Sakurai Beats the Pants Off Aoki, and Other Ideas

I'm going to cut right to the chase and just dive into it. Without further ado...

—The Detroit Lions have the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. Look at the last 10 No. 1 picks: Jake Long, JaMarcus Russell, Mario Williams, Alex Smith, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, David Carr, Michael Vick, Tim Couch, and Courtney Brown. Thats' a 30 percent success rate, or 40, if you count Michael Vick and his Fantasy Dogfighting Camp. Any time your No. 1 overall pick ends up in the federal pen for electrocuting puppies, I think it's safe to call that a bad pick. The other seven are either holding clipboards, overthrowing guys by 10 yards, or waiting tables at Denny's. And I guess my point would be that you have the worst franchise in professional sports drafting in a spot where the only sure thing is that there are no sure things. This is going to be an unmitigated disaster. I wish it weren't true, but it's just been beaten into me over the years.

—Even though Cole Aldrich will be probably staying at Kansas, I'd like to christen the Jayhawks' center as the next Great White Stiff in the NBA. Even his name is perfect. In 10 years, he'll be a shoo-in for that particular Hall of Fame, alongside Greg Ostertag, Jim McIllvane, Jon Koncak, Robert Swift, and Marty Conlon. Let the foul trouble and missed layups begin! And for good measure, give me a few whiffs on high fives.

—Hayato "Mach" Sakurai showed great determination when he pummeled the man who previously took a controversial decision over him, Shinya "The Pants" Aoki, in 27 seconds. What a statement. When Sakurai is angry and motivated, there are few lightweights on this planet who can handle him standing. When he doesn't care, he gets tapped by David Baron in the first round. And that's not a knock on Baron; he's tough as nails. But come on.

—Shout out to the Michigan State Spartans: You hung tough when everybody doubted you and delivered a memorable tourney run. Plus, almost everybody is coming back next year. I'm not a college basketball fan, but this year, I was close. I'm not even going to lie.

—Here are my up-and-comers for each UFC weight class in 2009: At heavyweight, I expect huge (literally) things from Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, who happen to be on a collision course. But I like Dutchman Antoni Hardonk to decision Cheick Kongo and throw his name into the heavyweight title picture, which has suddenly become more depressing than the last 20 minutes of Requiem For A Dream. And if you think that's my choice because I'm a Hardonk fan...then shut up and leave me alone.

At light heavyweight, I love 21-year-old phenom Jon "Bones" Jones. His fight with Stephan Bonnar was so lopsided, he made Bonnar look like he was on the receiving end of a Three Stooges routine. I kept waiting for him to hit Bonnar in the face with a pie. What's scary is, he doesn't even know anything yet. It's a situation where it's just THERE for him; when he sharpens his footwork and boxing, remove the ceiling for this guy. He is where MMA is going.

I don't see any clear "up-and-comers" at 185, but there are definitely some guys who have looked good lately. I predict that Yoshihiro Akiyama will be a slightly overrated signing, because he hasn't consistently fought top-tier competition throughout his career. If they really wanted to shake things up, they'd sign Melvin Manhoef or Robbie Lawler.

It's not like they don't have the money. Nathan Marquardt has looked fantastic lately; look for him to rematch Anderson at some point. And I'm definitely interested to see how Cote bounces back from his knee flying out of his body.

There are alot of guys I like at 170. I'm a big Dong Hyun Kim fan. Martin Kampmann has looked better than I expected at welterweight. But when you're talking about guys who are potential future title contenders, look no further than Mr. Anthony Johnson. His explosive, herky-jerky style has given guys fits; he's a HUGE 170; his gas tank has looked better each time out; and it probably helps that he's completely insane. Look for Matty Brown to be a good test for him, though.

155 is an embarrassment of riches. It really is. For some reason, I like (hold on, this is a doozy) Justin Buchholz. I'm not even going to tell you why. Just look for him to beat Terry Etim, whose deal with the devil will finally expire. In all seriousness, Etim deserves respect; he's got a great kickboxing game and uses his ridiculous reach to his advantage. I just can't get over that frame. Please don't hurt me, Terry. I'm on your side.

—Please let the Pistons draw Orlando in the first round; please let the Pistons draw Orlando in the first round. Please let ...

—Speaking of basketball, Kobe and LeBron may be the NBA's best all-around players, but you have to admit, there's nothing quite like Dwyane Wade on a fast break. His dime the other night against the Wizards nearly brought a tear to my eye. What a thing of beauty.

—You know a fight I want to see? Baroni-Minowa III. Like you wouldn't watch that trainwreck.

—My take on the whole Junie Browning thing: Nah. He doesn't have it. Not yet, anyway. I like his spunk, though. Don't count him out. And man! What a fun drunk.