"The more things change, the more they stay the same."                                                                    -French Proverb

In my latest column for Heavy, I look at the ways in which UFC 106 channeled the world of pro wrestling, and why that's not the end of the world as we know it.

It began with Josh Koscheck. His fight with Anthony Johnson played out similar to any number of pro wrestling matches. Each fighter traded eye pokes, the climax of which didn't even happen. Johnson threw a knee to a downed Koscheck, an illegal technique. Koscheck fell to the canvas as if he'd been waylaid, grasping his left eye, causing the audience to wonder if the fight would continue. However, the replay would show not only that Koscheck blocked the knee strike with his forearm, but that it was his right eye that had been grazed in the exchange.

Of course, the fight was followed by one of the great promos in recent history, courtesy of Koscheck.

 

"...I know there's somebody here who thinks he's the number one contender," Koscheck proclaimed. "He thinks he's the number one contender, and I think he's hasn't fought anybody, and he's sitting right over there. The name's Dan Hardy. He ain't fought nobody like me. I guarantee, I'm the number one freaking contender in this weight division, right here. I'm fighting Georges St. Pierre in March, Dana White. You know it. February, I know they're looking for a card. Dan Hardy [versus] Josh Koscheck sells. Let 'em fight right here in the states first."

It was a brilliant performance by Josh Koscheck, and don't believe for a second that he wasn't putting on a show. Granted, it was a performance with its roots firmly planted in the truth, at least as Koscheck sees it. There's no doubt that Koscheck believes he is the top contender to Georges St. Pierre's Welterweight Championship. He almost certainly believes that Hardy hasn't fought anyone on his level, even if he's throwing teammate and recent loser to Hardy, Mike Swick, under the bus by extension.

I also discuss Tito Ortiz and his gamesmanship, convincing the world that he was "100%" for the first time in six years, only to immediately cite injures upon losing the fight. It's funny, many of you have rightly commented that, had Tito actually suffered a cracked skull, he would not have been cleared to fight Forrest Griffin last Saturday. Not only is that true, but looking at the medical suspensions from UFC 106, one name in particular is conspicuously absent.

Oh, Tito. Never change.

Ultimately, while I know that pro wrestling has developed a repuation that in most cases is rightly reviled, the promotional aspects that often cross over into MMA, as in the cases of Koscheck and Ortiz, do more benefit to the sport than harm. Sure, the source of that type of promotion may be somewhat regretable, but it's a tried and true method for drawing fans and earning money.

Realistically, the fact that Ortiz has been able to convince people that a third match with Griffin is worth their while speaks to the power of pro wrestling-style promoting. Ultimately, promotion is what this all boils down to rather that professional wrestling and all that it entails in 2009. This method of promotion certainly harkens back to pro wrestling, but it's not exclusive to the psuedo sport. It worked in boxing for Muhammad Ali, who drew his inspiration from Fred Blassie and Gorgeous George, as it does today for Floyd Mayweather Jr. It's worked for Ortiz and Koscheck, it worked for Ken Shamrock and Frank Shamrock, it worked to create and sustain the MMA industry in Japan, and it's worked for countless other performers in both MMA and boxing. While it may offend the delicate sensibilities of some MMA fans, this sort of promotion has proven its worth and it is a major reason why MMA exists today.

I'll leave you with a final thought: Coincidentally, these allusions to pro wrestling took place on the UFC event immediately following the meeting between the UFC brass and one Shane McMahon. 

To think that once upon a time, this event was to be headlined by former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar...

(art via Heavy.com)

"I think we have a real problem with judging in MMA" - Joe Rogan

My latest column for Heavy.com deals with the fallout from the Randy Couture's victory over Brandon Vera and the degree to which the decision was controversial.

This was not a decision on the level of last month’s Machida v. Rua decision, where one fighter had so clearly done more damage to his opponent that it raised questions about the competency of both the officials scoring the fight and the scoring system itself. Rather, the problem in the scoring of the Couture v. Vera fight was the weight carried by two of the key scoring criterion: damage done and Octagon control. On Saturday in Manchester, England, it appeared that Octagon control was the deciding factor.

It's a shame that the judging even came into question, because I can't help but feel that neither man is in a well defined position. Sure, Couture could be booked against Machida or one of the other top contenders, but did he really prove that he's up to that challenge in the fight with Vera? I really don't think so. 

The other side of the coin is that, questionable decision or not, Randy Couture earned a victory in his return to the Light Heavyweight division. This is likely a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Couture’s stock is such that a victory, any victory, should position him as one of the top two or three contenders to Lyoto Machida’s Light Heavyweight Championship. On the other hand, Randy is still a 46-year old fighter coming off a questionable decision against an opponent who many fans wanted to see Couture dominate. Although we may see Couture in the mix as a top contender in his next match, it’s difficult to say whether or not he can legitimately contend in the division. The questions about Couture coming into the fight with Vera have not been sufficiently answered.

What do you think: am I totally wrong about Couture?

As for Vera, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but the loss has me worried for Vera's position in the UFC. I'd like to think that he acquitted himself well enough that even the haters would give him his due, but let's be realistic. While a good showing against an MMA legend should mean something, the fact that Vera is passionately disliked by so many folks is an unfortunate circumstance that both he and the UFC have to deal with. Could that mean Vera's done with the UFC? Hopefully not, but I doubt anyone would be particularly surprised if that turns out to be the case.

"This does nothing to hurt your career," Rogan told Vera in an attempt to console him. That may not be true. The sentiment has always been that Vera, half-Filipino himself, is something of a star amongst the Filipino community. Still, he’s by no means Manny Pacquiao, nor does the UFC appear to have plans to put on an event in the Philippines in the next year. It would seem rather rash to cut Vera after this particular loss, but the fact remains that Vera has lost the fights he’s needed to win to become a contender, and his victories have not won over the fan base at large. It would be hasty to cut Vera after this particular decision, but the UFC hasn’t exactly shied away from making these sorts of personnel decisions in the past.

Check out the rest of the column, in which I talk more about how this outcome affected Brandon Vera as well as the likely tipping point in favor of Randy Couture.

(art via Heavy.com)

"If you would play the game even a little, you'd be in a position where you could change things around here."

- Dr. Benson, Scrubs

Tonight's Strikeforce on CBS event is arguably the biggest to date for Strikeforce, featuring the world's best fighter. Yet, as important as this card is for Strikeforce, the reality is that Fedor is not a fighter that's shown the ability to draw as a headliner. My latest column on Heavy.com addresses the unfortunate difficulties of promotion the world's best fighter.

It makes Fedor’s relationship with Strikeforce particularly compelling. They are the latest promotion to wind up in bed with M-1, on the hook for similar financial considerations as previous promoters who’ve worked with Fedor. There are a variety of reasons why the move makes more sense for Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, and to be brief, the decision has a greater potential for reward than it carried in the past. Still, we’re talking about a high-priced fighter with limited appeal being used as an international star for a promotion that has only just taken their business national. Calling it a recipe for disaster wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable.

Not that it's destined to fail in the same way that relationships with BODOGFight and Affliction were, but the problem is that Fedor's greatest potential to match his drawing power to his talent level is to be seen by the audience at large as the greatest in the world. Putting aside the fact that promoting a fighter as the greatest in the world has not yet been an effective strategy, Fedor has a very small talent pool in Strikeforce with which to prove his status as the best to a mainstream audience.

Let’s not forget the issue that looms over the entire Fedor circumstance: He’s not fighting the champ. Certainly the champ he should be fighting is Brock Lesnar, the sports biggest star and rightful challenger to Fedor’s proverbial throne, but it’s well documented that the fight won’t be happening. And yet, Fedor can’t even get a fight with Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, who is unavailable due to commitments in kickboxing and with other MMA promotions. That would be fine if Overeem had defended his title, oh, say, at any point ever, but he has yet to do so in his more than two years as champion. Overeem has mentioned that he’d like to fight Fedor in the first half of 2010, but you’ll forgive if I don’t hold my breath for that one.

Of course, in the past couple hours we've learned that Fedor will fight Rogers for the phony baloney WAMMA Heavyweight title, which has about as much significance to anyone as Fedor's days in PRIDE do to the casual audience in 2009. And what's up with the announcement of the title being on the line being made less than 24-hours prior to the match? That's some low-rent stuff right there.

For more on the Fedor Conundrum, check out my full column at Heavy.com.

(art via Heavy.com)

"You were supposed to be this colossus. You were this great, legendary thing…" -Vizzini, The Princess Bride

My first column at Heavy.com is up, wherein I look at the pros and cons of Brock Lesnar being sidelined with the flu.

A cynic would argue that, had Lesnar not been so stubborn for so long and gotten himself some Tamiflu early on, we could all still look forward to watching him defend his title on November 21. That’s a reasonable position to take, but there is a silver lining to this cloud. It will, however, require some patience.

Fortunately, the re-match of Tito Ortiz v. Forrest Griffin features two high-profile fighters who have both come a long way since their first fight, in which Ortiz earned a split-decision victory.

Griffin, no longer the wide-eyed newcomer fresh out of the original "Ultimate Fighter" house, is a recent Light Heavyweight champion. Ortiz, on the other hand, is coming off of back surgery and returns to the UFC after an 18-month hiatus. Now the main event, the buy rate for Ortiz v. Griffin II will tell us whether or not Griffin’s recent meltdown following his loss to Anderson Silva will affect his popularity (probably not) and to what degree Tito Ortiz is still viable, both as a contender at Light Heavyweight and as a draw. 500,000 buys is a conservative estimate for the event.

Coincidentally,  when Tito Ortiz fought Forrest Griffin for the first time on UFC 59 in 2006, the match was billed as the "return of the Huntington Beach Bad Boy." Did you know that when they first fought, the event did a then-record 425k buys? By comparison, Dave Meltzer's latest trending numbers suggest Machida v. Shogun drew about that many buys. You can rest assured that Ortiz v. Griffin II will do better business the second time around.

Not only is the UFC is left with two shows that should generate a sum total of at least 1.5 million buys, but they are also left with a lot of options.

The UFC will have Silva v. Belfort, Machida v. Shogun 2, and ultimately St. Pierre v. Swick/Hardy at the ready. I know a lot of folks lately have been lamenting the lack of strong main events on UFC shows, but it sure looks like that won't be an issue, at least for the first few months, in 2010.

While it’s unfortunate that the UFC will end its year with more of a whimper than their previously scheduled bang, it’s difficult to shed a tear when thinking about the not-so-distant future. It’s ironic that this pandemic, this viral outbreak that’s causing so many people to lose their minds, is responsible for what may wind up as the most successful start to a year enjoyed by the UFC. To think that because Lesnar’s next title defense will be so early in the year he is all but ensured to fight at least three times in 2010, you can’t help but be optimistic.

It’s more than adapting to circumstance; it’s the taming of the flu.

For the rest of my analysis on the domino effect caused by Brock Lesnar's flu, check out the full article on Heavy.com.

(art via Heavy.com)

In what may be the greatest news in the yet young history of Mixed Martial Arts, a catchweight tournament "Super Hulk Tournament" has been added to May 26th, 2009's DREAM.9 event. It's a shame that this tournament, which is being called "the tournament to end all tournaments" will overshadow the second round of DREAM's catchweight ("featherweight") tournament, but it does, and how. Here is the line up, courtesy of Nightmare of Battle

Super Hulk Tournament 1st Round Fights:
Minowaman vs. Bob Sapp
Jan "The Giant" Nortje vs. Sokoudjou
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt
Choi Hong Man vs. Jose Canseco

That's right: the man who outed the steroid problem in baseball, who famously played a ball off of his abnormally large dome to cost the Texas Rangers a home run, will reportedly fight Hong Man Choi in what would far and away be the greatest freak show match in this history of MMA. I say "reportedly," as I have great doubts about Canseco's involvement in this tournament. I'm sure he could use the money, but he's not promoting anything at the moment, and let us not forget the pounding he took in an exhibition boxing match against Vai Sikahema. What business, then, would Canseco have stepping into a ring with a K-1 fighter?

Perhaps that match won't happen. Perhaps it's all just a publicity stunt where Jose Canseco is much more popular in Japan than I imagine him to be. Or perhaps Minowman will just wind up fighting the seven cardboard cut outs. I'll take the cutouts by heelhook, round one.

Continue reading this post »

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas. Editor's note: I have no evidence to suggest this scoop is manufactured, but I've had some concerns about the accuracy of some of the claims coming from MMABay. I am not trying to be adversarial, but until this story is corroborated by another source I have some suspicions.

Michael Pepper of MMABay has the rather large news on this relatively small competitor:

The UFC are set to sign one of the hottest free agents in MMA in KJ Noons, the former EliteXC lightweight champion, MMABay can EXCLUSIVELY reveal.

Noons was stripped of the title last year after refusing to defend it in a rematch against former UFC fighter, Nick Diaz. His contract expired last week, making him one of the most wanted free agents on the MMA scene.

Rumour has it that the former pro-boxer could debut at UFC Fight Night 18 against Melvin Guillard. With Noons one of the best strikers in the lightweight division, he could very well make a massive impact in an already stacked division.

Just a few months ago Noons was complaining that Gary Shaw had forgone an agreement to promote Noons boxing career, something which he seemed very serious about perusing after his falling out with EliteXC. With this announcement, it appears Noons has decided to go in a different route, throwing himself in the mix with some of the very best lightweight fighters in the MMA world.

It's no secret that Noons' strength is his stand up. Hence his stated interest in returning to boxing. Noons was able to force a doctor stoppage by bludgeoning Nick Diaz about the face, and earned a quick TKO victory over former UFC and EliteXC Lightweight contender Yves Edwards. Those, of course, are two solid wins for any fighter to have on their resume, particularly one who is still relatively new to the sport as is Noons, who holds just a 7-2-0 record in MMA competition.

Now that Noons has signed with the UFC, two very important questions come to mind. First, is Noons the truth, or was he merely a large fish in a small pond? Second, will the Noons/Diaz feud extend to the Octagon, leading to a match against Nate Diaz? The former we should find the answer to relatively quickly. Hopefully, the latter will be answered both quickly and affirmatively as well.

(art via www.fcfighter.com)

UPDATE: A source close to Noons says the rumors are false. Yet another reason never to believe anything from MMA Bay. And you can quote me on that, take it to the bank and cash it.

UPDATE 2: I am hearing from another source that the rumor of Noons fighting Guillard did not come from anyone within Noons' camp. Stay tuned.

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Cannon Jacques.

When I asked Luke to discuss Flyweights, I did so thinking that it would be a good way for people to better understand a division in MMA that has little to no representation in the United States. My feeling is that aside from horse jockeys, you'd be hard pressed to find adult male humans who weigh 125lbs. or less in North America. Apparently, then, WEC is scouring racetracks (or, more realistically, SHOOTO), as MMAWeekly is reporting the organizations intention to introduce their own flyweight division this year:

MMAWeekly.com sources on Tuesday revealed that the WEC is adding a 125-pound flyweight division. With WEC 38 in San Diego just three weeks away, no 125-pound bouts are expected for that fight card. The promotion's next event, likely in March, is a more apt candidate to host the WEC's new commitment to flyweight fighters.

The addition of a flyweight division is interesting for a variety of reasons. While SHOOTO currently houses the world's best in the division, it's unlikely that the WEC will be able to build the division around a Shinichi Kojima or Mamoru Yamaguchi. This leads me to speculate that WEC's sights are set on 2008 Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Henry Cejudo, who competed in Beijing at 121lbs. Cejudo has reportedly been training at a boxing gym, however recent rumors suggested that Cejudo could have faced KID Yamamoto at the recent K-1 Dynamite event. Not only would Cejudo enter the UFC with the greatest wrestling credentials, he would also be an easier main-stream sell given his Olympic backstory and his ability to speak English fluently (a characteristic many of the division's early competitors will likely lack).

Regardless of Cejudo's involvement, the addition of the Flyweight division will add even more excitement to a brand known for entertaining cards, top to bottom. It will surely require a lot of promotion by ZUFFA to get the division off the ground, particularly if Cejudo is not involved, but the hardest of the hadcore fans are surely joining me in an ear-to-ear grin at the thought of some of the potential match ups we could see this year and beyond.

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

Japan-MMA has the scoop:

Last minute changes to the Dynamite card! Jerome is out due to the flu and FEG has been working hard to find a replacement, it is announced now that Melvin Manhoef steps in!!

With the tremendous weight difference between Manhoef and Hunt, and the fact that Hunt has at least shown that he's heard of ground fighting, it's going to be a tough road to hoe for Manhoef. Regardless of the outcome, Manhoef deserves a tremendous amount of respect for taking this fight on a day's notice. Credit should also go to FEG for finding a replacement fans could actually care about on such short notice.

(art via www.mmatko.com)