MMA From An ADD Mind: Random Thoughts About UFC 86, Affliction, And Elite XC

July will be a hot month here in Ga, but for fans of MMA, it will be even hotter. With UFC 86 on July 6th, Affliction-Banned on July 19th, UFC 86 1/2 also on July 19th, and Elite XC on CBS July 26th, it should be a great month of fights.

UFC 86

With Tyson Griffin, Patrick Cote, Josh Koscheck, Forrest Griffin, and Rampage this is a good card. It's not as stacked as UFC 84, but its better than UFC 85.

Rampage has promised to release his "Whoop his ass" strategy on Forrest, that should be interesting, as he has already shown us what it looks like against Liddell.

Patrick Cote gets to show us if he is for real or not, having won his last four fights. Problem is, that may result in him getting a beatdown from Anderson Silva.

Gabriel Gonzaga still hasn't shown the promise he showed against Cro Cop, having dropped two since. He needs to win, and win impressively, to not be labeled a bust.

If you only have $50 to spend on a PPV next month, watch this in a bar. The card you really wanna spend your money on is....................

Affliction:Banned

Ok so most of the fighters on this card come from the UFC. Who cares? To me that just means I don't need to watch a 5 min intro about each fighter im watching to wonder why I should care.

Tim Sylvia vs Fedor is not for the championship of anything. Forget that WAMMA garbage. If they want to make that a championship fight, make up an Affliction belt. What it is, however, is a good indicator of where Fedor's game is right now.

Im looking forward to seeing how Arlovski and Barnett look in their respective fights, as a matchup between these two is what I really want to see.

If Vitor should beat Terry Martin, it is rumored he will get the first crack at Tito Ortiz should he sign with Affliction.

When will promoters realize the majority of fans don't want to see Megadeth, Snoop Dogg, or whoever perform, we just want to see fights?

The biggest X-factors on this show will be the production value and the announce team, which is reported to be Ranallo from Elite XC and none other than Big John McCarthy, who I hope can also referee all the fights.(joke)

This is the card to buy on PPV, if you can only afford one.

UFC 86 1/2

Ok, so it really isn't called this, but that's what it is. Its actually called Fight Night 14.

So we get to see the debut of Anderson Silva at 205. Im very interested to see how he looks, as he could really open the division up.

Brandon Vera also debuts at 205, coming down from heavyweight. Should he get by Reese Andy I hope he stays at 205. The division was already deep to begin with, but its really stacked with both these guys coming in.

Hermes Franca is back in action after his suspension. His last fight was a decision loss to Sean Sherk in the battle of whose steroids worked better. Apparently, it was Sherk's.

This is a good card for free, considering what gets put on PPV these days. If you can't watch it live, set your TIVO.

Elite XC On CBS

Ok so no Fergie on this card. Also, no Gina Carano. Will the ratings plummet?

Overall, this is a solid card, and no matter how the diehard fan may feel about the last debacle, there is a difference between a PPV card and a free one. No matter how bad you think the stoppages were on the first CBS show, for free its worth watching to see if they get it right this time.

The rematch of Lawler and Smith should be good, glad they made it the main event this time.

Antonio Silva is fighting for the heavyweight title against TBA. lol. Hope Butterbean is available.

Jake Shields is on the card against Nick Thompson, should be another good fight.

Shana Baszler is rumored to be on this card, I remember her as the chick with the guitar. I like what I've seen from women's MMA so far, I hope it continues to grow.

Really Random Thoughts

So there are actually two more major events planned that I know of in July. Cage Rage and Dream are holding events.

 I didn't mention Cage Rage because it is headlined by Phil Baroni, and in what country is he a headliner after losing his last three fights by TKO? Oh wait, in England.

Dream 5 looks like a good card. Denis Kang, Cro Cop, and the Kid are on this card, so its worth watching. I don't have HDnet though, so I won't be able to see this one.

So to sum up my month on the 6th I'll be at Hooters watching UFC 86, on the 19th I'll be ordering Affliction at my house and recording Fight Night 14 on TIVO, the 21st I will be searching for YouTube videos of the Dream fights, and the 26th I will be watching Elite XC on CBS.