It’s Spreading!

As I impatiently await the start of UFC 82: Pride of a Champion, I find that my excitement does not stem solely from the upcoming fights — which should be quality. Two recent bits of news in the mixed-martial-arts world, that have nothing to do with the fighting itself, have me pumped.

First, the CBS Television Network and ProElite Inc. announced a “multi-year agreement.” The fact that this is the UFC, at first, had me a little bummed. But, I soon thought better of this.

Competition breeds excellence — at least that’s the capitalist cry. Overall, the sport of MMA will directly benefit from the added exposure. But, indirectly, something will be brought about by this newfound attention to EliteXC—the UFC’s answer.

The UFC did announce a sponsorship deal with Bud Light. This is not quite as huge, but momentous none-the-less. All the major sports in America have a major beer sponsor. (Mickey’s did not count.)

This should also help with the UFC inking a deal of its own. Well, that and Dana White letting his guard down a little. I could see Fox airing the fights. It seems like a good fit to me. With shows like American Idol and Family Guy, they couldn’t possibly take a pretentious stance towards fighting. Plus, it would help them hang on to the viewers that leave after the Super Bowl.

Here’s hoping us MMA fans the best.

PW’s Picks

I had these posted as a reply to Mr, NC 17’s earlier post, but decided to give them their own space.

Silva vs. Henderson: I like Henderson in this one. I think he is going to use his strength to control Silva in the clinch and beat him up inside. I also think Henderson uses his superior wrestling to avoid submissions on the ground. Silva will wear down, and Henderson wins by KO/TKO around the third or fourth round.

Herring vs. Kongo: Kongo’s weakness on the ground is well-documented, so no need to rehash it. Herring’s Sherdog record shows 16 of his 27 career wins coming via submission, although his performance against Blanket O’Brien showed no ability to stop a takedown or do jack squat from bottom position. But since Herring won’t be in bottom position against Kongo, unless he gets knocked on his ass, that won’t be an issue. Herring keeps the fight on the mat and gets a submission with an arm bar or kimura in round 2.

Sakara vs. Leben: ViolentMike summed this one up pretty well on Mania. Leben is a more rounded and skillful fighter with a better record against better competition. He’s going to plant Sakara with a big left and finish him in the first round with a rear naked choke.

Okami vs. Tanner: I’d love to see Tanner pick up a win to both get his life back together and slow the freight train of boredom known as Okami. It won’t happen though. Give Tanner his due for asking for this fight, but he has been away for too long. Okami is big and strong and will pick his spots and take a unanimous decision.

Wilson vs. Fitch: Wilson comes into the fight on a four-fight win streak and an excellent training camp. Fitch, however, has won 14 straight including seven in the octagon, and that’s going to make the difference. Wilson will put up a good fight, but no way does Fitch lose his title shot by blowing this fight. Fitch by RNC round 2.

O’Brien vs. Arlovski: This has the potential to be the most boring fight of the night. Yeah, I said it. Arlovski hasn’t exactly been setting the octagon on fire with his performances over the last two-plus years, and O’Blanket has already as much as said he’s going to try and lay on Arlovski for three rounds. O’Blanket is the type of spare part HW that Arlovski was crushing back when he was the champion of a watered down division. He needs a dominating performance to have any sort of leverage for a new contract with UFC or some other organization. But that was then, and this is now. Arlovksi sprawls his way to a unanimous decision and an unceremonious exit from the UFC.

Fioravanti vs. Cummo: I think Fioravanti is a better striker and better on the ground, but Cummo is game enough to put him away if Fioravanti makes a mistake. Nothing thrilling about this one. Fioravanti by unanimous decision.

Hazelett vs. Koscheck: I don’t like anything about Koscheck, from his dry-hump wrestling to his loopy punches to his stupid blond half-fro. I’m going to assume Hazelett has better stand-up than Koscheck, which isn’t exactly going out on a limb. Koscheck has fallen in love with his mediocre punching, and after Hazelett gets the better of a few exchanges, Koscheck will resort to his bread and butter, which is wrestling. Eventually Hazelett will catch a limb and slap on a submission. Hazelett wins with an arm bar in round 3.

Bielkheden vs. Sanchez: I’m not buying into any speculation that Sanchez is done after two straight losses. A decision loss to Koscheck when he was on the verge of retirement and/or death with staph and a debatable split decision loss to Fitch (all split decisions are debatable except for Bisping-Hammill) are not a death knell to his career. I think he has his mind focused and is more in tune with his spirits and powers and whatever else than ever before. Very few fighters do well in their octagon debut, and Bielkheden will be no different. Sanchez pounds out a TKO in round 1.

Halverson vs. Gurgel: I’m no fan of Gurgel, and this fight isn’t likely to change my opinion of him, but if he doesn’t get a stoppage win here he should retire from active competition. Halverson has built up a decent record with his only notable opponents being Roger Huerta, who knocked him cold in 19 seconds and Josh Rafferty, who is only somewhat known for appearing on TUF 1. All four of Gurgel’s UFC fights have gone the distance, even the one against Danny “Baloney Sandwich” Abbadi. Still, I’ll take Gurgel to break from his past performances and pound Halverson and finish with the RNC in round 1.

NC-17 PICKS: UFC 82

Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva

Winner: Anderson Silva TKO Round 3

Chiek Kongo vs. Heath Herring

Winner: Chieck Kongo Via Unam Decision

Chris Leben vs. Alessio Sakara

Winner: Alessio Sakara Round 1 KO

Evan Tanner vs. Yushin Okami

Winner: Yushin Okami Round 2 Submission Rear Naked Choke

Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson

Winner: Jon Fitch via TKO Round 3

Diego Sanchez vs. David Bielkheden

Winner: Deigo Sanchez Split Decision

Josh Koscheck vs. Dustin Hazelett

Winner: Dustin Hazelett Round 3 Submission: Triangle

Luke Cummo vs. Luigi Fioravanti

Winner: Luke Cummo Round 2 TKO Strikes

Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien

Winner: Jake O’Brien via. Boring Unam Decision

Jorge Gurgel vs. John Halverson

Winner: Jorge Gurgel via Submission Round 1 Armbar

UFC 82: Whats on the line on March 1?

UFC 82: What is on the line on March 1?

Before getting into predictions for UFC 82, here is a look at what is on the line for each fighter.

Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson

Both fighters are in different situations; Dan Henderson has nothing to lose, while Anderson Silva has everything to lose. Henderson’s victory over Wanderlai Silva has solidified him among one of the greatest fighters of all time, his place in history is set. However the win will further push his legacy to the next level. Add the UFC Middleweight title to Henderson’s resume and you have one of the greatest, if not the greatest career in the short history of mixed martial arts.

As for the champion, with a victory over Henderson, you are looking at the un-questioned pound for pound best fighter in the world in Silva. If Silva is able to defeat Henderson then you are looking at a fighter who has ran through the competition and will run through the competition quite some time. On top of that, if Silva is able to handle Henderson’s strength in this bout, then you could possibly see Silva step up to the much more competitive Light Heavyweight division.

Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo

This heavyweight bout sets up to fighters that are at separate crossroads in their careers. Cheick Kongo’s star has risen thanks to an upset victory over Mirko CroCop, however the Kongo bandwagon will not gain full steam until he shows improvement in his wrestling. Early in his career he was mauled by Carmelo Marrero, who was a light heavyweight that was fighting above his natural weight class.  Wrestling was something that he didn’t have to worry about against CroCop. As a strong striker, the bout will all depend on where Kongo’s wrestling abilities currently lie.

Heath Herring is fighting for a job, pure and simple. Herring’s contract was among the assets that Zuffa purchased in the WFA deal and with it came a steep price for a fighter who was essentially a journeyman. Now Herring, who has faced some of the toughest heavyweights in the world, has to show that he was worth the investment or he may be looking for a new job.

Jon Fitch vs Chris Wilson

A welterweight title shot could be at stake for Jon Fitch if he has an impressive showing at UFC 82. The public see this bout against Chris Wilson as a walk in the park and if Fitch struggles then he may not get the title shot that he justly deserve. Fitch and Parisyan are pretty much neck and neck for the next title shot and a strong impression against Chris Wilson will put some heat on “The Heat” come April 12 in his bout against Thiago Alves.

The shot at stake for Chris Wilson is to shock the world. There is no better way to make a name for you then to upset the heavy favorite, just ask Matt Serra. The Team Quest fighter is going to step into the octagon with nothing to lose and everything to gain. An educated fan may know that Wilson is no joke, but can gain main stream success with a victory over a fighter in Fitch who hasn’t lost in 4 years. Big wins equal big sponsorships.

Yushin Okami vs Evan Tanner

Though this fight is more about the return to the octagon for Evan Tanner, the bout has more implications for Yushin Okami. Especially if Anderson Silva is victorious on the cards main event, Okami could be next in line for a middleweight title shot with a victory over a former champion in Tanner. Okami holds the last victory over “The Spider” before both fighters were in the UFC. The controversy from that bout would give the title fight a little more hype.

It has a long road back to the UFC for Tanner and a victory would infuse a little sizzle into a dull middleweight division. The lack of contenders makes the division look weak but there hasn’t been a fighter outside of Okami or Nate Marquadt to really establish them among the top of the division. A win for Tanner will put him in the right direction.

Alessio Sakara vs Chris Leben

The bout that is guaranteed to be slugfest can help build up a fighter. If the Chris Leben that showed up against Terry Martin appears, than Sakara will be in trouble. The Leben that fought against Martin was a different Leben, he fought a more mature fight. He was light years away from the fighter that lost two out of three previous fights in the octagon. A win here against “Legionarius” will put Leben a fight or two away from title contention.

Sakara is in a situation where his stock as a fighter can either soar or falter. A win will push his stock further after defeating a popular fighter, while a loss will squash the momentum he gained knocking out James Lee. There is a thin line between a contender and out of a job and Sakara is square in the middle. If Sakara doesn’t want to resume his boxing career in Italy, than a win is a must .

Jake O’Brien vs Andrei Arlovski 

The heavyweight tilt has much on the line. In what can ultimately be Andrei Arlovski’s final match in the UFC, Arlovski needs to shed the resent label of a boring fighter if he wants the big money he feels he deserves. A quick exciting fight will go a long way for “The Pit Bull” in his quest to regain the UFC Heavyweight title.

“Irish” Jake O’Brien won the biggest fight of his career against Heath Herring well over a year ago. Things were looking bright than a neck surgery sidelined him. There isn’t a tougher comeback fight than Arlovski, an upset over the Belarus native will put him on the short list of title contender for Nogueira or Couture if he decides to come back.

Josh Koscheck vs Dustin Hazelett amd Diego Sanchez vs David Bielkheden

Both fights have the same situations going. Josh Koscheck and Diego Sanchez both loss fights that put them out of title contention. Now they are both on the undercard and need a win to get them going in the right direction. A loss for either Ultimate Fighter 1 might put them in the WEC or worse.

Hazelett needs that big win that will put his name in the deep mix at welterweight. Bielkheden is in the same situation as Chris Wilson, only greater. What better way to make a name for yourself then to defeat the fighter who became popular on the most important show in UFC history. This could be the coming out party for either fighter.

Luigi Fioravanti vs Luke Cummo

Since losing to Joe Stevenson on the Ultimate Fighter 2 finale, Luke Cummo has continued to improve and has slowly but surely made a name for him in a competitive welterweight division. a win here and Cummo will push him up the ranks. You may see on Cummo on the televised portion of the next Ultimate Fight Night if he wins.

Fioravanti is in a different situation, after consecutive loses, he had to score a victory outside of the octagon in order to get another shot in the big show. If Fioravanti wants to continue fighting in the UFC then he needs to defeat Cummo.

John Halverson vs Jorge Gurgel

The likely opening bout of the evening has two fighters who may have their jobs on the line here. John Halverson’s UFC debut lasted all of 19 seconds against Roger Huerta. A win here will bring Halverson back to the big show; a loss here sends him back down to the smaller circuits because you don’t get a call back from the UFC at 0-2.

Ultimate Fighter 2 star Jorge Gurgel is in quite the predicament, he has world class jiu-jitsu but he likes to get himself in the slug fest. While Gurgel has good stand up but he can defeat almost anybody at 155 pounds on the ground. Catering to the crowd may cause him to lose his job if he is unable to defeat Halverson.   

UFC 82: Quick Submission

I just thought I would let you all know, that on Friday and Saturday I will be up there attending the UFC 82 Weigh Ins, and UFC 82: Pride of a Champion.

 Expect a full report on both, and a lot of pictures.

Remember write our your Predictions, get them on this site tomorrow.

Swick vs. Davis. Make it Happen!

With the UFC and the depth of the talent they have in all divisions, there are many match-ups out there that we all want to see, but we know it may never happen. Well, I’m throwing out the “never happen” scenario, because this fight that I want to see is very realistic, and it should happen.

The fight I want to see is a Mike “Quick” Swick vs. Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis in the 170-pound weight class.

Think about it, this match-up has all of the makings to be an incredible fight.

Mike Swick, who looked lackluster in his bout against Josh Burkman, after moving down to the 170 class, needs a fight to resurrect his “Quick” name, in which at the 185 division Mike Swick was very deadly on his feet and had incredible knock outs. Swick, has been very cautious his past two fights, because he has fought a wrestler in Burkman, and a grappler in Yushin Okami.

Marcus Davis, ever since he has lost to Melvin Guillard inside the octagon has gone on a huge rampage inside the octagon with his last 5 out of his 6 wins, all have been stopped before the 3rd round either by knockout or submission. Marcus Davis has incredible one hit KO’ power and is becoming more and more well rounded everyday, gaining new knowledge on the ground game and submissions.

Mike Swick vs. Marcus Davis would be a guaranteed slugfest. Both fights do perfer to keep the fight standing on the feet because that is what their strengths are. But if someone goes to the ground, you also have to watch out, because they are well rounded on the ground as well.

If this fight were to happen it could also answer a couple of questions about each fighter. Is Mike Swick really top 10 in the Welterweight Division? Can Marcus Davis defeat top tier competition and prove that he is a top 5 fighter, and a possible contender for the 170 belt? This fight makes a huge statement if it were to happen.

So if I was Joe Silva, I would make this fight. I would make this fight happen faster than a James Irvin flying knee.

More Lightweight Rankings (nothing catchy goes with my name)

It’s time that I jump on the lightweight ranking bandwagon. Below is the list of the Top 10 lightweight fighters in the UFC and an explanation for their rankings.

1. B.J. Penn- Penn is the champion and the champ is always going to be the top dog on a ranking for any organization. On top of that Penn looked better against Joe Stevenson then Sean Sherk did against Hermes Franca.
2. Sean Sherk- since Sherk is the number 1 contender, so he (reluctantly)gets the 2 ranking here. Hopefully Penn is able to get an entertaining performance out of the “Muscle Shark” because lay and pray is not going to get the job done in that fight.
3. Kenny Florian- since his loss to Sherk, Florian has been tearing through the competition making his way back into contender status. A win against Joe Lauzon will probably clinch a title shot against the Penn-Sherk winner.
4. Frank Edgar- “The Answer” broke through in 2007 with his fight against Tyson Griffin and furthered his stock with his victory over Spencer Fisher. We’ll see what Edgar has in store of his fans in 2008.
5. Joe Stevenson- the toughness that Stevenson showed in defeat at UFC 80 was great. He was out classed by Penn yet his determination never wavered. Stevenson will be back among the elite in a short time.
6. Roger Huerta- Huerta silenced some critics with his come from behind victory over Clay Guida. Like Mahde mentioned, Huerta did something that a lot of top class fighters couldn’t do and that was finishing Guida. After a busy 2007, the Sports Illustrated cover boy will take some time off before coming back to the UFC in what will probably be another top caliber fight.
7. Tyson Griffin- the UFC has another young star in their hands with Griffin. Griffin can make any fight entertaining, and if it wasn’t for the loss to Edgar, would probably already be fighting for the title shot.
8. Din Thomas- despite Thomas’ knee coming up gimp in his fight versus Florian, he remains a top fighter in a division full of young stars. Thomas needs to regain his form before the Florian fight in order to continue his climb up the rankings.
9. Thiago Tavares- Tavares looked awful in his match versus Michihiro Omigawa, the fight that was meant as a showcase for Tavares‘ skill ended with him looking like he didn’t belong more than anything. He needs to regain the form he had pre-Omigawa in order to continue getting pushed by Zuffa.
10. Nate Diaz- the Ultimate Fighter 5 winner has been on a roll since capturing the six-figure contract. Though he was on his way to defeat against Manny Gamburyan, Diaz has pretty much walked through everyone else in front of him.

The UFC: Love It or Leave It

In an interview with MSNBC.com’s SHOW, Tito Ortiz remarked, “I really pay attention to other organizations … and I see that they are all working together. That’s the way it should be.”

So, in this fight-fan utopia Tito describes, every big fight we’ve ever wanted to see could happen. There would be a truly international flair as American, Brazilian, Japanese and even Russian fight leagues got together to throw megashows.

There is only one problem. The UFC is the only organization with a sizable draw; at least from the American market.

According to the Wrestling Observer, the UFC generated an estimated $222,766,000 in Pay-per-view revenue for 2006.

According to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports, no other organization has been able to pull in over 75,000 PPVs for a single event, while the UFC regularly pulls in over 500,000.

So, the question is: What does the UFC have to gain from the kind of partnership Tito is talking about?

In short—not much.

Let’s get the pros out of the way; so as not to crush them under the weight of the cons:

1. There are a few fighters out there, who would most certainly pose a challenge for even the top of the UFC crop. This could make for some amazing cross-promotional fights.

2. Hardcore fans would rejoice. Those of us who surf the web trying to find every fight we can would be in for a treat, finally seeing some of the best foreign fighters without all that damn pixelation.

3. Synergy of resources. The organizations could share cost, bring their own set of fans and their own style to the show.

4. Gaining access to previously established markets; think Japan.

The main idea of a cross-promotional show is the synergy: synergy of fighters, resources, fans and marketing talent. The main problem with the UFC taking part in this; they have more of everything.

As far as other domestic organizations go, there isn’t much by way of fans or talent.

The IFL is essentially a B-league. And you have to admit, Dana White was right, MMA is not a team sport.

WEC is already owned by Zuffa, so the show would be a bit redundant. It could be a solid method of beefing up one promotion, but the talent levels are different. The WEC’s strength lies where the UFC doesn’t even tread—feather-weight and bantam-weight.

Rumble on the Rock is pretty much just Hawaii; StrikeForce, King of the Cage, Icon Sport,and Art of War are too small; and Cage Fury only has a circus-event to offer—Matt Serra vs. his brother Nick.

If HDNet Fights can secure Couture vs. Fedor, it has a chance to become large enough to do something. But, it will need a few more solid shows after that.

EliteXC seems like it could be the best bet. It has enough talent to put up at least one shows worth of competitive fights, with talent like Nick Diaz, Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields, Yves Edwards, Robbie Lawler and Murilo Ninja Rua (Frank Shamrock?). They also have a contract with Showtime. Personally, I don’t receive Showtime, but I’m sure somebody does.

The UFC’s best bet would be to partner up with a Japanese promotion. While most U.S. fans aren’t familiar with Japan’s elite fighters, Japanese fans are. Japan is also an extremely provincial country and would need a little domestic coaxing to get behind an American promotion like the UFC. The Japanese promotions, however, may not have as much to gain from such a partnership, and therefore, I doubt any would sign on.

In the end, Tito gives us the ultimate reason his fantasy is just that; a fantasy. “It’s a business,” he warns.

No shit.

Lightweight Rankings a la Mahde

For the sake of argument, here are my lightweight rankings.

1.          “The Prodigy” BJ Penn – After destroying Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (and without steroids), BJ showed that he is head and shoulders above the other contenders. He dominated every second of that fight. Also, the talented Penn is in the best shape of his life.

2.          Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk – I am not a fan of Sherk’s, but you have to respect his strength, even if it isn’t natural. Whether or not the test was accurate, I expect Sherk to be in similar shape when he challenges Penn for the belt.

3.          Joe “Daddy” Stevenson – “Daddy” is a distant third, and just a hair more accomplished than the rest of the field. However, his handling of Melvin Guillard and Kurt Pellegrino allowed him to display his superior strength and submission game.

4.          Frankie “The Answer” Edgar – Edgar answered his critics when he dominated Spencer Fischer at UFC 78, after having already dominated Tyson Griffin at UFC 67. I’ll say it again: He didn’t just win those fights—he dominated.

5.          Kenny “Kenflo” Florian – Kenflo was out-muscled by “The muscle Shark”, but like Penn, has a new strength and conditioning coach and appears to be in better shape. He is so good, that I don’t mind much when he praises Jesus for his choc-full-of-violence success.

6.          Roger “El Matador” Huerta – Huerta did what Tyson Griffin, Din Thomas and Gilbert Melendez couldn’t do: He finished Clay Guida. The fact that he was losing that fight, takes nothing away from his win. He overcame two lost rounds and finished strong.

7.          Tyson Griffin – Griffin’s only loss is to Edgar and Griffin put up a much better fight than Fischer had. His win over Thiago Tavares also lends support to his top-10 status.  

8.          Thiago Tavares – Solid stand-up and amazing BJJ make Tavares a lock for the top ten. Though his last fight was a bit of a snoozer, Tavares still put up an exciting fight against Griffin and destroyed Jason Black.

9.          Hermes Franca – People shouldn’t forget about Hermes Franca. He lasted all five rounds against Sherk (and all is fair when you consider they both got caught using steroids).

      10.       Clay Guida – Clay Guida has fought the best in the division, and despite a few losses, put up every bit as much fight as his opponents. Unlike Diaz, he has fought the top guys. Pellegrino, while having one top-10 opponent  (Joe Stevenson), was handily beaten by him.  

NC-17 UFC Lightweight Rankings.

Alright Kids, I am trying something new. I will be ranking the the UFC divisions. From the 1st figher till the 10th.

Today’s Ranking is the Lightweight Rankings. Here is how I, NC-17 Rank them.

1. Sean Sherk
2. BJ Penn
3. Kenny Florain
4. Frankie Edgar
5. Joe Stevenson
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Thiago Taveres
8. Roger Huerta
9. Kurt Pelligrino
10. Nate Diaz

See, you might be wondering why Sean Sherk is number 1 and not BJ Penn. I do believe that Sean Sherk should still be the champion, and that BJ Penn is the challenger. I think the gap between 1 and 2 is extremely small. I think this fight that is coming up will show who is really the number 1.

I do not see the Roger Huerta victory over Clay Guida as a top 5 movement for Roger. I think Roger is good, and that he has finally decided to fight top competition, it is only a matter of time till Roger can crack that top 5. But right now.. Not sold on it.

Well that is my NC-17 Rankings for the Lightweight Division.

What do you think?