Category: MMA

UFC Update

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  • Tomorrow night the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter [before the live fights on Saturday to determine the season’s champ] airs. If you’ve been following the show, then you know that the biggest shocker ending ever awaits. Previews of the episode showed the windows of a limo being busted or shot out. Dana White then said that the finalists had been determined, but because of “the incident” the person involved would not be allowed to fight and would be banned from the UFC.
    My guess is Jesse Taylor did something stupid…. again.

  • Tomorrow at noon Dana White has called a press conference where he is set to announce something that will change the direction of MMA for years to come. There’s speculation that the announcement could be…
    1] the UFC has received clearance for fights to be held in New York which will lead to fight clearance across the nation.
    2] Dana White is teaming with Vince McMahon [of the WWE] to buy complete ownership of the UFC.
    3] Dana White     has signed Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko to fight for the UFC later this year.
    My guess is that Dana will announce either a tv deal with FOX, NBC, or ABC… or a deal that puts the UFC logo on clothes in stores nationwide.

  • Dana White has announced that Anderson Silva will move up to light heavyweight to fight James Irvin live on SPIKE on July 19th. Silva will not give up his middleweight title, but instead use the Irvin fight to guage his chances in the heavier division. Silva is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Irvin will be a tough opponent and especially motivated coming off his 8 second knockout of Huston Alexander. Obviously Irvin is being considered a stepping stone for Silva. That could provide plenty of motivation for Irvin. If Silva wins, fights against Rampage Jackson and Chuck Liddell would create the potential for the biggest MMA fights [and prize money] ever. My guess is that could provide plenty of motivation for Silva.

    And that is our UFC update for today.

Fighters Fight

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Matt Hughes lost via TKO in the second yesterday to Thiago Alves in UFC 85. I didn’t see the fight since we passed on the pay-per-view. One a month is pushing it, especially when the last PPV was just two weeks ago. In a way, since I’m a Matt Hughes fan, I’m glad that we didn’t order it.

Despite three losses in his last four fights, Hughes is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. For a while no other fighter in any weight class dominated the way that Hughes did. As the UFC Welter-Weight Champion, Hughes won 9 title fights. He also had a streak of 19 wins in 20 fights and did it by fighting everyone put in front of him including BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre. Hughes took fights on short notice, fought when injured and represented the sport well. It’s pretty clear that Hughes is no longer the fighter he once was. Not many people will ever be the fighter Matt Hughes once was… but that’s not really the point is it?

Hughes is just 34 years old. If he was in a higher weight class, where power is usually more important than speed, he’d still be fighting and probably at the top of his game. Hughes isn’t big enough to go up in weight. So what should he do? Retire? Stick around and get beat by the top fighters? Fight lesser opponents to pad his record to keep a hand in the game?

Kevin Iole, who covers MMA for Yahoo Sports, says it’s time for Matt Hughes to retire. I don’t think so. I think that Matt Hughes has one more fight that should happen before he hangs it up. Hughes and Matt Serra have had bad blood for a couple of years now. Both feel that they have been legitimately disrespected by the other. It’s a fight that fans want to see. It’s a fight that both want to have.

Ioloe believes that Hughes should retire without fighting Serra. Iole’s contention is twofold: 1] Hughes doesn’t need the fight [he’s set for the Hall of Fame and 2] Serra could win and this would further tarnish Hughes’ record.

Obviously the decision belongs to Matt Hughes alone. But here’s my two cents: Hughes should take the fight. First of all, he wants to settle his grudge with Serra in the octagon. Second, it’s a fight that Hughes, Serra and fans around the world want. Third, it would be a headline fight and what better way to go out than with a win as a headliner. Fourth, even if he loses, he does it on his own terms. He’s still a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, only now he’s a bit richer. Fifth, fighters fight. Matt Hughes is a fighter.

Dana White has said that if Matt Hughes wants the fight, it will happen. So the ball is in Matt Hughes’ court. My guess is that Hughes will want the match. See, fighters fight. Matt Hughes is a fighter.

And that’s why I’m a Matt Hughes fan.

EliteXC Not So

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Let’s take a look at last night’s CBS broadcast of the EliteXC MMA card.Heavyweights Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy led off the broadcast. Neither man was well known to me. After watching them fight I don’t know much more. Rogers won by first round KO. Yawn.

Phil Baroni vs. Joe Villasenor was up next. I’d seen Baroni [who calls himself the “New York Bad Ass”] fight before, so I felt that we had to be in for a better bout. Baroni came out dancing and wearing what looked like a glitter-robe that Ric Flair might have thrown away. Then they posted Baroni’s 10-9 record. I respect anyone who enters the cage, but don’t ya think that if you call yourself the New York BA, then you should have a better record? Well, before you start to consider that, don’t. Villasenor KO’d Baroni in the first round. We have our answer.

Kaitlin Young vs. Gina Carano was a highly anticipated fight and not just because the combatants are female. These ladies are skilled warriors and proved it. Both threw disciplined kicks, punches, and took the fight to the mat. There was a real ebb and flow to the fight as each attempted what would work best. Ultimately Carano won when Young was unable to answer for round three. Easily the best fight of the night to that point.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith was for Lawler’s EliteXC Middleweight title. Although the fight started out slow with both fighters feeling each other out, Lawler took an early lead by winning the first round with major kicks and punches. Smith surprisingly came back in the second round since it had looked as if Lawler had figured him out. The third round was going to be very interesting. Both men came out throwing bombs… Smith seemed to be gaining momentum when he was inadvertently poked in the eye. The fight was halted so the doctor could check out the damage. Because Smith said he couldn’t see, the fight was declared a no-contest. Everyone was upset with the decision. Smith said that if he’d been given the full five minutes allowed for recovery, he’d have continued. That wasn’t to be. Both men were told that because of their performances that they’d still get a winner’s bonus. It’s sad that what could have been the best fight of the night became a “no contest.”

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. James Thompson was the main event of the night. Surprisingly, what most figured would be a quick knockout by Slice turned out to be anything but. Thompson easily took Kimbo down and attempted to pound away. Kimbo muscled up and the way the fight was to go was evident. Kimbo would throw bombs and try to use his his strength to muscle out of bad situations and Thompson would takedown Kimbo and attempt to submit him. In the second round, it appeared as if Kimbo was tapping but the commentator said that he was just showing that he was okay. After nearly a minute of being pummeled by Thompson in the second round, Kimbo was saved by the bell. The third round started with Kimbo coming out throwing haymakers. He tagged Thompson and the ref quickly [some say too quickly] stepped in to stop the contest. Kimbo collapsed in the middle of the ring, his undefeated record intact.

So, what did we learn from the first mainstream telecast of MMA? The folks behind EliteXC believe that the WWE has the right plan to bring in fans. EliteXC dancers performed on the walkway between rounds. The fighters strolled out to the octagon down a walkway with music a la WWE. Kimbo Slice isn’t anywhere near where he needs to be if he is to fight any top ten fighters. Kimbo did show some skills and a lot of heart, and it’s unfortunate that he’s in the position he’s in… if you can call making what should be hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions unfortunate.

I’m looking to much better fights tonight on the Faber / Pulver card.

Kimbo: the Face of MMA?

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This weekend there are two nights of MMA action available to fans. On Saturday night CBS teams with EliteXC and jumps into the mix with Kimbo Slice headlining a card that also features a female MMA fighter. Sunday Jens Pulver challenges Urijah Faber for his World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title belt on the VS channel.

There’s no doubt that I plan to tune in both nights. I’m a fan of MMA fighting and will enjoy the bouts. Saturday night my guess is a lot of folks who aren’t already MMA fans will tune in to see what all the fuss is about. Thinking along those lines I planned a post about why Kimbo shouldn’t become the face of MMA, but why he might be [at least for a while]. Then I read Dan Wetzel’s column today and realized that he said everything I planned to and more.

UFC 84 Results

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UFC 84: Ill Will lived up to the hype. The three main fights were all worthy of their headline status. Let’s take a look at them and the results:

  • BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk for the lightweight championship. BJ and Sherk were both in great shape. I thought it would be a great fight and it was. Although most predicted a BJ win by submission, the fight turned into a stand up slugfest! Neither man was willing to back down. BJ got the better of Sherk in the first two rounds, but Sherk kept it close. In the third round it appeared that Sherk may have hurt his right hand because he wasn’t throwing it with conviction and seemed to be favoring it. At the very end of the round, Penn landed a solid punch that sent Sherk back into the cage. BJ immediately followed with a running knee to the head and Sherk went down. BJ rained blows as the ref stood by ready to stop the fight — and the round ended. There was immediate confusion as BJ walked around the ring in apparent victory. Then we learned that Sherk’s corner called the fight. When both fighters met in the center of the ring for the decision, each praised the other. A great ending to a great fight.
  • Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine. I predicted it to be the slugfest of the night and it was.. Both men came out throwing bombs. Jardine was KO’d despite landing some of his own.


  • Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida. When the two met in the center of the cage, the bad blood with Dana White no longer mattered. It was two of the best fighters in the weight class ready to wage war. Machida fought the entire fight backing up which is his style. Tito was willing to fight standing up, and it was a good thing because he just couldn’t get Machida down. Although Tito pressured the fight, Machida landed better counter-punches and at times made Tito look bad. In the third round, and with Tito way behind on the scorecards both fighters ended up on the mat. With just seconds left in the fight, Tito locked in a triangle choke. To Machida’s credit he continued to fight and roll, and to Tito’s credit he rolled with Machida holding on to the choke… unfortunately the new position allowed Marchida to come out as the bell sounded the end of the fight. Machida won by decision but Tito showed he still has more fights in him.
Next week it’s Kimbo Slice on CBS!

UFC 84 Predictions

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Tomorrow night the UFC presents UFC 84: Ill Will. This is the first MMA fight card in a while that I’ve been excited about. There are three fights that really interest me. Let’s take a look at them and my predictions.

  • BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk for the lightweight championship. BJ won the title when Sherk was stripped of it for alleged steroid use. Now Sherk is back and he wants his title. This could be a great fight. Most folks are leaning towards BJ by submission, and he should win, but to keep things interesting I just may throw down a dollar on Sherk if I can get the right odds.
  • Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine. This should be the slugfest of the night. Both men will probably come out throwing bombs. Whoever lands best wins. Pretty simple, huh? I’m going with Jardine by KO.

  • Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida. One of the things that makes this fight so interesting is the stuff going on behind the scenes of the fight. Tito and UFC head honcho, Dana White, have bad blood. This is Tito’s last fight under his current UFC contract. Dana wants Tito to leave with a loss so he’s matched him up against Machida, an undefeated (12-0) rising star. Tito wants to put down Dana’s golden boy before leaving the UFC for greener pastures. Styles make fights and this one is tough to call. Tito needs the takedown to be most effective. Machida likes to fight backing up. He’s a counter-puncher. I hate to go against Tito, but I’m thinking the edge goes to Machida by decision.

Liddell on Slice

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Former UFC champion, Chuck Liddell was recently asked what he thought about new MMA star Kimbo Slice.

Here’s some of what Chuck had to say about Kimbo:

  • “People talk about him like he’s the next great thing when he really hasn’t done anything…
  • He’s been built up because of the Internet and him beating a bunch of guys on the street…
  • I could make some impressive knockout videos too if you let me walk outside and just punch people and knock them out—’hey you, come fight!’…
  • We can make a highlight reel tomorrow and go round beating people up and talking about it…
  • We could just go up to people and start dropping them. Wow!”
Wow indeed.


Win or Go Home

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On Wednesday, April 2nd at 10pm on SPIKE, the new season of The Ultimate Fighter kicks off. This time the coaches are Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin who will, of course, fight in the season finale. What looks to make this season even more interesting is that 32 fighters will be there at the start and each will have to fight and win his way on to the show!

UFC and the Best Fighter

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If Anderson Silva isn’t the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, then maybe Jon Fitch is. Yeah, I know. I’ll explain in a minute, but first let’s take a look at last night’s UFC highlights.

The main event had Anderson Silva going up against former PRIDE and two time Olympic wrestler, Dan Henderson. Henderson dropped 20 pounds to take on Silva, who has totally dominated his division. To Henderson’s credit, he won the first round. Silva came on strong to win by submission in the second after scoring on big knees and punches. I don’t see anyone out there who can beat Silva at this point. Unless he decides to go up a weight class [and why would he], he could be in for a long title run.

The upset of the night was Heath Herring over Cheick Kongo. Nobody expected [well, outside of Herring] the fight to go all three rounds or for Herring to win. The guys I watch the fights with usually bet a buck on each match. Someone is usually willing to take the underdog since it’s just a buck and once in a while you can even get 2-1 if you take the dog. Last night NO ONE wanted Herring. I ended up taking him on a 2-1 bet where I won if he lasted through the first round [Whoooo-hooo, I won 2 bucks] and a 5-1 bet for a win [Yipppeee-ki-yaaa, five more came into the till]. Herring won a split decision and actually looked better than ever doing it.

Jon Fitch won a tough match against Chris Wilson and extended his winning streak in the UFC to 8. Believe it or not, that ties the longest winning streak ever in the UFC, putting Fitch in the same strata as Royce Gracie. Who’d a thunk it? Ask anyone who the best UFC fighter is and you’ll hear: Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, Rampage Jackson, Randy Couture, and many others before you’d hear Fitch’s name called out. Well, Jon Fitch needs to be in there because if he wins his next fight he owns the record.

Abbott Tanks

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Kimbo Slice knocked out Tank Abbott last night in about 43 seconds of the very first round. You can see the fight on Youtube for free. I don’t think that anyone was surprised by the outcome. Not even Tank.

It probably would have ended sooner, but the ref pulled Kimbo off Tank after Kimbo repeatedly punched Tank in the back of the head after the first knockdown. The ref walked Kimbo to the other side of the cage and allowed Tank to stand up and regain some composure. Then when the ref started to allow them to fight again, Kimbo’s mouthpiece was found in the center of the ring and the ref once again held up the action. Kimbo threw his mouthpiece into the crowd and the fight was again started. Three more quick knockdowns followed and the fight was stopped.

So what did this fight prove? Not much. Maybe two things: 1] Kimbo can put fans in the seats. The 7,000 seat arena was sold out and the place went crazy when Kimbo entered. 2] When Rick Flair retires from professional wrestling Tank Abbott can take his place because he definitely has Flair’s patented “front fall” down pat.

Until Kimbo fights a ranked fighter, we’re really not going to know how good he is or how good he can be. My guess is that Ken Shamrock [as old as he is] would have given him a much better fight. I’d really like to see Kimbo enter the cage with Brock Lesner. I’d even pay money to see that.

Kimbo vs Tank

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Kimbo Slice fights Tank Abbott tomorrow night on Showtime.

Kimbo is a youtube legend thanks to his quick knockouts of big and mostly tough [but unskilled] backyard fighters. Kimbo has had one official MMA fight which lasted all of 19 seconds. He had [what is now being called] an exhibition fight where he chocked out Ray Mercer [an old boxer] in less than one minute.

Tank Abbott fought in MMA fights back when the Earth was just starting to cool. Less rules and less skills needed then. Tank would come out swinging and if you weren’t knocked out and could last until Tank gassed [which usually didn’t take too long] odds were you could beat him. Still, Tank was popular with the fans. Much more popular than his 9-13 record would lead you to believe. Tank’s had 6 fights in the last 5 years [losing five of them and none going past the first round].

Looking at their records and who they’ve fought it’s hard to imagine Kimbo vs Abbott as a main event. But I gotta admit that I’d tune in if I had Showtime.

UFC 80

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B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson headline UFC 80 today live from Newcastle, England. Although there are, of course, other fights on the card, the main event is the only one that I am really interested in. My guess is that Penn will win, but given the right odds I would swing over to Stevenson [ya gotta love an underdog].

Matt Hughes: Legacy?

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We may have seen the last of Matt Hughes as far as MMA fighting goes. Still there are other options that would keep him active in the sport. Hughes would make an excellent commentator. He has already written one well-received book.

But if Matt Hughes decides to retire totally from the limelight, how will he be remembered? I think Dave Doyle sums it up perfectly HERE.

UFC 79 Results

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UFC 79 Results:

Rich Clementi vs Melvin Guillard. I took Clementi because I felt that Guillard would crack under the pressure of a Clementi attack. Sure enough, with just seconds left in the first round, Guillard tapped.

Lyoto Machida vs Rameau Sokoudjou. I didn’t know much about either but jumped on the Machida bandwagon upon seeing his record. Machida dominated and won via arm triangle in round two.

Eddie Sanchez vs Soa Palelei. Again, I didn’t know much about the fighters, but since I was up 2-0 and my brother wanted Palelei, I went with Sanchez who won in less than spectacular fashion via a 3rd round stoppage.

Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva was a tough call. I figured one of these warriors would knock out the other — the question was who would come out on top? One of the pre-fight segments showed the two facing off after the weigh-in. Silva suddenly jumped forward at Liddell… and… Liddell… did… not… flinch. That was enough for me — I went with Liddell. Both fighters were in great shape and during the fight each rocked the other. Liddell won rounds one and three for sure and possibly even the second — at least on my scorecard. [Yeah, I was surprised it went the distance]. The judges felt the same with two giving it to Liddell 30-27 and one giving it to Liddell 29-28. A good showing by both fighters insures more to come from each.

Georges St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes pitted two of my favorite fighters against each other. Another tough decision but in the end I went with St. Pierre. I made the right choice as he dominated Hughes, winning via verbal tapout in the second round.

A great night of fights was made even better by me going 5 – 0 in my selections. Now on to 2008!