The troubles of EliteXC have been well documented so I’m not going to rehash all of that information.  However, the most important question is will EliteXC be able to beat their initial foray(ratings wise) with their 3rd installment on CBS this Saturday night?  They have a lot of things going for them in that their two biggest ’stars’ will be fighting on the card in Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano.  As well as one of MMA’s biggest names in Ken Shamrock who always seems to drag a bunch of eyeballs to the TV whenever he fights.  However, there are some things that could be going against them as well…let’s take a look.

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As you all know by now the WEC has officially decided to stop promoting their LHW and MW divisions.  I actually spoke on this a few weeks back, and I still agree with what I wrote back then for the most part.  As of right now we still don’t know exactly which fighters will be kept/cut from the WEC roster at LHW/MW.  As it stands right now there are only a handful of fighters that are worth keeping in my personal opinion.

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Carolina Fight Promotions is one of the best MMA promotions in North Carolina and features some of the best talent on the east coast.  On Saturday, October 11th, Carolina Fight Promotions presents “Carolina Crown” a MMA event that will take place at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.  This card will be the biggest MMA event in North Carolina history with two titles on the line and attendance rumored to be in the 7K-10K range.

The main event consists of Brandon Garner vs. Seth “Mad Dog”  Marquez at 135lbs for the CFP Title.  Garner is a NC native and a cast member of TUF 8.  However, he was eliminated on the first episode because of a ‘No Contest’ in which he hit his opponent with an illegal knee.  Another CFP title will also be on the line with Nissen Osterneck vs. Aitor Canup at 185lbs.  The remainder of the card rounds out like this:

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The UFC machine just keeps moving right along at a brisk pace it seems.  Right off the heels of UFC 88 we have the next UFC event which is Ultimate Fight Night: “Diaz vs. Neer” which will also serve as the lead in show for the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.  Below is my breakdown of the televised portion of the card:

Main Card:

Nate Diaz Vs. Josh Neer- Josh Neer is a veteran of the sport who has quietly won three fights in a row, with his last win coming against Din Thomas back in April.  Diaz is coming off a come from behind submission win against Kurt Pellegrino also in April.  Diaz has had a tendency to rely solely on his BJJ to win his fights thus far in the UFC.  He has shown very little boxing or wrestling skills and he’ll need all of these tools at then some against a veteran like Neer.  In fact, if Diaz continues to rely solely on catching opponents in submissions from his back…he’s going to get smashed sooner or later.  It just might be sooner against someone as well rounded as Neer.  Neer via TKO

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Steve Cofield of Yahoo Sports found a good interview clip with Rashad Evans on Tagg Radio…you can listen to it here:

Evans addressed some real issues that have presented themselves since he took out Chuck Liddell at UFC 88.  Issues such as:

• Fans/Media calling him a show boater
• Bias of Joe Rogan
• Double Standards between him and other fighters celebrating a victory

Rashad made some very valid points in the interview and you can sense the aggravation in his voice as he speaks.  Evans has been the proverbial underdog since showing up on the scene of The Ultimate Fighter 2.  In fact he was the underdog in basically every fight on the show, and he come out on top in the end, despite giving up a lot of size and experience against some of his opponents.  Evans seems like a fighter that thrives on people doubting him or telling him that he can’t do something.

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Basically because I can’t see Franklin/Henderson at the moment…this is the next best match up.  Marquardt just destroyed Martin Kampmann and Henderson danced by Rousimar Palhares…both fights took place at UFC 88.  Anderson Silva is set to defend his MW title against undeserving Patrick Cote at UFC 90.  Barring another upset, Silva will walk thru Cote leaving him without a worthy challenger at MW.  Granted, Silva has defeated both Henderson and Marquardt relatively easily already…I’m not THAT positive he could do it so easily again.  Then again he just might be THAT good..

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For some odd reason the “in” thing to do is to hate anything UFC related by a select group of MMA fans.   It doesn’t matter what the UFC does or how impactful…they will all but wish death upon the organization…regardless of how retarded that is.  Surely there are some negatives to point outabout the company and the man Dana White.  However, I think it’s pretty clear these two entities have done more good for the sport of MMA than bad. So the day after Zuffa/Dana White delivered with Randy Couture coming back to finish what he started…let’s check off the top 8 reasons why we should love Zuffa/Dana White:

8.  They Give Unheard Of Fighters A Chance- How many times have you seen a UFC MMA card and think to yourself….”Who The Hell Is This Dude?”  Yep, the best MMA organization in the world gives opportunities to fighters you’ve never heard of.  While they may not compensate them that well, if that fighter delivers with an exciting fight…the word is they are taken care of.

7.  They Listen To The fans- Whether Dana White admits it or not…they listen to the fans…when the fans grumbled about TUF becoming stale with less fights…what happened?  This last season of TUF provided way more fights than in the past.  When the east coast fans complained about not getting any shows(I was one of them)..what happens?  UFC 68/74 in Ohio, UFC 77 in Ohio, UFC 78 in Jersey, UFC 88 will be in Atlanta, and several UFC events have taken place in Florida.

6.  The WEC- Great company that houses some of the best light weight fighters in the world…every show is action packed and the shows are produced very well…and guess what…they are FREE(for now anyways).

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I’ve been reading comments on other websites from fans, and a great deal of the comments are negative.  Some fans have called this match up WWE ish, disrespectful to Nog/Mir, and comments like Brock Lesnar doesn’t deserve a title shot.  While I can understand those sentiments…you must look at the big picture in regards to this situation.

• Couture is 45 yrs old…but still bankable via PPV
• Who else could Couture fight?
• Lesnar has the tools to beat Couture

Look the contract that Couture has signed is a 3 fight deal, and Zuffa must maximize those opportunities to the fullest.  He’s still a bankable PPV draw and couple that with the angle of him sitting out a year with a fighter with Lesnar’s presence equals lightning in a bottle.  It’s not like Lesnar hasn’t proven that he is for real at this point after demolishing a true veteran of the sport in Heath Herring.

Who else could Couture fight?  A lot of money has been invested in TUF 8 with Mir/Nog as coaches and filming of that show has been COMPLETED.  What…are they gonna just throw that whole show down the drain just for ONE fight?  That would be a stupid way to waste money.  Furthermore, the winner of the Couture/Lesnar fight will fight the winner of Mir/Nogueira…so if Couture and Nogueira hold up their end of the bargain…that fight will happen.

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I know I know…Liddell kills wrestlers and the prove is in the pudding. Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz both succumbed to ass whippings twice, as did Kevin Randleman.  However, there are several factors that could possibly alter the outcome that we have become all to familiar with in this regard.  First let’s take a look at Rashad Evans and what he brings to the table in comparison to the other wrestlers Liddell has faced.

Rashad brings a decent chin, adequate standup game, questionable stamina, but is a much better athlete than Couture or Ortiz.  I think the X-factor for Evans will be his stamina.  If he comes into this fight in shape, I think his chances of winning go up dramatically.  Now let’s take a look some of the factors that could affect the outcome of this fight:

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If you missed last night’s WEC 35 event…as a MMA fan…you lost.   A tough opponent and near exhaustion couldn’t break “The Natural Born Killer”, and that performance alone was enough to justify him fighting in the crowded WW division of the UFC.  Carlos Condit displayed the heart of a champion as he defended his WEC WW belt for the third time.  That is a scary thought, but that’s just the tip of his resume at the ripe age of twenty four.

Condit is largely unknown to the casual fan, as he has fought in primarily smaller shows throughout his career such as the WEC, Pancrase, and Rumble On The Rock.  While he hasn’t faced the upper echelon of fighters at 170lbs, he has faced some formidable opponents.  Jake Shields, Frank Trigg, Renato Verissimo, and Carlo Prater just to name a few.  Physically, Condit doesn’t look like much…but he’s well versed in all facets of the game which reflects in his win/loss record.  He has 9 wins by KO/TKO, and 13 wins via submission.  Which means he has finished his opponent in all 22 of his wins.  The #1 ranked WW(GSP) in world can’t even say that.

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