a top 10 welterweight and truly has fought and defeated every other top welterweight he can outside of the UFC.

While it would be nice to see Shields test himself against the likes of Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, and Georges St. Pierre, Shields has taken the hand dealt to him and decided to test his luck at a higher weightclass.

Since leaving the UFC in 2004 after suffering three losses, Robbie Lawler really seems to have found himself again and is enjoying success at middleweight. Lawler’s sole defeat since leaving the UFC came against Jason Miller in 2006, with Robbie winning fight straight fights since then.

This matchup truly is a contrast in two fighting styles. Lawler holds the clear advantage in the striking game and will be a much larger fighter than Shields come fight time. Jake Shields holds a huge, definitive advantage over Lawler in the grappling game.

This fight truly will be a battle of wills and an interesting fight to see who can outwit who. If Lawler can avoid an early submission and avoid some early takedowns, he can do serious damage on the feet.

If he does get taken down but can roll and end up in a dominant ground-and-pound position, he should be able to use his size and strength to hold Shields down. Shields will be looking to do what he does best and take Lawler to the mat and work his BJJ game.

Personally, while my head tells me Jake Shields should win this fight easily on the ground, I think Lawler’s bulk will be a big factor and “Ruthless” will come out on top.

Winner: Robbie Lawler

Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers - Brett Rogers remains undefeated at 9-0 in his MMA career, but has not looked all that overwhelming in his last few fights. Rogers has also never fought another heavyweight the same caliber as Andrei Arlovski.

One has to wonder what Arlovski’s mindset will be coming into this fight, considering his devastating loss to Fedor Emelianenko in his last fight and his recent flirtation with a pro boxing career.

When push comes to shove, Arlovski still is one of the best heavyweights in the game today and shouldn’t have much trouble with Rogers. Andrei will be quicker on his feet and will have better striking technique than Rogers. Should the fight hit the ground, Arlovski again holds the clear advantage. This fight is Arlovski’s to win or give away in embarrassing fasion.

Winner: Andrei Arlovski

Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith - Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith is a very interesting matchup.

Smith, as his nickname “Hands of Steel” implies, is a striker with a very weak ground game. Smith is exciting to watch because he is one fighter who is truly never out of a fight, no matter what kind of beating he seems to be taking.

Nick Diaz, in my book, is one of the top welterweights in the game today. Diaz, in reality, has not lost since his fight against Sean Sherk at UFC 59. Sure he has a technical loss to KJ Noons in Pro Elite, but that loss was by doctor stoppage due to cuts, not because of Diaz being defeated.

Diaz’s ground game is hands down better than Smiths, and if Diaz wants to end the fight at any time, he can simply take the fight to the mat and submit Smith. But, as we’ve seen recently with Nick Diaz, he most likely will be content to stand and strike with Smith and pepper him with his nagging jab and deceivingly powerful hook.

While Smith’s striking power is solid, his standup defense isn’t that great, and Diaz should be able to use his quick, well-placed striking to frustrate Smith throughout the fight.

Winner: Nick Diaz

Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs - If you enjoy standup brawls with two big power-punchers, then you will love the Baroni vs. Riggs matchup. Both guys have solid power and somewhat mediocre records over their careers.

I don’t really anticipate this fight hitting the ground at all, and as a result this fight truly could go either way. The fighter that comes in sloppy and with weaker defenses will most likely end the fight laying on his back with the ref standing over him.

In my eyes, Baroni has better striking and quicker hands, and if he can avoid any type of takedowns Riggs my try, he should win this fight via TKO.

Winner: Phil Baroni

Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead - For those who have followed Kevin Randleman’s MMA career, you know what kind of “fired up” fighter “The Monster” is. Well, Randleman has never been as fired up as he is now for this new opportunity in Strikeforce.

Randleman’s career has suffered numerous setbacks the past few years with issues ranging from life-threatening health issues, to extremely severe cases of staph infection, to personal and family issues. Randleman has only fought once since 2006 as a result, and time away from competitive competition will be his biggest struggle in this fight.

Mike Whitehead is an excellent fighter, and other than a recent loss to Renato Sobral in Affliction, Whitehead has not lost since early 2006 when he fought Keith Jardine at UFC 57.

Randleman’s wresting has always been his strength and you have to expect him to use it in this fight as well. However, Randleman’s weakness has been his submission defense, and more than half of Mike Whitehead’s victories have come via submission.

The smart money in this fight would realistically be on Mike Whitehead, but my gut is telling me this fight will be the start of a decent run for “The Monster.”

Winner: Kevin Randleman

Cro-Cop Vs. Al-Turk Official for UFC 99

Craig Jolicoeur — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:29:28 -0400

A fight we all knew was taking place was finally officially announced by the UFC today via UFC.com.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will make his return to the UFC at UFC 99 when he fights Mustapha Al-Turk. Mirko has not fought since December 2008 where he defeated Hong Man Choi in K-1 Dynamite.

Mustapha Al-Turk made his UFC debut at UFC 92 in December 2008 where he lost to Cheick Kongo via TKO in the first round.

UFC 99 is currently scheduled for June 13 in Cologne, Germany. Listed below is the current full fight card.

Main Card

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva
Cain Velasquez vs. Cheick Kongo
Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno
Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders
Dan Hardy vs. Marcus Davis

Undercard

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Mustapha al Turk
Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz
Stefan Struve vs. Denis Stojnic
Dale Hartt vs. Dennis Siver
Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta
Paul Kelly vs. Roli Delgado
John Hathaway vs. Ricky Story

Clay Guida's Hair Kept Him Out of UFC 2009 Undisputed

Craig Jolicoeur — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:50:09 -0400

There was a rumor that you were offered money to cut your hair so that you could be in UFC Undisputed: 2009. Any truth to it?

In Columbus, Dana White offered me $10,000 to cut it. First it was $5,000, and then $10,000, and I laughed. I told him to add a couple zeros and we’ll talk. The hair’s here to stay. It’s part of my style, part of my trademark.

It wasn’t because of the video game, but my hair is the reason I’m not in the video game. They couldn’t perfect it. They didn’t have enough technology to do it right. More to come for 2010. It will be bigger, better, more sharp, and hopefully I’ll be wearing the belt in that game.

- Clay Guida in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports

Fedor Confirms Barnett Fight (Sort of)

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:01:43 -0400

In an interview with M-1 Global, WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko more-or-less confirms his upcoming fight against Josh Barnett.

While not officially announced, Fedor and Barnett are expected to clash for the WAMMA heavyweight title on the next Affliction fight card this August.

“I am always 100% involved in the negotiations especially with regards to the Barnett fight,” he responded. “We discussed this fight with the whole team (trainers, coaches, management), so as a team we agreed to a fight with Barnett.”

The potential showdown with Barnett is one that is intriguing in that the two are friends who have trained with each other in the past. Fedor was asked to discuss the nature of his friendship with Barnett.

“Besides Josh’s qualities as a fighter, he is also one of the best representatives for MMA in the U.S.A.,” he said. “We often had drinks after our fights in PRIDE and Affliction so I do consider him a friend.”

The friendship between the two heavyweight standouts is so strong that it even remained as such in spite of Barnett’s 2006 second round submission victory over Fedor’s younger brother, Aleksander, at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute.

“There is no desire for revenge,” Fedor answered when Barnett’s win over Aleksander was brought up. “This is a totally separate fight.”

Twinkle-Toes Returns to Las Vegas

Craig Jolicoeur — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:43:39 -0400

MMA veteran Frank Trigg has signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC and is hoping to make his return debut in the Octagon sometime this fall or winter.

Trigg, who holds a current record of 19-6, first fought in the UFC back in 2003 at UFC 45 Trigg made his UFC debut against Matt Hughes and lost by a now famous rear-naked choke in the first round. Trigg followed the loss up with wins over Dennis Hallman and “Charuto” Verissiomo only to suffer the same fate at the hands of Matt Hughes at UFC 52

Trigg’s last fight in the UFC was against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 54 where he once again lost by his trademark rear-naked choke.

Since leaving the UFC in 2005, Trigg has spent most of his time competing at middleweight and compiled a record of 7-2, including wins in his last four fights. However, Trigg will once against compete at welterweight in the UFC instead of middleweight.

Pyle in, Wilson Out at UFC 98

Craig Jolicoeur — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:37:36 -0400

MMA veteran Mike Pyle will make his UFC debut tomorrow night as he takes on Brock Larson at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida.

Pyle will be replacing Chris Wilson who is an extremely late scratch from the fight card. No official word has been given yet why Wilson will be unable to compete, but the reports circulating from Las Vegas indicate that Wilson was unable to complete the required medical paperwork in time to be approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Pyle has compiled a professional mma record of 17-5-1 with 15 of his victories coming via submission. Pyle lst fought in October of 2008 where he defeated UFC veteran Brian Gassaway in the first round. Pyle’s last loss came against Jake Shields in an EliteXC event back in 2007.

UFC 98 Weigh-In Results

Craig Jolicoeur — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:20:04 -0400

Weigh-ins for UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida will be held today at 7pm ET / 4pm PT in Las Vegas, NV.

As usual, you can watch the weigh-ins live on UFC.com or on MMAWeekly.com.

MMA HQ will also post the weigh-in results as they happen.

Main Card

Rashad Evans (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Matt Serra (171)
Chael Sonnen (186) vs. Dan Miller (185)
Sean Sherk (156) vs. Frank Edgar (155)
Drew McFedries (185) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (186)

Undercard

Brock Larson (171) vs. Mike Pyle (*)
Patrick Barry (237) vs. Tim Hague (263)
Phillipe Nover (156) vs. Kyle Bradley (156)
Andre Gusmao (206) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (206)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (171) vs. Brandon Wolff (170)
George Roop (156) vs. Dave Kaplan (154)

* Mike Pyle will be weighing in later in the day due to his being a late replacement for Chris Wilson.

UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida Preview

Craig Jolicoeur — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:16:52 -0400

The UFC returns to action this Saturday night after nearly a full month layoff with UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida.

UFC 98 marks the first of six UFC events to be held over the next three months, and will feature the light heavyweight title fight between current champion Rashad Evans and challenger Lyoto Machida.

Main Card

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida - Rashad Evans will make his first UFC light heavyweight title defense against a fighter that few in the 205 lb. division want to face, Lyoto Machida.

Both Evans and Machida bring and undefeated record into this fight and this title fight is about as close a matchup and you can find. Evans, a strong wrestler, has shown explosive quickness with his striking in recent fights and good knockout power.

Machida’s trademark is his elusiveness and excellent defensive footwork. Machida, more than any other fighter, is an excellent tactician and picks his attack points with precision.

I anticipate that Evans will look to pressure Machida from the start and look to get into close striking range. Letting Machida run free is a recipe for a loss, and Evans will need to work angles against Machida and hope to get him up against the cage or bring him down to the mat.

Machida is extremely tough to track down and catch cleanly, but of all Machida’s past opponents, I think Evans has the speed and quickness to pull it off.

Winner: Rashad Evans

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra

Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes is a fight that, despite the UFC’s best efforts, just doesn’t seem to intrigue most MMA fans. I think as a whole, we’ve had enough of these “bad blood” hyped matches, as the Shamrock vs. Ortiz trilogy left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Both Serra and Hughes are clearly in the last days of their respective MMA careers and both probably need a victory in this fight more for “legacy” than anything else.

Matt Serra is always dangerous on the feet because he is a fighter who truly lets his hands go without caution, but also possesses good boxing defense. Serra specializes in jiu-jitsu, but once again we most likely won’t see him try to win this fight on the ground.

Matt Hughes’ reputation and place in MMA history is already solidified. Winning a fight against Serra probably won’t do much for Matt Hughes other then hopefully (stress hopefully) get Serra to shut his mouth for a while. Hughes strength is clearly his wrestling with his weakness being the striking game.

I anticipate a timid, methodical, slow start from both fighters and more of a chess match than any real action. I think Hughes takes this fight to the ground and really just concentrates on controlling position to out-point Serra on the scorecards.

Winner: Matt Hughes

Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Xavier “Professor X” Foupa-Pokam makes his UFC debut in what should be a solid, exciting matchup with Drew McFedries. Foupa-Pokam has spent the majority of his career back and forth between Cage Rage events and Pakration style tournaments.

If you haven’t seen Professor X fight yet, you are in for a treat as he brings a very unique, athletic style to the cage. There is no question what Drew McFedries brings to the cage as his power and striking game is well known.

McFedries is coming off two straight losses in the UFC and can’t afford to drop a third as he will most likely be on the chopping block with a loss. Foupa-Pokam is just too fast and quick on his feet for McFedries, and has more than enough skill on the ground to submit McFedries should he get in trouble on the feet.

Winner: Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen

MMA HQ readers know I’m a big fan of both Dan and Jim Miller, but I think Miller’s undefeated run through the UFC ends in this match against Sonnen.

Dan Miller specializes in his ground game and submission skills, but Chael Sonnen’s wrestling and ground control will be too much for Miller to handle. Sonnen should be able to keep the fight on the feet as long as he wants, and will be able to handle positions on the ground well enough to earn the decision victory.

Winner: Chael Sonnen

Sean Sherk vs. Frank Edgar

Sean Sherk and Frank Edgar should be on an excellent, fast paced fight this Saturday night. While in the past Sherk has been considered a more boring fighter for his wrestling control, his most recent fight with Tyson Griffin showed that Sherk can bring an exciting style to the Octagon.

Sherk battled Tyson Griffin on the feet for a full three rounds at UFC 90 en route to winning a unanimous decision.

Frank Edgar, like Griffin and Sherk, has a strong background in wrestling which means we could see another Sherk vs. Griffin style slugfest in this fight. Just like in the Griffin fight, I think Sherk has too much skill and experience for Edgar and should come away with the decision victory.

Winner: Sean Sherk

Undercard

Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson - Winner: Brock Larson
Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague - Winner: Pat Barry
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley - Winner: Phillipe Nover
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao - Winner: Andre Gusmao
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff - Winner: Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop - Winner: George Roop