Bleacher Report - Articles by Ryan Wales

Dan Hardy VS. Marcus Davis?

Ryan Wales — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:38:23 -0500

Dana White has found himself in a pickle. Dan Hardy, the guy who White picked as the new overseas star, just put White in a corner (Insert Dirty Dancing joke here).

After a pretty decisive victory over Rory Markham, Hardy decided it would be a great time to start calling people out. Who does he chose of all the people at 170?

Marcus Davis. I'm pretty surprised White didn't keel over and pass out on the spot.

You know for a fact White is really pissed. The guy you want to be your new "star" just called out one of the toughest guys in the division, and Davis is a huge draw in Europe.

On the other hand, this fight has "slobberknocker" written all over it.

I hope it's OK with the wrestling guys that I just used the word "Slobberknocker." I think its copyrighted by the WWE.

If Hardy gets his wish and there is indeed a fight with Davis, it has all the qualities for fight of the night.

Davis is angry and really wants an opportunity to see what Hardy has to offer the UFC. I promise the only way this finishes fast is if someone is unconscious.

The danger for White and the UFC is the fact that if the fight happens they run the risk of hurting the plans of the future, Dan Hardy.

If Hardy gets destroyed by a guy, who he called out, it wouldn't be good.

But it also has the potential to an instant classic, and that's the beauty of MMA. You don't know how a fight will go, til it happens.

So now \White has to ask himself if the juice is worth the squeeze.

If you ask me, I say let them fight at UFC 99 in Germany.

Hardy wants it, Davis Wants it, the fans want it, make it happen!

MMA: Five Things I Learned from UFC 95

Ryan Wales — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:33:25 -0500

First, I would like to thank Bryan for keeping this alive while I was gone. I have decided it was time to start writing again.

1. We all know Joe Rogan is a BJJ Homer.

Yes, we all know Joe Rogan has a slight preference to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He likes BJJ almost as much as the medical marijuana he lovingly refers to as "Trainwreck." But it is to be expected.

If you had Teddy Atlas as a color guy he would gush over the hands of Anderson Silva and Andrei Arlovski. Rogan will always love BJJ and the rubber guard, let's just deal with it.

2. Confirmed: Demian Maia is in fact a stud.

While Maia looked like the baddest BJJ player on the planet tonight, I don't think it was enough for a title shot. He has to go through Nate Marquardt to get it. More on this further down the article. Cliffhanger . . . got you hooked don't I?

3. Diego Sanchez looked good, but won't make a huge impact at 155

Sanchez looked good enough to beat Stevenson but I'm not convinced he can hang with the best at 155 yet. Before I jump on the bandwagon for Sanchez VS. Penn I want to see Diego against at least one more elite lightweight. I'm intrigued by a possible Sanchez Vs. Sherk match up in the future.

If Sanchez beat Sherk convincingly I wouldn't hate the idea of Sanchez getting a shot.

4. Is Junior Dos Santos for real?

I actually didn't learn anything at all in this fight about Dos Santos. I really don't know if this guy is for real, but if he is, it only does good things for the heavyweight division.

Another exciting fighter in a division that desperately needs it. Maybe not really that desperate. It's being really drunk on a Saturday night, not wanting to go home alone, then lowering your standards desperate.

But again I would like to see him take a step up in competition. Let's really see what he has.

5. Nate Marquardt earned himself a No. 1 contender match with Demian Maia.

He looked really sharp against Gouveia tonight. Couple that with a total decimation of Martin Kampmann (and I am a self admitted Kampman fan) and it's hard to argue against him.

The guy deserves a shot at another shot. He gets Maia, then the winner of that match gets the winner of Silva Vs. Leites.

I know someone out there is secretly hoping and praying for Marquardt vs. Leites II. You know who you are . . . and shame on you.

Well, that's it for the comeback piece, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Brock Lesnar: Will He Ever Be UFC Heavyweight Champion?

Ryan Wales — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:40:01 -0400

Brock Lesnar gained the attention he wanted when he destroyed Heath Herring at UFC 87. Several questions were answered about Lesnar's evolving skill set, but one gigantic question emerged.

The top MMA minds from Bleacher Report weigh in on the question: Will Brock Lesnar ever be UFC Heavyweight Champion?

Jason Cottier:

Brock Lesnar is a physical specimen. He is huge, unimaginably strong, and an excellent wrestler. I really hate to admit it, because so many people give him so much credit before it's due, but he is amazingly talented.

I am at a crossroads here, because when people get to talking about someone being the next heavyweight champion after his first big fight—one that he lost at that—it really makes me want to see him stay at the level he is at.

Lesnar's whole problem is that he knows he is freakishly strong, and he was able to fend off arm bar attempts using just strength alone. I think Lesnar may just be too cocky to be champion.

As long as Big Nog is the UFC champion Lesnar really doesn't have a chance. I watched the fight where Bob Sapp dropped Nog on his head, and just bullied him around. Then, I saw Nog get Sapp in an arm bar and tap him out.

I do realize in turn that Lesnar is totally different that Sapp in his background, and well as his quickness and speed, but I truly believe that Sapp is just as strong, if not stronger than Lesnar.

If Sapp couldn't power out of Nog's grip, Lesnar won't be able to do it either. Lesnar really needs to work on his submission defense, and prove to everyone that he truly is a well-rounded fighter if he ever wants to be even considered for a title shot.

Lesnar can be stopped by a good striker that has good take-down defense. So far in these fights he has shown great take-downs, and excellent wrestling. His g-n-p needs work, and his standup really needs improving, because catching someone with a really strong punch doesn't prove anything. Hitting hard and having great wrestling ability doesn't make a good fighter. He really needs to hone the skills he does have.

Kevin Curran:

Brock Lesnar is the true enigma of MMA. He has so many skills behind him including incredible wrestling skills, scary size, and overwhelming power and speed. He is the full package.

He does have some serious weaknesses though. One of these was weakness on the ground. Sure Mir is one of the greatest submission artists of all time, but if Lesnar wants to be a champ he’ll have to correct his BJJ weakness. Also, he showed over anxiousness. He attacked Mir and did not bother to slow the pace down and use effective ground and pound. Instead he just tried to pound him into dust. If that fight had gone long he would not have been able to keep that pace.

In the Herring fight he looked very strong coming out with a good right hand that dropped Herring. He controlled Herring throughout the fight with his wrestling and power. Herring is a veteran in the business and a win over him shows a great future. The one thing that was off putting was his arrogance. He nodded his head along with the crowd and laughed at Herring. This may make Joe Silva less inclined to give him a shot.

The ultimate question is if he will be a champion. How can a man with this much skill and desire not become a champion? Can he beat Noguiera? No. Can he beat almost any other heavyweight with maybe the exception of Fedor, Couture, and Cro Cop? Even those are debatable. Some people believe he could beat all of those men. I wouldn’t bet against him. I see a future champ.

Caesar Mapalad:

I only have one piece of career advice for Lesnar: Switch camps. No offense to Minnesota Martial Arts but Lesnar could use some diversity. A few camps come to mind. With Kos, Fitch, Velasquez and others, AKA in San Jose, CA specializes in turning college wrestling stars into legit MMA fighters. Another camp is Jackson’s Submission Academy in New Mexico with Rashad Evans, GSP on occasion, Huerta and Marquardt, among others.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with going out and training in other camps. He doesn't even need to leave his current camp. If he can develop a well-rounded game, he WILL be HW Champ sooner than later. He needs to hurry, too because his MMA career has started at a late age.

Bryan Trafford:

I would have to say yes. Having saw Lesnar in his collegiate wrestling days and thinking about his personality, this is not a guy that accepts losing or defeat. He will do whatever it takes to get better and to be the best. He has always shown that he wants the biggest challenges. What is his biggest challenge? In the UFC it will no doubt be submission defense. If he can stop submissions he will be a champion soon enough.

I personally would like to see him work his standup more. I believe, should he ever fight Big Nog for the title, it would be to his advantage to keep the fight standing as long as possible. I can’t really see him getting knocked out on in the standup by Nogueira, so his only chance to lose would be on the ground. Same thing with Mir. So if Brock can develop his standup some more and keep working his jits, I can definitely see him being the UFC Heavyweight Champion, and a lot sooner than people think.

Robert DesRoche:

Lesnar's wrestling? Without question he is the most accomplished wrestler in the division. Somewhat relating to wrestling, Lesnar's size? He's easily the biggest man in the UFC. The chances of Lesnar being put on his back by a take-down is virtually impossible. The chances of another fighter being able to consistently defend his take-downs seems just as impossible. And don't forget about Lesnar's speed; he's one of the fastest in the division. He has quick shots which both Mir and Herring could not handle.

Lesnar's stand up? The word of the day is potential. The right hand that knocked down Herring was not only powerful (with his huge fist covering about half of Herring's face), but quick. Lesnar also has the advantage that people will always be expecting him to go for takedowns. This allows him to fake the shot and unleash with a powerful punch like he did against Herring. Don't forget some of the thunderous leg kicks he landed to Herring, or those brutal knees to the body from the clinch. His chin has yet to be tested, but he has a massive head and it's hard to imagine he could be KO'd with any ease.

With work, Lesnar's speed, and power are designed to make him a very dangerous stand up fighter.

That improved stand up will help him against the great jiu-jitsu fighters.

Which brings us to the crux of the issue when considering Lesnar's title prospects—his submission skills and his work ethic.

Lesnar's training camp says that his work ethic is second to none. This is why I can't understand any argument against Lesnar becoming an eventual champion. He has all the natural talent in the world, and he works hard to capitalize on it. His submission defense was weak in his first fight, but Herring never even challenged it in their second fight, as Lesnar exhibited dominant control. It's well known that submission defense is easier to learn than submission offense, and that will be Lesnar's focus. He'll have challenges with Gonzaga, Werdum, Big Nog, and all the other great submission fighters along the way, but I see it as inevitable that Lesnar will learn to overcome even these fighters who are designed to beat him. Lesnar will be Heavyweight Champion within the next two years.

Ryan Wales:

If you haven’t learned by reading everybody else’s writing, Lesnar is a big, strong, fast, genetic freak show.

He has devastating power that can change a fight with one shot. Lesnar won his fight with Herring the second that right hand landed. Herring was half-blind, shell-shocked and demoralized.

Lesnar’s power makes him a guy that you can’t trade punches with, if he lands a shot “on the button” you will wake up the following Monday in a hospital somewhere trying to remember why you jaw is wired shut.

To quote one of my favorite movies: “He has tools, He has the talent.”

Now he just needs to execute.

Conclusion:

It seems that most everyone thinks that Lesnar has the potential to be the future of the UFC’s Heavyweight division. He will face some challenges from the other men in the division and there are some very intriguing match-ups on the horizon. We will all have to wait and see if Brock truly has what it takes to the best the UFC has to offer.

MMA: Who Should Be the No. 1 Contender at 205?

Ryan Wales — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:29:32 -0400

The UFC's Light Heavyweight division is the most talented in all of MMA right now. It is ripe with intriguing matchups and stylistic showcases. One of the only things it doesn't have is a clear cut No. 1 contender.

Several men have a claim on the top of the heap, but upcoming events will settle the matter once and for all.

Lyoto Machida should already be the No. 1 contender for the belt. But because of his evasive style and passive personality he hasn't been given an opportunity for the strap—yet.

Machida has won 13 straight fights and remains unbeaten in his MMA career. He holds notable wins over Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Kaz Nakumura, Soku, and most recently over Tito Ortiz.

The biggest knock on Machida has been the lack of ability to finish his opponents and his "point" fighting style. The critics won't be able to keep him out of the title talk for much longer if he keeps winning against top competition.

Machida has the ability to guarantee a title shot with a victory over Thiago Silva at UFC 89. It is not a coincidence that the bout is going to be held on free TV. Dana White wants everyone to be familiar with both Machida and Silva as the winner will be catapulted up the 205 ladder.

A victory for Machida should give him a shot at Griffin. A victory for Silva should give him a chance at the No. 1 contender spot.

The wild card in all of this is the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. He has a fight coming up at UFC 88 against Rashad Evans, and Liddell has been a mediocre 2-2 in his last four fights.

He dropped two in a row to Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine before rebounding to beat Wand Silva by decision at UFC 79. A win against Evans would put him at two victories in a row and, many feel, in a position to fight the champ.

I personally don't feel that two wins should put Liddell at the top of the pile, but we all know it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. The decision is up to Joe Silva and Dana White.

I can see why Dana would give Liddell another shot. The payday would be tremendous. A Forrest Griffin vs. Chuck Liddell matchup would be a huge gate and PPV draw.

So to sum things up I see the scenarios as follows:

If Machida wins against Silva he should be guaranteed the next title shot.

If Liddell wins against Evans he may be given the next title shot just to make a payday. Machida would be forced to fight another top 205er and wait to get his shot against the winner of Liddell/Griffin.

If Silva beats Machida he may be given a title shot IF Liddell loses, but this is highly doubtful. A win would catapult him into the title conversation, and he would be a win or two away from a shot.

If Evans beats Liddell he could be considered for a shot, but his lack of quality opponents would hurt him. Combine an Evans win with a Silva victory over Machida and there you have a very interesting No. 1 contenders match.

UFC 88 and 89 are going to shape the title contender picture and it will be interesting to see how things shake out. I don't envy Joe Silva and Dana White as they have some hard choices in front of them.

I believe that Lyoto Machida has earned his shot with a victory over Silva, but we will have to wait and see if money is more important than hard work to the UFC brass.

MMA: Top-10 Craziest Moments

Ryan Wales — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:26:12 -0400

Heath Herring was on a local radio show Thursday morning, and, while he was talking, my mind drifted to the craziest moments that MMA has seen. So I thought I'd share my top 10 and let everyone have a giggle. There are so many to chose from, but I picked my favorites and I encourage you to share yours.

10. Charles "KrazyHorse" Bennett does "The Running Man"

While not many people like Bennett for his antics, he is always fun to watch because you never know what he is going to do. His stare-downs are hilarious, as he plays to the camera and doesn't even look at his opponents.

Number 10 takes place at a pride event; after his victory, KrazyHorse jumps over the ropes and continues to run up the ramp. He does three laps around the ring and finally re-enters.

9. Randleman killed Fedor...Nevermind, Fedor just won

During a pride match, Kevin Randleman suplexes Fedor onto his head. It was one of the nastiest things I've ever seen and I initially thought I was witnessing the death of Fedor. At the very least, I thought Fedor would be injured or even paralyzed. To my amazement, Fedor lands and a few minutes later ends up submitting Randleman. Proving once and for all Fedor is not human, but in fact a cyborg from the future.

8. Tim Sylvia has an "accident"

During his battle with Assuerio Silva, Big Tim has some major problems of his own. Sylvia was very sick before the fight and has some problems holding in everything that's supposed to be held in. There has to be something said about a guy that can win while dropping a deuce in the ring.

7. Wandy wants to do WHAT to Chuck?

They bring out Wand Silva to call out Chuck Liddell and we get this gem of UFC history. Wand says, "I want to f*ck Chuck. Fight Chuck." I fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard. You can see Dana in the background giving the "What the hell?" look. Chuck's trying hard not to laugh. Instant classic.

6. Gilbert Yvel's best KO was a Referee

During a match with Atte Bachman, Yvel gets fed up with some questionable reffing and throws a nasty hook and KO's the ref. He then decides to try and place-kick the ref over the ropes. In the smartest move of the night, Bachman sneaks out of the ring and refuses to go anywhere near Yvel.

5. Wes Simms vs. Frank Mir: Thumbs up, then F You

Simms gives a thumbs up, then points to Mir, then gives him the finger. Normally not that funny; what makes it priceless is the fact he is on his back trying not to get choked out.

4. Coleman has some trouble with the ropes

After a victory in Pride, Mark Coleman is pretty excited and takes a running leap at one the corners, and the corner wins. Coleman ends up sprawled out on the canvas trying to figure out where it all went wrong. Honorable mention goes to Coleman for the stellar parenting skills when he drags his two daughters into the ring after he got annihilated by Fedor. They're crying and trying not to look at his face because it looks like hamburger meat. A-plus, Mr. Coleman!

3. Randleman knocks himself out...before the actual fight

Somehow Kevin Randleman found a way to KO himself in the dressing room before a fight. Supposedly there was a pipe lurking in the room that snuck up on him and knocked him out. Anyone else notice there are a lot of Hammer House references on this list?

2. Gary Busey scares the crap out of me

What would a crazy moment piece be without an appearance by Gary Busey. During one of the earlier UFC's, Busey is being interviewed and, in response to a question, his answer is this: "I have two garden weasels named Bowser and Jesus." Awesome! Absolutely perfect. Thank you, Gary, for that little tidbit of knowledge.

1. Nobody Kisses Heath Herring

Heath Herring vs. Nakao Yoshihiro. For some reason, Yoshihiro thinks it would be a good idea to kiss Herring during the staredown. That proves to be a bad choice for Mr. Yoshihiro, as he quickly finds himself staring at all the pretty lights. Herring didn't hesitate and dropped him with a smooth hook straight to the chin. When asked what happened, Herring calmly stated "He kissed me."

Well, those are my top-10 moments of craziness, and I hope to hear from other fellow fans to get your favorites. Let's hope Lesnar doesn't try to smooch Herring during the weigh-ins.

Affliction Hits Bump in the Road

Ryan Wales — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:51:20 -0400

After what many called a successful first show, it seems that Affliction may have hit their first obstacle. Affliction paid a huge amount of money to their fighters for their first show. If the reported numbers are correct, Affliction paid out a whopping $3.3 million to their fighters.

Tim Sylvia made $800,000 for just thirty-six seconds of work. Obviously, something needs to change for Affliction to survive in the competitive world of fight promotion.

It is now being reported that Affliction is asking its fighters to take a pay cut for the sophomore show. Some reports are that the pay-cut could be up to 50 percent.

But don't worry, in exchange, Affliction will make sure you get an easy opponent. That's right. They won't pay you what you're worth, but at least you can destroy a can in the process.

In response, Josh Barnett has already stated he will not take a pay cut to fight in the next Affliction show. Barnett made $300,000, with no win bonus for his KO of Pedro Rizzo. My guess is that we have seen the last of Barnett in Affliction. He is going back to Japan.

To make matters even worse, The Tomas and Mack center's Affliction page has taken Fedor's name off, and now Arlovski's opponent is TBD. That's not good, not good at all for Mr. Tom Atencio.

Fedor and his management have been accused of holding promotions hostage in the past. They ask for more money or fights for fellow Red Devil team members. I highly doubt Fedor is going to take less money than the reported $300,000, plus PPV cut, especially if he is going to be fighting Arlovski.

The old cliché is that you can tell a lot about a person or company by how they handle adversity. This will be one of the first opportunities for Affliction to show us what they are really made of.

To be successful, Affliction has to handle their monetary and fighter issues. All we can do now is wait and see what Affliction has up its sleeves.

Dana White Has a Big Announcement...No, Really This Time!

Ryan Wales — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:40:51 -0400

During TV spots for Saturday's showing of UFC 84, we are told that Dana White has a big announcement. Cue flashbacks to a couple months ago when White had promised an announcement that would shape the MMA world for the next five years.

It ended up being the news that one of the Fertitta brothers was stepping down from the casino business to focus on the UFC.

Hopefully, this one is a little more interesting than the last fiasco. Most rumors point to the upcoming show in England, UFC 89, being shown on Spike for free. But unlike most of the free cards on Spike, this show has some pretty big names and matchups on tap.

Not all the fights are confirmed, but if the reports are correct, the televised card would be as follows:

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hardy
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly

There are also rumors swirling that Anderson Silva may also make an appearance on the card. As of right now, Silva was scheduled to fight Yushin Okami at UFC 88, but the fight has been scratched due to a hand injury to Okami. Patrick Cote has been tapped to fill in, but it has yet to be determined if they will fight at UFC 88 or UFC 89.

All right Dana, here is your chance to make it up to everyone for getting us all excited the last time. Give us UFC 89 for free on Spike, and then announce UFC 90 in Chicago and the great fights you have planned for it.

MMA: Five Things I Learned From Affliction:Banned, And UFC Fight Night 14

Ryan Wales — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:11:37 -0400

1. Anderson Silva is the baddest man in the UFC.

Personally, I had faith with Silva moving up a weight class, but there were some who doubted. Silva destroyed Irvin in the first round and looked good doing it.

There isn't a question in my mind that Silva can hang with anyone at 205, and I mean ANYONE. I'm not going to say he is a lock to win every match, but there isn't a guy in the division that I would say Silva doesn't have equal odds to win.

On a separate note, did anyone else see the gash under the eye of Irvin? Holy crap! That cut was huge and nasty.

Not only did Irvin get spanked after spending a minute in the octagon, he got to spend some quality time with the Doc getting stitched up after. I don't think that the UFC will be putting any more mid-level competition against Silva, he might put someone in a coma.

2. Fedor is not human.

Tim Sylvia never had a chance. As we like to say at our home poker games, Fedor had Tim beat both mentally and physically.

I believe the whole thing took under 40 seconds, and Fedor looked spectacular the whole time. His hands were super fast and Timmy never knew what hit him. Sylvia tried the stop, drop, and roll method and it got him choked.

The next step for Fedor has to be one of the two other victorious fighters on the card before him. If Affliction wants to carry the momentum they have going, they should have Fedor fight either Josh Barnett or Andrei Arlovski.

After what happened with Sylvia I don't want to see Fedor vs. Couture next. If Couture comes back after the whole contract fiasco and his first fight is Fedor, it will not end well for Captain America.

3. If you can't throw a closed fist you shouldn't be medically cleared.

During the UFC event Kevin Burns ended the fight with an finger to the eye of Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

Up to that point the fight had been exciting and fairly competitive. Burns had been warned several times about digits to the eyes of Johnson and in the third Johnson hit the mat in agony after taking a finger straight to the peepers.

The fight was ruled a TKO and Burns won. Interesting.

After the fight Burns told Rogan that he has broken his left hand three times recently and he can't throw a closed fist with his left hand. In my opinion you can't medically clear a guy who can't close his fist.

Every time Burns throws a left hand there is a great chance for someone to get caught in the eye. An eye poke is a horrible way to end a fight, and I'm sure Burns didn't mean to, but I hope it doesn't become a pattern of his fights ending in this fashion.

4. Arlovski is back...

Ben Rothwell couldn't match the hand speed of Arlovski. Arlovski got back a piece of what he had when he was one of the most feared men in the UFC. He was more aggressive and Rothwell never looked comfortable.

When AA let his hands go it was fun to watch. Some of the combos that he landed made you blink and go, "wow, that was fast."

If the folks at Affliction don't think that AA is ready for Fedor then I would like to see him take on Fedor's little brother Aleksander. I recently wrote an article of the fights I'd like to see from Affliction—this was one of them.

5. Goldberg and Rogan will always give me a "what the hell" moment.

It was Goldberg's turn for dumb statement of the night as he unleashed a true gem during the Silva vs. Irvin fight. While Goldberg was spewing how great Silva is he ran out of adjectives and gave us this: "His precision is so precise"

I had to hear that one again. His what is what? Goldie you know it doesn't make sense if you use the same word...oh never mind. I don't know if Rogan meant it as a dig but he followed up with, "Precision is a great way to describe his striking."

But to make up for it Rogan talked about how Anderson likes to judge his opponents then explode about a minute in. At 4:06 left Irvin throws a leg kick and at exactly 4:00 the fight is over. Not bad Rogan, not bad at all.

UFC 89: Card Shaping Up to Be....Interesting

Ryan Wales — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:29:56 -0400

Three more bouts have been announced for UFC 89 the next event to be held in England. This event which I loving refer to as UFC 89: This one better be free on Spike, is happening on October 18th.

The card has some interesting match-ups but nothing that would convince me to drop the forty five bucks to watch it PPV.

The show is headlined by hometown hero Michael Bisping as he faces Chris Leben. The bout was supposed to happen at a past UFC event but Mr. Leben was incarcerated.

The second bout which should be deemed a co-headliner is Thiago Alves vs. Diego Sanchez. If Alves beats Sanchez he has to be next in line for the winner of GSP vs. Fitch. The thing that may muck up the situation is that BJ Penn has already stated he wants to fight GSP. Good luck with that one, Dana and Joe Silva.

One of the bouts just announced was Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou taken on Luiz Cane. If Mr. Cane isn't familiar to you he was the one who destroyed a not-so-in-shape looking Jason Lambert a few cards back. Cane looked good but we will see what he can do against a real test in Soku.

Marcus Davis will be making an appearance trying to bounce back after his loss to Mike Swick. Paul Kelly will be the man standing in his way.

British staple Dan Hardy will be making his UFC debut against the always interesting Akihiro Gono.

The last bout announced today will be Heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin taking on Neil Wain.

Other bouts of interest:Jess Liaudin vs. David Bielkheden,Sammy Schiavo vs. Per Eklund,and Sam Stout vs. Terry Etim.

It will be an interetsing show, but again I say, it better be free on Spike.

UFC Rumors: Franklin Moving to 205 to Face Hamill?

Ryan Wales — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:35:56 -0400

UFC 88, the upcoming card in Atlanta, just got a little more interesting. Multiple sources are reporting that Rich "Ace" Franklin will be making a move to the Light Heavyweight division. The move up in weight comes as somewhat of a surprise as there are still fights available in the 185 lbs. division.

The move shows me that Mr. Franklin doesn't want to fight Anderson Silva ever again. While a re-match against Silva wouldn't be interesting, there were several fights that I wanted to see at 185.

Dan Henderson is a guy whose name has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Franklin, but Hendo has been tapped to face ground Wizard Rousimar Palhares.

I would have liked Franklin to face Henderson, Marquardt, Leites, or Maia. However, he has decided to move up to the most dynamic weight class in MMA today, the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC.

Franklin's first opponent is rumored to be former TUF alum Matt Hamill. Hamill is coming off a victory over Tim Boetsch. He's 4-1, with his only loss being a highly controversial decision to Michael Bisping.

Hamill is a world class wrestler and may be a difficult stylistic match-up for Franklin. Franklin has fantastic stand-up and a serviceable ground game, but this bout will certainly test his sprawl.

For Hamill to win this fight and climb up the 205 ladder, he needs to take Franklin down to the ground and keep him there. Hamill is at a distinct disadvantage on the feet but his wrestling is his only chance.

While the betting man has to favor Franklin, this is not a "gimme" fight for Franklin. He must come to Atlanta ready to wrestle and have a gameplan for Hamills take-down attempts. It will be an interesting bout.

The show in Atlanta is starting to take shape and offers some very interesting match-ups. Liddell vs. Evans, Hendo vs. Palhares, Parisyan vs. Yoshida, and Franklin vs. Hamill.

More fights should be announced soon, and I can hardly wait.

MMA: Dream and Pro Elite Form Partnership

Ryan Wales — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:56:55 -0400

On the Saturday before the Dream 3 show, an announcement was made that Pro Elite Inc. and Dream have entered into a partnership.

Pro Elite Inc. is the company that puts on the Elite XC shows. The two promotions will share Referees and fighters, and will co-promote shows in the future.

What does all this mean to the casual MMA fan? Two smaller promotions have formed an alliance and will move forward challenging the UFC for some of the MMA pie.

I have to believe this will not go unnoticed by the UFC. I think Pro Elite and Dream are the two promotions that are closest to the UFC in terms of pull in the MMA world. An argument can be made for Affliction, but since they haven't put on a show yet, it's still up in the air.

The biggest outcome of the partnership will be the cross-promotion of shows and the sharing of fighters.

Dream as an organization boasts the premier lightweight division in MMA. With this deal, that lightweight division gets stronger.

Gilbert Melendez is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product ranked in the Top Ten. He is a member of the Fairtex Camp and a training partner of the Diaz brothers, Jake Shields and Dave Terrell.

Dream's lightweights include Aoki, "JZ", Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, Sakurai, Kawajiri and Ishida. Adding another Top Ten guy clearly puts the division ahead of UFC's roster of lightweights.

I can't write this article without mentioning Kimbo. The small stable of available heavyweights just got bigger. The man who faces Kimbo after the Thompson match is going to be very important.

Most hardcore fans want to see Kimbo fight someone more recognized in the MMA community. The opponent doesn't have to be top 10, but he needs to be top 20 or so.

Kimbo won't be legit until that fight happens and he wins. Remember a certain Croatian named Mirko? You want a super-fight? How about Kimbo vs. Cro Cop? I'd pay 50 bucks for that. The likelihood for that bout is low, but a boy can dream. Elite XC has given themselves a chance to legitimize Kimbo if they want.

The other heavyweight to mention is Antonio Silva, another guy I'd love to see fight Cro Cop.

The partnership between these two promotions is very important to the landscape of MMA. If this works and both promotions are able to survive, it may encourage other promotions to join them.

If they can bolster their rosters enough, they may even challenge the mighty UFC giant. This could be the move that starts the cross-promotion fights that everyone wants to see.

In the short run, the deal gives us some intriguing match-ups. It could also give Japanese fans the chance to see Kimbo, Jake Shields, and Robbie Lawler.

Overall, the deal tells the UFC that other promotions won't go away and the product is getting better.

The biggest winner of the whole deal is us, the fans.

MMA INKED: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Ryan Wales — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:02:16 -0400

First and foremost let me state I am a tattooed scumbag. I'd never write an article outing somebody if I hadn't spent my time in the chair. Watching the amount of MMA that I do, I can't help but want to discuss some of the guys we love and hate so much.

The Good

Jeff Monson-The tattoo that caught my immediate attention was the hand print on his ribcage. It looks like it has an eye in the middle, and maybe a reference to the "Third Eye". From experience I can tell you that had to hurt like hell. Monson has a bunch of other tats and a pretty sweet sleeve on his left arm. He is one of those guys that looks ten times badder because of his tats.

Aleksander Emelianenko- Russian Mafia tattoo's, combined with that dead behind the eyes look he has and it becomes very unsettling. I'm waiting for him to shank someone during the staredown. I don't condone organized crime, but those tats are some of the most intimidating in the sport.

Chris Leben- I love Japanese themed work and Leben has some good ones. Leben's back-piece is awesome and I'm sure we will see some new work at the UFC 85 weigh-in.

Notable mention goes to Alessio Sakara.

The Bad

Joe Riggs-I've always thought tattooing your name or nickname on your body was a bad idea. Riggs takes it to a whole new level with the "Diesel" tat. But just to make sure he knows who he is at all times he tattooed "Riggs" on his right Pectoral, thanks Joe!

Tim Sylvia- That superman tattoo is just plain bad. I try not to bag on Sylvia because he takes a lot of unwarranted crap, but that tattoo is awful. Throw in that bad tribal and your officially cliche'.

The Ugly

Brock Lesnar-I hereby crown Lesnar as king of the bad tattoo. Somebody should have told him that sword-knife thing on his chest would be a bad idea. It looks like a big....we all know what it looks like.

Robert Berry- The guy has "cage" and "rage" on his under arms, so when he takes his weigh in pictures we all know which promotion he fights for. I hope they gave him a long contract.

I'm sure there are some differing opinions, so I look forward to hear from the masses and your take on who has the best and worst ink.

Is America Ready For Female MMA?

Ryan Wales — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:54:15 -0400

Ready or not, here it comes. Thanks to Elite XC, on May 31st, Gina Carano will face off with Kaitlin Young in a televised bout.

Yes, Gina Carano is on American Gladiators under the name "Crush". Before American Gladiators, Carano was a Muay Thai fighter, and a good one as well.

She now trains with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. If there ever was a good canidate for female MMA spokeswoman, Carano would be it. Intelligent, articulate, down to earth, and not too hard on the eyes. Okay, so she is super hot, we all know it.

Carano's opponent will be Minnesota native Kaitlin Young. Young also has an extensive background in Muay Thai.

She is currently training with Greg Nelson at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Nelson's camp has turned out a slew of great MMA fighters.

The stylistic matchup between these two is simple. My Muay Thai is better than yours. If this fight goes to the ground, it's because someone got hurt bad and hit the floor. So it's going to be a stand-up war with these two. Both fighters like to come forward and bang.

I don't know how the folks at home are going to react to these two woman kicking the crap out of each other. This fight has a high potential for cuts, blood, and overall unpleasantness. While the match will do wonders for the sport among current MMA fans, I don't know if it will win over the general population.

I remember the first female MMA fight I saw. It was at a local EFX show in Minnesota. I was talking to the promoter before the show started, and he told me whatever happens, don't miss the girl fight. He's a promoter, he has to say that, right?

The ref for the evening was local fighter Brock Larson. During the intermission before the female fight, we were talking and he told me the same thing, don't miss the next fight.

As I sat in my seat for the next eleven minutes, I was amazed. These two women came out and gave one of the best performances I have ever seen. They stood toe-to-toe the whole fight. One minute into the third round, a vicious right hand was landed, and it was all over. Both women left the cage bloody, bruised, and smiling. They lived the dream, fighting in front of their home crowd, the place going nuts as they slugged it out.

The moral of the story is, if it's a great fight, it doesn't matter who's in the cage.

As the Elite XC card gets closer, I wonder how the casual fan, and even someone who doesn't follow the sport, will perceive the bout between Carano and Young. I hope it is a huge success and brings much deserved attention to female MMA. Until then, we have to wait and see.

MMA Draft: Welterweight

Ryan Wales — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:21:24 -0400

Here's Part Two of a five-part series that looks at a mock MMA draft.

The biggest rule is that only three fighters per promotion can be drafted.

1. Georges St. Pierre-UFC (16-2)

GSP is one of the top pound-for-pounders on the planet, so this is a no-brainer.

2. Jon Fitch-UFC (17-2)

Fitch is the No. 1 contender in the UFC. He comes from a great camp and is well-rounded.

3. Carlos Condit-WEC (22-4)

Condit is the WEC welterweight champion. I'm very interested to see how he would handle a top-tier opponent. He's currently on a seven-fight win streak.

4. Jake Shields-Elite (20-4-1)

Shields is a Cesar Gracie Black belt who is currently on a nine-fight win streak. Many people compare him to GSP. He beat "Mach" Sakurai in a 2002 Shooto event by decision.

5. Eddie Alvarez-Dream (13-1)

A dynamic striker who's only loss was to Nick Thompson.

6. Jason Miller-Dream (20-5)

One of the truly unique characters in MMA, very solid on the ground. Are you a Mayhem Monkey? I am.

7. Brock Larson-WEC (23-2)

A submission specialist whose only losses where at the hands of Jon Fitch and Carlos Condit.

8. Nick Thompson-World Victory Road (35-9-1)

A wily veteran who is tough on the ground.

9. Jay Hieron-IFL (15-4)

Current welterweight champion in the IFL. Trains with Xtreme Couture and is very well rounded.

10. Thiago Alves-UFC (14-3)

American Top Team product who is coming off a big win over Karo Parisyan. Will face his biggest test at UFC 85 where he will face Matt Hughes.

I know there are a bunch of great guys in the UFC's welterweight division, but decided to go with Alves because of his knockout ability.

The list is filled with guys who are great on the ground and I felt the list needed a striker to make things more interesting.

MMA Draft: Lightweights

Ryan Wales — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:13:48 -0400

I was recently watching the NFL draft on a Saturday. I had cleared my schedule, so I had 12 straight hours of pure draft enjoyment. I love drafts, always have and always will.

There is something about building your future from the ground up. I started to wonder what an MMA draft would look like, who would you take, and why. So I created one.

The rules are simple. First, you must take 10 fighters from each of the five major divisions. You can only draft three fighters from each promotion per division.

The fighters that you draft will be given a three fight contract. They must fight three times for your new promotion, so don't draft old guys who may fall apart.

Without further ado, let's start the MMA draft for the lightweights!

1. Takanori Gomi-World Victory Road (28-3-0)

Gomi is of one of the top lightweights in the world, period.

2. B.J. Penn-UFC (12-4-1)

Penn could have been drafted here or at 170. I like the match-ups at 155.

3. Joachim Hansen-Dream (17-6-1)

Hellboy is a fighter I'd love to see against some of the UFC and Elite fighters.

4. Shinya Aoki-Dream (15-2-0)

Aoki is coming off a big win. Drafted for a dream match-up with B.J. Penn.

5. Nick Diaz-Elite (15-7-0)

The guy go-go'd Gomi and he may have been high at the time. I'll accept his Medical Mary Jane card.

6. Gilbert Melendez-Elite (14-1-0)

His only loss was to Mitsuhiro Ishida, a young guy with a ton of upside.

7. Vitor Ribeiro-Free Agent (19-2-0)

Vitor is coming back after being injured in his loss to "JZ" Calvancante.

8. Gesias Calvancante-Dream (14-2-1)

American Top Team product, who has only two losses, were decisions to Aoki and Hansen.

9. Sean Sherk-UFC (31-2-1)

Sherk is a guy you either love or hate, but he is still one heck of a fighter. He will produce great fights with the level of competition from the draft.

10. Gray Maynard-UFC (5-0-0)

Maynard is the wild card in the lightweight draft. He was drafted because of his potential and aggressiveness.

That will do it for the lightweight division. The rule that states you can't pick more than three guys from one promotion really changed things. The UFC has a ton of talent, but choices had to be made.

Look for the other four divisions coming soon!

UFC 83: Matt Serra Looks to Shock the World a Second Time

Ryan Wales — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:53:10 -0400

The rematch between Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre is quickly approaching.

It's the UFC's first major show in Canada. The show promises one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history.

I was recently asked what was going to be the deciding factor of the fight. After some thinking and watching a few fights, I came to a conclusion – training.

St. Pierre is still training with Greg Jackson and his team. Jackson runs one of my favorite MMA camps. Keith Jardine, Rashard Evans, and Nate Marquardt are some of the fighters who have come out of the camp.

When training, it is imperative to get a feel for your opponent.

If you’re going to fight Anderson Silva, you better find a lanky south paw with great striking and Muay Thai. If you’re going to fight Matt Serra you find a short stature BJJ black belt.

I am sure St. Pierre has brought in guys that are similar in style to Serra. So when that cage door closes he has already been in this situation hundreds of times.

The question then becomes who Serra trains with in getting ready for "Frenchy."

Where do you find a fighter that does the things that Georges does? Finding someone that strikes or wrestles like St. Pierre isn't the problem, it's finding someone as athletic as St. Pierre.

The explosiveness and speed of St. Pierre is unmatched anywhere in the world at welterweight. He is learning quickly and his skills are expanding and becoming sharper with every passing day.

Combine brutal training with an elite athlete, it provides problems fighters haven't seen before.

I am not taking anything away from the champion. He won the first fight and he deserves to hold the strap. He beat GSP. No excuses.

However, I don't see Serra being able to rock St. Pierre early in the first round again. Serra hasn't really taken a strike from St. Pierre and hasn't tried to take him down. Serra hasn't had to counter the speed or power of St. Pierre.

I believe that St. Pierre will win this fight by overwhelming Serra with speed, size, and power.

Look for a TKO in the second round by GSP.

UFC Heavyweight Division Dead or Just Taking a Nap?

Ryan Wales — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:19:39 -0400

With the official signing of Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell to Adrenaline MMA, there are some very nervous UFC fans.

Sylvia was a top-10 heavyweight and Rothwell was a top name on a very short list of quality free agents.

That leaves the division with some very interesting questions and some fights that may prove to be very watchable.

To those fans that think the division is dead, I ask for a little patience. I feel there are eight guys in division right now who could help the division float until more talent arrives or develops.

Cheick Kongo is a scary, scary dude.

He comes from a very good camp, and I'm watching his striking going from fantastic to flat out destruction. He is training with Rampage and his team and is in phenomenal condition.

Among the top contenders, Kongo is behind only Brandon Vera when it comes to stand-up. In the Herring fight, he looked uncomfortable and a little lost on the ground.

He must improve or will get destroyed in a division filled with scary submission guys.

Frank Mir is a one of the guys that is a lynchpin for the division.

If he can win a couple of fights against some good fighters, he may get another title shot. Mir has shown time and time again that he is a true BJJ tactician. He plans his work and works his plan.

If Mir is taking training seriously and is in shape and motivated, he will have the opportunity to get a title shot.

It is rumored he will fight Justin McCully on the UFC 86 card. If he wins, and he should, I would like to see Mir vs. the winner of Werdum versus Vera. The eventual winner of that fight would then be in line for a shot at the title.

Let's talk about Brock Lesnar.

I have had the pleasure to meet Mr. Lesnar and let me tell you he is bigger in real life. I really wished he hadn't done the WWE thing and went straight to MMA.

I am well aware of his position at the time and why he did what he did. The stint in the WWE is hurting Lesnar now among fans and it kills me.

I watched this guy wrestle for the U of M and he was unstoppable. This guy isn't a joke or gimmick. He is the real thing and a superb athlete.

His second MMA fight they gave him Frank Mir!

That's one hell of a test for a guy who has had one other pro fight. He will give Mark Coleman all he can handle plus some. Lesnar will beat Coleman and will get another opportunity to move up the ladder.

Gabriel Gonzaga went from practical unknown to the guy who turned Cro Cop into "Corky."

I have been watching the sport for a long time and the last thing I expected to happen was that high kick. I could almost see the glint of disbelief in Cro Cop's eyes as he realized he was about to go night-night.

I believe Gonzaga is a top-10 guy. He is going to get another shot at a top guy because of the lack of depth in the division.

He has to win that fight to get a chance to climb back up the pile.

Fabricio Werdum is coming off a big win over Gonzaga for the second time.

He is an elite-level BJJ guy who has been in the ring with a bunch of tough guys. He has victories over Aleksander Emelianenko, Overeem, and Roman Zentsov. His last two losses were to Arlovski and Nogueira.

For Werdum to succeed, he has to improve his hands. His BJJ is only going to be able to bring him so far and sooner rather than later his is going to have to stand with guys.

He looked mediocre at best against Arlovski, but bounced back nicely against Gonzaga. He will have a chance to prove me wrong when he fights Brandon Vera at UFC 85.

Heath Herring is kind of the wild card in the division. If he continues to train hard and do the things he needs to, he may get a shot at the belt.

The question has always been which Heath Herring is going to show up. When the guy is on, he is a lot of fun to watch.

Here is a guy who has fought the best in the world and never seems able to finish.

He lost back-to-back bouts with Fedor and Cro Cop, and has lost to big Nogueira three times. Talented but does he have the tools to be a champion?

Brandon Vera will be the next heavyweight champion. That's what I think will happen at least.

Vera is a small guy for this division. There always seems to be talk about him going down to 205, which he could easily do.

Vera knows that the division isn't stacked right now and he could get a shot at the title with an impressive win or two.

At 205, you've got a plethora of scary dudes and Vera would have to go through guys like Chuck, Shogun, Jackson, Jardine, and the list goes on and on.

If Vera wants to go down a weight class, he needs to win the heavyweight belt then cut the weight.

Vera is by far the most dangerous striker in the division. He has a good ground game, but his striking is elite. Vera has teamed up with Rob Kaman, who is widely regarded as the best kick-boxer in the business.

Vera has a great team and is highly motivated, I see him as the future of the division.

UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is second in the world only to Fedor.

His submissions are second to none. If you haven't seen this guy use an anaconda choke, please go right now and look it up!

He and Jeff Monson are my two favorite submission guys to watch.

When someone talks about non-Gi submission specialists, they are talking about these guys. The only person that poses a threat to Nogueira right now is Vera.

The amazing thing about Nogueira is that the guy has never been stopped. All of his losses have been decisions. He has lost twice to Fedor and has been beat by Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett by decision.

This guy is a monster and plans to be champion for a long time. The upside is that any fight with Nogueira in it is going to be a great fight.

Like any other sport, MMA is cyclical. The Heavyweights are "down" right now, but will be a exciting division in the future.

The growth of young guys like Vera, Kongo and Lesnar will help the division stay competitive. Crafty veterans like Mir, Herring, Werdum, and Gonzaga present a variety of good fights.

The heavyweights will be restored to glory, we just have to be patient.

MMA: Deal With the Devil?

Ryan Wales — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:40:59 -0400

It is being reported that Fedor has been given an offer from the parent company of EliteXC. A four fight deal that would put him on CBS twice and two Pay-per-view bouts. He would be guaranteed seven digits per fight and a cut of the PPV shows.

One of the reported stipulations was other Red Devil team members must be on the same card. My guess it would be referring to brother Aleksander and maybe Roman Zansov.

I would believe that was one of the sticky points with the UFC and Dana White. You would have to have two Heavy weight fights on the main card every time Red Devil fighters were on a show. Dana didn't want to go through with the matchmaking headaches that kind of clause would cause.

So all of a sudden EliteXc now has brought in at least three heavy weights that go directly to main card status. I still don't think EliteXC is done signing. My guess they bring in someone to fight Fedor.

Speculation would suggest a guy like Jeff Monson who was been wanting Fedor for a long time and has kind of been waiting to see where Fedor lands.

Andrei Arlvoski is going to be a free agent after one more fight and he wants out. A Fedor Arlovski fight would be fun.

The most intriguing option to me will never happen, but I pray it will. Tim Sylvia has an expiring contract with the UFC. Sylvia has also said he wanted to fight Fedor. That's right, you know where I'm going. Sylvia is dumb enough to sign with EliteXC to get his shot at Fedor and to prove to everyone he is the "Real Deal." Fedor destroys silly American with funny haircut.

If the rumors are true and Fedor and his people accept a deal, it dramatically helps EliteXC to legitimize themselves. They add two top ten heavyweights and are heading toward having a stable to produce great shows.