My Two Cents

Some thoughts on UFC 82 “Pride of a Champion”:

Dominance.

Anderson Silva is in fact the best pound for pound fighter in the world. His handling of Dan Henderson was unbelievable. Yes, Hendo clearly won the first round. But, Silva avoided any real damage and then inflicted his own the very next round. You almost have to feel bad for anyone who fights in that division.

Irony.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the best submission artist in the heavyweight division; he chose to stand up in his fight against Heath Herring. Cheik Kongo is the best striker in the heavyweight division; he chose to take Herring down. I don’t know why this would be in his gameplan. Kongo is a much better striker than Herring. He has more speed, accuracy and power. It doesn’t make sense and it made the fight much less entertaining than it should have been.

The importance of having a large head.

Chris Leben has a huge head. The dude belongs on South Park or something. But, all joking aside, that head can take a punch. Allessio Sakara cracked him over and over again, but Leben didn’t appear the least bit stunned—not once. It is amazing to watch him fight. I would really like to see how many punches he has absorbed compared to the amount that he has landed. I am sure he takes three times as many as he gives. This also supports the theory that Silva is the best in the world.

Jake O’Brien is boring.

I spent the extra two bucks to watch the Arlovski fight. I miss Arlovski and wanted to see his fight after I read that he won. Boy was I disappointed. Jake O’Brien refused to let the fight have any kind of dynamic other than straight up wrestling. The only enjoyment was watching Arlovski turn the tide and take O’Brien down and pound him out. I say bring on Herring next.

Chris Wilson is good.

I knew he was good, but he took it to Fitch. I think the UFC is going to have to make some plans for this guy. Not only did he lose a close one to the second-best fighter in the division, but he did it in a way that most fans love—striking. When the event was over, every single highlight from that fight was Wilson knocking Fitch’s head around. That has to tell you something. I say bring on Chris Lytle.

Why doesn’t anyone like Koscheck?

After watching guys like O’Brien and Matt Hughes constantly fall back on their wrestling—to the detriment of the fight—watching the best wrestler in the division slug it out time and time again makes me wonder how everyone isn’t a fan of this guy. He kicked Dustin Hazlett so hard, and so wildly, that he fell straight on his ass. The dude is an animal.

Boo if you’re retarded.

What the fuck is with the booing? I’m sorry, I know you paid good money for your seats, but what do you want from these guys? They are fighting in the middle of 18,000 people, with the knowledge that hundreds of thousands more are watching on TV. I think every American fan needs to watch a Japanese crowd so they may see the proper way to show your respect to someone who has the guts to do something that would make you shit your pants.

The circus is back in town.

Mark Coleman is fighting Brock Lesnar? A year ago, this would have pissed me off. Now, I harken back to the days of Pride and some of the silly fights they put on. I miss those fights. Good for you, UFC. Mark Coleman is not on track to win the belt again and Brock Lesnar is a freak of nature without much talent. I can’t wait for one of them to beat the other in the most brutal and primal fashion. Plus, putting two wrestlers against each other usually makes for a good fight.