Well, what can we say? Like a Tito Ortiz guillotine, something we thought was done and played out rises from the ashes of Phoenix and peaks our interest once more. Yes, TUF has all the drama, nakedness, championship belts and porn stars to give Tito a run for his money, but suddenly we are jolted awake with the thought that there may be something left in the bag of tricks to keep it going.

Last night we saw the second coming. Of Dana using the F-bomb in a way that seemed forced. Of guys who look like they can actually fight. Of farm animals dressed in clothing (or is that just a flashback to my childhood in Kansas?). Of a mariachi band. Ok, some of those are firsts. Can you believe it? After all these seasons, we may actually be getting something we sorely needed., good fighters and even some juvenile entertainment. Strangely, I found myself already wondering how next season on FX will be able to keep up with what we are witnessing currently.

I admit, there are plenty of times I have called for the end of TUF. For more training and less house antics. For champions to not be involved, thus putting the belt on hold. For the fighters to actually be UFC caliber guys to a percentage. I'll even admit to being disappointed by the respectful co-existence of Brock and JDS. But this season seems to have it all.

Let's weigh in on a couple of components:

COACHES- Like or hate Mayhem and The Count, there is little dispute that they can be entertaining and if episode one was any indication, they could play off each other perfectly this season. Mayhem is pretty quick with his mouth and Bisping's retorts seem to be more measured. I can easily see Miller getting under Mike's skin frequently and frustrating him to the point of losing his cool. As for the actual fight, Bisping is not top tier, but he is the top of the middle tier. He has a well rounded game and beats most of the guys he should beat and usually puts up a decent fight against the top guys. Miller is a great entertainer, but also a very underrated fighter. He has gone the distance with GSP and Shields, even giving them trouble at times, something we see little of these days, last weekend withstanding. Should be a fun season followed by a very well matched fight. Great job by the UFC to give us compelling coaches without messing up the title picture.

FIGHTERS- Wow! That was awesome. Other than a couple of guys, the whole bunch was at least somewhat impressive, with several looking like they should already be in the UFC, or at least have been in the WEC. We witnessed a couple of HUGE chins and hearts, but even more talent and skill. There are so many compelling match ups that I don't see any way this season won't be entertaining. For once, when Dana said there were several guys who could be stars, I didn't disagree. The lighter weight classes are an overdue and welcome addition. Many of us had called for a WEC TUF season and I think we are seeing that we were right. As for the antics, there is just something a little crazy about the lighter guys. They are just a little more froggy and willing to jump. Sorry Kingsbury, you keep the sushi and I'll take the crazy little dudes! Add in the inevitable coaches animosity and the fighter loyalties are sure to erupt and divide the house. Maybe TUF should have been on Bravo?

For a while, I thought the UFC would "throw" this season of TUF and mail one in before the exodus. Instead, they have done the opposite and made one of the most promising seasons ever. In retrospect I think this is a smart move and has some of us back on board, talking about TUF, watching every episode and anticipating the next incarnation.

So what do you think guys? Will you be watching all the time? Fast forwarding to the fights? Not watching at all? And who is your pick this season? I know it is really to early and we haven't seen enough of these guys, but as we watched last night, I'm sure some of you started to form some opinions.

P.S. I bought a new computer, so I will be bringing you more of these..

via i100.photobucket.com

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Still Fedor. I know, I know. You're in denial. You're a fanboy (God I hate that term!). Blah, blah, blah (reply setup #1).

Which is really worse, the blind, still lost in Pride nostalgia, Fedor is a cyborg crowd or the he has never fought in the UFC so he can't be great crowd? Can't we all just get along (reply setup #2)?

I'm sure there are still Fedor superfans lying in bed this Monday morning, hoping to wake up from a bad dream where their idol has suffered his first ever defeat. Yeah, that's right. I don't ever want to hear from anyone complaining about the UFC and how they represent fighter's records, again. I was in awe, as I was barraged with Strikeforce announcers representing Fedor as undefeated (even though we all know he really was!)

via h.imagehost.org

So, to the point. Who is #1? If Carwin beats Lesner is he #1? Well, by that logic, shouldn't Werdum actually be #1? I mean, after all, he did do the impossible when he knocked off the greatest heavyweight in the Universe.

Are we ready to award Lesner the top of the mount? I mean he only has a few fights and has already lost (legitimately) to a true light heavyweight, Frank Mir (sarcasm).

Of course, Werdum beat the #1, so doesn't that make him #1?

The truth is, we will have a new #1 by this time next week, and that is OK. After all, it is just rankings we are talking about. Not who has faced every other fighter out there and won. What a crazy world that would be! We can only dream of a day where the every fighter may possibly face off against any other, be it through one super promotion or co-promotion, or whatever other concept comes along to organize some sort of association of MMA in the world (reply setup #3).

In my mind, the top heavyweight in the world is still Fedor. Not because I have a silly man crush on him, but because I think he is the best right now. Yes, there are questions about who he has faced, who he can face and how he would handle a monster like Shane or Brock. These are all legitimate and I can only hope that we will find out some day soon, on some sort of fighting surface, perhaps one with eight sides.

The bottom line is, many people are celebrating a great fighter's defeat, when we should be amazed at what he has accomplished. In a sport where losses are very acceptable and there are so many ways to lose fights, Fedor went on a remarkable run of avoiding those devastating strikes and slick submissions, to put together an unbeaten streak that would be impressive against about any level of competition. What he did was truly amazing and as the sport evolves, something we are highly unlikely to witness again.

So, get ready for the next generation of annoying fans and equally as annoying haters, the new #1 hype train is now boarding!

So, I thought I would share some info on a local fighter from my area who is climbing the ranks to some bigger shows. Tyler "Thunder" Toner is a coach and teammate at Easton BJJ Boulder/Denver and he fights at 145lbs. Currently he is the Ring of Fire 145 lb. Young Guns Champion and you might have seen him smash Ricky Johnson in Strikeforce-Payback, the last HDNet Strikeforce broadcast. Tyler is currently 8-1 in mma, with his lone loss coming by decision and is a BJJ Purple Belt.

What spurred me to write this, is that yesterday Tyler pulled off a huge upset, the kind that could lead to some bigger opportunities for him. A couple of weeks ago, his Muay Thai coach, Duane "Bang" Ludwig, was scheduled to fight at ShootBoxing Champions Carnival at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Ludwig opted to return to Strikeforce to take on Lyle "Fancypants" Beerbohm, thus leaving an opening on the ShootBoxing card. As is often the case, Duane's student was offered the slot and he accepted, despite having only a full week to train for a fight against the 2006 ShootBoxing World Superwelterweight Champion, Kenichi Ogata. Ogata is a veteran of over a hundred fights and against some of the best kickboxers in the world. Not only that, but Tyler would be fighting a style of fight that was new to him and at a weightclass above his normal weight.

Toner arrived at the weigh-in at the agreed upon 158 pounds, but was told that it was instead, at 156 pounds. He went back and cut the extra 2 pounds only to discover that what was once a title fight, would now be just the main event of the card, despite several other title fights. After getting a few problems settled, the fight was on.

Tyler entered the ring, widely considered to be a huge underdog. Several minutes and a big head kick later, he emerged the victor! 2:57 of the first round and the 2006 champion lay defeated on the mat.

As we see more and more promotions, reality shows and schools emerging, we need to realize that these are the type of fighters that we will be watching in the UFC and others in the near future. Get out and see some of your regional shows and keep your eyes open for the next wave of champions on their way to the big time.

Congratulations to Tyler and I look forward to seeing him further his fight career in the future. Yet another product of the Mile High Air that trains alongside Ludwig, Eliot Marshall and many others.

via photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net

via photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net

Well, I guess I should start with a little about me. I am a 4 stripe blue belt at Easton BJJ in Denver and this was my first trip to Brazil. I was very excited about the trip, but just as apprehensive about stepping onto some of the world's legendary mats and wondering how my game would translate. I weigh about 250 pounds, so much of my game is based on that, though I try and develop away from it and focus more on technique. Needless to say, I was fully prepared to spend 2 weeks tapping.

We stayed in Recreio at a friend's condo, basically the next part of Rio down from Barra. It was beautiful and a very nice area, but you never really feel completely safe down there. A lot of poverty and desperation, combined with government corruption, make people do some crazy things, like rob gringos, lol. If you have not seen City of God, do so, it is a very realistic portrayal of life in the flavelas of Rio.

If you go down, I suggest a few things. Learn a little conversational Brazilian Portuguese. Don't exchange money, just use the ATMs. Don't drink the water. Go to a pharmacy and buy a 3 day antibiotic treatment. Wear mirrored sunglasses (for obvious reasons, lol).

So on to the training! Our first week we trained at Gracie Barra, which is located on the top floor of a health club. The mat is reasonably new and not nearly as bad as all the stories I had heard. It was in the 70's, but pretty humid, so you sweat almost instantly and continuously while training. I went with a GB blackbelt, so it was like a reunion for him and a lot of pressure for us to represent him well. The first thing I noticed, is that NOTHING starts on time in Brazil. We thought we were late for class and instead, we were amongst the first on the mat. There were students from all over, USA, Japan, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany and others.

The classes weren't huge, usually about 30 students or so, but many were black or brown belts. I must have rolled with 15-20 different black belts on the trip! I think being a bigger guy, they put you with higher belts as a sort of equalizer. Right off the bat I find out that they love doing wristlocks at GB! Tap. Tap. Ok...enough. Time to tighten it up a bit and no more damn wristlocks!

Next thing is they love to attack from knee-on-stomach. Now while this is amazingly effective, it plays into my game pretty well and I manage to hold my own for most of the time at GB. Now, when I say "hold my own", I mean make the guys work for it and give them some trouble of my own. I managed to tap a blackbelt while down there, the first time I have done that. Swept him from half-guard, passed to mount and he left his arm across...arm triangle!

On our second or third day, I walk up to GB and look out on the mat at a female black belt...Kyra Gracie. Hell yeah! Of course, they don't allow 250 pound bluebelts to roll with Kyra, but it was still pretty cool being on the mat with her. In case you were wondering, I watched her tap some pretty decent guys her size.

So we leave GB and walking down the street is Jacare. Apparently he is no longer welcome to train at GB, but does his physical therapy at the health club. Pretty cool to see him, and he is a big dude.

So everyone at GB was really welcoming and nice to us. We did a couple of Ginastica Natural classes, led by Raphael Romano (his dad developed GN) and a lot of training there. The basic structure of the class was, warm up then train. they only showed technique one time for guys over white belt. But whatever you are having trouble with, they take you aside and work with you after the training. Most classes had at least 10 black belts in them, and they went however hard you did. If you spaz and go crazy, they will shut you down. If you use control and roll hard, that is what they will do.

So, most days, we trained in the morning, went to the beach, then went to train at night. The weekends we took off for tourist stuff, shopping and so on. On the first Friday, we decided to go to a MMA card in Niteroi, which is across the bay from Rio. One of the GB guys was in the main event and won. It was the WFC, and the fighter we went to watch is Gustavo "Ximu" Machado. So this was equivalent to a regional show in the US, but let me tell you, every fighter went after it as soon as the bell rang. This was the most action packed card I have ever seen, by far. No feeling out process, no tentativeness, just getting it on! Not only did we see great fights, but we payed like 10 Reals more (about 5 US dollars) to sit in the VIP area around the ring and got free drinks and food. Unfortunately, they sold more tickets, than they had chairs set up. So they brought out some plastic chairs and we got stuck sitting in the front row ringside! Next thing I know, some guys ass is bumping me in the shoulder. I look up and see he is pretty jacked and wearing a sleeveless, muscle hoodie...yep, Ricardo Arona. Then the fans start going nuts and it is the Nogiera brothers, who proceeded to get absolutely mobbed, but we managed to get pics! Also saw WEC up and comer Jose Aldo there. Pretty damn awesome time.

Week 2 and we spent a couple of days at the beach town of Buzios, absolutely beautiful area. Training, we trained some at GB, but focused more on getting to Roberto "Gordo" Correa's academy. On Monday, we trained 2 hours at GB in the morning, then 3 hours that night at Gordo's. So we roll in and start with a fairly lengthy warm-up, then 100 takedowns (only go down on every tenth one), then about 45 minutes of king of the mat takedowns, then about an hour and a half straight king of the mat from knees. Now these guys are no joke. You go, go hard and don't stop until you are on your way home. I have never been so tired in my life! Now, let me tell you about the mat! It is orange and it is a wood frame filled with shredded rubber tires. Sounds great, right? Problem is, all the rubber has been packed down HARD, and the wood for the framing sticks up about an inch above the rubber! You have to really watch yourself or you will be in pain.

Next, we trained at Gordo's newer academy. Same type of training, but much, much better mat, thankfully. Unfortunately, I got a little sick the last few days and it zapped a lot of my energy. No way I would miss the training, but I definitely was much weaker. Now, let me tell you, when you are 250 pounds, you don't want to get beaten by a 150 pound purple belt...and I didn't. Instead, I got thorougly manhandled by one! It was great fun and we laughed about it afterwards, but I'm pretty sure I heard him laughing while he was working me over! Got to meet Raphael Dos Anjos there, and he was about 190 pounds. He fights lightweight.

I know this is a lot to read, but I easily could make it 2 or 3 times as long. Instead, I will let you guys post any questions you might have and do my best to answer them. It was an amazing experience and I plan to try and make it an annual trip.

Going there was like making a trip to the Mecca of BJJ. Guys were great, but hardcore. It is a tremendous sacrifice for most of them to pay to train BJJ in Brazil. Guys had gis that looked centuries old, because they couldn't afford to buy new ones. I learned a lot about how good most of us have it, and we should never =, ever take that for granted.

Here are some pics I took:

That is me in the blue gi at Gordo's.

With Gordo, Marcio "Mamazinho" Laudier and Rafael Dos Anjos.

Me at Gordo's.

Me getting choked, my buddy getting armbared and another friend looking on. That guy is a super cool blackbelt at GB. He is 57 and didn't start training until he was 40.

Me at the WFC with Big Nog. So many cameras, he didn't know where to look!

Arona with the usher girls.

Kyra Gracie with my Professor Mario "Busy" Correa.

Me applying the half-guard guillotine to a brown belt at GB.

The classic Gracie Barra picture!

via sherdog.com

This would be awesome, especially if Andre Galvao also enters. The GP begins April 5 and airs on HDNet. While nothing is signed, it looks highly likely from everything I have been able to find so far, that Marcelhino will enter.

From Gracie Mag:

American Top Team coach Ricardo Liborio confirmed the likelihood Marcelo Garcia will sign with Japanese promotion Dream, which will host a 77kg Grand Prix this year. The tournament has already confirmed such high-profile fighters as Japanese idol Shinya Aoki, as well as a likely appearance from Andre Galvao, Marcelo’s rival from the days of their competing in sport Jiu-Jitsu.

"There’s a good chance. Nothing’s in ink yet, but there really is a good chance Marcelo will be in the GP," said Liborio to Portal das Lutas.

Ok, so we knew going in, that January 2009 would be a huge month for the sport. Two UFC ppvs, Affliction ppv and the WEC on VS. Additionally, there were regional shows (Ring of Fire for me), M1, HDNet highlight shows, UFC  preview shows and about anything else you could want. I also enjoyed a great seminar from Royler Gracie on the last day of the month.

Now we have to break it all down and see where we stand.

Local activity:

-Ring of Fire was fun, but not the best card I have seen from them. It seems they are in the midst of losing big names like Eliot Marshall, Alvin Robinson and so forth, and cultivating the next wave of regional talent like Cat Albert and Tyler Toner. This has always been a solid promotion and I expect there to be a lot of growth at this level across the country in the near future.

-Yesterday I was privileged to attend a half day seminar with an all-time great, Royler Gracie. The fact that his father passed away a matter of hours prior to this, in no way held him back. Royler was funny, entertaining and a great teacher. He inspired us to try and achieve as much as we can. While most of us will never be able to fill the footsteps left behind by people like Master Helio, we should all try and follow them. Royler was the first Gracie I have been around, and he far exceeded any expectations I had. What a great guy. I was lucky enough to go eat with him and a small group after the seminar, and getting to be around him in that more relaxed atmosphere only gave me more insight into what a genuinely good guy he is.

UFC 93:

-Franklin looks better at 205. Henderson seems more of a fit at 185. So despite the result, I think this is what we will see in the future. I still think if this was a 5 rounder, Franklin would have pulled it out.

-Coleman is done. Give him a farewell fight in Columbus, then let him coach or fight elsewhere, but he should move on from the UFC.

-Shogun...while disappointed, I will reserve judgement for a year. let him recover and see what we have. This was a tougher fight than people may have thought. Coleman is hard to finish and is still a great wrestler.

-Kang? Kang? I know you are out there, we are waiting for you.

-Kampmann is a good fighter and may have a good future at 170.

-I love watching Palhares fight, I'm just afraid reach/height is going to pose a big problem for him in the future.

-Belcher deserves a big fight. A win puts him on the contender list, if he isn't already.

UFC 94:

-Decisions..decisions...PAYDAY! While I thought the card in about no way, lived up to the potential, I have little doubt that Zuffa lines their pockets off this one. I have never seen excitement like this in the weeks leading up to a card.

-GSP was to big, to strong and to good for BJ. Anyone who thinks he is just a great athlete, is a fool. He is a great fighter. GSP is the best WW and perhaps the best period. How much better can he get???

-BJ was in fine shape. I don't care who you are, if you have to contend with a guy like GSP on top of you, you are going to wear down. That said, BJ is the best LW in the world and a top P4P guy, now stay at LW!!

-Lyoto. Most impressive performance of the night, imo. Was it enough to remove the stigma that has become attached to him? Not for the people looking for a train wreck every time out. So what now? How about the most elusive LHW in the game against the most athletic LHW in the game? If you aren't pumped about possibly seeing Rashad vs Lyoto, then...

-Nate. The inevitable finally happened. I'm not a Diaz brothers fan, but Nate is definitely talented. Last night he ran into the guy that held him down and neutralized much of his game, without getting caught in a triangle. Many people have predicted this every fight out, but Nate always found a way to pull out the win.

-Clay. I just don't think he has the tools to be an elite UFC LW. I think he will always be the guy that strings some wins together, then loses before the title shot. I like him, and I hope I am wrong.

-Jon Jones. I love watching this guy strike, just crazy moves. I think he has a future for sure.

-Bonnar. Good fighter, but can't overcome great athletes. He will always be in the mix as a gatekeeper, imo.

-The card. Honestly, I was disappointed. Not so much because it was bad, but I think I had set almost unrealistic expectations.

WEC:

-Cowboy and Varner. great fight. Need a quick rematch. Does anyone recover from big shots as fast as Cerrone??

-Pulver. Still a top guy, but not THE top guy.

-Faber. He is who we thought he was. Like him or not, he is the best 145er and he will hold the belt at the next opportunity.

-The card wasn't as good as usual for the WEC, and the presentation on VS dragged at an almost unbearable pace. Good thing the title fight was exciting.

Affliction:

-I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was the best card of the month. To bad it carries little relevance.

-Fedor is...Fedor. I don't see anyone beating him anytime soon. Sure Arlovski was doing pretty well, but Fedor doesn't make the mistakes that seemingly, every other fighter does.

-AA. Nice payday, congrats. Can't wait to have you back in the UFC.

-Vitor is back and Lindland may be done. The age difference and the fact that Matt will never be back in the UFC are the big factors, imo.

-Jay Heiron was robbed! And so were the fans! Until Inside MMA. Another guy that should be fighting in the UFC.

-Lauzon. Ice bin is over there.

-Barnett not very impressive. Buentello pretty impressive. Yvel hung in there pretty good, despite the bad position and Barnett had trouble fnishing him. Buentello picked Baby Fedor apart. We need to see Fedor vs Barnett asap. And Hell, why not Beuntello vs Yvel?

-Babalu, call AA and catch a ride with him back to the UFC.

So there it is, my thoughts on what was a very busy month for MMA. I think 93 lived up to and probably surpassed expectations to a degree. 94 missed wide left and lost on decision to extremely high expectations. Affliction was pretty darn good and exceeded most expectations. Of course the one expectation that Affliction will probably, unfortunately meet, is its demise. The WEC also fell short, imo, but they have been on a roll, so I can give them a pass. Still a great month to be a fan and probably a sign of what we can expect as the sport continues to grow.

Now, take a breath and get ready. UFN 18 is Saturday on Spike and there are some decent fights to sort out some young fighters. Then 2 weeks later is UFC 95 on Spike and Diego's move to LW.

What is your vote for event of the month??

One final R.I.P. to the legendary Master Helio Gracie.

Ok, let's have a little fun. Things have been pretty stressful around here, arguing about some of the events of this past weekend, so it is time to lighten things up a bit.

I really want the UFC to have a full ppv event in Denver soon, and it got me thinking what the card could look like. I am going to put a location, venue and maybe 6-8 fights that would be a draw for the area and sell ppvs. Now don't go crazy with four title fights or some ridiculous stacked card, just try to put together a legit, solid UFC ppv with realistic fights and draws for your area. Will it be easy? Or perhaps a little more difficult than you might think? Anyone can put together a dream card, but this is your chance to form a solid card with fights you want to see that will also make $$$. Good luck!

Here is Mine:

Denver, CO

Pepsi Center

via www.pepsicenter.com

Main Event: MW Championship- Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Nate "The Great" Marquardt

HW contender- Shane Carwin vs Cheick Kongo

LW contender- Joe Stevenson vs Sean Sherk

WW- Anthony Johnson vs Mike Swick

LHW- Eliot Marshall vs Vinny Magalhaes

MW- Jeremy Horn vs Ricardo Almeida

LW- Alvin Robinson vs Jim Miller

LW- Shane Nelson vs Cole Miller

So what would yours be???

This Fan Post was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.

Sam Caplan has the report up over at 5 ounces. In my opinion, this is a HUGE jump up in competition for Carwin and could very well set up the next challenger for the belt. It looks to me as though Shane has jumped ahead of Cain Velasquez in the UFC pecking order. Could it have anything to do with the AKA/likeness rights fiasco? It always appeared to me that the UFC had more plans for Cain, but this clearly is the biggest opportunity for either rising star, so far in the UFC.

As for Gonzaga, a win over one of the UFC's up and coming heavyweights, would certainly cement his place as one of the top contenders for the championship. This would be a big fight between two huge fighters. Very compelling match up to say the least. Let's hope it comes to fruition:

Even though the event has yet to be officially announced, the UFC is poised to return to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio for the third consecutive year with UFC 96 on Saturday, March 7.

And while no matchups have yet to formally be released to the public, FiveOuncesOfPain.com can exclusively report that a heavyweight clash between former heavyweight title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga and former NCAA Division II wrestling champion Shane Carwin is now set to take place.

Yeah Eliot!!!!!! Way to go!

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, lol, let me start with a couple of things.

Awesome job by the UFC, using their platform to give back to our soldiers via the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Agree or disagree with the war, supporting our troops and their families is absolutely neccessary and anything short of that is despicable.

Thanks to Zuffa for 3 free cards in the past week and a half. No matter how the cards turn out, having these events makes it much easier for me to justify the money I spend on ppv each month. And by "free" I mean not having to pay an additional amount beyond my normal monthly bill and watching commercials. Sorry, but there is always somebody ready to redefine the term, "free".

So the sometimes entertaining, often disgusting season has come to an end. The ripple effect has yet to be seen...

-One last thought on the antics. When TUF 1 came on, it was a new venture and nobody knew what to expect. We all saw the drama that surrounded Chris Leben and the attention that brought him. I can say without hesitation, that he probably would have been out of the UFC long ago, if not for the recognition TUF garnered him. So, we shouldn't be surprised that the amount of poor behavior has escaleted to this point, when fighters know they can get as much, or more, attention from misbehaving as they can from fighting. The question now is, "who will be the new and improved Junie Browning in future seasons?". Fasten your seatbelts and grab that little paper bag from the seatback in front of you.

-Junie vs Kaplan. Very impressive performance by Junie, albeit against a clearly inferior opponent. Refreshing statements from him, but it is going to take a lot more than that for me to forget TUF Junie and support UFC Junie.

-Eliot vs Jules. Very impressive performance by Eliot, albeit against a clearly inferior opponent. Noticing a trend here? Was Eliot's striking impressive? Yes. Was his ground attack? Of course. But most impressive was his focus, determination, confidence and overall mental state. I'm glad we got to see a couple of guys like Eliot and Krystof get televised, they deserved it. Now obviously, Jules needs to go back to the minors, but the confidence a win like this gives a fighter, can not be overstated.

-Krystof vs Primm. Mildly impressive performance by Krystof, albeit against a clearly inferior opponent. I think Brookhouse may be correct in the misplacement of all the Krystof love appearing on the net. He is just such a cool dude, that I think we all want him to be a world beater. I hope at this point in his career, he can still find ways to improve.

-Wilson vs The Athlete. Wilson is clearly on the upswing and i just don't know what MacDonald's place is right now, though it appears to be gatekeeper. I hope he doesn't get cut by the UFC, but he really could use a big win soon.

-Johnson vs Burns. Pretty good fight, though I had Johnson winning both rounds. I think Johnson's size is amazing and difficult to deal with. I hope he continues to improve  and round his game out. Oh, by the way, OUCH! Best head kick since Gonzaga vs CC?? Burns is also very tough and should have a nice UFC career before it is done.

-Bader vs Vinny. Damn, Vinny is huge at 205. My guess is we will see him several more times at least. Note to Darth Bader: Metallica does a version of "The Imperial Death March", get it and use it! Bader fought smart and has a lot of power in his strikes. When he caught Vinny and put him down, I think what won him that fight, was his ability to control himself and not dive onto Vinny, who went down and rolled to replace guard. Bader stayed up, avoided the ground and landed the hammer strikes that finished the fight. Job well done. Lot's of potential in the TUF 8 LHWs.

-Nover vs Efrain. Good fight, not a great fight. I still believe that Nover has more skills, but Efrain used the Kryptonite and took him down at will. Efrain put the fight where he wanted it and controlled position, was more effective and forced Nover to swing for the fences, which he easily ducked and slipped. I really look forward to seeing both of these guys in the near future.

Overall, I think it was a pretty good show, even though it didn't have the coaches fighting or any traditional fan favorites to anchor it. We saw some devastating strikes, some good subs and some competitive fights.

I know that some people don't have a lot of interest in the preliminary fights, but i view it as a nice reward for guys that contributed to TUF and otherwise may not ever get the chance to fight on a UFC card.

I really appreciated the flow of the broadcast tonight. I watched it live and it still seemed to flow very well in comparison to past Fight Nights and Finales. The one thing I truly dislike about free cards is not seeing the corner time between rounds, so this was a big improvement to me.

Lastly, I can't wait to see Mall Cop, featuring MMA supporter Kevin James and some bald headed Dutch guy...I mean very handsome Dutch guy. Damn, that scene where he was rolling in front of the glass doors so awkward and slow, really had me laughing!

Next up in 2 weeks, UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, should be a great event!

I have to say, I was already a Renzo fan, but after watching Legacy, I find myself even more fascinated by him. How can he be such a family man, such a good guy, be so funny and good natured, yet so crazy and intense?? As a student at a Renzo affiliated school, I get to hear stories and get some insight into the Gracie family. My Professor and owner Amal Easton, was one of Renzo's first American Black Belts and I have to say, everything I have heard about him seems spot on. Renzo just is who he is and doesn't put on for anyone. What you see is what you get.

The movie gives us a little history of the evolution of BJJ and the Gracie family. If you are interested, here is a link to a Gracie Family Tree.

We get to see the evolution of Renzo's career from Gracie kid to Vale Tudo fighter to MMA pioneer. Some highlights are:

-Renzo's last Vale Tudo fight, which erupted into a full blown riot and contributed to the sport's controversial image in Brasil. You will not believe what happens and the way the crowd behaves during the fight.

-The events leading up to his fight with BJ Penn, which show a little bit of the political side of the sport.

-A lot of behind the scenes footage from his fights. This is very interesting to see how a world class athlete reacts before and after fights.

Also there is a lot of footage of him training, including:

-Training Daniel Gracie for his fight with Wes Sims in the IFL. Hilarious, shocking and motivating.

-Rolling with his brother, the late Ryan Gracie. The action on the mat was amazing, some of the best straight rolling I have seen.

Best of all, there is a ton of interview footage with the man, himself. Some great quotes, motivational wisdom and just plain crazy stories from his life.

The movie was very entertaining, flowed well and had excellent narration. My only complaint was that it isn't twice as long! I definitely didn't want it to end and got the feeling that it could have just gone on and on and on.

There is a lot of strong language, but beyond that, I would recommend Legacy to everyone, whether you already are a fan, or are looking for a little insight into an amazing family.

To me, Renzo is what BJJ is all about. He has built himself, his academy and his family through hard work and dedication. He has a great sense of humor, but is one of the most intense guys I have ever seen. He loves to fight and will take on anyone who challenges him. He has overcome adversity and exceeded family expectations. If you haven't seen Legacy, do so, you will not be disappointed.

So this was supposed to be the biggest UFC card ever. Probably not, but no doubt it will be highly successful. So considering the headliner, are we to assume that many casual fans and FOLs (fans of Lesner) bought the ppv? If so, and I agree, then the UFC may have struck gold. They had a card full of exciting fights that would surely impress even the least knowledgable viewers. I think that even if this doesn't approach UFC buy records, it will be a giant success that will boost the sport even more in the future.

Let's start at the top:

Brock--UFC HW Champion. Like it or not, he is. Brock is improving every time out, and the fact that he could stand and hold his own in the striking department is pretty scary. This sets up a big fight with Mir, which can be touted as the revenge match OR it sets up a huge match with Big Nog, which is what I expect to see. I give Brock props, but also keep it in perspective. He fought a 45 year old guy that hadn't been in the cage for a year. If he next beats Mir, I will be pretty convinced and if he beats Nog, I will be completely convinced. Of course, even then, there is the one thought I always end up with no matter who we are talking about...could he beat Fedor? We can only hope one day, to have all our questions answered. I think the UFC is doing a pretty good job of doing as much as they can to give us some of these answers.

Randy--So many questions. Certainly, can he still fight, is not one of them. Dude is a freak to be doing this at 45. Unfortunately, to an extent, he is a man without an island. At this point in his career, I see him having a lot of trouble with guys like Lesner, Carwin, etc.. Big explosive guys need a class of their own. I am all for a 206-235 weight class, maybe cruiserweight. It would extend the careers of guys like Randy and Chuck and set up the opportunity for even more "superfights". It would also give the UFC the opportunity to promote another title fight for their cards and shrink a huge division that currently spans 60 pounds. I think this has to get done and would have many benefits with few drawbacks. I don't see Randy as a LHW anymore and I don't think he can win regularly against the future of the HW division. If he continues fighting, it will have to be in carefully selected fights. Randy is no gatekeeper.

Florian--Is this guy the least scary looking fighter out there, lol? But you better believe he is for real and should never be overlooked. Unfortunately, I think he "poked the bear" last night and will get hammered by BJ. Of course, losing to BJ is no demeaning thing. This was the most impressive victory of the night for me. Was it his BJJ? No. His striking? No. It was the apparent added strength he displayed. Joe is strong, and Ken seemed to control him with relative ease. Ken deserves the title shot, and may hold the belt someday if BJ vacates. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would like to see a Ken/Sherk rematch at this point.

Stevenson--Sometimes, even great fighters need to take a step back. Something just doesn't look right with him. Not sure if it his mindset, his gameplan or what, but I think he may need to take a break and re-evaluate his training, technique, coaching or something. Maybe he just needs a break. I still think he is very dangerous, but he definitely needs a change of some type.

Hazelett--Shave that creepy beard, lol! What a fun guy to watch. UFC needs to do a good job of promoting him, as he is entertaining and a fan favorite. Would anyone like to see him fight Condit in the UFC?

McCrory--6'4"?? Damn, some more good training and that could get him places. I hope the UFC has some patience with him. And "The Barncat" has got to be one of the best nicknames around.

Gonzaga--The exit of Werdum opens a huge door for GG, imo. Honestly, this is the guy that should be the future of the HW division. He has good striking, powerful kicks and amazing BJJ. He is big and strong and athletic. If he had Florian's mindset, he would be unbeatable. Hopefully he has regained his mojo, can face either Mir or Nog (whomever loses) and get in the mix for a title shot. Anything but wearing the belt is underacheiving for him, in my eyes.

Maia--I absolutely love watching this guy fight. He has proven himself to be a legit top 10 type of fighter, so let's see some of the matches we know will be great. Almeida, Palahares, Marquardt, etc... Just like the LWs, imo, take the top guy away and the division is very competitive. Not ready for Anderson...yet.

Quarry--I think we all knew what was coming for him last night. Maia is just to  good on the ground and he is on a roll. Get Quarry a fight to keep him on track and let's see him in entertaining slugfests where he excels.

Gurgel and Robinson--Please get these guys in the WEC. Gurgel can take a beating and Robinson has a lot of heart, but it is clear they do not belong in the UFC.

Bocek--He needs to get his game rounded out, but his BJJ is awesome. I hope he lasts long enough to develop.

Riley--Some great striking, could provide us with some entertaining fights before he faces BJJ guys that actually use their ground skills.

Brown--Definitely a tough guy, but I see him as a .500 fighter in the UFC. I hardly recognized him without his goatee, lol.

Dos Anjos--I think he has a future, but...

Stephens--...look out for the uppercut!!! All I have to say is, DAMN!

So, overall, i would say this was a very entertaining card. We saw about everything there is to see, without a lot of controversy and negatives. I think what we witnessed was a preview of what should be a very interesting 2009 for the UFC and the sport of ultimate fighting...I mean mma, lol.

And finally, if you are declaring the sport tainted by the fact that Brock was a wrassler, then you clearly have issues. This guy is a world class athlete, great wrestler and developing mma fighter. If anyone thinks just any pro wrestler can cross over into mma, then they are ignorant to the sport. Many of today's mma fans originated as pro wrestling fans, and found something real and better in mma. I think this will only continue as the sport grows.

Ok, so the train derailed last night. I won't go so far as to say this was a bad card, but the main event always leaves a lasting impression, and this one wasn't good. UFC has put on some great shows this year, and I can live with the quality of 90, in that respect.

-Silva. I have called for him to retire, but that is just me being a selfish fan. I actually don't want him to even consider it. I do want him to come in and be the pro that he is, and destroy subpar competition. Cote was out of his league and should have been finished early in this fight. Some have called Silva cautious, but in reality, he was bored, clowning and trying to put in a show. He failed. MMA has room for flamboyant, flashy stars, but the respectful, professional is always appreciated.

-Cote. I like Cote, but he is what he is, a very solid, but not contending, fighter. Hanging your hat on getting to the 3rd round with Silva, is not something to brag about. You did absolutely nothing to Silva. Go rehab, keep training hard and get back at it. While I don't see him ever being champ, if Silva is gone to 205 or retires, there isn't any one I wouldn't at least give him a slugger's chance against.

-Alves. What a great fight it would be against GSP. Two large WWs getting after it. I think  we need to see Alves destroy Diego, while GSP battles BJ. Then, whether GSP wins or loses, Alves vs GSP. I do think GSP's superior technical striking, will help keep Alves at a distance and make for a very interesting fight.

-Koscheck. Great athlete with amazing recovery. I expect him to improve every time out, and even in a battering loss, he showed a lot of good things.

-Maynard. Many people think he is the next great LW. I think he almost bored me to death last night.

-Sherk. Not sure if he won, but what a great fight. Two guys whose ground game cancelled the other's out, resulting in 15 minutes of slugging it out. Damn, the LW's are deep and muddled, lol.

-Griffin. See Sherk.

-Werdum. Damn! You just knew this was going to happen. I really wanted Fabricio to be the HW tournament spoiler, but we can forget that for a while.

-Dos Santos. I think this guy maaayyyyyy have some striking power. I'm not going crazy about him, but lets see him vs Kongo.

-Franca/Maximus. Where was the most intriguing match of the night? Why do we not see this fight (or Miller/Horowich) instead of McFedries getting choked and 20 minutes of Rogan and Goldy? This was a perfect opportunity to make up for the main event, and instead they only made it worse.

-Rogan and Goldy. Please shut up. These guys are really starting to grate on me. Please stop describing a turd like it is a bar of gold. Just tell us like it is, we can handle it.

High points...Rachelle Leah, Chicago, Sherk and Griffin and Kos and Alves, oh my.

Low points...main event, Maynard and Clementi, lackluster card to an extent.

If 89 and 90 were combined, we would have a very nice card. is the UFC getting diluted? Or was it just a hiccup in scheduling/match making?

The answer? UFC 91. If this card lives up to its potential, we will forget the low points of the last two weekends.

Another decent card, knocked back by a couple of messes.

-Olivera was very impressive until the vagina on his head opened up. Seriously, that was one of the nastiest cuts I have seen. Thank You HD!!

-Schlemenko/Mcdaniel looked to be a great war, until it ended. Great knee and good job by the ref to get the correct outcome. I can't remember the last time I saw a fighter writhing in pain like that. I look forward to seeing both of these guys fight again.

-Lapsley/Stumpf. Not sure what to say, but it was a good action filled fight. Did they only have one ref last night?

-Guida/Khalidov. Oh man, just when I thought Jason couldn't look any creepier, lol. If nothing else, ShoXC had great sound last night! Listening to the ref vent his frustration while searching for the mouthpiece was great. Guida acted like a loser, and that is exactly what he was. Khalidov showed some great moves and I would really like to see him and Feijao get it on. Guida might need to concentrate on training his brother and give up fighting.

-Pee Wee/Meat Truck. The names alone were worth it! Herman has some serious talent, but his flashy style is going to get him destroyed against a top HW. The thing is, I think he is smart enough to not pull that against a serious threat. Enough with the cans, let's see Rogers/Herman. His sense of humor is great, but doesn't really fit the crowd, lol.

Overall, I think this was another decent showing for EXC on Showtime, where their best cards seem to happen. It was pretty entertaining and they have shown that they do, in fact, have some good young fighters hiding in their ranks. I doubt we will ever see them reach their potential with EXC, but we should be looking for them in places like the UFC in the near future. Unfortunately, I just don't think EXC can move forward with tripping over themselves and falling backwards.

Just heard from one of our instructors that is fighting Friday night, that Phil "New York Bad Ass"  Baroni is off the Strikeforce card in Denver this weekend. It was just a few days ago that he fought in the Palace Fighting Championships, so this is not a big surprise, imo. Apparently he has a cut, above one eye, I believe. To bad, he always adds something to a card, even if it is mostly personality. No word if there is a replacement, or more likely the fight cancelled.

So, I'm watching the first episode of TUF 8, and my initial reaction is...man, there are going to be some great quotes this season. Not neccessarily a bad thing, as it makes for memorable moments.

Dana-""Machette"? More like "Butter Knife"".---Awesome, I was literally laughing out loud!

Guida-"You'll never be forgiven".---Ooooooh, lol!

Guida-"I'm not Gabe Reudiger."---Great reference, unfortunately Guida also missed weight, though to his credit, I think he would have made it if they had allowed him another hour. At least he didn't go the "Put me in B" route.

Junie Browning-""Do I think Jose Aguillar can beat me? He has a better chance of getting me pregnant.."---Another laugh out loud moment. This is not only one of the best lines ever on TUF, but in the entire history of the world. I didn't like Junie at first, but that line and the way he backed it up, changed my mind.

Jose Aguilar-"At least I'm pretty, that's all that matters"---So glad this moron is gone. Weak sauce after a lopsided beating which caused him to give up, after telling us how he fit in with Napoleon and Hitler. After that performance, maybe he was right.

And my sentimental favorite...

TUF voiceover guy-"And one fight turns into a three round bloodbath."---Because it's my guy handing down the beating! Can't wait until next week!!

Sorry for any inaccuracies, going from memory. this season promises to be fun, if the first episode is any indication.

Please feel free to add any quotes, thoughts or comments from episode one!

Well it turned out to be a pretty good card, but no doubt, 88 will be remembered for the brutal KO of the Iceman, Chuck Liddell.

-Many of us gave Rashad a slim shot, and he was underrated for sure. However, I think we may have been as guilty of overrating Chuck. He has been a very good champion, but the style of hands out wide and at his waist, did him in last night. As I rewatched the end of the fight, what stuck with me was the location of his left hand, it was nowhere near a defensive position. We all knew Rashad was the superior athlete and much quicker, didn't Chuck?

-Poor Rich Franklin. The mysterious black left eye and now a right eye that looks like Mike Tyson stopped by for a Midnight snack. Hammill looked huge and I think he has a future, but Franklin's striking looked pretty good. Still not sure how he will fare against a top 8-10 LHW, but I think his future is at 205.

-Dan Henderson, thanks for the win, I just didn't want to see him drop three in a row. This was a very good win and should keep Dan's name in the title shot talk (with another win, of course). Palhares showed he is a tough guy, took some big punches and almost finished Hendo. This dude is legit and I am expecting some big things from him. Where was Henderson's ground 'n' pound? Greatly absent, due to the fact that he knew the ground was no place to be. When a great fighter alters his gameplan like that, it should tell you something about his opponent.

-Nate Marquardt. I remember a couple of years ago, thinking that he wouldn;t be around long, due to his "boring" style. Not that I didn't like it, but I know the mentality of the UFC fans. Kampmann is a good fighter, and Nate looked like he was doing drills on him. Damn, I want to see a Marquardt/Almeida rematch! On a side note, Nate was at the Colorado Open BJJ/Sub Grappling tournament last Saturday, supporting and coaching his students. Even though I am from a rival school, it impressed me that he was there, when he easily could have stayed away prepping for this fight.

-Dong. Dong won, 29-28. Neither guy looked that great and you have to love the boo birds at mma events.

-Jasons. Jason McDonald is tough and I thought he was done in round one, but boy did he look to finish in round two. Lambert, I just don't know. That was a tough fight, so let's see what he does next.

-So we get Rashad/Forrest, not what I would call a big draw. BUT, it is two TUF guys fighting for a title, which lends that much more legitimacy to TUF. Add it to a card with Nog/Mir, and we could have a huge card.

Overall, it turned out to be a pretty good card. Now, hold on, as we get a ton of mma over the next few months!

This should be an awesome fight! CroCop is looking to regain his mystique and Overeem has looked awesome at heavyweight. Could be a great battle for us to see. Any of you that haven't caught Dream yet, check it out, it is well worth the time and effort to see on HDNet.

Ricardo Mendoza at MMA Weekly is reporting--

Three bouts have been added to Dream 6 at the Saitama Super Arena on Sept. 23, which is headlined by the finals of the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix.

After months of talking and bad blood, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic will return to the ring as he takes on Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem. Cro Cop hasn’t seen action since Dream’s debut event, where he made easy work of Pancrase veteran Tatsuya Mizuno, stopping him with strikes. Overeem comes off a convincing submission victory over fellow Pride veteran Mark Hunt at Dream 5.

In an intriguing heavyweight showdown, Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov faces off with K-1 veteran Mighty Mo. Kharitonov avenged an earlier loss to Alistair Overeem at K-1 Hero’s 10, stopping him with strikes, while Mo hasn’t seen mixed martial arts action in over a year since knocking out Ruben "Warpath" Villareal at K-1 Dynamite!! USA.

Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon faces off with karate stylist Andrews Nakahara in the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix reserve bout. Yoon comes off a decision loss to Armenian striker Gegard Mousasi at Dream 4, while Nakahara was unsuccessful in his mixed martial arts debut, being submitted by Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 2.

Already announced for the event are the semi-finals and finals of the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza meeting Zelg Galesic and Melvin Manhoef meeting Gegard Mousasi. Featherweights Hideo Tokoro and Atsushi Yamamoto are also set to battle.

Fronted by Luke Thomas.

Sam Caplan is reporting that Strikeforce will be putting on a show in Denver October 3rd. The show will be at the Broomfield Event Center, the same location as UFN 13 a while back:

FiveOuncesOfPain.com received a press release this afternoon announcing that Strikeforce will hold its first-ever show in Denver, Colo. on Oct. 3 at the Broomfield Event Center.

A request for comment from Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz was not immediately returned but the release indicates that one of the featured matches on the show will pit hometown hero Duane “Bang” Ludwig against Sammy Morgan.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was able to confirm the matchup with Morgan’s trainer, Mike Reilly of Team Bison in Minnesota. Morgan is scheduled to fight Fabricio Camoes for EliteXC this Friday during a ShoXC event.

The release also indicates that both Phil Baroni and Frank Trigg will be involved in a “Superfight.” However, it is unclear from the release whether they will be fighting each other or compete in separate bouts. Five Ounces Of Pain contacted Trigg for comment via e-mail and he indicated that he is not scheduled to fight Baroni adding that the two currently compete in separate weight classes.

I think this is great, as it is in my backyard and I have been awaiting promotions to take advantage of MMA's growing appeal by heading out into new markets. This is key to gaining a certain level of success. I think, for example, the IFL really missed the boat by not spreading out and exposing their product to new audiences. Regardless of the business side, I will be there, cage side, supporting MMA and my school's Muay Thai instructor "Bang" Ludwig.

Let me start by saying I am no advocate for fighters or promotions. These guys are grown ups and have the option of not signing any contract. That said, I do think the UFC holds almost all the power and sometimes takes advantage of their position. I'm just not as militant about it as some fans.

So we know that PPV is the main revenue source for the UFC and I'm going to use a number of 500,000 buys for this topic. So my system, is to pay the fighters based on their appearance on the card, the fights position on the card and how many buys the card gets.

So, lets say this

Headliner and main event, often a title fight:

Winner gets $1.00 per buy ($500,000)/Loser gets $.50 per buy ($250,000)

Fight #2, sometimes co-headliner, but smaller draw, often contender fight:

Winner gets $.20 per buy($100,000)/Loser gets $.10 per buy ($50,000)

Fight #3, 4 and 5, usually up and comers or contender vs. easier opponent:

Winner gets $.08 per buy ($40,000)/Loser gets $.05 per buy ($25,000)

Swing fight, usually a TUF guy or hard luck type:

Winner gets $.06 per buy ($30,000)/Loser gets $.03 per buy ($15,000)

Now we all know that the other 5-7 fights usually make it on the card. Not all of them, but usually at least a couple. These guys are frequently getting $3,000-$8,000 per fight, so I say if they make it on the broadcast, they automatically double the pay. So If a fighter was contracted for $5,000, they would automatically switch to $10,000. And I would have no problem with a $5,000 minimum to fight at all.

Dana is pretty good about handing out bonuses, and they should definitely do that still, rewarding the guys that really get the fans excited.

So, let's add it up, slightly over $1,000,000 for a 500k ppv, excluding bonuses. Seems to be about right, fighters performing make more money and fighters who don't, slip down the pay scale. The numbers are just examples, and if you think they should have a higher overall payroll, you could easily double the payouts and be around 2 million in salary.

Examples:

A guy like Roger Huerta, who has gained popularity, fans and had some entertaining fights. He has worked his way up to main card and title contender, yet is still paid like a UFC newcomer. No doubt he is becoming more of a draw and the UFC is getting him for the cheap. With this system, he would be in line to make a much higher salary than on a straight contract, basically getting paid for his performance.

Let's say Brock Lesner loses to Herring. The UFC still has him as a highly paid fighter, yet so far an under performing one. Next time out, he slides down the card, fights a lower level fighter and wins. He still gets good money and the UFC isn't on the hook for huge bucks, thus less likely to release him before he lives up to the hype.

Same thing could go for Affliction and Tito. He thinks they will sell 500k in ppvs because of him, so let him sign for $2.00 per buy, which would pay him 1 million if he meets his prediction. They will probably sell a minimum of 100k ppvs, so if that is the low end, they only are out $200,000, which is still a decent payday.

Like I said, you can adjust the scale, have minimums or do some other things, but the main point is, fighters aren't stuck in low paying contracts and the promoter isn't stuck with a ridiculous payout for under performers.

You might say, well they will put guys down the card so they don't pay them as much. Why? They will be paying it to someone, and they won't want to hold down their rising stars. Guys like AA will have a better guaranteed minimum, so they will be less likely to bury them.

Obviously not perfect, but what do you guys think?

Ok, so many of us have spent the last couple of days pointing out the faults and downside to the first Affliction show. I think we may have taken the easy route, so I have decided to note a few things they did correctly or could correct easily for the next card.

-THE RING. I personally liked it. I enjoy having the opportunity to watch fights in a ring, as well as a cage. While it may be to their benefit to switch to a cage for fans that believe it is the only surface for mma, I hope they stick with the ring. The large surface greatly kept fights off the ropes and reduced the amount of clinching against the sides, a huge problem in the UFC, imo.

-BIG FIGHTERS. They did have some of the top guys in the world and hopefully spread the awareness of how good guys like Arlovski, Fedor and Barnett, actually are. Many newer fans of mma have little knowledge of these guys and how exciting they can be. Plus, they have Aleks, one of the most entertaining fighters around.

-BIG FIGHTS. So they weren't on this card, but they are there for the future and may now be even more appealing. If they can get Couture in action and add Fedor/Barnett, Fedor/AA and so on, they can be home to some of the most historic matches in mma history.

-NOT A BUNCH OF FLUFF. One thing I dislike about UFC cards, is the amount of filler between fights. For the most part, Affliction moved quickly from fight to fight. And there was no preview for crap like Never Back Down.

So it wasn't ALL bad, but some certainly was, and here is where they can improve quickly.

-ANNOUNCERS. Trigg, Glazer and Big John, have potential. That said,
they are missing a personality along the lines of Bas Rutten or Mauro Ranallo.

-MUSIC. Yeah, the live crap, lol. Megadeth was pretty bad and I think this is just something that needs to be eliminated. There really is no reason for it, and it seemed to distract from the show. Props to them for trying it, but learn and change. Eliminate bands and DJs from mma shows.

-PRODUCTION. I know it was their first show, but it was very generic. I would like to see some medium ground between UFCs slick, straightforward production and Pride's theatrical, over the top shows. Give it some character, but not so much it takes away from the fights.

-BIG FIGHTS. I know that most of us expected Sylvia to put up more of a fight, but the main events need to be a little better from here on out. Fedor/Randy, Fedor/Barnett or Fedor/AA for example.

-LIGHTER WEIGHTS. America loves heavyweights, but the most entertaining fights are usually at lower weights. Plus the talent pool seems to be much deeper as you drop in weight classes. They need to start building their roster and soon, so they avoid running out of big fights to soon.

These are just a few thoughts about Banned and where they can go from here. I have bashed them pretty hard, but in this market, my expectations are fairly high. I spend a lot of money on training and as an mma fan, so I expect a lot in return. I am hardly condemning them and expect them to improve in their next outing, which I most likely will purchase again.

One last note. To those of you comparing Affliction: Banned to UFN:Silva/Irvin...don't. You are comparing a long planned ppv card to a hastily produced free card. If you want to compare, then use any recent or upcoming UFC ppv. And if you want to see great production from a "new" promotion, check out Dream 5. Alvarez/Kawajiri was awesome! Unfortunately, this also showed why one night Grand Prix tournaments are little more than a fun time.

Ok, UFC has two types of fans, mma fans and ultimate fighting fans. These are the 600,000 or so that buy the ppvs or watch the shows monthly. Just a rounded off number, going off some of their more recent, successful cards.

EXC, the only promotion with a prime time network deal, has the hardcore mma fan and the casual/new fan that wants to see Kimbo and Gina Carrano, thus the 6 million or so viewers for the latter part of EXCBS 1. That is ten times the number of viewers watching the UFC (staying with the high end of buys to compensate some for the bar crowds). Of course, we have yet to see if they can remotely sustain that viewership.

Now, we all know that the hook of EXCBS 1, was Kimbo and Gina, so my question is, "who is the UFC's Kimbo?". Obviously, they don't have the curiosity draw for casual fans, that is women's mma, so who would they put on their cards to draw those new/casual fans? Who is their version of a "YouTube Fighting Sensation"? Are their most well known fighters, while superior skill wise, the big draw for these fans?

If the UFC were to garner even half of the EXCBS ratings, it would be considered a huge failure, imo, and could hurt their reputation some. They cannot put on shows like TUF 7 Finale or UFNs and expect to grab these valued viewers.

So, I am going to list who I think are the top draws, most compelling or most well known in each weight class. Feel free to agree or disagree, but more interestingly, put together a main card of 5 fights or so and let's see what we can come up with to draw in those more casual, less knowledgeable fans.

HW--Sorely lacking big names, obviously won't be the anchor weight class.

Brock Lesner--May be the biggest name in the UFC as far as new/casual fan is concerned.

Shane Carwin--America loves the huge, built guys and he may be able to grow into a top spot.

Cheick Kongo--Same here, big Physically imposing guy.

Antonio Nogueira--The Champ, maybe TUF exposure can get make him more recognizable?

LHW--Tito would have been perfect for a foray into network TV.

Rampage--Has had some TV/film exposure, very entertaining, plus he is the champ.

Chuck Liddell--Probably the highest profile fighter in the UFC that hasn't been in the WWE. Imo, he would be the headliner, without question.

Forrest Griffin--Has had some exposure and is a huge character. Don't discount his recognition from TUF 1.

Sokoudjou--Another physically imposing guy, great look about him and spectacular KO power.

Shogun--Top skills and a TV face, lol. The ladies love Shogun!

MW--Tough division to sell.

Anderson--Perhaps the best fighter around, but no exposure.

Michael Bisping--Seems like fans enjoy hating him more than anything, but that isn't always a bad thing.

WW--Could be a huge division on TV.

GSP--Great fighter, great accent, professionally dressed and well spoken. This guy should be one of the faces of MMA.

Hughes--Could be ending his career soon, should cash in on whatever recognition he may have.

Serra--Larger than life personality and has some exposure from TUF and beating GSP.

LW--Gotta sell action, and this is where it's at!

BJ--The champ, the prodigy, full of attitude and a great fighter.

Roger Huerta--Developing fighter, made for TV.

Clay Guida--looks like Animal from the Muppet Show, lol. His unique look and non-stop action style, make for a potential draw.

Obviously this isn't a list of the best fighters, but rather who is already somewhat known and who could be. Certainly not all-inclusive. So think it over and put your cards together and let's see if we think the UFC has what it takes to bring in the casual/new fans that may not be familiar with many of the world's best fighters.

Ok, I'm kidding!!

What a great time to be an mma fan. Just look at the recent shows:

UFC 84--great card

EXCBS--prime time network debut of live mma!

WEC--one of the best promotions has one of their best cards!

UFC 85--A doomed card, turns out to be pretty darn good.

Sengoku--Come on Cuban! How about getting some mma on HDNet?? Seriously, this would be great addition to a great network.

Dream-- 1, 2 and 3 were all pretty good shows and look great in HD.

And just look at what is upcoming:

EXC--Hawaii, mma, Nick Diaz and KJ Noons/Edwards. This should be a little more representative of what EXC on CBS could/should be. Saturday on Showtime.

Adrenaline--Jeff Monson, Alberto Crane and several other name fighters on HDNet, also Saturday Night.

Dream 4--Sorry no CroCop grappling display, but how about Jacare/Mayhem!?!? Round 2 of the middleweight grand prix live on HDNet, late Saturday/early Sunday.

TUF Finale--Free on Spike! Evan Tanner vs Kendall Grove, immensely important fight for both guys!

Iron Ring Finale--Ok, I watched the whole season, I may need help! As bad as it has been, they brought Trigg in to announce and constantly explain to his co-host, exactly what is happening. I watched the first half last week, and they actually had some halfway decent fights. Tuesday's ending looks promising as "Bullet" takes on "Dymond" Jones in the most anticipated fight of the season! (apologies in advance!)

UFC 86--Rampage takes on Forrest. "I got netted on national TV", bad blood for sure, lol. Seriously, this could be a pretty interesting fight.

Affliction--A card nobody wants to see. If by nobody, you mean everybody! I actually think Fedor/Sylvia is more interesting than Fedor/Randy. Plus, The Donald.

Strikeforce-Melendez/Thomson and some other nice fights. Live on HDNet!!

And of course, on the horizon:

Your monthly UFC ppv, UFN 15, Dana's big announcement, TUF: Mir/Nog, IFL returns with the Hex, WEC with 3 title fights, Dream 5, WVR lightweight gp with winner getting a shot at Gomi, more EXCBS, Randy's Return(????), and much, much more!

What a great time for great fights and we get to see exactly how the mma landscape will shape up. I think this may be the most important year in the development of mma as a sport. Who will win? Who will lose? What promotions will make it?

As the mma world expands, I thought it would be interesting for us to share our thoughts and feelings on the suitors for our time and money!

UFC-Ahh the king. There is no questioning the dominance of this promotion. A high percentage of the top fighters, the most exposure and in my estimation, the most fans. I expect them to stay the course, but the recent release of some unsuccessful fighters, leads me to believe they are streamlining their shows. I think this is an attempt to promote the most exciting, entertaining fights possible and keep us dishing out our ppv money.

EXC-Kind of a mess. They asked for attention, and got it, so now what? Do they have the talent to sustain long term interest in their product? They do have a few high level fighters, but imo, they do not have enough talent...on their own. They need to get busy with the co-promoting and give us some of the big fights we know are out there. Somehow, when i watch their cards, I feel dirty, lol. I think this has something to do with the dancing girls. Seriously, the girls have to go and big name fighters have to show up.

Dream-So far i love what I've seen and can't wait for more. I feel like I'm watching Pride again, and there is nothing wrong with that. I like having the alternative surface, in the ring, not that it is better than a cage, just different. I like the production and even the screaming lady. There is just something different about the style of fight you see, but I can't really put my finger on it. I just wonder, after the GPs, where will they go.

IFL-One of my favorite promotions this year. If you haven't been watching it live on HDNet, you are missing out. I would compare it to the WEC in quality and competition level. This is a more pure mma, without as much theatrics and flamboyance. Usually, the fights are very entertaining and they have some good up and coming guys. They have moved a little away from the strictly team concept and each show features title fights. i think they need to find a way to get more eyes on their product and do it ASAP.

WEC-I love watching the lighter weights and the energy they bring to a fight. I think Mir usually does a very good job of calling the fights and let's the audience know what is happening and what is coming. If I had a friend who was getting into mma, i would point them in the direction of the WEC. Good young fighters, exciting fights, straightforward production and announcers that lay a little knowledge on you. And it's free!

WVR-If I can't watch it on my TV, does it exist? Seriously, I want to see it on my TV!!

And what are your predictions for Affliction and Adrenaline? i think they better gang up with some of the usual suspects, or one day, we may be saying "remember that show that had Fedor and Sylvia?"

Please add some thoughts on these as well as others like King of the Cage, Spirit MC, Shooto, Cage Rage and all, as well as your local promotions, they need attention also.

For me my best regional show is Ring of Fire. It is very professionally done, brings in some veteran names, but focuses a lot on up and comers, like Mike Nichols, Shane Carwin, Luke Caudillo, Alvin Robinson, Eliot Marshall, Cowboy Cerrone and many more. They are shown on HDNet as well and are usually a very entertaining promotion.

Fixed schmixed!

EXC would destroy themselves if they were ever caught fixing fights, and possibly mma in general. And it’s not just EXC, the same thing happens all over the net, when a fight in UFC is controversial. Really people find yourself a new horse to beat to death.

I will say, however, that I fully believe that the refs were instructed to err on the side of caution and refer to the doctor every time. While I don’t think they were afraid of a little blood, I’m sure they didn’t want to broadcast a defenseless fighter getting a few extra shots to the melon. of course, this is a big reason that I don’t think MMA, or boxing for that matter, belong on primetime network TV.

As for this weekend, EXC was a ratings success and I would go so far as to say it was entertaining, even though it wasn’t the style of show I prefer (WEC sure was!). And when was the last time an mma event had people talking this much?? At one point I even found myself verbally rooting for Kimbo. i guess a little adversity goes a long ways.

The only stoppage I have a problem with was Lawler/Smith, that was kind of BS, though I only play doctor! And did anyone else notice that Dish had him listed as Scott Steel in their program summary? Sounds like a porn star name, lol!

WEC was awesome and a couple of my casual fan friends found it incredible. The only thing I don’t like about WEC/UFC cable cards, is the commercials between rounds. i would much rather listen in on the corner talk.

Like I’ve said before, this is an unbelievable time for watching MMA!