The Peoples Champ:

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua By: Jason Boulianne

Highway robbery took place at the Staples Center, Saturday night Oct.24th at U.F.C 104. Having seen a lot of questionable decisions over more than a decade of being a fan of combat sports, I can't think of a greater miscarriage of justice than the larceny that took place in the main event. Of course, there have been other, greater delusive decisions over the years, Holyfield vs. Louis comes to mind, but never has it been so evident in our beloved sport of MMA. By no means am I comparing boxing to MMA, they are two completely separate entities, who share nothing more than a ten point must scoring system. Nor am I stating that MMA has been introduced to the corrupt world of boxing. One thing is for sure, the purity of the sport has been tarnished.

Fans and fighters alike are outraged, and rightfully so. It was perfectly clear after the bout, who won the fight, from the resounding chorus of boo's that could be heard around the Staples Center. The waves of viewers blogging web sites across the nation, proved it wasn't an isolated Cali crowd.

What bothers me more than the decision is the reaction from all parties involved, with the exception of Rua. Shogun showed more class and reserve than I have seen from any fighter in a long , long time. Now it's understandable for Machida's father to stand up for the decision, lets face it your own father might do the same. However, these comments being released by Anderson Silva are close to ridiculous: " Lyoto fought well, ... Lyoto's technique was superior and he inarguably won. In my opinion, Lyoto won all the rounds." What are they smoking over there at Crack House... I mean Black House? Is it just me or is Black House getting on every ones nerves, with silly comments and flat out denial of the facts. Lyoto was out struck. Shoguns strategy was better and his fighting spirit seemed to rise above Lyoto's, in every aspect of the match. It can be compared to catching your child with chocolate all over his face, wrapper in hand, and denying he ever seen a chocolate bar. Anderson and the others at Black House aren't that delusional, this is a ploy. If they stick to there guns, and the rematch takes place with Lyoto winning, they can claim the right decision was made. Whatever the case may be, it has turned off MMA fans everywhere in how they feel about the "official" champion and his training partners at Black House. The fans have spoken.

In the shadow of an impending rematch, Shogun remains poised and humble, stating he will fight Lyoto any time. Rua is the embodiment of a true warrior. Not many people understand the disappointment, losing, a fighter feels after giving everything to do something they love. His reaction after being slapped in the face by the neurotic judging of Cecil Peoples and his cohorts, testifies to his character. In turn, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has gained swarms of new fans and is widely recognized as the peoples champ. As far as I'm concerned and in the minds of thousands world wide, until someone beats Rua, he carries the belt. Long live the new king of the light heavy weight division.

State of the welterweight division:

Rumble Vs. G.S.P. Editorial by: Jason Boulianne

The U.F.C. welterweight division has been waiting for a messiah to challenge the reigning champ Georges St. Pierre (19-2-0). The current condition of the division, could be compared to a desert waste land, with G.S.P sitting a-top the Luxor. With dominant victories over the likes of Matt Hughs (44-7-0), B.J. Pen (14-5-1), Jon Fitch (23-3-0), and Thiago Alves (22-5-0) just to name a few. Many question who will give the champ a worthy challenge. Currently, the upcoming match between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy is set to determine the next official opponent for the French Canadian. Honestly, does anyone really think that either of these two stand a chance? Anything is possible, as we all learned from the first Matt Serra bout, however I can't see either match drumming up any substantial hype or credibility. Neither has earned enough accolades in there perspective divisions to warrant a title fight, which leads to the question: Who is the next threat to the welterweight crown? The answer to this was made clear to me after watching U.F.C. 104.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-2-0) knocked out Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4-0) in just 21 seconds in another, very impressive victory. The win, seemly, was over shadowed by the fact Rumble did not make weight, coming in at a bulky 176 lbs. To look at Johnson you might think the guy might be a middle weight or even a light heavy weight. Rumours have Anthony at 225 lbs. pre and post weigh-in, which makes a cut to 170 lbs. un-fathomable to most professional fighters. In the post fight interview Joe Rogan asked Rumble if he planned to go up to middle weight, in response, he quickly dismissed this for the time being stating: " I'll move up in the future...". He claimed the extra weight was due to injury to his knee during training. In any case, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is an immense 170 pounder with a sizable reach and a background in wrestling, which makes him a viable threat to anyone in the welterweight division. Certainly there were many middle weights who had there notices sent. Watch out for Rumble. For the time being, however, 170lbs. is his home and we can only speculate at his future distinction in this division.

Breaking down G.S.P. vs. Rumble:

Could Johnson really give G.S.P. a run for his money? I believe yes, if not yet, definitely in the near future. With Johnson's 78" reach and devastating knock out power, we still have yet to see our champ take his lumps and keep on tickin, with the exception perhaps of the first B.J. fight. The question is, does Rumble have the wrestling to stuff the best wrestler in MMA? That remains to be seen. Anthony's wrestling has looked sharp, and one could assume the path of least resistance would have to be G'n'P for Georges. The tell tale signs of what could be, might take place in the rumoured fight between Josh Koscheck (14-4-0) and Rumble, at U.F.C. 106. In my opinion, this will be a great fight, and could be a huge indicator of Anthony's wrestling abilities and there limitations. So I guess we'll have to wait and see, one thing is certain, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson could be our next great fight, for the welterweight championship of the world.