I have an idea - one that's been recurring for a while now.  It started right here on bloodyelbow.com, in the ever so popular "How Taste My Tweet Tweet" articles.  From the selections you post in that section, Brittney Palmer is a very interesting person.  The comment section below always seemed to echo my thoughts.  After HTMTT had been my only avenue to Twitter for over a year, I finally got a Twitter and follow Ms. Palmer.  And I like most of it.

I feel as if the UFC has a hidden gem and just hasn't realized it yet.  Brittney Palmer, the octagon girl, could turn into a big star for the promotion.  Arianny Celeste is famous; it's safe to say that now.  If anybody saw the new Bud Light Lime add, it looks like she's only getting bigger.  Brittney could be the next Arianny, if not more.

As limited as an octagon girl's exposure is, she's already garnered a huge fan base already.  At my first MMA event, WEC 41, I witnessed the crowd holler for Brittney like prepubescent girls do at Justin Bieber.  Multiple comments were made around me every time she did her lap.  And from scouring several MMA websites I do, it seems that everybody loves this girl.  I can't help but blame them.  From what I've seen, she's an extremely talented artist, big fan of music, and just an all-around kind person.  (Honestly, it's the exact opposite of what I've seen from Ms. Celeste, but hey, she didn't need it.)

The UFC has grown a star out of a ring girl already, and they are able to do it again now.  They could market Palmer in a number of ways, from hosting/co-hosting UFC Unleashed to a short, weekly speaking role on TUF 14 (which is the first TUF I've been excited for in a long time).  Hopefully they realize it soon and can capitalize.

Dominick Cruz is one hell of a fighter.  He fights with both tenacity and elusiveness.  He's one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.  But Dominick Cruz is not a star.  He has the potential to be one: a (thus far) dominant champion with an exciting fight style, but as of this moment, he is not by any means a UFC star.

Urijah Faber once was the poster boy of the WEC.  He dominated all challengers as the WEC Featherweight Champion, including Dominick Cruz.  Faber has already shown marketing power, and nobody is denying that he has a good chance of taking the bantamweight crown next fight.  That being said, he too is nowhere near the likes of a UFC star.

So why are these two men, exciting fighters at the top of their divisions, not stars?  If you guessed their size, you'd be wrong.  The correct answer would be "exposure."

The UFC has already proven that fighters' size does not prevent them from stardom.  Georges St. Pierre is currently the face of mixed martial arts, and he fought in the 2nd lightest weight class until the WEC merger a few months ago.  BJ Penn rose to superstardom as the lightweight king.  Even mid-level lightweights like Clay Guida have proven able to captivate fans.

That road doesn't stop at 155.  Featherweight and bantamweight are the two undiscovered gold mines for the UFC.

By putting Faber and Cruz on the Ultimate Fighter, it would provide the UFC with more than just two coaches to launch into the spotlight.  They could be carrying two entire divisions into prominence.

WIth Sonnen and Bisping, we know what we'll get, and frankly, it would be awesome.  It would probably draw huge ratings and provide some of the most epic trash talk in the world.  It would probably make Sonnen a star (I assert that on American soil, Michael Bisping is the most dislikable disliked fighter in MMA).  But like I said, we know what we're going to get.

However, with Faber and Cruz, the UFC would not only help build two new stars, it could propel the numbers 135 and 145 to the same level of popularity as 205 and 265.

It should happen.  Dana, get it done.

whats up guys.  its me, jkell -  the mma-loving and caps lock-fearing stoner/college student who occasionally posts completely incoherent fanposts on BE.  and - spoiler alert - i'm baked as shit again.

yeah so 'jkell's high posts.' i always read milk's drunken rant of the week and love it, so i'm ripping off his idea.  just high not drunk.  honestly i have no idea how you have the patience to write a fanpost when you're drunk.  i get pretty messed up 3-4 times a week (yep, remember college?) and i dont think i could do it once.  high is cool tho.  i like chillin in my zone on BE and sometimes even post my thoughts.  i think i have pretty good ideas sometimes.  shits clearer yo, i'm telling you.

anywho, i just read the betting lines on the nogueira-davis and johnson-hardy fights on saturday and just thought to myself - how generally accurate are those lines?  so i'm lazy as shit right now and am definitely not gonna do all the research and actually figure it out intelligently, but for the most part, i feel like the bookies get it pretty solid almost every time.  i mean, i always look at the odds, and i cant recall too many times (remember i'm high) where i've checked them out and completely disagreed with them.  except for fedor...

 - - - - OH SHIT FEDOR HATER = NOT TRUE MMA FAN - - - -

thats right, i used caps, crazy huh?

first of all, people who do that stuff, please chill out. but let me explain myself: i am a college kid, and i have only been an mma fan for around 6 years, and a hardcore mma fan for only 3-4 or so. i never saw him in his pride days. dont get me wrong, i've seen all the replays, but there's definitely a difference from seeing a fighter in retrospect than live.  he didnt have that aura of invincibility that i probably wouldve felt if i watched him in his glory days.  so, in my humble opinion, fedor for the past 3 years has not been that impressive - at least not impressive enough to deserve the crazy numbers on the books for and against him.  but alas, i digress...

lets get back to betting odds.  yeah so i almost kinda feel them like an unofficial ranking system you know?  and most of the time, i feel like the odds are more accurate than the rankings.  lets take the anthony johnson (-190) vs. dan hardy fight (+150) right here.  i think most of us would agree that those lines are relatively fair.  however, the most recent BE rankings have hardy at #12 and johnson at #25.  but somehow, johnson is favored?  and yes, i think dan hardy is the most overrated fighter in the game.  and he's a major doucher.  honestly, who the fuck likes him?

on the other hand, we have the rogerio nogueira (-350) vs. phil davis (+275).  nogueira is ranked 9th and davis sits at 16 in the most recent SB rankings.  if i wasn't so broke from spending all my money on alcohol, weed, and food, i would throw money on that shit in a heartbeat.  this is the first betting odd in a while that i've seen and said 'dayum' to.  i actually expect phil davis to beat nogueira, not at all trying to call an upset.  if not for jon jones, i feel like davis would be looked at like the hottest prospect since kimbo slice (lolz).  nogueira, i feel like, has trouble with powerful wrestlers (see bader, ryan).

btw, you ever think about like how ridiculously similar their names are: antonio rodrigo and antonio rogerio?  what is that in english? anthony roderick and anthony roger? it's like the penn family (war penn!). but honestly why would any parents ever want to do that? i just dont get it.  thats one thing that while im high does not get clearer.

so yeah, i tend to trust the betting odds more closely than the rankings.  i really dont get rankings come to think of it.  i feel like any fighter should be the favorite to beat any other fighter ranked below him, besides the champ, of course.  champ is number one, but i think a #12 hendo in strikeforce could beat #6 forrest griffin and everyone behind him, i'll put hendo at #6 and bump everybody else down.  im not saying you should bank matchmaking off rankings, per se, but i feel like their off, alot of the time.

so yeah those are just my thoughts for the day.  i basically blogged this shit.  its not that funny, unfortunately.  i actually wrote a pretty funny post a few weeks ago about incepting anderson silva.  i feel like it got overlooked cuz there were hella posts right around then.  check it out if you havent already. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/3/7/2034449/anderson-silva-inception. its good. promise. 

whats up everybody.  it's your friendly bloodyelbow stoner saying high from hi town.  i'm the guy who wrote the hilariously incoherent article about dana white or something a few weeks ago.  anyway, yeah i'm baked again.  i wish i could post more on BE when i'm high, but i'm usually chillin with my boys or getting laid (you who've tried it know the magic).  but lucky me, i tonight find myself on the elbow.  and this time, mary jane led me somewhere never seen before: into the mind of the spider (not to be confused with "da spyda"), anderson silva.  yeah thats right. i incepted into his fucking brain and listened to excepts of thoughts about his career and matchmaking.

fresh off his win over dan henderson, i enter anderson silva's thought process:

andy: "f**k yeah i'm good.  took out rich franklin for the second time.  defended my honor and the ufc name by taking out the pride champ.  everybody loves me.  i'm gonna be the michael jordan of mma [ed. note: he actually thought "pele of mma," but due to the fact that soccer sucks donkeyballs, this has been altered for the sake of everyone who ever lived].  who you gonna throw at me next, dana?"

dana white: holy f**k! anderson f**king silva has f**king cleaned out the entire f**king division.  maybe he'll fight at f**king LHW!

andy: "LHW! awesome. i'm gonna be a contender at LHW too! hell, i might even win that belt too.  two belts?  my demon effigy of a god that i pray to will be very pleased!"

fight announcement - Andason Silver (<-- see what i did there) vs. James "The Sandman (because his chin is more fragile than a sandcastle) Irvin!

andy: "james irvin?  come on are people ducking me?  either way, imma show everyone i want way better than james irvin.  i mean come on, this guy will probably be out of the ufc in 2 fights at most.  whatever, i'll just go in and beat him up. and everybody will love me :)" [ed. note: yes, sanderson ilva actually does think in emoticons.]

james irvin gets KTFO

andy: "alright enough with this small talk.  let me get a real challenger now at 205.  at least someone who mike goldberg can call 'a real contender, at two hundred and five pounds" [ed. note: read it in goldy voice]. oh but what's this a contender at middleweight? did dana hire some other star in japan? i mean the ufc has absolutely nobody to offe...  patrick cote?  the guy who had that awful deathmetal song written about him? [ed. note: youtube it].  i mean, i dont know what's worse, him or the song.  psh i wont even train for this fight.  i could beat him in my sleep."

silva beats cote in his sleep.

andy: "well i hope they learned from that one.  i really dont want to fight another can.  i mean, who am i, michael bisping?  give me someone tough. 185, 205, it doesnt matter.  i want rashad evans! i want rampage! i want... THALES LEITES?  alright ive done some weird shit for money back in brazil, but this is absolute chupacabra shit.  f**k you dana white. i will literally do nothing for 5 rounds. now give me somebody worthwhile!"

silva does absolutely nothing, but still wins

andy: "jesus christ, dana, i hope you learned your lesson from that one.  how many times do i have to do it?  give me something i can actually get excited for!  forrest griffin?  sure he'll do.  i can really establish myself at 205 by clowning him here.  this is going to be fun.  time to tell all this stupid mma bloggers that i haven't gone off the deep end."

silva becomes a mike goldberg dream, not only being "so elusive, isn't he joe?" but also his "precision was very precise."  forrest gump runs away like forrest griffin.

andy: "ahh, what a night.  i secured highlight reels for the next 10 years, made myself a contender at 205, and everybody loves me again.  maybe i'll fight for the title soon? as long as i dont get any more patrick cotes or thales leites or... ... demian maia... 

[ed. note: yes, anderson silva thinks in internet memes]

over the course of 25 minutes, silva angers the entire nation of the United Arab Emirates.  gas prices rise by $0.50.

andy: "i'm bored.  fighting is boring.  it's like playing call of duty on easy, over and over and over and over.  everybody hates me.  i'm sick of my job.  my collars don't pop nearly as crisply as they did before.  i'm sad.  joe silva next message? forget it.  it's probably chael sonnen.  whatever, he's not that good either.  let's go shopping fore larger and more sparkly things to put on my ears.  training? eh, maybe later."

the comback triangle-armbar

andy: "holy schneikes! that was a hell of a fight!  wow!  i can't believe i won that!  this is the me that i loved from before!  that was incredible!  man it feels good to be a real champion again!  even so, i probably should step up my training.  that was embarrassing for 23 minutes!  no more of that.  plus, getting hit by punches actually hurts.  alright dana, thanks for the challenge.  give me another one, and this time, i'll be ready."

vitor belfort, and the kick.

well that was as far as i incepted into the mind of the you eff see middlewait champion.  i really should fanpost on BE more often when i'm lit.  shit was purple, i swear.

***the official united states inception bureau has confirmed that these are the actual thoughts, verbatim, occurring in silva's head

PS: i recently realized i have the absolute worst name in BE.  bcpjkell?  really? bee see pee jay kell?  i'm getting bored just reading it.  can i change it somehow?

alright guys im just gonna start by saying im lit right now.  yeah im a college kid, i read bloodyelbow all day during and in between classes, and sometimes i like to hit a bong when im done with homework.  i hope i dont get banned for some drug reference or some shit, i dont know all the rules or whatever.  ive only got one warning so far.  anyway, this was a thought i had a few minutes ago

honestly, i dont like how dana white unabashedly overjoys himself at the death of other mma promotions.  i feel without a doubt that truckermouth baldy wants the ufc to be the end all be all of mixed marshal arts.  (yeah i know its spelled martial, i just think it looks funny spelled that way.)  he wants the ufc to be like the nfl is to football and the nba is to basketball.  and nothing will stand in his way.  he might even try conquer the world.  and not just the mma world, like the real world.  imagine, dana fucking white, dictator of the world.  new rule #1: you must acknowledge that anderson silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

so dana white is a ruthless, money-hungry crook who wants to take over professional mma in north america so he can wipe his ass with fresh twenties.  that kind of makes me not like him.

dana white also claims something that i'm not sure i believe: he says he's a fight fan first and foremost, always.  hmm, mr. cool hwite, why did you push so hard against silva-st pierre for so long.  whatever, doesnt matter now.  but the what if he was being both

i think most mma fans would be pleased if all the best fighters in the world in each weight class could fight eachother without contract rules or anything.  since copromotion will never happen, that would all have to be under one banner, surely the ufc name.  trying to reap in more money and appeal to a wider audience gives him the money to support more fighters' contracts and be able to hire the best talent, now with the help of a hefty financial incentive.  the new assimilation of the wec into the ufc makes it especially difficult to keep as many fighters on its roster per weight class.

dana (lol girls name) white (lol color name) is a greedy businessman in my opinion.  not a bad person by any means, but selfish and kind of a professional dick.  but could he be really helping out mma as a whole through his self-serving ways?

well thats about it i guess.  here's a slightly related poll because i like polls.

legalize mma in new york and a plant that grows in the ground nationwide

I think everybody agrees that we witnessed a truly amazing fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.  It was a close fight, and I think most of us will concede that a draw was a fair, if not popular, ruling.  The real question on everybody's mind is whether or not the two should rematch, since Dana White promised Anthony Pettis would get the next shot after defeating Ben Henderson.  Simple poll: rematch or no?

This is just a quick thought I had after watching the Sengoku: Soul of Fight event on YouTube.  I absolutely loved it.  The huge number of spectacular finishes was a relief from what feels like decision-heavy UFC cards.  These are the type of fights that the causal viewer would love.  Which brings me to my point; would increased exposure, especially throughout the US, of Japanese events like Sengoku hurt the sport of MMA in general?  I know for one, Dana White would be pissed the f**k off.  I think we all subconsciously know that Dana White's goal is UFC global domination, andsomething like this would cause him to try take over Japanese MMA like he did with PRIDE.  PRIDE was the UFC'sgreatest competitor back in its day, and Dana White bought it out.  I for one don't think I would like that UFC world empire, and they're not ready for something like that.  Post what you think down below, or just let me know if I'm crazy for imagining these things.

I admit, Sean McCorkle has done an amazing job promoting himself via the internet to the UFC.  Without his constant and eye-catching (albeit annoying) Tweets, he would still be an absolute nobody.  However, it seems that while he has promoted himself to the co-main event of a huge UFC card, nobody cares.  From what I have seen, hardcore MMA fans know him as the annoying Twitter guy who snapped Mark Hunt's arm and should no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks get the UFC 124 co-main event slot.  Casual MMA fans know him as the "who is this guy fighting the tall guy?" guy.  By all means, correct me if I'm wrong.  But I just want to take a quick poll about your views on McCorkle.

This was originally the subject of an essay for my Western Cultural Tradition class, as I'm currently a freshman in college.  Hope you enjoy

It has long been revered as a stunning, enigmatic, and brutal way of life. Many view it as a magnificent test of body and mind, while others condemn it as barbaric and inhumane. Rarely is blood not shed; never is someone not hurt. It is practiced differently all across the world, but unified in its purpose. It is humankind’s first and final test of power. It is the fight: the one-on-one battle for physical dominance. In 1993, fighting became an official sport in the United States, under a company named the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In its short lifespan, the UFC has risen to the tallest peaks and the lowest valleys. The martial artists who fight under its banner have careers much like the lives of characters in the Bible. An analysis of the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship reveals that professional mixed martial artists parallel the characters in the Old Testament of the Bible.

The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, focuses on the lives of the Patriarchs. Despite knowing Abraham is a man of faith, God tests Abraham, commanding, "Take your son, your only son, your beloved Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, where you are to offer him as a burnt offering." Despite his deep sadness and confusion, Abraham obeys the command. Just as he is about to sacrifice his son, an angel of God intervenes, calling, "‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your own beloved son.’" Likewise, the Ultimate Fighting Championship began as a test, a test of faith in combat. Rorion Gracie, the brain behind the UFC and a master of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, wanted to prove to the world that his family’s style of martial arts fared superior to all others. He created an eight-man tournament of fighters of all different styles to compete in no-holds barred combat, which would serve as the first ever UFC event. To represent his family, Rorion chose his scrawny brother, Royce Gracie. Matched up against much larger fighters such as 210-pound shoot fighter Ken Shamrock, 216-pound Savate master Gerard Gordeau, 244-pound Taekwondo practitioner Kimo Leopoldo, and 240-pound NCAA hall of fame wrestler Dan Severn. The 170-pound Royce Gracie defeated them all, confirming his brother’s faith in him and solidifying Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as the most effective martial art of its day. Both Abraham, the first patriarch of Canaan, and Rorion Gracie, pioneer of the UFC, underwent tests to prove their faith, going so far as to put their own family members in danger. However, both passed their tests with flying colors, and just as the world learned how powerful Gracie Jiu-jitsu is, God learned how faithful Abraham was.

Royce Gracie went on to win eleven consecutive fights before leaving the UFC, and as his dominance continued, the UFC gained popularity. However, as the new sport received more attention, it also met harsh criticism for its violence. Senator John McCain even dubbed mixed martial arts as "human cockfighting." Thus, the UFC entered its "dark ages," where events were not even available on pay-per-view. The Hebrew people fell into a "dark age" as well, subjected into slavery in Egypt. The new Egyptian Pharaoh, intimidated by the number and power of the Israelites, enslaved them, "making their lives miserable with hard labour: with digging clay, making bricks, doing various kinds of fieldwork – all sorts of labour that they imposed on them without mercy." The Israelites caught the attention of the tyrant pharaoh, who immediately labeled them as threats to society and oppressed them into slavery. Likewise, the media and governments noticed the rapid expansion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and quickly denounced it as sadistically violent. The Israelites spent several generations oppressed in Egypt. The UFC was banned in thirty-six states and canceled on pay-per-view. The new sport seemed to be on the verge of extinction.

[I know details of this next paragraph are not perfectly accurate, but for the sake of wordiness, I took advantage of my professor’s lack of UFC knowledge and simplified.]

Like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Israelites appeared doomed to live in misery forever. The enslaved Israelites prayed to God for deliverance from their living hell, and Yahweh heard their plea. In the form of a burning bush, God spoke to Moses, "I have come down to rescue them from the clutches of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that country… So now I am sending you to Pharaoh, for you to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." With the help of God, Moses led his people out of Egypt, and eventually, to the Promised Land. In 2001, a semi-professional boxer named, Dana White became the UFC’s Moses. Knowing the UFC’s huge financial troubles, he and casino owner Lorenzo Fertitta bought the struggling business from Semaphore Entertainment Group. White, the new president of the UFC, supported stricter regulations to ensure fighter safety. He and Fertitta, the former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, worked with government athletic commissions to write the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. With new rules and new leadership, the UFC started to be sanctioned throughout the country and rose again in popularity. Even John McCain, who previously attempted to ban the sport nationwide, said in a 2007 NPR interview, "They have cleaned up the sport to the point, at least in my view, where it is not human cockfighting any more. I think they’ve made significant progress. They haven’t made me a fan, but they have made progress." White has shown his appreciation for McCain’s involvement in the sport, saying in a Sports Illustrated interview, "I consider John McCain the guy who started the UFC. If it wasn’t for McCain I wouldn’t be here right now." White bought the UFC in 2001 for $2 million; it is now estimated to be worth well over $1 billion. The UFC truly has gone from its dark ages to its promised land.

The Old Testament prophets all delivered a specific message to the Hebrew people, and each of their stories is told in the career of a UFC mixed martial artist. The upright and god-fearing Job is analogous to former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, BJ Penn. Satan ascertained that Job only revered God because of his good fortune. He challenged God, "‘You have blessed all he undertakes, and his flocks throng the countryside. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: then, I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’" While sturdy in his faith at first, Job became indignant and cursed the day of his birth. 
Before even his first professional fight, BJ Penn was heralded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists the world. Not only did he receive his Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt after only three years of training, that same year, he became the first non-Brazilian to win a gold medal in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

Undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters ever to live, the question always revolved around his heart when faced with adversity. In his first lightweight title fight in 2002, a heavily favored Penn was outworked by Jens Pulver for his first career loss. Penn’s heart faltered again in his 2006 welterweight title fight, and for a third time in 2009 for the welterweight championship. In both fights, his spirit was overtly broken by Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre, respectively. Penn’s talent, like Job’s uprightness, was never in question; however, when faced with the toughest challenges, both faltered in maintaining what made them great.

Before he was called to be a prophet, Amos was merely a shepherd. "I am merely a herdsman and dresser of sycamore-figs," he admitted. Amos is a true underdog, never earning the respect of the priests of Bethel. Matt Serra is the Amos of the mixed martial arts world. Before his welterweight title shot against Georges St. Pierre in 2007, Serra was regarded as an eleven-to-one underdog. But the 5’ 6" Serra knocked out the champion in the first round, winning the title and pulling off the biggest upset in UFC history. Like the priest, Amaziah, who said to Amos, "Go away, seer… never again will you prophesy at Bethel," many UFC analysts called Serra’s title shot undeserving. But Matt Serra, like Amos, defied his critics and became the UFC’s most unlikely champion. Both Serra and Amos exemplify the little guy who rose to the challenge and succeeded.

In both the Old Testament and the UFC, even the greatest amongst men have moments of shame. David, the most highly regarded of the kings of Israel, committed one major sin that eventually led to his downfall. Upon seeing the beautiful Bathsheba bathing, David summoned her to his chamber and had sex with her, despite knowing she was the married to Uriah, one of his soldiers. Bathsheba became pregnant, and after unsuccessfully attempting to convince Uriah that the baby was his, David staged an attack where Uriah was sure to be killed. David thought that as king, he could do whatever he pleased without regard for consequence. Even amongst the most righteous of kings, power corrupts, and David was no exception to this rule. Anderson Silva, the current UFC middleweight champion, underwent a similar experience. After demolishing every challenger thrown at him, Silva became complacent with his ability. In his seventh title defense against Demian Maia, Silva displayed his arrogance in the octagon. From bell to bell, Silva mocked and insulted Maia, danced around the ring, and barely engaged at all. The crowd booed profusely, and UFC President Dana White criticized, "I don’t think I’ve ever been more embarrassed in the 10 years of being in this business." King David and Anderson Silva became too comfortable with their positions and acted as if they were better than everybody else. David believed that, as king, he was above the law. Silva, widely regarded as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, became disdainful of his challengers and angered the whole UFC fan base with his antics.

In addition to similarities between the lives of Old Testament characters and the careers of professional mixed martial artists, the history of the Biblical Israelites mirrors the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The lives of Amos, Job, and King David reflect the careers of Matt Serra, BJ Penn, and Anderson Silva, respectively. Like the Israelites, who were oppressed into slavery in Egypt and liberated by Moses, the UFC entered a dark age of censorship and near extinction, only to be saved by Dana White. To engage or to retreat, that is the questions every fighter must answer in combat. To defy or to submit to God, that is the question the Hebrew people struggled with throughout the Old Testament. The worlds of mixed martial arts and the Bible are strangely intertwined. In Thales Leites’ 2009 middleweight title fight, the words on his trunks read, "Jesus Didn’t Tap."

Works Cited

Della Cava, Marco. “Ultimate Fighting Wins Loyalty.” USATODAY.com. 5 Dec. 2006. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-12-04-ultimate-fighting_x.htm>.

Iole, Kevin Kevin. “UFC 69: Serra Stunner.” Yahoo! Sports. 10 June 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-ufcsixtynine061009>.
  Amos 7: 12-13

Jhabvala, Nicky. “Dana White Talks T.U.F. Drama, Makes Future Promise.” SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 20 June 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/nicki_jhabvala/06/20/dana.white.tuf7/index.html>.

McLaughlin, Seth. “Mixed Martial Arts Promoters Flex Hill Muscle.” The Washington Times. 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/11/mixed-martial-arts-promoters-flex-hill-muscle/>.

Miller, Matthew. “Ultimate Cash Machine.” Forbes.com. 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0505/080.html>.

Rousseau, Robert. “Biography and Profile of BJ Penn.” About.com. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://martialarts.about.com/od/mmaandufc/p/bjpenn.htm>.

Smith, Michael David. “Don’t Forget John McCain’s Other MMA Quote.” MMA Fighting. 4 June 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.mmafighting.com/2008/06/04/dont-forget-john-mccains-other-mma-quote/>.

Stephens, Greg. “UFC President Dana White Embarrassed by Anderson Silva.” Gather Sports News Channel. 11 Apr. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. <http://sports.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978165776>.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (New York: Doubleday, 1999). Genesis 22: 2

It’s no secret that judging in the sport of mixed martial arts is seriously flawed.  Problems range from lack of knowledge about the sport to a poor view of the fight to a flawed ten-point must scoring system… The list goes on and on.  However, there is one problem that gains far less attention than the others, and strangely, it is also one of the most important.

MMA has no clear-cut rules for judging.

Should a close submission attempt be counted for points, or should it be scored as an all-or-none technique?  Should the fighter escaping the submission get any points for defense, no matter how miraculous the escape be? 

Should thrown but missed strikes count for points?  Does dodging the opponent’s strikes count for points?  Do semi-blocked strikes count as landed strikes?  Do strikes that cannot end a fight count for points?  Is striking based on damage done or number of strikes landed?  Does speed trump power, or vice-versa?  Does controlling the pace of a stand-up fight count for points?  Does walking forward count as cage/ring control?  Does walking backward automatically count as being defensive?

Should a takedown be worth anything if the opponent immediately stands back up?  Should a fighter get any points if he doesn’t land a single punch after the takedown?  Should defending a takedown count for points?

Should top control automatically be scored as the dominant position?  Should a fighter who pulls guard score points for cage/ring control?  Does passing the guard count for points?  Does reversing or preventing a guard pass count for points?

Should an illegal strike unseen by the referee count for points?  Should subsequent damage after an unseen illegal strike count for points?

None of these questions have an objective rubric for the judges to follow.  With nothing to refer to, judges are left with few options.  Most of them simply interpret the rules as they see fit, which, as we have seen, has led to some decisions that have made me question how the judges managed to write down their scores without stabbing themselves with their pencils.

Hopefully, the powers that be can formulate at least a basic set of judging criteria to assist the three people whose opinions control the fate of the two men who have just fought their hearts out.  If not, I pray for the future of MMA fighters and fans alike.

Not many were surprised that Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem defeated Brett Rogers in his first title defense since 2007.  But at the same time, not many expected the complete and total beat down that Overeem put on Rogers. 

At Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, Overeem defeated Rogers by simply out-muscling the physically bigger challenger.  During weigh-ins the night before the fights, Overeem weighed in at 253 pounds while Rogers was listed at 264, and likely had to cut to make the heavyweight limit by just one pound.  Nevertheless, Overeem backed Rogers into corners and threw him around like a schoolyard bully.  After tossing the challenger to the canvas with brute force, the champ delivered brutal ground and pound until the fight was stopped at 3:40 of round one.

Overeem did to Rogers what Rogers did against Fedor Emelianenko in his previous fight.  And Rogers was ever so successful in doing that.

The clear-cut next step for Alistair Overeem is a title defense against the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.  Overeem obviously thinks so, as he called out The Last Emperor shortly after his victory Saturday night.  Even the ever-stubborn M-1 Global seemed open to a title fight against Overeem, as M-1 Executive Evgeni Kogan quoted, "If Overeem is presented by the Strikeforce matchmakers as Fedor's next opponent, then that is who Fedor is going to fight."

Overeem presents an extremely difficult match-up for Fedor.  As I mentioned before, Emelianenko was getting sufficiently damaged by Roger’s ground and pound, most of which came from the significant physical size and power Rogers had over Fedor.  Overeem showed on Saturday that he his capable of the same thing, only faster and stronger.

Can Fedor take punishment from Overeem like he did with Rogers?  In his last fight, Fedor brutally knocked out Brett Rogers by capitalizing on the holes in Rogers’ slow, looping hooks.  Overeem is a much more polished striker, and even though it’s a cliché, the term "K-1 level kickboxer" does hold significant meaning.  Overeem is much less likely to be caught with a haymaker like the one that KO’d Rogers.

I am not explicitly saying that Overeem will beat Fedor, but I am saying that he has more than just a chance.

Strikeforce: Nashville was the worst possible event for MMA.  It left every single demographic of viewer disappointed.

The largest demographic of viewers were likely casual fight fans who really just want to see an exciting, wild-punching brawl.  They may know what MMA is on a surface level, but they watch fights to see a Scott Smith-like fight.  Expecting to see a Griffin-Bonnar fight, they were left with a lay-and-pray fest by King Mo, a sprawl-without-brawl show by Gilbert Melendez, and a ground-and-weak-pound performance by Jake Shields.  Potential fans were left bored by the fights they saw, as signified by the 30% drop in ratings during the event itself.  People who have seen very few MMA events likely formulated an opinion that MMA is simply boring.  They will not watch MMA for a long time.

The second demographic of viewers were hardcore fans, like most of you reading this post.  While they might have been intrigued by the stylistic clashes these fighters had to offer, they were probably disappointed by the one-dimensional style of each fighter.  Lawal can wrestle, and Mousasi has no takedown defense or submissions from the guard.  Aoki has submissions and nothing else, and Melendez has the takedown defense to stop that.  Shields can wrestle, and Dan Henderson is worse than a turtle on his back.  Strikeforce: Nashville proved to me that each of these top-ranked fighters has a massive hole in their game that can be exploited for a repetitive and unexciting, loss.

The third major demographic of viewers were the critics, who want to convince the world that mixed martial arts is brutal and thuggish.  While nothing in the fights themselves served to add to their criticism, the post fight antics of the Cesar Gracie fight team fueled their fire exponentially.  If the media needed any indication that mixed martial artists were thuggish and discourteous, this was it.  Gus Johnson's quote about “sometimes, these things happen in MMA” only helped prove that such little scuffles are commonplace.  The MMA world’s attempts to prove that their community is a refined, polite group of people was shot down by this little circus event that transpired after the main event.

So in conclusion, this event hurt MMA more than anything in the recent past.  The fights were boring.  Top ranked fighters lost badly due to major holes in their game.  Team Cesar Gracie provided evidence that the MMA world is a bunch of thugs.  Thank you Strikeforce: Nashville for undoing so much of what MMA has worked so hard to build.

People might call me a BJ Penn fan boy, but I have no shame saying it: the judges' decision for the Penn-Edgar fight was bullshit.  Being an admitted Penn fan, I'm going to leave my personal opinion out as much as possible.  Here is a round by round analysis of the fight by MMA analysts, writers, and computer generated scoring systems together.

There is hardly any dispute amongst MMA analysts, columnists, and fans alike that BJ Penn won the first two rounds, so I’m not going to go into those two at all.  Apparently the only people on the planet who thought Edgar won even one of those rounds were sitting at the judges’ table.

Round 3 was far closer and more difficult to score.  Jordan Breen, Greg Savage, and Mike Fridley of sherdog.com, and Ray Hui of mmafighting.com all scored it 10-9 for BJ Penn.  Brent Brookhouse of bloodyelbow.com and no given author of mmaweekly.com both scored it 10-9 for Frankie Edgar.  Fightmetric.com scored it 10-9 Penn.

The 4th round was the most evenly matched.  Sherdog.com's Breen, Savage, and Fridley scored it a draw, 10-9 for Edgar, and 10-9 for Penn, respectively.  Hui scored it 10-9 Edgar, Brookhouse scored it 10-9 Penn, and mmaweekly.com scored it 10-9 Penn.  Fightmetric.com scored it a 10-10 draw.

The 5th and final round went unanimously to Frankie Edgar, so again, I’m not going to go into it.  I will say, however, that most people agree Penn won the first two rounds at least as, if not more decisively than Edgar won this last round.

This brings up our final tally of the seven sources who scored this fight.  Jordan Breen and Mike Fridley both scored it 49-46 Penn.  Brent Brookhouse, Greg Savage, and Ray Hui all scored it 48-47 Penn.  The unknown author from mmaweekly.com scored it a 48-48 draw.  Fightmetric.com scored it 49-47 for Penn, outpointing Edgar 373-263 over the entirety of the fight. 

Continue reading this post »

At UFC 112, Frankie Edgar shocked the world and beat BJ Penn to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.

The UFC judges scored it 50-45, 48-47, and 49-46, all for Frankie Edgar.

Bloody Elbow's Brent Brookhouse scored it 48-47 Penn.

Sherdog's Jordan Breen, Greg Savage, and Mike Fridley scored it 49-46, 48-47, 49-46, respectively, all for BJ Penn.

MMAfighting's Ray Hui scored it 48-47 Penn.

MMAweekly scored it a 48-48 draw.

What did YOU score the fight?  Poll and/or comment!

It’s TUF 3 all over again for me.  Just like in the 3rd season of The Ultimate Fighter, it took Tito Ortiz less than a single episode to remind me why I like him.  Not only is he a great coach, he is a step above and beyond any coach TUF has ever had. The Ultimate Fighter has had its good coaches, like Minotauro Nogueira and recently Rashad Evans, and its awful ones, like Ken Shamrock and Rampage Jackson.  But what separates him from the rest of the pack is his sincere dedication to making each and every fighter on his team better. 

Continue reading this post »

UFC champs BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, and Anderson Silva have all handily beaten the top competitors in their respective division, and, as expected, the question arises for each of them: "What now?"  The answer the fans all want is for each of them to move up a weight class and find new challenges there.  Silva has fought at 205 twice and Penn was once the welterweight champion, and both seem enthusiastic to continue pursuing challenges at higher weight classes.  GSP, on the other hand, has never really embraced the idea. 

Continue reading this post »

Goldy is at it again.  UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi gave us another chance to see Mike Goldberg botch the English language.  This time he managed to screw up when advertising for both of Spike TV's shows, which begs the question: Why the hell would Goldy do anything but read directly off the teleprompter script?  Take the poll and vote on which verbal faux pas by brilliant color commentator Mike Goldberg was more embarrasing.  Or as Goldy would probably say, the embarrassment is very... embarrassing.

With Dana White recently hinting that the winner of the fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez at UFC 110 will get the next shot at the Brock Lesnar's title, the winner of the Frank Mir-Shane Carwin fight for the interim belt at UFC 111 may have to wait for the title unification bout.  Frequently, with this wait comes another fight, and most likely a very difficult one.  Frank Mir, feeling that Nogueira or Velasquez will get the title shot, wants to start trash talking the champ, ensuring that he will get the immediate title shot should he defeat Shane Carwin at UFC 111.  It's the same tactic Chael Sonnen used, repeatedly bashing Anderson Silva (both the fighter and the person) prior to his match with Nate Marquardt at UFC 109.  The trash talk helped him solidify his title shot, and Frank Mir is hoping to follow suit.