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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This is in light of Roger Huerta complaining about how much fighters get paid in a recent interview with Fight! magazine.

Fighters must realize that they are basically getting paid based on three criteria:

1. How Marketable You Are As A Fighter
2. How Exciting You Are(You must win as well)
3. How Many People Will Pay To See YOU Fight

In Huerta’s case…he is marketable and exciting to watch fight…and hasn’t lost in the UFC.  He’s complaining about his current contract(which he signed)…but let’s look at the numbers for a second.  Huerta fought 5 times in 2007 against pretty weak competition in my opinion and here’s how it stacks up:

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Brock Lesnar had the MMA world a buzz in February of this year.  Making his UFC debut against former UFC HW Champion Frank Mir, everyone was asking…is Lesnar for real?  Lesnar battered Mir all but about 20 seconds of the minute and a half fight…and one mistake cost him the match…a submission loss.  Now Lesnar returns at UFC 87 against savvy MMA veteran Heath Herring, and has said that this match is do or die for him.

This match up is an interesting one…Herring likes to keep the fight standing…and obviously Lesnar is primarily a wrestler.  During his UFC tenure, Herring has had problems avoiding the takedown against good wrestlers…hell even against not so good wrestlers.  Jake O’Brien took Herring down at will and Nogueira took Herring down when he wanted to.  So if those are any indications of anything…it’s that Lesnar will be able to do it as well.  While Herring does have submission wins…he does not have the submission acumen of Frank Mir.

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Dave Meltzer speaks on the MMA perils in the land of the rising sun:

The leading promotion, Dream, which has network coverage of its shows, has struggled in the ratings and has struggled to create new stars since the heyday. A torn ACL suffered by Kid Yamamoto, the country’s most popular MMA fighter, couldn’t have come at a worse time. Current hardcore favorite Shinya Aoki, one of the world’s best pound-for-pound grapplers, could not carry the ratings on the July 21 show, and his two tournament matches ended up outdrawn by a one-sided of hated judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama against former pro wrestling star Katsuyori Shibata.

Dream’s back isn’t up against the wall like Elite XC, but it faces a similar situation to the company for the next show on September 23. Under the gun to draw ratings, the company is attempting to put together middleweight Akiyama against heavyweight Mirko Cro Cop, the country’s most popular foreign fighter.

While for the most part I like Japanese MMA…as there have been some absolute classics in Japan.  The DREAM LW GP was dope.  There are certain aspects of it that I just simply can’t stand..such as the following:

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Drop Your Thoughts..

EliteXC’s second show, rating’s wise was ass wipes when compared to their first show(although it was a MUCH better show).  All the MMA purists are now on suicide watch because they think the big TV executives will view MMA differently because of the poor ratings. Some of them may…but it doesn’t really matter at this point. EliteXC has another offering in October with all of their stars lined up to fight on that card…and the ratings will more than likely be better.  However, at this point…it doesn’t really matter…and I could go on and on about EliteXC and their ratings.  So I’ll digress there and state why the UFC will score a TV Network Deal…

The MMA business is driven by PPV…which is responsible for 75% of Zuffa’s revenue. We’ll look at 2006, 2007, and what’s happened so far in 2008. PPV number’s are almost always estimates as the final numbers are never really released…so here we go:

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Lately in MMA, everyone seems to be mentioning the term ‘pound for pound’.  Some sites even have a pound for pound list along with a top 10 list for respective weight divisions.  As of late, many fighters themselves have mentioned that they want to prove themselves by only fighting the best.  The UFC/Zuffa has several fighters that could be mentioned in any pound for pound list…such as:

1. Anderson Silva
2. GSP
3. BJ Penn
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria
6. Rampage Jackson
7. Uriah Faber
8. Miguel Torres
9. Lyoto Machida
10. Reader’s insert your favorite fighter here

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The sport of MMA has progressed greatly within the past few years.  Just 4 years ago the largest MMA promotion in America was bleeding millions of dollars for every event they produced.  Nobody thought they would ever see MMA on prime time network television.  However, this weekend MMA will make its second appearance in the form of EliteXC:  “Unfinished Business” on CBS.  The Ultimate Fighting Championship is reportedly worth over a billion dollars.  There is so much more room for this sport to grow, and I have to wonder why isn’t hasn’t progressed even faster?

I think it’s safe to say that Zuffa is THE major player in the MMA world.  They are the only promotion that continuously produces events that yield a profit.  In fact, Dana White says “I’m glad we make this business look easy…because it’s not.”  Since the UFC began operating in the black back in 2005-2006, we’ve seen a multitude of promotions sprout up hoping to become the next UFC.  If not all…most of them now defunct after losing millions of dollars…and for what?  Only to have their fighters and assets consumed by the UFC to strengthen that company.

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Fronted by Luke Thomas.

It had been just about two years since Fedor Emelianenko fought a legitimate opponent.  That is, until he destroyed former UFC HW champ Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds this past Saturday night.  During the post fight interview, Fedor was asked who he would like to face next and of course he named Randy Couture.

Couture is a legend in this sport, he first man to become a champion in two different weight classes.  At 44 years of age he came out of retirement to defeat the same Tim Sylvia via unanimous decison.  Couture has always seemed to defy the odds in terms of age and ability, but that will not be the case against Fedor. 

I don’t even think Couture has earned the right to face Fedor. Most people have Couture ranked #3 at HW and I have a problem with that.  Considering that Couture decisioned Sylvia and stopped a Gabriel Gonzaga who proved to be overhyped after his win over Cro Cop.  I don’t see how Couture can be ranked at #3 when he only has one win against a top 10 HW since his first retirement.  Whereas, he was stopped in 2 of his last three fights at LHW prior to those fights.

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With all the controversy surrounding the main event of UFC 86…I hate to beat a dead horse.  However, I haven’t really ran across an article that talks about the quantity of strikes compared to the quality of strikes that fighter’s land in a match.  In the main event of UFC 86…fightmetric.com indicates that Forrest Griffin landed 113 strikes compared to 73 for Rampage Jackson.  This match up is a classic example of when less is more…and more is less.

What we have to take into account is which strikes landed have the highest % rate of ending a fight. Of the 113 strikes landed by Forrest…35 of them were leg kicks. Whereas of the 73 Rampage landed…46 were headshots. Throughout the history of MMA, I think it’s fair to say that it’s pretty rare for a fight to end via leg kicks. Although I can think of instances such as Jardine/Whitehead…or Cro Cop/Yoshida…Jardine and Cro Cop have some of the nastiest leg kicks ever. Which is another point that judges should be aware of…I mean a kick from Cro Cop simply would do more damage than say a kick from Justin McCully. Basically, what I’m saying is that if a fighter is landing a lot of inside leg kicks doing minimal damage…and his opponent is landing huge power shots to the head. I think the fighter that’s landing more power shots to the head should weigh more in the judging when compared to the fighter landing alot of kicks to his opponents legs.

Simply because the shots to the head have proven to have had a higher % of ending the fight. This is just another aspect in which judges must take into consideration…and also let’s us know that MMA still has a lot of areas in which it must improve upon. Here’s to all MMA judges actually learning how to do there jobs correctly.

(I’m aware that fightmetric can be biased by acknowledging if a strike landed or not…or was considered a ‘power shot’ or not)

The UFC LightHeavyweight division is THE best division in all of MMA.  Many new faces have emerged since this time last year…with a few fighter’s with familiar names are no longer present.  As we all know the UFC’s HW division is lacking something terrible.  The one guy(Brandon Vera) they were pushing hard just lost back to back fights(albeit the 2nd one was controversial) and has now moved down to the LHW division.  Zuffa needs a star at HW and Chuck Liddell is the man for the job.  Below are a list of possible match-ups at LHW….followed by a list of match-ups Liddell has at HW.

#1. Chuck Liddell vs. Forrest Griffin-If Liddell gets by Rashad Evans at UFC 88…this is more than likely going to be his next fight(no matter how much I disagree with it).  It would feature two of the UFC’s poster boy’s that would do good #’s on the PPV side of things.  It would also give Liddell the opportunity to become champion of the LHW division once again.

#2  Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva II-The first fight was a standup war…and I’m sure the second bout would be no different.

#3. Chuck Liddell vs. Rampage Jackson III-Rampage already has two very decisive wins over Liddell and personally I wouldn’t care to see a third match.  However, I’m sure the UFC hype machine could somehow promote a 3rd match…especially if Liddell became champ again.  But then again, since Rampage mauls him everytime time…I’m not sure they’d book that one at that point.

#4.  Chuck Liddell vs. Lyoto Machida-Realistically, nobody wants to see this fight because it would be the battle of two counter-striker’s.  However, if Machida keeps winning it’s inevitable that Liddell will face him at some point unless he moves up to HW.

#5.  Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine II-Since Wanderlei Silva just ran through Jardine like a bottle of grandma’s castor oil…all the luster of this re-match is gone.  Jardine beat Liddell decisively in the first match(yes, the judges sucked in that one as well).

Honorable Mention-Liddell/Thiago Silva…however, Silva a bit overrated in my honest opinion…he must fight some upper tier guy’s before I put him on the list.

Matches at Heavyweight

#1.  Chuck Liddell vs. Brock Lesnar-This match-up is THE biggest PPV draw that the UFC could put together right now.  The buyrate would be extraordinary…especially if Lesnar gets by Heath Herring next month.  All the wrestling fans that could have possibly alienated Lesnar after losing to Mir would be right back on the bandwagon.

#2.  Chuck Liddell vs. Cheick Kongo-A standup war…nothing more…nothing less.

#3.  Chuck Liddell vs. Antonio “Big Nog” Nogueira-Nogueira takes TONS of punishment…and would be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup.  If Big Nog pulled off the win…he would become an instant star in America.

#4.  Chuck Liddell vs. Gabriel Gonzaga-Gonzaga was the next big thing before getting derailed with back to back losses.  He has decent standup and is a world class grappler/BJJ guy…and got a big response at the weigh in’s of UFC 86.

#5.  Chuck Liddell vs. Shane Carwin-Liddell kills wrestler’s…but would that continue with him fighting at HW?  Carwin won his UFC debut via one punch KO…with Liddell aging quickly…this could be a fight for Carwin to make a name for himself…and for Zuffa to build a new star.

Surely, there are some matchups I may have left off…however, if Zuffa put Liddell at HW he would be more beneficial to the company.  He’s stated that he is open to moving up in weight so why not make that happen?  There are some very intriguing matchups there…THE biggest PPV fight is there…and he could possibly become the only guy beside’s Randy Couture/BJ Penn to hold titles in two weight classes.  Furthermore, since he destroyed Couture twice…I think they could throw away that interim description they are currently using with Big Nog.(I know they are using it because of the lawsuit).  So unless Zuffa wants to feed us Liddell re-match after re-match, they need to make this move if Rashad Evans beats him at UFC 88.

I've been thinking about this forever, and I have always wondered why there are not more superstar's in MMA.  Most of the fighter's are unbelievably athletic, have incredible physique's, and most of all can kick an ordinary guy's ass.  Yet, there are only a handful of fighter's in MMA that have that crossover appeal.  The problem lies in fighter's not expressing themselves and letting the casual fan know anything about them.  Is it the respect value that you see most martial artist exude toward their opponent?  In promo's before a fight...you see fighter A say something to the effect of "I'm sure fighter B has worked hard for this fight...he's well rounded and I respect him...but I'm just gonna impose my will on him."  In turn...fighter B retorts a similar statement towards fighter A.  That is not how you sell a fight...below are my 5 steps to superstardom (in no particular order)

#1.  You Must Win Fights Convincingly-No matter how good you are at promoting yourself and trash talking...if you are not winning most of the time or at least have the potential to win with one punch...forgetaboutit.

#2.  Do Interviews-Most of the time, fighter's depend on the organization they fight for to promote them.  Fighter's must learn to promote themselves and couple that with the promotion they receive from their organzation to reach the masses.  Fighter's have MANY sources from which to choose from...like Website Forums, Newspapers, Internet Radio Shows, and the list goes on.  Tito Ortiz does this well...he has his own website...always does interviews, and posts on the underground forum from time to time.

#3.  Learn How To Sell A Fight/Have Personality- Phil Baroni is a master at this...even with a record of 10-10...you STILL would want to see one of his fights.  Anyone else with a record like that...and you wouldn't even think watching them fight for the most part.  However, Baroni knows how to push the buttons of his opponents and has developed a persona to get his point across.  No, I don't want you to cut promo's like guys in the WWE...but at least be articulate enough to talk some smack.  Learn how seperate yourself from the other fighter's....Liddell has the mowhawk....Rampage has the big chain/howl...GSP breakdances after everyone win...you get the drift.

4.  Take What The Fans Give You-Josh Koscheck is a fantastic fighter and a prime example.  At this point in his career it's clear that most fans do not like him and want to see him lose.  Why not embrace that and play to the crowd?  Again, I'm not saying go WWE with it or be abrasive towards the crowd.  Just find a niche` that works to your advantage and makes people WANT to see you fight/lose.  The bottom line is they WANT to see you fight...which is all that matters when it all boils down.  Then if you contract is so that you get a % of the PPV buys...then guess what you are getting PAID!

#5.Speak The Native Language-If you are an American and you are fighting in Japan...then learn some Japanese.  If you are Brazilian and you are fighting in America...then learn some English.  I'm not saying get a Bachelor's degree or anything...however, you must learn enough to at least conduct the post fight interview so the fans can understand you somewhat.  Taking that initiative let's the fans know you care enough about them to communicate with them.  Wanderlei Silva has made this change...and it's starting to pay big dividends for him.

Jim Ross of WWE fame has a blog up in which he shares his thoughts on UFC 86.  You can catch the entire blog at Jim Ross's Blog...check it:

Ross on the Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson matchup…

"Griffin’s win via decision did not surprise me once I saw the fight but I certainly thought that the Memphis native, Jackson, would win the contest going in. Jackson is a long time fan of Jerry Lawler and even seemed to channel the late Junkyard Dog with Jackson’s howling and his wearing of a dog chain a la JYD way back in the day. Griffin’s kicks were startlingly effective and had to impress the judges along with Griffin’s constant, aggressive nature. A re-match is naturally a guaranteed deal."

Ross on Josh Koscheck…

"Josh Koscheck should learn to utilize the fact that, seemingly, most fans don’t like him for whatever reason and go with it. Fans pay big money to watch people get their asses whipped, just ask the WWE’s Edge, and a great antagonist is money in the bank for any promoter. Nice to hear "Ironman" used as  entrance music for one entrance during the show as it took me back to the Road Warrior days."

Ross appears to be a big Tyson Griffin fan…

"Young Tyson Griffin seems to be on his way to stardom as the UFC seems to have another future box office fighter evolving."

On the commentary and post-fight interviews…

"Joe Rogan is an excellent announcer and I hope the people making the decisions at the UFC know how valuable Rogan is to the UFC viewers. I am not overly unbiased as you would assume especially considering my on air role, but often times the announcing of specific events are overlooked or taken for granted. On the production side of things, the UFC could use a 3rd voice, and this person doesn’t’ have to be seen, to read the sponsor billboards and other such info to enhance the overall production values. This is no big deal but might make the presentation slicker. PXP talent Mike Goldberg is informed and prepared which yours truly certainly respects. Goldberg was once give the opportunity to sit in the PXP chair on Monday Night  Raw. Some of the post match interviews come off as bush league with the fighters simply wanting to plug their sponsors and they are not as smooth at it as NASCAR drivers. I would rather, as a fan, hear more about the just completed fight than someone’s new website or clothing line or where every one is going to go to drink after the show."

On the colorful metaphors that Griffin utilized in his post-fight interview…

"For the UFC to be accepted more universally, language used by Griffin needs to be addressed as it doesn’t’ send out a classy message to a mass audience even though young males may think it was cool. I mean to take nothing away from Forrest Griffin who is one tough son of a gun and is a guy that I will pay to watch fight again but coarse language won’t attract big time sponsors or enhance the building of a brand that is one of the most exciting new sports in the world."

On Bruce Buffer…

"Another guy that might want to consider a Sanka is right announcer Bruce Buffer who seems to be a little over dramatic at times. I know that I couldn’t do Buffer’s job and I do like the fact that the younger Buffer is a Texas Hold ‘Em aficionado."

I couldn't agree more in terms of what he had to say about Kosheck.  I for one used to be a huge wrestling fan, and I don't understand why more MMA guys don't embrace the heel role.  That's what made Tito Ortiz so popular...you either wanted to watch the guy beat somebody's ass...or you wanted to watch him get his ass beat.  The bottom line is you were watching him fight.  That what seperates the superstar's from the rest of the pack...fans want to see them fight.  I also think this role would help Rampage.  It seems that since he KO'ed every casual fan's favorite fighter....fans either hate him or love him.  If he were to embrace the heel role, he would be 5X the superstar that he already is.  I mean look at what it has done for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

I also agree with what he said in terms of Forrest Griffin's choice of words.  I know he just fought his heart out for 25 minutes and ate multiple Tiger Uppercuts from Rampage, but he must remember that millions of people are watching.  This isn't the first time he's used this type of language either(Jardine/Griffin at UFC 66).

It was also cool for him to speak on the production side of things as well as the post-fight interviews.  Very good read...props to Mr. Ross.

Props to fiveouncesofpain.com

Lyoto Machida gives his opinion on the Jackson/Griffin fight...quote taken from Tatame.com

In my opinion, Quinton defeated Forrest, but they give it to Forrest. I think that now they are going to put him against Chuck Liddell to him to take the belt again. I think they prefer Chuck with the belt, he is a former champion, has more marketing and sell more”

From this statement....I think Lyoto realizes the business side of things...however, I don't think he is supportive of it.  He has become much more aggressive in his past two fights(believe it or not) and I think he understands that you have to be exciting to move into title contention.  Depending which fighter they can get to accept a fight with him...we may see a different Lyoto Machida in his next fight.  If it's not Wanderlei...and if Rampage doesn't get an immediate re-match with Forrest....Rampage/Machida would answer ALOT of questions AND would settle things in terms of who gets the next title shot.  It's almost impossible for anyone to have a boring fight with Rampage Jackson. 

“I think Anderson is going well at any category. He is fast and very technique, I think this is his difference”

“I had never thought about that. He is a very good friend and helps me a lot. He is a little much older than me and always gives me tips, so I don’t want to face him”

Machida also comments on Anderson Silva's move to 205...and his desire to not face the 185 champ.  Now that would be a technical standup battle.

Sherdog posted an article stating quotes from fighter's after the Griffin/Jackson battle at UFC 86.  Basically the article is a bunch of quotes in which the fighter's supposedly state who they thought won the fight.

Phil Baroni (Pictures): I don’t know how two judges gave Forrest that first round, man. That’s some bulls—. I thought Rampage clearly won the fight. That first round could have been 10-8 for Rampage!

However, Phil Baroni himself responded via the underground forum:

First off I never gave my opinion on the fight being scored wrong to anyone esp a reporter from Sherdog. I never spoke to any media about my opinion the fight. I think its bullshit that Sherdog quoted me. First off I think the fight was a great one. Second I feel the decision was a fair one. I think Forrest is an inspiration and fought his heart out. His career is an inspiration and story book. He did a great job fought like a true champion against Rampage and his entire career. He deserves to be UFC champion and I take my hat off to him.

On the other hand Rampage fought his heart out as well an will be back, He has come back from alot worse an himself is a great fighter an inspiration. I think the fight was a great battle of wills. Both guys gave it there all and Im proud to be friends with both of them.

Thats my opinion on Forrest Griffon and Rampage Jackson. Im in England now and just wanted to address this stupid article on Sherdog. Again I never made those comments and am proud of both fighters and there efforts. I hope to fight with as much heart an courage this weekend in England.

Uh oh...someone has some explaining to do and if Baroni's speaking the truth...that doesn't bode well on behalf of Sherdog and is pretty shitty in my opinion.  I goto Sherdog to check on different sources of information in the MMA world.  Hopefully this will be clarified one way or another.

Props:Fightlinker

Fans being critical of judges in the MMA world is not a new topic.  Some accounts justified....other's are fans bias blinding the fact that their favorite fighter just lost.  I recognize the fact that judges don't have the benefit of instant replay...nor do they get to watch the fight's from every angle possible.  Currently, the following information is what the judges must abide by in terms of scoring a fight:

E. Judging Criteria
1. Judges are required to determine the winner of a bout that goes to it's full time limit based upon the following criteria:
-Clean Strikes
-Effective Grappling
-Octagon Control
-Effective Aggressiveness

F. Clean Strikes
1. The fighter who is landing both effective and efficient clean strikes.
2. There are two ways of measuring strikes:
-the total number of clean strikes landed (more efficient)
-the total number of heavy strikes landed (more effective)

G. The heavier striker who lands with efficiency, deserves more credit from the Judges than total number landed.
1. If the striking power between the fighters was equal, then the total number landed would be used as the criteria.
2. The total number of strikes landed, should be of sufficient quantity favoring a fighter, to earn a winning round.

H. Strikes thrown from the top position of the guard, are generally heavier and more effective than those thrown from the back.
1. Thus a Judge shall recognize that effective strikes thrown from the top guard position are of "higher quality", than thrown from the bottom.
2. The Judge shall recognize that this is not always the case.
However, the vast majority of fighters prefer the top guard position to strike from. This is a strong indication of positional dominance for striking.

I. Effective Grappling
1. The Judge shall recognize the value of both the clean takedown and active guard position.
2. The Judge shall recognize that a fighter who is able to cleanly takedown his opponent, is effectively grappling.
3. A Judge shall recognize that a fighter on his back in an active guard position, can effectively grapple, through execution of repeated threatening attempts at submission and reversal resulting in continuous defense from the top fighter.
4. A Judge shall recognize that a fighter who maneuvers from guard to mount is effectively grappling.
5. A Judge shall recognize that the guard position alone shall be scored neutral or even, if none of the preceding situations were met.(items 2-4)
6. A Judge shall recognize that if the fighters remain in guard the majority of a round with neither fighter having an edge in clean striking or effective grappling, (items 2-4), the fighter who scored the clean takedown deserves the round.
7. A clean reversal is equal to a clean takedown in effective grappling

J. Octagon Control
1. The fighter who is dictating the pace, place and position of the fight.
2. A striker who fends off a grappler's takedown attempt to remain standing and effectively strike is octagon control.
3. A grappler who can takedown an effective standing striker to ground fight is octagon control.
4. The fighter on the ground who creates submission, mount or clean striking opportunities

K. Effective Aggressiveness
1. This simply means who is moving forward and finding success.(scoring)
2. Throwing a strike moving backwards is not as effective as a strike thrown moving forward.
3. Throwing strikes and not landing is not effective aggressiveness.
4. Moving forward and getting struck is not effective aggressiveness.
5. Shooting takedowns and getting countered and fended off is not effective aggressiveness.

I think it should be condensed into Clean Strikes and Effective Grappling...since Octagon Control and Effective Aggressiveness both fit under the Clean Strikes/Effective Grappling Criteria, and all fights either take place standing or on the ground. 

F. Clean Strikes
1. The fighter who is landing both effective and efficient clean strikes.
2. There are two ways of measuring strikes:
-the total number of clean strikes landed (more efficient)
-the total number of heavy strikes landed (more effective)

G. The heavier striker who lands with efficiency, deserves more credit from the Judges than total number landed.
1. If the striking power between the fighters was equal, then the total number landed would be used as the criteria.
2. The total number of strikes landed, should be of sufficient quantity favoring a fighter, to earn a winning round.

H. Strikes thrown from the top position of the guard, are generally heavier and more effective than those thrown from the back.
1. Thus a Judge shall recognize that effective strikes thrown from the top guard position are of "higher quality", than thrown from the bottom.
2. The Judge shall recognize that this is not always the case.
However, the vast majority of fighters prefer the top guard position to strike from. This is a strong indication of positional dominance for striking.

I. Effective Grappling
1. The Judge shall recognize the value of both the clean takedown and active guard position.
2. The Judge shall recognize that a fighter who is able to cleanly takedown his opponent, is effectively grappling.
3. A Judge shall recognize that a fighter on his back in an active guard position, can effectively grapple, through execution of repeated threatening attempts at submission and reversal resulting in continuous defense from the top fighter.
4. A Judge shall recognize that a fighter who maneuvers from guard to mount is effectively grappling.
5. A Judge shall recognize that the guard position alone shall be scored neutral or even, if none of the preceding situations were met.(items 2-4)
6. A Judge shall recognize that if the fighters remain in guard the majority of a round with neither fighter having an edge in clean striking or effective grappling, (items 2-4), the fighter who scored the clean takedown deserves the round.
7. A clean reversal is equal to a clean takedown in effective grappling.

2. Throwing a strike moving backwards is not as effective as a strike thrown moving forward.

I beg to differ...Chuck Liddell and Lyoto Machida have mastered this technique...also, just because you are moving forward the entire time doesn't mean you are effective or setting the pace of the fight.  Tito Ortiz moved forward the entire time against Machida and got dismantled.

Also, you know how in baseball an umpire has a reputation for a small/big strike zone when calling a game behind the plate.  MMA judges should let it be known what they view as most important in a fight...whether it be power strikes...or a culmunation of strikes...or how do they view take downs/guard passes etc.  That way the fighter's can make that adjustment and incorporate that into their gameplans.

Props to this sherdog post for the guidelines.

Jason Perkins of www.fightline.com has the news:

UFC 87 will go a long way towards determining BJ Penn's future opponents. Penn recently told Fighters Club TV that he is set to move up to 170 to face the winner of UFC 87's Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch contest. The fight, contingent on the health of the victor, will take place at the UFC's annual New Year's Eve card this December 27th in Las Vegas.

Penn also plans to retain his lightweight title and will likely face the winner of Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta, which also takes place at UFC 87, at a later date.

Penn also left open the option of moving up to middleweight after cleaning out the light and welterweight divisions.

I'm all for the best fighter's fighting one another.  However, I'm also not a fan of fighter's moving between weight classes...especially if they are the champ.  It just causes alot of problems as far as stability/rankings within weight divisions.  If Penn were to beat the winner of Fitch/GSP...he would then be the champion of two weight divisions at the same time...ala Dan Henderson in PRIDE.  I would like to see Penn fight the winner of Huerta/Florian first, and if he won that fight...then relinquish the LW belt to move up and challenge GSP/Fitch.  Until then...let's see how this story unfolds.

Information courtesy of Kevin Iole at Yahoo Sports: 

“A lot of guys, they get off the show and they’re embarrassed by what they’ve done. And think about this: I’ve faced a lot of challenges since we’ve had the UFC, but I have a kid (Taylor) who pissed his pants on television and now I have to turn him into a star.”

“Without a doubt, the kid deserves another chance,” White said. “He made himself look like a fool, and he’s aware of that, but everyone deserves another opportunity and we’re going to give it to him. He acted like a moron. He’s embarrassed by it, which he should be, but what he did doesn’t amount to enough to ban him forever. Come on. He was just young and stupid, but at least he seems to have learned from what he did.”

According to the article, Jesse Taylor enrolled in Alcoholic's Anonymous after being embrassed by his behavior after the last season of TUF ended.  I have to say that I can't fault White for giving the kid another chance.  Three months or more is enough time for a young man to reflect on his mistake and realize the opportunity that was pissed away.  The guy DID earn his way into the TUF finals.  Most people seem to forget that tapings for TUF actually ended months ago...although because the incident happened at the end of the show it would seem Taylor's return to the octagon is premature. 

Another nugget from the interview is in regards to the fighter's behavior in the house.  Many people have suggested that Zuffa has influenced what the fighter's do while in the house.  White's response...

“Whoever told you we encouraged them to tear up the house is (an expletive) liar,” White said. “Nobody ever told them what to do on the show.

According to Iole the repairs to the staircase which was destroyed during the last season cost $70,000 to repair.  Any damages done to the house during the filming of the upcoming season will have to be paid for by the fighter's.

Rob Maysey of MMAFA.tv thinks so in a very long article...but it's definitely a good read...here's some of the highlights

The following response is to a statement made by Makan Delrahim a lobbyist hired by Zuffa:

Is it really a “whole different story?”  Should the Muhammad Ali Act apply to MMA?  In May of 2008, even Marc Ratner, the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Zuffa stated that there “is absolutely no reason that the sport should not be regulated along with the sport of boxing.”5

Does this matter to mixed martial artists, and should they care?  In short, the answer is yes.  The activity undertaken by Zuffa “to do everything they possibly can to not be listed under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000″ is directly hostile to the interests of mixed martial artists, and the stakes are enormous.6

The following quote from the article talks about Zuffa's exploitative business practices and other defects in how MMA fighter's are affected:

What actions constituted “exploitative business practices,” and what is meant by increasing “honest competition and the integrity of industry?”  The Senate Committee Report details each of these items:

1. long-term promotional contracts and options hurt the boxer and the sport;
2. organizations do not have credible ratings procedures;
3. organizations have inconsistent procedures, and state regulations do not adequately regulate promoter contracts;
4. difficulty for state commisssions to individually monitor promoter-boxer contracts, and necessity of a federal mechanism to prevent hidden agreements; and
5. promoters forcing boxers to give options in return for getting a title fight.

Each of the defects noted above applies in full to the current status of mixed martial artists.

As I stated it's a LONG article...and I simply couldn't post it all here...but feel free to check it out...and drop your thoughts.

Jason Perkins of fightline.com is reporting that Matt Hamill has announced he will be fighting at UFC 88.

Matt Hamill has informed Fightline.com that he has been offered a fight at UFC 88. Matt is extremely excited about this opportunity and tells us he's "ready to go." An opponent has not been named as of yet, however, Matt says he will announce it on MattHamill.com as soon as the information becomes available.

 Jason Perkins of fightline.com also reports that Rich Franklin will be fighting at UFC 88.

A source close to the UFC has informed Fightline.com that Rich Franklin will take part in UFC 88. No opponent has been named but sources close to the situation tell Fightline.com that Franklin will definitely be fighting in Atlanta.

 Rich has to make a decision," manager Monte Cox recently told MMAWeekly Radio. "We've certainly considered going to 205 and seeing how he does up there. He's fought almost everybody in the 185-pound division. There are some guys that he could fight, but if he beats them it knocks them out of title contention. And nobody is looking to see Rich and Anderson Silva 3 right now, including me."

Dan Henderson is reportedly fighting Rousimar Palhares...so that nixes the idea of us seeing Hendo/Franklin.  Franklin/Hamill is purely speculation on my part....however, both guys are relatively small LHW(if Franklin moves up in weight).  Franklin beating Hamill doesn't really hurt Hamill too much at this point...he's clearly nowhere near title contention.  Hamill beating Franklin would be BIG for his career...even though Franklin would be moving up in weight.  It would be an exciting fight since Franklin likes to stand and trade...and Hamill has drastically improved his striking.  It would be a pretty intriguing matchup added to a nicely developing card. 

UFC 86 is almost upon us and the greatest hype for this event is that....there is no hype.  Many fans and bloggers have voiced their opinions on Zuffa's undercachieving build for this fight and lack of promotion on the current 205 champ.  Here's an excerpt from Sherdog's Jake Rossen:

"Stranger still is an auspicious lack of promotion for Jackson, who has easily earned an hour's worth of highlights in his Pride career. Why not package a propaganda piece prior to the show that elaborates on his impressive history? Wasn't that more or less the point of acquiring that video library?"

I have to disagree...Zuffa has accomplished the following for Rampage:

1.  Provided a tailor-made highlight reel KO opponent in Marvin Eastman.

2.  Fast tracked him to fight arguably it's most well known champion in Liddell in only his second fight in the UFC...which he won in devastating fashion.(exposing him to millions)

3.  Put his fight with Dan Henderson on Spike TV for FREE.(exposing him to millions)

4.  Put him on TUF to expose him to millions of fans on Spike TV for FREE.(exposing him to millions)

5.  Now they are letting him face the biggest star that TUF has produced in Griffin.

Could Zuffa have done a couple of things different with Rampage?  Sure they have areas in which they could improve...but to say that didn't give him any promotion isn't factual.  Actually, I think BE's own Luke Thomas hit it on the head here:

I'm somewhat mystified by the lack of mainstream enthusiasm for Rampage as well, but we forget that Rampage's appeal is driven by both his endearing personality and in-cage performances. It's the one-two combination that he possesses that makes him so likable to the hardcore fan base: you laugh when he talks, and cry for his opponents when he brutally slams them to the canvas.

The report from MMAPayout is that UFC 86 is almost completely sold out.  So with an underwhelming undercard, and a main event that's pretty one-sided on paper.  I think Zuffa's done a pretty good job while not doing much at all.