SB Nation User Blog: Mike Fagan

The Week in Quotes: December 6th - 12th

Mike Fagan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:03:42 -0000

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE

"When he realizes he doesn’t have that to go to, he’s gonna see a lot of punches coming really quick at him. It’s something I don’t think he’s prepared for." - UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn, forecasting his fight with Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. Penn ultimately dominated Sanchez for four-plus rounds, stopping the challenger due to a cut in the fifth round. (MMA Weekly)

"I think BJ’s better at everything Sanchez does." - Kenny Florian, victorious in his bout with Clay Guida, offering his analysis on the UFC 107 main event. Penn outclassed Sanchez, who was unsuccessful in 27 takedown attempts and landed a meager 8 strikes throughout the fight. (The Lavar Arrington Show)

"He wants to portray himself as the crazy one; I think he’s just portraying himself as the weird one. And we’re gonna know which guy’s more crazy when we get into the Octagon." - Penn, supplementing his victory with his usual traditional of blood sucking and BJPenn.com pimping.

I SUGGEST A NEW STRATEGY, R2: LET THE WOOKIE WIN

"I feel like I did enough, I could have done a little bit more, but the fans watched the fight. I was in the fight so it's hard to judge it until I watch it on TV." - Paul Buentello, returning to the UFC in a decision loss to Stefan Struve at UFC 107. (UFC.com)

"It's pretty cool that the fans knew who the real winner was." - Buentello. Unfortunately, no one else agreed with the well-educated Memphis crowd.

"Some times you just have to grab your (expletive) and go -- and that's one thing I didn't do." - Buentello. I'm not sure I want to know what's on the other side of that (expletive).

UNTIL THIS BATTLE STATION IS FULLY OPERATIONAL, WE ARE VULNERABLE

"[Lesnar] did go to the Mayo Clinic. You can't listen to him. You've got to listen to me." - UFC President Dana White, who has never told a lie. Ever. (MMA Junkie)

"He's a private guy. He doesn't want anybody talking about it." - White. Uh, whoops?

"I'm going to wait and see whether he has to have this major surgery before I make any big decisions. But it won't be long. We'll know about Lesnar in a month-and-a-half, and then I'll make that decision." - White, on introducing an interim title. First, Dana needs to spill the beans on Lesnar's favorite positions with Sable.

"[H]e’s walking around and moving around. He’s not ready to jump into that cage, that’s for sure at this point." - Minnesota Martial Arts lead trainer Greg Nelson. (MMA Weekly)

THE FORCE CAN HAVE A STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE WEAK-MINDED

"A big part of it is that Mazzagatti just didn’t handle things right." - Jon Jones, disqualified after blasting Matt Hamill with "12-6" elbow strikes last weekend at the Ultimate Fighter 10 finale. (Sports Illustrated)

"You know, he’s standing over Matt Hamill, who can’t see at the time because he has blood in his eyes, and obviously he can’t hear, and Mazzagatti is standing there asking him if he’s okay. Then he stops the fight." - Jones. Wait, Matt Hamill is deaf?

"I said in so many interviews, I respect him a lot for the inspiration that he is. It was awkward to keep hitting him like that, you know 'let's stop this.'" - Jones. Wait, you don't enjoy beating on the handicapped? (UFC.com)

JABBA, YOU'RE A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING

"I remember I panicked when he stuck me against the cage and then I remember staring at Herb. I even made a joke like, ‘I didn’t get out, did I?’ " - Former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir, on his fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. Lesnar than approached Mir, gave him a handshake, and offered some kind words. (Las Vegas Sun)

"When I saw Brock screaming and yelling at me I was confused because I was thinking, ‘What happened from the time I blacked out and the time I woke up?'" - Mir. Oh yeah, that's right. Lesnar also politely asked Mir if he had any more disparaging words for him now that Brock had decisively avenged the prior loss.

"When he got sick it screwed up my training because he was such a driving force for me. I went into a depression for two to three days where I didn’t go to the gym, I got sick — I drove myself insane thinking we may possibly not fight again. I couldn’t live with that." - Mir, mentally healthy.

I TOLD YOU SHE WOULD NEVER CONSCIOUSLY BETRAY THE REBELLION

"He's happy, but the reality is that I pushed him into signing that deal." - UFC President Dana White, never outwitted in negotiations, on Dan Henderson signing with Strikeforce. (MMA Fanhouse)

"Well, at least I'll be able to have Clinch Gear on in the cage when I fight for Strikeforce." - Henderson. Zuffa banned the Clinch Gear line during negotiations with Henderson. (Sherdog)

"It was more funny to me than anything that they would do that. Dana has stated to me that it was nothing personal and that there were no hard feelings at all. If there were no hard feelings, why would they ban a clothing line?" - Henderson. There's that word again.

"Do you think that there's any guy we can't get that I want? Other than Fedor [Emelianenko]? So far, he's been the one guy we can't get. But everyone else that we've wanted, we got. If I wanted Dan Henderson, I could've signed him." - White, adjusting his monacle and top hat.

WHITE NOISE

"We didn't say, 'Hey, Rampage isn't here, so we're bringing in Houston Alexander.'" - UFC President Dana White. Sounds like he's got his new whipping boy. (Commercial Apparel)

"I'm more disappointed in him than anything. I don't know if you've followed me and how I react sometimes, but I get angry and I usually get in fights with all these guys." - White, you don't say?

"He sent me a really bad text so I sent him a really bad text back. He wrote back, 'Call me, I can't spell good enough to fight on texts.'" - White. Oh, Rampage, you're even funny in the third person. (Las Vegas Sun)

PARTING SHOTS

"I think everyone talks about Marv being a joke because he's not doing what everyone else is doing." - B.J. Penn. I think the reason people think he's a joke is because he bred his son to be an NFL quarterback from the womb. (Cage Writer)

"Like I said, I have these multiple personalities so that 25 year old that is inside is doing this fighting." - Former NFL running back and 47 year old Herschel Walker. Someone's really gonna license this guy to fight? (SportsRadioInterviews.com)

"I'm the official UFC suckmeter. If you can't get past me, you'll get that call from [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva saying you can't fight no more." - Roy Nelson, aspiring to the zenith of competition. (Cage Writer)

"At this level of the game, you have to be almost like genius-type smart. You have all these dimensions you have to bottle in one." - Kimbo Slice. MMA in a nutshell. (Cage Writer)

FightMetric Report for UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, B.J. Penn Is Good at Fighting

Mike Fagan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:52:14 -0000

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Remember nine hours ago when I told you that B.J. Penn is scary good? Yeah, I was right. But hot damn, I didn't offer the superlatives that Penn deserves.

FightMetric released their report for last night's main event. Even with the universally acknowledged dominating performance from Penn, the data is quite shocking.

Get this: Sanchez landed all of eight strikes throughout the duration of the fight. Eight. Penn landed more than eight jabs to the head in each round. Let that sink in for a second. Sanchez threw 108 strikes during the fight. That's a success rate of 7%.

Meanwhile, B.J. landed 150 of 214 strikes for a land rate of 70%. Gross.

In the grappling department, Sanchez attempted 27 takedowns*, completing zero.

In the words of Shirley Evans, "He dominated your will, Rashad."

SBN coverage of UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez

* - If I'm not mistaken, FightMetric scores each individual pull or yank as a takedown attempt. Meaning, if Sanchez grabs a hold of a single leg and yanks him away from the fence three times while maintaining control of said leg, he gets credit for three takedown attempts.

[UPDATED] From FightMetric's blog:

Question: When was the last time that BJ Penn got taken down while fighting at 155 pounds?

Answer: You have to go back more than six years to Penn's fight against Takanori Gomi. Lightweight opponents are 0 for their last 39 takedown attempts against BJ.

Wow.

UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez Post-Fight Recap and Analysis

Mike Fagan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:51:34 -0000

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-B.J. Penn is scary good. Penn made Diego Sanchez's face look like a Diaz brother by the end of this fight. Sanchez offered no threat to B.J. at any point during the bout. With no obvious contender waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see who Dana White and Joe Silva find for Penn to fight.

-Three things jumped out to me in the final round of the main event. One, Joe's use of the phrase "calm as glass". Perhaps I'm a lowly philistine, but I'm unfamiliar with that bit of jargon. Two, B.J. Penn threw a high kick. I can't remember him ever doing that in the past. Three, B.J. bitch slapped Diego sometime in the middle of the round when Diego latched on to a single.

-Alan Belcher may have the worst taste in MMA. Pink shorts. Awful Johnny Cash tattoo. And then the Urijah Faber white-rows. Ew.

-Call me a hater, but I'm still not entirely sold on Frank Mir as a legitimate heavyweight threat. That being said, the performance was impressive. The punch didn't look to rock Kongo as much as catch him off guard, and Frank was able to secure the guillotine in the ensuing scramble. From there, Kongo moved or was forced to move the wrong way to defend the choke, and that was all she wrote.

-Fitch/Pierce went as anyone could have expected. Pierce looked good in defeat, especially in the third round, but Fitch was just too big and too experienced for him.

-For a guy with as much energy as Clay Guida, he sure takes forever to takes his gear off and get in the cage.

-Can someone be unpredictable when their corner is screaming, "I need unpredictability!"

-Guida burping will go down as a legendary MMA gif.

-Kenny did exactly what I thought he needed to do to beat Clay. Use footwork to maintain distance and pepper Clay with strikes. Fantastic execution of a very smart gameplan.

-Clay gets beat up and subbed, gets up, and runs around. Something's wrong with this guy.

-First thing I thought when I saw Buentello was that he did not look to be in shape. I think that's what ultimately lost him the fight.

-Mid-way during the third round I noted that Struve doesn't seem to make full use of his size. He stood right in front of Buentello well within striking distance of the Headhunter. Mike Goldberg's next comment? "Struve does a good job keeping his opponent at distance!" Huh?

-Final thought. Dear fighters, please stop touching gloves mid-fight. I don't care that you guys are excited about punching each other. It's lame.

Gambling Spotlight: UFC 107

Mike Fagan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:34:37 -0000

The Bad Beat Express hit me pretty hard when Jon Jones tried to surgically remove Matt Hamill's eyes from his face last week at the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. A happy trigger finger on the "Confirm" button added a couple additional units to the play (that I wasn't thrilled about, but wasn't exactly sweating), making the swing sting that much worse.

It's always disappointing to be on losing end of these sorts of things, but take solace: Jones's performance qualified a bet at even the worst odds you might have been stuck with.

That being said, let's try to right the ship at UFC 107

B.J. Penn #1 Lightweight UFC LW Champ Former UFC WW Champ	vs.	Diego Sanchez #7 Lightweight Ultimate Fighter Winner
-280 (Bodog)	Best Line	+250 (5Dimes)
30	Age	27
5'9"	Height	5'10"
14 - 5 - 1	Record	21 - 2 - 0
5 / 6	TKO / SUB	6 / 9
B.J. Penn MMA	Camp	The Arena
W - Florian (SUB) L - St. Pierre (TKO) W - Sherk (TKO)	Last 3	W - Guida (SD) W - Stevenson (UD) W - Fioravanti (TKO)

B.J. Penn is severely undervalued. Take a look at the best closing Penn lines since his fight with Jen Pulver: -330 vs. Pulver, -280 vs. Stevenson, -221 vs. Sherk, -230 vs. Florian. Penn didn't just beat those four guys; he dominated each fight bell-to-bell.

It would be redundant to fondle Penn's junk in print. We all know what he brings to the table: a preternatural sense for jiu jitsu, one of the top boxing games in all of MMA, a chin that Arlovksi would die for, and skin that would make Fedor superhuman.

But I do want to highlight one part of Penn's skill set (and take a stab at Mike Goldberg at the same time). Penn not only has great hands, but he has fantastic striking defense. Unlike what a certain UFC play-by-play man will say, good head movement does not involve tossing your head about willy-nilly two steps out of striking range. Effective head movement should be so subtle as to go unnoticed to all but the most careful of viewers. Penn utilizes his whole body to move just fractions of an inch away from incoming blows, giving him the balance and control to unload a counter combination in return.

Kenny Florian had it right in his prediction on D.C. radio. B.J. Penn does everything that Sanchez does, but better. I cannot envision a scenario in which Diego finishes B.J. - Penn has an iron chin if his defense were to be penetrated, and the idea of him being submitted by anyone at 155 must be laughed off, which puts him at a severe disadvantage in a five round fight.

Sanchez's lone advantage will be in the cardio department, which isn't enough to carry you to victory and will probably be overstated by fans and pundits alike. Penn may still visibly tire as the fight wears on, but watch his fights at lightweight and tell me he isn't as effective in round four with Kenny Florian as he was in the opening period. Sanchez will come out like a bat out of hell, but he doesn't keep that pace going throughout the fight.

Penn is as dominant at 155 as Fedor at heavyweight, Anderson at 185, and GSP at 170. For whatever reason, the linesmakers don't seem to grasp that (and apparently the betting public hasn't either, the line hasn't moved as far as I would expect). So, unload as much as you can tolerably risk. Stick him in parlays. Take the KO or submission props over at Bookmaker. If there's a bet to be had and Penn is involved, hand over you money.

SBN coverage of UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez

Frank Mir #4 Heavyweight Former UFC HW Champ	vs.	Cheick Kongo #17 Heavyweight
-190 (5Dimes)	Best Line	+190 (Bodog)
30	Age	34
6'3"	Height	6'4"
12 - 4 - 0	Record	14 - 5 -1
2 / 7	TKO / SUB	9 / 2
Team Sityodtong	Camp	Wolfslair MMA
L - Lesnar (TKO) W - Nogueira (TKO) W - Lesnar (SUB)	Last 3	L - Velasquez (UD) W - Hardonk (TKO) W - Al Turk (TKO)

I have a favor to ask the Bloody Elbow nation. Please bring me the head of any soul who refers to this fight as a "classic striker vs. grappler matchup". Regardless of the level of truth behind the statement, it's one of the most boring and tired cliches in MMA, and a sign of lazy journalism.

With that out of the way, this is your classic striker vs. grappler matchup in its purest form (no, it isn't). This fight will hinge on one aspect: Mir's ability to drag the fight to the floor. And I'm not so sure he can do it with any regularity.

Kongo's takedown defense is getting unfairly criticized for the Velasquez fight. You'll never mistake him for a B.J. Penn, but using a fight against an elite wrestler and a short training camp as a frame of reference is a mistake here.

Now, if it does hit the floor, Mir will submit Kongo more times than not as long as he can obtain dominant position. But Mir doesn't have the strongest shot in the world, and that ability will diminish the longer the fight goes with Kongo peppering Mir with leg kicks.

I don't believe Mir for a second that he's willing to stand with Kongo, but if he does, he'll get smashed. His striking, simply stated, is not good. He stands straight up, his form is stiff and awkward, and he doesn't move particularly well. A kickboxing match featuring Kongo and Mir would see Mir getting stifled at range for fifteen minutes.

All told, I like a unit on Kongo here. My thoughts on Mir aside, this kind of fight will always favor the grappler barring some supreme ability in a secondary skill. I have a lot of issues with Mir's ability to take this to the floor, and if Kongo starts to tee off on Frank, he may shut down and call it a night.

Kenny Florian #4 Lightweight	vs.	Clay Guida #18 Lightweight Former Strikeforce LW Champ
-205 (Bodog)	Best Line	+180 (5Dimes)
33	Age	28
5'10"	Height	5'7"
15 - 4 - 0	Record	25 - 10 - 0
3 / 7	TKO / SUB	4 / 12
Tri-Star Gym	Camp	Jackson's Submission Fighting
L - Penn (SUB) W - Stevenson (SUB) W - Huerta (UD)	Last 3	L - Sanchez (SD) W - Diaz (SD) W - Danzig (UD)

If I were managing your typical UFC lightweight, the last guy I would want my fighter to fight is Clay Guida. Even when you win, you lose, as you often win in very ugly fashion. Throw in Guida's relentless wrestling game and a fifteen minute fight, and you have the recipe to be beaten by a guy that might not have the same dynamic skill set you possess.

Which is exactly the position Kenny Florian finds himself in. He assuredly has a more varied attack, but it will be for naught if he can't stop Guida from taking him down. That being said, Kenny's a very smart fighter. He and his camp know, even with Guida's time with Greg Jackson, that Clay's going to try to push the pace and smother Kenny on the floor. I expect Team Florian will come in with a plan to create distance, avoid the fence, and pick Guida apart on the feet.

I'm staying away from this fight, though (not completely, though). If Kenny can't finish the fight, you're looking at a very high variance decision given Clay's go-forward smother style. I think the current line accounts for this pretty well.

I did however take Florian to win by KO, TKO, or DQ at +400 on Bookmaker. I feel a bit square taking it, but I feel Kenny's propensity for the elbow and Guida's propensity to get hit may lead to bad consequences.

FightMetric Report for Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander

Mike Fagan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:10:16 -0000

Photo by Dave Mandel via Sherdog

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Two things struck me following Kimbo Slice's victory over Houston Alexander. First, the UFC did an amazing job finding someone that Kimbo could outgrapple. Second, the athletic commissions need to inform their officials that 10-10 is suitable scoring for a round.

FightMetric released their analysis of the fight. The Effectiveness Scores by round as follows:

	R1	R2	R3	Total
Kimbo Slice	10	164	56	229
Houston Alexander	13	46	56	115

Those scores extrapolate to a 30-29 score under the ten-point must system, with rounds one and three being scored 10-10 and Slice taking round two.

There's been a mild uproar about the judge who scored the bout 30-27 for Slice. Looking at the numbers, however, and I would argue that any controversy should center on the continued resistance of the judges to score a round 10-10.

While FightMetric's Effectiveness Score ended up as a dead tie in round three, round one makes a better case for a 10-10 score (and a round I scored 10-10 live). As the volume of offense increases, it becomes less difficult to separate the winning fighter from the losing fighter, even if they ultimately land a similar amount of offense. Round one, on the other hand, was such an anemic period it drew comparisons to Kalib Starnes' infamous performance against Nate Quarry.

The futility of the round breakdowns as follows (by amount of strikes landed):

	Slice	Alexander
Head Power	0	1
Head Jab	4	0
Body Power	0	0
Body Jab	0	0
Leg Power	0	4
Leg Jab	0	7

Ouch.

And just when we all thought we were in for a snooze fest, Slice and Alexander picked up the pace in round two. The two combined to line 39 strikes in the frame, but the real surprise came three minutes into the round when Kimbo hit a thunderous suplex that would make Scott Steiner proud.

Slice demonstrated his grappling value, scoring three takedowns in the round, gaining mount and back control twice, and getting credit for a rear naked choke attempt. It seemed intuitive that Alexander, a veteran of fifteen fights, would be able to handle himself on the floor, if the fight somehow turned in that direction. Whether it was Kimbo's time at ATT or the size advantage he held over the natural light heavyweight in Alexander, those prognostications couldn't have been further from the truth.

The Week in Quotes: November 29th - December 5th

Mike Fagan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:57:59 -0000

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THE PLAQUE FOR THE ALTERNATES IS DOWN IN THE LADIES' ROOM

"I would have booed, too." - Kimbo Slice, on his fight with Houston Alexander at the TUF 10 finale. Alexander's strategy would be best described as a lovechild between Kalib Starnes and Forrest Griffin. (Sherdog)

"I don’t know what Houston Alexander’s corner was doing, but that was the worst game plan they could have ever come up with." - UFC President Dana White. Houston was not following the gameplan. (Yahoo)

"I am not sure if Kalib Starnes was training him or what, but that wasn’t the Houston Alexander I had seen fight before." - White. You mean the Houston Alexander that got insta-mounted by Thiago Silva or the one that James Irvin blasted in eight seconds?

"He took me up on the offer I made, did what he had to do and went out and beat a legitimate UFC fighter." - White, on Kimbo's merit. I don't think "legitimate" means what Dana thinks it does.

"This will probably end up being knockout of the night, but it's going to be me, doing the knocking out." - Alexander, in the buildup to the fight. The only guy knocked out in this fight was Houston, right out of the UFC's good graces.

COMMUNICATING. KEEPING UP FOREIGN RELATIONS. YOU KNOW, GIVING HIM THE BIRD!

"Not because the haters are talking shit about me being scared of Rashad or Titties or anybody else. I'm coming back for my fans and to shut Rashad's mouth up and shut Dana's mouth up." - Former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, announcing his "surprise" return to the UFC. (Rampage-Jackson.com)

"My mom’s on Rampage’s side. She’s cheering for Rampage. She’s always saying, ‘Ruuh-shawd, be nice to Rampage! He’s so funny!’ I’m like, ‘Ma, who cares if he’s funny?’" - Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans. (Las Vegas Sun)

"I could see him walk into a room and I start getting ready to throw down. The hair raises on the back of my neck because I know he’s going to say something. I just want to crack him." - Evans

THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REGRETS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SONS ARE DEAD BECAUSE THEY WERE STUPID

"Honestly, I really, I just dislike the guy. Oh man. I try not to hold grudges at all, so I’m not going to let it beat me up inside." - Darrill "Titties" Schoonover, on his long-held grudge with Quinton Jackson. (MMA Mania)

"I really don’t care that much, but I would really love to fight him. Like I really, really want to fight this guy." - Schoonover, really, really doesn't care.

"Like I remember me and my little brother when I was going in, my little brother was pretty proud of me. He’s like, 'Yeah bro. That’s cool man. You’re going to get to train with Rashad or ‘Rampage.’ 'He’s like, 'I hope you get ‘Rampage.' You’re going to love him.' And I was just like, 'Yeah man. ‘Rampage’ is pretty cool.' And then all this starts happening and I’m just like, 'I hate ‘Rampage.'" - Schoonover. So Rampage acts like...Rampage, and you get all butthurt about it?

TOP GUN RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ARE WRITTEN FOR YOUR SAFETY AND FOR THAT OF YOUR TEAM. THEY ARE NOT FLEXIBLE, NOR AM I. EITHER OBEY THEM OR YOU ARE HISTORY. IS THAT CLEAR?

"Well, you know, situations like this can only make you better." - Jon "Bones" Jones, disqualified in his match with Matt Hamill after delivering two 12-6 downward elbow strikes. A silver lining was found when fight doctors discovered Jones beat Hamill's hearing back. (UFC.com)

"Everybody has to be harnessed." - Greg Jackson, an interesting prefight comment with a very different meaning postfight. (Sherdog)

"I didn't win that fight. I did something illegal." - Jones. Unfortunately for Hamill, the prior four minutes were completely legal.

"Now I have no pressure because I'm not undefeated!" - Jones. Maybe he tapped into Fedor Emelianenko's secret to success?

THAT'S PRETTY ARROGANT, CONSIDERING THE COMPANY YOU'RE IN

"If he keeps winning, and I keep winning, it could happen." "King" Mo Lawal, who has made excuses for his lack of quality opposition under the umbrella of "development", foreshadowing a fight with Fedor. (MMA Junkie)

"I have a feeling Gegard Mousasi's going to be at 185 again, eventually. I have a feeling that I'm going to be the reason he goes back down." - Lawal, detailing plans to cut Mousasi's left leg off.

YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO THINK UP THERE. IF YOU THINK, YOU'RE DEAD.

"Rosa Parks wasn't supposed to ride in the front of the bus. She was supposed to be in the back of that bus. Nick is the Rosa Parks of MMA." - Nick Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie, who gets his stuff from Diaz. (MMA Weekly)

PARTING SHOTS

"No coaches wanted to scout a guy who looks like a little girl in the lower-body department." - Jon "Bones" Jones. I, however, would like to scout his girlish "lower body department"! (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"I'm tired of seeing many of our former fight idols destitute and in a state of poverty." - James Weber, inaugural Chairman of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission. While it's sad to see great athletes become shells of their former selves, perhaps Weber should concentrate on the 15% of his state's labor market currently out of steady income? (Detroit Free Press)

"When your kids come to wake you up and you start choking out your kids, that's when you know you have it right." - Houston Alexander, using a poor choice of words with a representative of Nebraska's Department of Family Services. (Spike.com)

Better Not Pout: MMA Wishlist for 2010

Mike Fagan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:40:52 -0000

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It's that time of year again. Mom's calling you off the hook, badgering you to get your Christmas list to Grandma if you want anything worthwhile. And while Grandma can't put together that cross-promotional superfight, we can still pray to the MMA Gods here on Bloody Elbow.

Without further adieu, my top 5 wants for 2010:

1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar - This isn't as far off as it might seem at first glance. Emelianenko's contract with Strikeforce (and the management aspect of M-1) only lasts two more fights, making a 2010 year-end UFC supershow feasible, if unlikely. While the fight doesn't need any additional hype, the sheer amount of angles that one could take is astounding. You've got Pride vs. UFC. Russia vs. America. Size and strength vs. technique and experience. Brash confidence vs. humble stoicism. NCAA wrestling vs. Russian Sambo. It may not be Mayweather/Pacquiao, but it's the closest MMA can come for some time.

2. WEC integration into the UFC - In the main event of WEC 44, Mike Brown and Jose Aldo, two of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, made a combined $41,000. Three days later, meddling midcard middleweight Kendall Grove made $44,000 fighting a prelim fight at UFC 106. The only thing standing in the way of big paydays for Brown and Aldo is a TV deal and a three lettered acronym. It's time to put the facade to rest.

3. The end of the Ultimate Fighter - I'll admit that I was psyched for this past season of TUF. Kimbo, Roy Nelson, and a bunch of million dollar athletes in the house. What more could we ask for? Well, conditioning for one. Less Kimblotation for another. By the end of the season, I was watching more or less out of habit. You can only polish a turd so much. The show will never create megastars like Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez again. Instead, it 1) provides cheap ratings for Spike and 2) allows the UFC to showcase a couple of fighters it planned on bringing in. Just cut out the middle man, sign the fighters you want, and put more fight cards on Spike.

4. Regulation in 50 states - In 2000, New Jersey became the first state to regulate the sport of mixed martial arts. Ten years later, not only has the entire country failed to jump on board, but New York, home of Madison Square Garden, has still yet to recognize the sport. Politicians have never been the vanguard of forward thinking, but they need to realize this: MMA isn't going anywhere. It's not the fringe outlaw sport it was at the turn of the millennium. It's a legitimate athletic endeavor covered from ESPN to the New York Times. A refusal to regulate only hurts the participants, who must rely on the local promoter to get paid timely (if at all) and provide proper medical support.

5. A cure for staph infection - I hope someone cooks up a cure if only so I don't have to look at pictures of stab wounds in Kevin Randleman's ribs or a baby alien growing out of "Mayhem" Miller's neck. Maybe I really should be wishing that gyms start investing in some bleach to clean up their mats, I don't know, all the time? Whatever the case, I hope the disease goes away once and for all.

Let's see your lists in the comments.

TUF 10: The Ultimate Fighter Live Discussion (Episode 11)

Mike Fagan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:37:24 -0000

Looking back on this season, it'll be highlighted by three things: Kimbo Slice, Matt Mitrione's constant injury problems, and fighters gassing like oil lanterns.

And guess what, crackers, we get two hours of it this week! Hoo-f'n-ray!

Brendan Schaub, surprise surprise, joins Roy Nelson in the semi-finals. This week we found out which pair of James McSweeney, Marcus Jones, Darrill "Military Titties" Schoonover, and Matt Mitrione (?) join them.

Like I said last week, you've made it this far. You know you're gonna tune in and watch all two hours, hating yourself all the while. So join us at 9:00 PM EST to discuss episode 11!

The Week in Quotes: November 22nd - 28th

Mike Fagan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:12:03 -0000

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I TRIED TO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF THE THING

"Kim was interviewed post 'sparring' with Wand Silva saying, 'Silva had to turn it UP, when I turned it up.'" - Erin Toughill, none too pleased with a certain soon-to-be-ex-memeber of Familia Couture. (The Underground)

"She has said, 'It's really hard for Randy to pass my rubber guard.'" - Toughill

"She had some lip augmentation done. Girls asked how'd it affect her fight? Kim said, 'It would not. I dont get hit in sparring or when I fight. I have a 'black style' when it comes to boxing.'" - Toughill. I guess she must have a "white style" when it comes to MMA?

YOU DO THAT, YOU GO TO THE BOX, YOU KNOW. TWO MINUTES, BY YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, AND YOU FEEL SHAME, YOU KNOW. AND THEN YOU GET FREE.

"The long-term goal for me and my own satisfaction is to take off Brock Lesnar's arm." - Former UFC heavyweight champ and eternal optimist Frank Mir, diversifying his life goals. (MMA Junkie)

"Not that he was, obviously, my next opponent, but to face him again was the long-term goal – the short-term goals being obviously Cheick and whoever else." - Mir

"If Brock Lesnar is unable to enter the cage again, that's going to give me a hard time. That's been pretty much my drive and focus to go to the gym every day, to change myself and grow as a fighter, is the opportunity to have a rematch with him." - Mir. Battered wife syndrome?

I'M TIRED OF IT! PUKE! BLAH! ALL THE TIME, PUKE!

"I don't even know what's going on, I had to turn it off." - Mir, on the fights during the heavyweight season of TUF. (MMA Weekly)

"I haven't seen any fights in the WEC that could ever amount to being that bad, because the lighter guys are just more competitive. They're in shape, they're more strategic." - Mir. I've found the first case of a reverse-Napoleon Complex.

OLD TIME HOCKEY! LIKE EDDIE SHORE!

"Dana enjoyed the fight so much, but to be honest, one of the things that made me happier was to see my brother proud." - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, following his first round KO of up-and-comer Luis Cane at UFC 106. (InTheGuard.tv)

"Sometimes, in middle of the confusion of interviews, the crowd celebrating, I looked at him and saw the pride on his face. It was very good to see." - Nogueira. Certainly better than seeing his brother trapped under a truck a few decades ago.

BLEED ALL OVER 'EM. LET 'EM KNOW YOU'RE THERE.

"So the doctor says, 'This guy's been at 60% of his potential.'" - UFC President Dana White, on Brock Lesnar's intestinal infection that has plagued Lesnar for the past year. (MMA Torch)

"How much faster can you beat people? How good? There's a lot of questions out there right now and hopefully we can get through this thing." - White, who will be matching Lesnar up with subpar opposition until he finagles a deal with a certain Russian.

PARTING SHOTS

"I’m sorry I ran out on you, it was no disrespect. I just wanted it to be a great fight and I was really disappointed when it wasn’t." - Former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin, overheard talking to Anderson Silva hurriedly at UFC 106 before continuing his run out of the arena. (Las Vegas Sun)

"It's probably a good thing. I was having a hard time getting motivated for my last two fights. I needed a change. The undercards just didn't do it for me." - Brock Larson, cut by the UFC after his second consecutive loss. I'm sure promoters love hearing about a guy who can't get motivated fighting in the UFC. (MMA Junkie)

"I called and I asked him for Renzo (Gracie) because he's coming and he needs a warm-up fight, so I was like I feel like I'd be a good warm-up fight." - Matt Brown, who will call out Luke Thomas if Renzo doesn't take the fight. (MMA Weekly)

"I just want to fight the top fighters in whatever division I’m in." - Former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin, preparing to fight in the new 193.5 pound division. (National Post)

Stephen Albanese's (Tailstar.com) work for Sherdog from the last Strikeforce Challengers card. It...

Mike Fagan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:04:21 -0000

Stephen Albanese's (Tailstar.com) work for Sherdog from the last Strikeforce Challengers card. It was just a short time ago when Esther Lin was the only interesting MMA photographer. View the entire set here.