Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[herrmag]

I really don't want a MMA monopoly. I aint a fan of the rules UFC fights under. Not being able to kick a downed opponent benefits wrestlers. Even Herring had a chance to throw knees @ O'Brain and maybe end the fight.

Barnett could have fought Fedor on NYE but he turned it down.

Are you serious? Barnett turned it down? Why? I've never heard of a true fighter EVER turning down a title shot. That's weak.

I don't think we'll see any real surprises this PPV. UFC is trying their damndest to hype Lutter, but the simple fact is, he's outclassed. There's a reason he was on TUF, and it's not because he's a top fighter. Filopivic and 'Page should destroy their opponents, although I think the Eastman fight might have moments of excitement.

[Cooked Crack]

Are you serious? Barnett turned it down? Why? I've never heard of a true fighter EVER turning down a title shot. That's weak.

I don't think we'll see any real surprises this PPV. UFC is trying their damndest to hype Lutter, but the simple fact is, he's outclassed. There's a reason he was on TUF, and it's not because he's a top fighter. Filopivic and 'Page should destroy their opponents, although I think the Eastman fight might have moments of excitement.

Barnett wanted to fight Fedor when he's 100%. He fought like 7 times last year.

Lutter didn't make weight so now the fight is on but not for a title. What a bum. Ruining what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Only way he can sniff the belt is winning tonight. I hope Silva knocks him out.

[Sebowski]

Are you serious? Barnett turned it down? Why? I've never heard of a true fighter EVER turning down a title shot. That's weak.

I don't think we'll see any real surprises this PPV. UFC is trying their damndest to hype Lutter, but the simple fact is, he's outclassed. There's a reason he was on TUF, and it's not because he's a top fighter. Filopivic and 'Page should destroy their opponents, although I think the Eastman fight might have moments of excitement.

Doesn't even matter about Lutter. He didn't make weight so the fight won't be for the title

[Cooked Crack]

Silva By Sub! Dayum

[Baculus]

UFC 67 was n OK event. Thhe CroCop fight was pretty fun: He was relentless and just dominated his opponent. The Silva fight was good, too - he is a monster and a difficult opponent.

I hope we get to see CroCop - Sylvia after a couple of more HW fights (if Sylvia beats Couture...)

[herrmag]

UFC 67 was n OK event. Thhe CroCop fight was pretty fun: He was relentless and just dominated his opponent. The Silva fight was good, too - he is a monster and a difficult opponent.

I hope we get to see CroCop - Sylvia after a couple of more HW fights (if Sylvia beats Couture...)

Saw an interview on sherdog with Dana White. He said Cro Cop will get one more fight before Sylvia (assuming he beats Couture, of course). He also said that he's going to give Rampage 2 more fights before giving him a shot at Lidell. I would love to see Rampage vs Tito, but we know how Tito is about fighting his "friends". So, I think we'll see him fight Jardine, Bonnar, or Griffin in the near future. If they throw him another can (not that Bonnar and/or Jardine aren't cans), I don't see what the point is.

[Cooked Crack]

UFC 67 was n OK event. Thhe CroCop fight was pretty fun: He was relentless and just dominated his opponent.

Sanchez just ran around. The octagon is too big.

If anyone cares EliteXC is on tonight on Showtime. Frank Shamrock - Renzo Gracie. They are letting the whole undercard be streamed on

http://proelite.com/

Fightcard

Renzo Gracie vs. Frank Shamrock

Antonio Silva vs. Wesley Correira

Ross Ebanez vs. Mike Pyle

David Loiseau vs. Joey Villasenor

KJ Noons vs. Charles Bennett

Seth Kleinbeck vs. Riki Fukuda

Bo Cantrell vs. Tim Persey

Edson Berto vs. John Shackelford

Julie Kedzie vs. Gina Carrano

Adriano Pereira vs. Javier Vazquez

[herrmag]

Did anybody see the Showtime event? I heard about Shamrock getting DQ'd for illegal kicks. Can anyone elaborate?

[Cooked Crack]

Did anybody see the Showtime event? I heard about Shamrock getting DQ'd for illegal kicks. Can anyone elaborate?

Renzo was basically in side control most of the fight and Shamrock couldn't really stop him. He was thrwoing knees to Renzo's side the whole fight. Renzo must have got tired of it and got to a postition where Frank couldn't knee his side. Shamrock decided to intentionally throw some knees to his head while he was against the cage. The knees hit the back of the head and gave Renzo a concussion. Shamrock tried to play it off by saying he was old school and Renzo might have been faking.

Knees to a downed oppenent is one thing but even Pride doesn't let you kick the back of the head.

[Sebowski]

Renzo was basically in side control most of the fight and Shamrock couldn't really stop him. He was thrwoing knees to Renzo's side the whole fight. Renzo must have got tired of it and got to a postition where Frank couldn't knee his side. Shamrock decided to intentionally throw some knees to his head while he was against the cage. The knees hit the back of the head and gave Renzo a concussion. Shamrock tried to play it off by saying he was old school and Renzo might have been faking.

Knees to a downed oppenent is one thing but even Pride doesn't let you kick the back of the head.

Funny thing about the old school comment that Renzo brought up in an interview: Renzo could have ended the fight anytime he wanted if he was allowed to knee Shammy's head from side control where he was the whole fight.

[tkatz]

Started thinking about UFC and have some thoughts:

I was looking at RUMORED upcoming fights for the next few UFC events and was a little disappointed with the fights. I feel as though with the array of talent they are starting to collect they should be signing slightly better fights and overall more interesting match ups. (although there are several other fighters outside the organization THEY MUST get in order to have the best talent in the world). Here are some of the ones that I found to be intriguing or notable in the UFC. (Some may be rumors)

Randy "The Natural" Couture versus champion Tim Sylvia---Couture is one of the faces of the industry and truly a legend in the sport so the match at least grabs my attention. I am a fan of Couture and hope he makes it a fight but I think Sylvia has too much reach and a very solid take down defense. Couture will clearly try for the takedown because he knows he can’t strike with the bigger and stronger Sylvia, whether or not Sylvia can evade the takedown with his trademark sprawl (he used this constantly against Monson) might be a deciding factor in the fight. Nostalgic fight with everyone pulling for the old school hero with heart rather then the occasionally boring Sylvia. Against Monson he didn’t have the killer instinct a true champion and fighter must have. He had Monson reeling but would not risk a possible submission attempt in order to go for the knockout.

Matt Hughes versus Chris Lytle---My problem with the fight is that the UFC is clearly giving what they consider, an opportunity for an easy win in Hughes favor. Hughes is coming off a crushing defeat against St.Pierre in which he looked awful and a controversial win against BJ Penn where he was losing decisively and looking confused until Penn injured himself going into the third round. I think Hughes should be fighting a competitor of a little more caliber then Lytle. I as a fan want to know whether or not Hughes is still the fighter he once was? Has he lost it completely or is he still a top guy? I don’t want to see him beat up some pushover in order to get an undeserved title shot. I would be interested to see him fight a high talent guy like Karo Parisyian in a possible title eliminator or even Hughes square off against a quality fighter like Josh Burkman. Hughes has been a mainstay and fan favorite in the UFC for years and has a highlight reel of huge slams and perfectly executes “shootes” (type of takedown) so I would rather see him in a highly competitive Hughes so we as fans can decide where his career is heading.

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez versus Josh Koscheck---Right away I’ll let it be known I think Sanchez is a terrific fighter and I am a big fan. I think he has all the tools necessary to become a champion in this sport. He has heart and fantastic work ethic. The man has incredible stamina, heavy hands, solid wrestling abilities, exceptional grappling skills, and good speed. And maybe most importantly he is able to turn on the kill switch in his head and becomes disturbingly intense. If he becomes well-versed in terms of Jiu-jitsu and other MMAs then he could be something special. A pure striker, with great wrestling and grappling abilities, who can defend takedowns, and submit you sounds unstoppable on paper.

On the other hand Koscheck doesn’t impress me. He is a world class wrestler who is a pure athlete but simply doesn’t have any other skills. The man will try and take you to the ground all day long. That’s all he can do, he cannot strike and leaves himself susceptible to punches. The guy can only do one thing and although there first fight was close Sanchez has improved his all around game where as Koscheck has remained stagnant in terms of improvement. Sanchez needs to avoid the take down and knock him out. Sanchez should continue fighting top tier fighters, work hard on diversifying his fighting, and bide his time until a title shot.

UFC 70 which is taking place in Britain is reportedly having Michael Bisping, Mirco Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovsky, and Forrest Griffin on the same card. If Bisping were to fight Griffin and Cro Cop was to fight Arlovsky I’d be thoroughly impressed and excited for the event (hopefully they would add one more decent fight to round the card off very nicely). If Griffin ever wants to establish himself as a dominant fighter and continue to be in the championship hunt then he needs a win. He did not look impressive against Jardine who was the underdog. Griffin has a huge heart and is a solid fighter but I am not sold on the fact that he is great. He will have the opportunity to prove me wrong bc Bisping is the future of Light Heavyweight division. The man has not been training in MMA very long but already looks impressive. Apparently the guy is a work out warrior, tirelessly pushes himself, and trains for staggering numbers of hours. Beating him is a task and it would be a good test for both fighters.

But Arlovsky fighting Cro Crop would be a huge fight. Arlovsky had risen through the sport with huge hype and he has all the skills and is one of the most well rounded and athletic fighters I have ever seen. Yet he has suffered some disappointing losses and this would be his biggest test to date. If Arlovsky could win it would be huge for his career and thrust him right back into being known as one of the very best in the world. Cro Cop is simply a beast. The guy has the most vicious leg kicks I have ever seen, great striker with a good chin, methodical as all hell, he will keep coming and continue sticking to his game plan the entire fight, very smart and always calm. He is one of the very best in the world and without question one of the top three Heavyweights in the world. This fight would be huge for the sport and for the UFC and I can see this fight forcing Arlovsky to rise to the occasion.

Lastly I decided to make a list of the top few fighters UFC has in each division (in terms of talent and skill) and who the company should base their fights around.

Heavyweights:

1. Mirko Cro Cop

2. Tim Sylvia

3. Andrei Arlovsky

4. Brandon Vera

...and maybe little known Gabriel Gonzaga. Beyond that the division is pretty weak. Yet there is some major hope. Rival organization PRIDE has the best heavyweights in the world. By adding their top three heavyweight fighters it would give the UFC seven of the legitimately best heavyweights in the world and the division could become the most talented and most popular in all of MMA. Adding PRIDE’s champion undefeated and incredible Fedor Emelianenko, dangerous and deadly Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, and finally Josh Barnett (formerly of the UFC, beat Coutoure) would round out a newly impressive division.

Light Heavyweight:

1. Chuck Liddell (for the time being he remains number one but Rampage is a close second)

2. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

3. Tito Ortiz

4. Renato Sobral

(i feel there is a significant drop off in talent at this point, but Bisping and Evans have potential while the others need to prove their elite and not just good).

5. Michael Bisping

6. Rashad Evans

7. Forrest Griffin

8. Keith Jardine

9. Stephan Bonnar

The division has the biggest star in the sport in Liddell and with the addition of Rampage the division has two legitimately great fighters. But it does tail off somewhat after that. Yet what’s great about these fighters is that they are talented enough that proper training could cultivate some of them into being huge names and high quality fighters. Several have the potential to be very good if not great. A lot of interesting match up possibilities as well. Evans/Bisping, Evans/Jardine, Sobral/Ortiz, Ortiz/Bisping could be solid. Lots of options and I like that. The division would be complete with the addition of two Pride fighters. Mauricio Rua who dismantled Rampage similarly to how Rampage ran through Liddell and Wanderlei Silva (one of Prides biggest starts who lost to Ortiz in 2000 but has gone on a straight tear in Pride and improved his game vastly). Silva has beaten several very good fighters and many notables since his lost to Ortiz such as Guy Mezger, Dan Henderson (very good fighter), Kazsushi Sakuraba, Rampage (twice), and Ricardo Arona (very good fighter). While he is on the downward end of his career he is still an incredible fighter and would offer so many great match ups. One of the most fun fighters to watch, very intense and has tremendous heart. Tries to put on a show for the fans.

Middleweight Division:

1. Anderson Silva

2. Rich Franklin

3. Nate Marquardt

4. Mike Swick

5. Yushin Okami

6. Kendall Grove

7. Chris Leben

This is one of the weaker divisions in the UFC. They have two top guys, Silva and Franklin but neither of them are beasts. Silva is very talented and one of the most feared strikers in the game but he has lost fights he shouldn’t have and makes mental mistakes, he doesn’t not fight intelligently at times. For example when fighting Lutter he allowed him to take him down the same way more then once. Lutter set up the takedown twice and Silva ignored the signs. A few more acquisitions are necessary but there are several good fights out there, Swick/Franklin or Silva, Marquardt versus one of the top guys. Dan Henderson and and Matt Lindland would provide a few more very top guys and the division competitive but not spectacular.

Welterweight Division:

1. George St.Pierre

2. BJ Penn

3. Matt Hughes

4. Diego Sanchez

5. Karo Parysian

6. Jon Fitch

7. Nick Diaz

8. Josh Koscheck

The top four in this division are all some of my favorite fighters to watch. I think some of the things BJ Penn does are amazing and St.Pierre can be an all-time great wrestler. Sanchez has such a huge future in the industry and Hughes is a legend. I could think of more exciting fights then a Penn versus Pierre again or versus Sanchez. Some really great match ups could take place.

Anyway, that’s my input on the current state of the UFC.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

^ ^ ^

Nice read...I agree on almost all your points. I actually believe Liddell will catch Rampage being too aggressive their next fight. Liddell didn't like fighting in Japan and you could tell he was extremely tight before that match. He got caught in the mouth a lot, but the UFC is his home turf. He fights looser, way more calm, plays to the crowd. When they get pumped, he finishes combos with a fury. Definitley uses the spotlight of the UFC to his advantage. I'd have to take Liddell in that one.

I believe Couture has got to be going all-out for this fight. Sylvia is underrated and we'll only see the extent of that when he fights CroCop. Couture's only chance is if he obliterates himself with training. I mean he has to be a machine to get inside Sylvia's ogre butt and land a few on the nose. Otherwise, I'd love to see Mirko fight Sylvia by this summer. Check that, put Rampage and Chuck on that same card.

Cheers

[tkatz]

Impressive, comprehensive, informative post.

Dad Katz

[Baculus]

Great post, tkatz. Well done!

[Sebowski]

UFC 70 is looking awesome

-Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

-Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum

-Ryoto Machida vs. Forrest Griffin

-Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic

-Assuerio Silva vs. Cheick Kongo

-Dennis Siver vs. Jess Liaudin

-Alessio Sakara vs. Victor Valimaki

And Tito vs. TBA (maybe Jardine or Evans?)

Crop Cop gets one more showcase fight which I do not have a problem with.

Arlovski draws Werdum's UFC debut. That might be the fight of the night.

Machida-Griffin will be a war. I have Machida staying undefeated here and making his mark on the 205 division. That will make 3 losses in a row for Forrest who will have to work his way back up.

[herrmag]

That will make 3 losses in a row for Forrest who will have to work his way back up.

I'm at work so can't look it up, but are you sure Forrest didn't fight anyone inbetween Tito and Jardine?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I'm at work so can't look it up, but are you sure Forrest didn't fight anyone inbetween Tito and Jardine?

He did. He faught Stephan Bonner and won unanimously. That cat he had the world-war with in Ultimate Fighter. Forrest needs to step it up. The Light Heavyweight division is getting cluttered with talent, it's time to make a very distinctive move or he'll find himself way back.

[herrmag]

He did. He faught Stephan Bonner and won unanimously. That cat he had the world-war with in Ultimate Fighter. Forrest needs to step it up. The Light Heavyweight division is getting cluttered with talent, it's time to make a very distinctive move or he'll find himself way back.

From what I've heard, Bonnar is going to be fighting in the WEC in the near future. Apparently Dana said (according to mmaweekly) that he is welcome back in the UFC. I'm not sure why. I say let him have 2-3 good showings in the WEC, and then consider it.

As for Forrest, there is no excuse for losing to Jardine. Unfortunately, I was at the arena and saw it live. If Jardine hadn't been on TUF, he wouldn't even be in the UFC. I suspect if someone like Tito/Rampage/Evans get ahold of him, it could be his last fight in the UFC. At least televised. Then again, KO'ing Forrest probably bought him another couple of losses. :doh:

[Jaded-Dragon]

Great post Katz

I definitely agree that they should be pushing Arlovsky vs Cro Cop. I also want the rematch between Liddell and Rampage, as well as Franklin and Silva. I'm also interested to see how Forest reacts to that KO loss.

[Cooked Crack]

Pride 33 is tonight.

UFC 70 is looking awesome

-Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum

I got Werdum winning that. I don't think AA is going to get that shot at Cro Cop so soon. Plus Werdum trains CC in BJJ so I don't know if they would ever fight.

[Sebowski]

Anyone watching the Pride fights tonight? I will probably try to watch them on the internet. A lot of mismatches.

Silva-Hendo should be great. I hoping Silva wins so he can get back to being dominant so Chuck or Dana don;t have an excuse not to make the fight.

Gomi-Diaz should be a war. Both guys like to stand toe-to-toe and bang.

They are wasting Lil Nog against a nobody.

Trigg-Misaki might be good. I will be pulling for Trigg.

And Shogun should roll right through Overeem.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Anyone watching the Pride fights tonight? I will probably try to watch them on the internet. A lot of mismatches.

Silva-Hendo should be great. I hoping Silva wins so he can get back to being dominant so Chuck or Dana don;t have an excuse not to make the fight.

Gomi-Diaz should be a war. Both guys like to stand toe-to-toe and bang.

They are wasting Lil Nog against a nobody.

Trigg-Misaki might be good. I will be pulling for Trigg.

And Shogun should roll right through Overeem.

How are you gonna watch that over the internet? Is Chuck really making the excuses for not fighting Silva? I thought Chuck's policy is that he'd fight anybody any time.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

http://www.bodogfight.com/ppv/

Looks like Fedor has a fight. I'd like to see this, I want to see Fedor catch more of the spotlight. After Cro Cop versus Sylvia he should step right in to the Heavyweight division of the UFC.

[Cooked Crack]

How are you gonna watch that over the internet?

*cough* streams *cough*

[Cooked Crack]

This card is great. Upsets, KOs, and everything. Only one decision so far.