Picking Ben Saunders Over Mike Swick Cost Me A Hook-Up

This is a true story, not a knock-knock joke.

I’m at a bar in the East Village - name doesn’t matter, they’re all the same - when I notice a super-cute brunette in a tight black Tapout T-shirt. Think Gina Carano. Think Meisha Tate.

I establish eye-contact for the requisite three seconds, walk up, throw a neg, tell her she reminds me of a character from Infinite Jest (she has never heard of the book, so she probably assumes I’m comparing her to a Wall-Mart meth whore: RIP, DFW!). We start talking… she’s a big fan of the UFC, trains in Jiu-Jitsu… the conversation is flowing, moving toward a kiss, when the target (Alyssa?) mentions the upcoming UFC 99 in Germany.

“So many great fights,” she says. “Velasquez vs. Congo. Swick vs. Saunders…”

“Yeah, I think Saunders is gonna do it,” I say, followed by a long, awkward silence.

“Are you serious?” she says, as if I’d just declared my faith in Zarathustra. Game over. The girl now thinks I’m a poser because it’s obvious to any real fan, she says, that Swick is gonna kick Saunder’s ass!

Really?

Turns out she’s not the only person who feels this way. Last week, in an MMA forum, when I picked Saunders over Swick, I got called every name in the school yard handbook.

So, what’s this all about? I’ve never seen a fighter with better web support than Swick. Now, don’t get me wrong, okay? I think he’s a talented guy, very exciting, but Ben Saunders, in my opinion, is a future welterweight champ.

Why is that so controversial?

“Killer B” has scary potential. He’s got great stand up, is dangerous on the ground, and he’s f-ing HUGE! Six-foot-three and all jacked up, the kid probably walks around at close to 190 pounds, before cutting down for a fight. The only bigger, scarier guy in the division is another future world-beater: Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Hey, maybe I’m wrong. I mean, Swick does have more experience, a phenomenal training camp, rolling around with Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields on a daily basis. This is true test for Saunders, I’ll concede that. I just don’t understand why everyone assumes he’s gonna fail? I think he’s got a legitimate chance to beat Swick, and you know what? If Swick puts him away convincingly, I’ll be the first one to start calling for a title shot against the winner of St-Pierre/Alvez.

Either way, this should be a great scrap. Fight of the night potential.