Sam Stout looks like Elvis...

...or at least the guy who played Elvis on the 2005 TV mini series. UFC fighter Sam Stout has an uncanny reseblence to Hollywood star Johnathan Rhys Meyers.

UFC Fight Night 10 - Future Contenders

Last night's UFC Fight Night showcased a surprising amount of quality fighters, fighters who have not had a high level of visabilit in the world of MMA. It was great to see some raw talent come out of an event that wasn't PPV.

These five fighters have a combined record of 57 wins with only 5 losses!

Drew McFedries showed once again that he has heavy hands and can KO anyone in the middle weight division with his 33 second knock out of Jordan Radev. Radev is world class wrestler and by no means a pushover. Yes, McFedries lost to Marvin Kampman, but leading up to the submission he was picking him apart in the stand up. Drew isn't ready for a title shot, but keep an eye on him, he only seems to be getting better.

Jon Fitch: Most people who closely follow the MMA game knew of Jon Fitch and his impressive record. Last night he had a lot of expectations resting on his shoulds as there was a lot of hype built up surrounding his abilities. He was handed a very solid fighter in Roan Carneiro and although was in trouble early, impressively kept his composure and weathered the storm. Known for his wrestling, Fitch showed his well rounded game when he slapped on a rear naked choke a minute into the second round. Fitch is now 6-0 in the UFC. Watch out fellow welterweights.

Thiago Tavares: Possibly the most talented fighter of the night. Thiago maintained his undefeated record and schooled Jason Black, a guy with a 21-2 record. His ground game looked great as he outclassed Black. Thiago is only 21 years old and should only get better in the next couple of years. At 155, he's got all the tools to potentially get a title shot faster than any of other fighters from last night.

Spencer Fisher proved that he's one of the top guys and most complete fighters at 170 with his unanomous decision of highly regarded Sam Stout. Fisher looked great on his feet as he continued to effectily mix up his attack keeping Stout guessing the entire match. If he can shake off his recent loss to title contender Hermes Franca he'll continue to quickly move up the ranks.

Anthony Johnson had only three fights leading into last night's match against slightly above average competition so no a whole lot was know about his abilities. 13 seconds into the first round and it was obvious that this guy is athletic, fast, and powerful. He flatted 13-2 (before fight) Chad Reiner, a guy who pushed popular and talented Josh Berkman to the distance. It will be interesting to see Johnson a few more times but if his UFC debut is any indicator he's another fighter worth taking note of.

Great night of action and we were lucky to witness this kind of talent. UFC 72 has a lot to live up to.

The Case Against Chuck Liddell

Most MMA fans seem to think The Iceman is near invincable, I'm here to challenge that and say that he is not worth all non-stop hype First off, since his last loss (Rampage) he's rattled off seven straight wins but let's take a look at who he has fought. Vernon White (a fighter with 30 losses on his record), Jeremy Horn (a B level middle weight), Renato Babalu Sobral (a fighter who in the past 2 1/2 years has been fighting B level fighters), Tito Ortiz twice (a solid, but not elite fighter. See his performances against Patrick Cote and Forrest Griffen. Also, he's spent a lot of his recent fight time beating up on old man Shamrock, not the stiffest competition). I give Liddell credit for beating Couture, twice. But somethings a fighter just has another fighter's "number." And this is the case with Randy. And we've come to see that Couture is better off at heavyweight, a more nature weight for him. Another point to consider is Chuck's fight style. He's fairly one-dimensional and too many fighters have played right into his strenghts. Look at Babalu. He's a great submission guy, but what does the moron do in his fight with The Iceman? He goes straight at him looking to trade blows. Babalu is not a striker. What other outcome would one expect than for him to get KTFO?

Pay $1.99 for a UFC Clip?

I just received my semi regular e-newsletter from the UFC today. The headline was that Chuck Liddell was going to be featured on ESPN magazine. This I already knew. But they also had a link that read something like "Full Video of Liddell vs. Sobral." Sure, I'll check out that fight again. I click and get taken to a UFC.com page where they want you to pay $1.99 for a fight that lasted all of 1 minute and 35 seconds. How about this UFC, in order to help hype up the upcoming championship match with Rampage Jackson, show the damn video for free. After all, this fight was back at UFC 62 and it will give fans who may not have seen the fight a little more insight into the Ice Man's fighting style. News flash: If you are afraid that if people won't want to buy the UFC 62 DVD because they can see it for free then you are a bit too full of yourselves.

A Need for a Masters MMA Division?

At the upcoming IFL event on May 19th we will see the return of two former UFC champions, Marco "King of the Streets" Ruas and Maurice Smith. Combined, these two aging mixed martial artists have not stepped into the cage, or ring for that matter, in 12 years! Can you say ring rust? Although this fight means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of MMA rankings or contention, it is intersting and will likely get some decent attention, at least for anyone who was a UFC fan back in the early days, you know, when they actually had tournaments? So this begs the question, should there be a senior's division, with title and all? Many of these fighters, like Ken Shamrock, still love to get into the cage and can't seem to let it go. However, they have no shot at ever regaining a title and will ultimate get beat badly and embarrased by the new breed. If many of the old guys knew that they could fight in a league where they would only be matched up with fighters of their age/skill bracket, I think you would see a highly competitive division that would bring some old-timers back into the ring. Maybe Oleg Taktorov, Keith Hackney, Dave Beneteau and the like? As we've seen, many of these guys still have the fighting spirit, see: Dan Severn (who has had five fights this year already!), Mo Smith, Tank Abbott, Shamrock, Mark Kerr, etc. You wouldn't have to pay these guys much and it would bring in some good ratings.

Liddell Makes Cover of ESPN Magazine - Bad Timing?

It looks like mixed martial arts will finally get the credit it has so patiently deserved when the Iceman graces the cover of ESPN Magazine. This is a huge step for MMA and no one deserves it more than UFC icon Chuck Liddell, but how about the timing? It's all going to depend on the outcoming of his fight against Quinton Jackson. You are going to have millions of people exposed to MMA for the first time with this issue of ESPN Magazine. After reading the article, most are going to think Chuck is the baddest man on the planet, get excited about MMA, and will probably take notice of his next fight. Now, if Chuck beats Rampage, he lives up the magazine hype and justifies his placement on the cover. This will only help the sport as a new base of fans get to see, and get behind, a true great of the sport. Think of it this way, most people don't give a shit about horse racing, but when you have an undefeated horse who smashes the competition at the Kentucky Derby, like Barboro did a year prior, people all of the sudden take notice of horse racing and go on to tune into the second leg of the Triple Crown (The Preaknes) to see if that horse can continue that win streak. The real problem with Liddell on the cover is that if he loses his next fight (which I think he will, but that's another post all together) a lot of newly interested and potential fans will be let down. Just like that great race horse who everyone has read about and ends up finishing last in his next race. I wish Chuck would have been on the cover a couple of years ago, that way the readers would have been able to see the sport's star live up to his status as he rattled off KO after KO. Regardless, this is a great day for mixed martial arts and nothing should be taken away from Chuck, win or lose at UFC 71.

Best fight in TUF history?

On the last episode of The Ulitmate Fighter, Dan White said of the Nate Diaz / Rob Emerson fight "That's probably the best fight we've ever had." What am I missing? The first round was pretty good, but nothing amazing. Round two Diaz dominated. There wasn't one time in that round where it looked like Emerson was going to turn the tide. If this was the best fight in The Ultimate Fighter then that isn't say much for the calibur of MMA fights in TUF. A great fight is a fight where the fighters go toe-to-toe, attempt submissions, escape submissions, back and forth. This was a good fight, but was not the kind of fight to be ranked as one of the best fights ever.

Thoughts on upcoming UFC Fight Night Live

Is it just me or am I the only one not very impressed with tomorrow night's fight card? A main event of Joe Daddy Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard doesn't carry a whole lot of "punch." Yeah yeah, most will say "hey, at least it is free and I should be happy with any fight card and main event they put together. My response. The SuperBowl is free. Every football game is free to watch. So don't you all get hung up on the "free" thing. Yeah, that was great when the UFC was still a small niche sport but those days are long gone and as a MMA fan I am starting to expect more in regards to the quality of fights. With the recent Pride acquisition the UFC has picked up a handful of solid fighter I imagine the fight cards will become better, even the free ones. Joe Stevenson is a very solid fighter as too Melvin Guillard. I'm excited an will of course watch the event. I'm also looking forward to Anthony Hardonk handing Frank Mir an ass whooping.

UFC buys Pride – The good and the bad

Officially announced yesterday, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (Zuffa to be exact) has purchased the Pride Fighting Championship (DSE to be exact). The news is huge to the mixed martial arts community and will ultimately be the impetus that will officially make the UFC a household name. I know that most of the MMA world is celebrating this major acquisition but there are some drawbacks that come to mind. The good of UFC and Pride coming together is pretty obvious. The match making and the fights that will result should be amazing. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson vs Anderson Silva, Gomi vs. GSP, and possibly Fedor vs. “The Natural” Couture. MMA wet dream right there. These stellar fights will only bring in more and more fans and the UFC will continue to grow. And maybe, just maybe we’ll see a UFC section on ESPN.com. I can’t believe those morons have a boxing category but still do not have a MMA section. For god sake, they have a section devoted to Bassmaster Tournaments (no lie, http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/index). I’ll save this particular rant for another day. On the flip side, there are a few negatives that result from the UFC / Pride deal. MMA fans lose the Pride. The ring will forever be replaced by the cage. I liked having different fighting environments because it altered fight styles. Also, say goodbye to the beloved soccer kick and knees to the head. Some are not a fan of those rules but I for one liked that about Pride. That added element of attacked really upped the intensity of a fight. I also appreciated the fact that the refs in Pride fights tend to let the fight go on a little longer before they step in and end the fight. The UFC is overly cautious (yeah, yeah, they need to protect the fighter..i get that). Allowing a couple of extra strikes to ensure that there is a clear cut need to stop a fight is appropriate. You get stuck with UFC ref Herb Dean who may stop the fight because you call the other fighter a bad name. One of the other important things to consider is that one man, Dana White, will be king of the MMA game. If you are a hungry upcoming fighter, but get on his bad side, you’re fucked when it come to a career in MMA.

UFC evolution, on the web

It wasn't long ago that the Ultimate Fighting Championship's website was fairly worthless. It really didn't provide anything other than fight cards and schedules. In fact, they didn’t even own www.ufc.com, instead they had to settle for second best, www.ufc.tv. Hard to have a lot of legitimacy with the .tv top-level domain name. I haven’t really paid too much attention to the evolution of the UFC website until I visited the official UFC 66 website yesterday. The site is superior in many ways. The design is strong, the content is deep, and the usability is slick. It really feels like the UFC has made a quantum leap in the last year with its website. For a company that sells “fighting” it is kind of odd that their website is so cutting edge. They obviously are making some good cash these days as sites like theirs are not cheap to produce. With a background in web production, I’d say that most web agencies would charge $200k or more for the UFC 66 site. Now think of how many events they have a year. At this rate, we’re looking at two million dollars a year spent on UFC website. Think about it, the UFC is spending more on their event websites than they are for their top fighters! More props to the UFC for breaking ground a developing websites at this level. They really add to the image of mixed martial art as being the “real deal” and the sport of a newer generation. Video, animation, fight analysis, interviews, I love it! Go to the UFC Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 website and take a minute to reflect on how much the sport has evolved, offline and online. Now let’s see if the PrideFC website steps up.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Hunt ? ? ?

Pride Fighting Championship has announced that Fedor Emelianenko will be defending his heavyweight title against Mark Hunt at their Shockwave 2006 show. First off, Hunt doesn't even deserve a shot at the title. Second, what the hell happened to Mirko "Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic? With his destruction of Wanderli Silva and his dismanteling of Baby Face Josh Barnett, no one deserves a title shot more than Cro Cop. Does he feel like he needs more time to prepare before facing Fedor? Has he sustained an injury? Will he be facing another fighter on the same card? Is he holding out, again, due to contract disputes? It would be nice if Pride made some announcments. As of now, the only fight listed for Shockwave 2006 is the Fedor Hunt fight. What's the haps DSE? Time is ticking people....

The Champ and the Chump - UFC 65 Thoughts

Saturday at Ultimate Fighting Championship, installment 65, two titles were on the line. One champ relinquished his title and the other successfully defended his. Of course I’m talking about Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia respectively. In the welterweight division we saw a battle between two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, Matt Hughes and George St. Pierre. This was the fight that justified forking over $40 for the PPPV. There is something inherently exciting about watching the best of the best and no matter what was going to happen, I knew I was going to be treated to a fight bwtween two world class athletes. The new champion, GSP, showed the world that he’s the real deal. I admit that even as big of a fan as I am of St. Pierre’s, I questioned his mental fortitude going into this fight. I thought that he was going to continue to give Hughes too much respect. Obviously I was wrong, very wrong. GSP is the man, period. Look at what he accomplished. He dominated the greatest welterweight of all time. It’s not a scenario of the younger challenger taking advantage of an older champ who is on the decline. Very much the opposite. In fact, Matt Hughes gained a lot of my respect over his past few fights. Most dominating wrestlers (see Coleman, Sherk, and Randleman. Hard to believe that the “Monster” has lost 7 of his last 9 fights! We’ll save that for a later post.) are one trick ponies. Matt on the other hand has grown significantly as a mixed martial arts fighter. He has submitted quality fighters and his stand up game has drastically improved. Matt is at the top of his game. As I just replay the fight I’m still in awe of GSP’s performance. Yes, I’m swinging from his nuts right now, but right now he deserves all the props. He really is the total package. I love the fact that he truly took it to the champ. To be the champ you have to beat the champ and he did that and more. He wasn’t going to leave this one up to the judges. From the moment the bell rang you could tell that he was going to try to KO or submit Hughes. Now that is a true champion. Now, on the other hand we have the complete opposite in Tim Sylvia. This guy is supposed to be the badest man on the planet? I just don’t understand him. He loves and cherishes being the champion yet he didn’t give the paying fans what they deserved. It was so obviously he was fighting to “not lose” instead of fighting to win. I understand being cautious the first round or two. After all you are facing a world class submission wrestler. But come round three it was obvious that Monson really posed no threat. Sylvia, with almost a foot height advantage, made it almost impossible for The Snowman to get inside and inflict any damage. And when the did make it to the ground, Sylvia’s defense was good enough to stifle any offence Monson tried to muster. So here is my big gripe. Why didn’t Sylvia ever go in for the kill? This was such a lopsided match that he should have been able to dispose his overmatched foe within three rounds. Being cautious against Andrei Arlovski is one thing, but there was no excuse for his tentativeness against the The Snowman. To be blunt, he is an employee of the UFC (or Zuffa if you want to be exact). His employer, the UFC, makes money by providing a solid product. The product they offer is entertainment. Entertainment found in exciting fights. In essence, Sylvia’s performance hurt his employer. The entertainment value he provided was almost nil. So why doesn’t he want to do the best he can for his employer? The better the fight he puts on, the more PPV the UFC sell. The more money the UFC makes, the more they can afford to pay their fighters, especially the Champions. Yes, yes, some of you are going to say he did the best he could, he got the win, he did what he had to do to retain his title. Well, that isn’t good enough. This title should be held by the most dynamic fighter in the business. The Heavyweight Champion should be the poster child of The Ultimate Fighting Championship. If Tim Sylvia is the best product the UFC has to offer then they are in trouble. Compared to the Pride Heavyweight Champion you can see why Sylvia is such a let down. Fedor Emelianenko is a total bad ass. He is THE main draw for the organization and he is that because he fights to win. He fights to KO or submit. He is always moving forward looking to go in for the kill. Even if you want to argue that Sylvia could beat Fedor (which I would disagree) but point of the matter is that Fedor is fun to watch. It’s exciting to witness excellence. Sylvia is content on being an excellent witness.

UFC Weight Classes

Someone wrote in asking for a breakdown of the weight classes used in the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Pretty simple, but just incase you didn't know: The UFC has five weight divisions and the current title holders Lightweight: 146-155 pounds (Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk) Welterweight: 156-170 pounds (George "Rush" St. Pierre) Middleweight: 171-185 pounds (Anderson Silva) Light Heavyweight: 186-205 pounds (Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell) Heavyweight: 206+ (Tim "The Mainiac" Silvia)