In my previous fanpost I argued for Frankie Edgar to drop to featherweight, not because he needs to, but because it would allow us to see Edgar vs. Jose Aldo, I fight I think could be one of the best ever. But as we have watched the WEC lightweights take over the UFC lightweight division; specifically Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and new champ Ben Henderson, I can't help but think its time to end this needles exile of Gilbert Melendez. Please, someone explain to me why Gilbert is still slumming in Strikeforce? He's beaten everyone there. What else is left? The WEC trio is a combined 10-2 in the UFC, why have they gotten a chance to shine while Melendez has been forced to fight inferior and over-matched fighters?

Folks like me really want to see Henderson/Pettis II because both guys are exciting and we already saw what they could do with five rounds to play around with. But I'm not sure a shaky win over Jeremy Stephens and a single KO over Joe Lauzon really constitutes a title shot. Some point to Edgar himself coming off a win over Matt Veach, but seem to forget he owned Sean Sherk for three rounds before that. But Pettis has beaten Benson, so he has that. I mean look, the rela winners in all of this is us so we can't argue too much. But I would like to see Pettis get a win over a top-ranked UFC contender before getting a title shot.

Its also not without precedent that the UFC would try a champion versus champion title fight, they already gave Nick Diaz a title shot against GSP (before various shit went down). We can solve all of this by doing the following:

• Ben Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez: Champion vs Champion
• Frankie Edgar vs. Anthony Pettis
• Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz

That should set everyone up for the rest of the year.

I have not enjoyed a night of fights as much as tonight since Henderson and Shogun wen nuts on each other for five rounds. Everything since the, for me, has largely underwhelmed. The UFC has so saturated the American market that I've largely been going through the motions and a lot of the numbered PPVs have suffered. But tonight was a marvelous return of what the UFC is capable of doing and what their fights are capable of doing.

- First, let me say this. If anything, tonight was a victory for good judging - specifically in the Shields/Akiyama fight and the Edgar/Henderson fight. I'm not going to sit here and insult anyone's intelligence by trying to argue that Jake Shields has good striking. He's wooden, flat footed, and has no technique. I've learned better form at LA Boxing that he has. But his punches were landing. He developed a good little switch kick that he kept throwing, used his punches to move forward and get ahold of Akiyama, and tenaciously worked for his takedown. I'm not sure if Akiyama thought he was going to win by a couple of nice throws and looking ripped. I watched this at a bar and people were screaming for Akiyama to do something but whatever the reason he just didn't. Listening to Goldberg and Rogan for the first half of the fight, you would think Akiyama was winning because of stuffing takedowns. About halfway through the fight it dawned on Goldberg that Jake was actually landing. It was nice to see him get the win because that kind of fight could be one he losses if the judging wasn't sharp.

-As for the main event, Henderson was clearly dominating the octagon, hitting Edgar over and over with knees and kicks and punches that did more damage, and had Frankie in a couple of really bad spots (the upkick in round 2, the guillotine in round 4). Edgar's sheer volume of strikes don't tell the story as Benson walked right through almost all of them untouched. Ben Henderson beat up Frankie Edgar and won that fight. Convincingly. I know its the cliched talking point right now but with Henderson, Pettis, Diaz, and Cerrone out there I'm not sure he can keep fighting these guys and taking the beating he does and think he can keep winning on heart.

- The main event was awesome, and clearly Ben Henderson learned the lessons of BJ Penn and Gray Maynard. He was measured and precise in his attacks, he never let himself get tired or gassed, and seemed to understand early on that he was bigger and stronger and his strikes inflicted more damage. He understood everything that gets people in trouble with Edgar and did none of it. It was an amazing performance from Henderson who showed skills at every level of the game.

And now the WEC takeover of the UFC lightweight division is complete.

-Ryan Bader clearly wanted to win his fight tonight, and I'm not sure what Rampage Jackson was doing in there. He came in six pounds overweight and looked chubby and slow. He had nothing for Bader, who's looked leaner and faster than I've ever see him. Rampage Jackson is notoriously hard to take down, and Bader did it over and over. Unlike Rashad Evans, Bader was able to control Rampage once he got him down and did serious damage. Bader looks like a fighter working to get better and get back in the title picture, while Jackson looked like a former Pride star trying just to fight one more time in Japan. I'm not sure what's left for him now.

-Tim Boestch is my new favorite fighter.

-Now THAT is the Hatsu Hioki we were all expecting to show up last year. Bartimus is a tought, good fighter so that was a real solid win. I loved that quick front kick he throws, he's so long and fast, he would make a very interesting match-up to Jose Aldo because they are almost physical opposites. Aldo is short, powerful, and quick. Hioko is rangy, tall, and fluid. The popular choice might be the Korean Zombie (if he wins in Fairfax), but I'm thinking its time to do Aldo vs. Hioki. Unless (more below). . .

-Anthony Pettis is a beast . . . Joe Lauzon is a guy that wins fights he's not expected to but when he builds up momentum had has some expectations put on him, he folds. Pettis looked amazing and is now the guy who beat the new champion.

Awesome night of fights, here is where I think they should go next:

-Ben Henderson vs Anthony Pettis II - This is a no brainer because the story wrties itself. Both guys represent the WEC takeover of the UFC lightweight divison, they already proved they could put on a fight of the night, and Pettis won last time and was suppose to get a title shot against Edgar (or Maynard at the time). I know Pettis is 2-1 in the UFC, and only one of the fights was convincing but he's beaten Henderson before and the rest of the division is kind of in flux right now. Nate Diaz and Jim Miller are already fighting, Cerrone is coming off a bad loss, and for some reason Gilbert Melendez remains in Strikeforce hell.

-Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo - Its time to do this. Yes its strange for a fighter to get a title shot on his first fight in a weight class, but this is a business too and the UFC needs to be in the business of putting on the best possible fights. Hioki might make more common sense, but Aldo has yet to put his stamp on the UFC the way other dominate champions have and a fight with the popular former lightweight champion might be the way to do it. It would be a good test for both, and the featherweight division has not had a breakout star yet.

-Ryan Bader vs. Shogun Rua - Let's keep it going for Bader. I'm impressed with him. Some fighters regress when they take a bad loss (like the Ortiz fight) while the great ones take a deep breath and reassess. Bader did just that. He looks like he dropped some muscle mass and has picked up some speed. Bader's a top-tier lightweight and he proved it tonight. Shogun is coming off a loss so this makes sense for both.

-Rampage Jackson vs. Rich Franklin - We are firmly on the legends tour here, as Franklin hasn't fought in over a year. They seemed to have some bad blood over Franklin's comments about Rampage missing weight. But honestly, I'm not sure what Rampage should do. His last three premier fights, he's lost (Evans, Jones, Bader) and its clear he'll never be champion again and the elite of the division have moved past him. There is enough name recognition between the two of them to make it a good fights but I don't know what else there is for him.

-Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva - Why not? Hunt's won three straight and looks to be in good shape, Silva needs an introductory fight to UFC fans and this could be a good scrap.

-Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson - Both guys are at similar points in their careers.

-Jake Shields vs. Jon Fitch - Bring on the smelling salts, I know. But both guys are at similar crossroads in their careers having been to the title shot and fallen down since they got there. I know Jake just won and Fitch lost badly to Hendricks, but it would be a good test for both of them to see where they still stand.

-Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Diego Sanchez - And honestly, I don't even know of Akiyama is going to be in the UFC. He's 1-4 in the company has hasn't looked good at all. You could argue that he lost to Belcher, he got picked apart by BIsping, got subbed (!) by Chris Leben, and blitzed by Belfort. Now this. Perhaps he was way overrated heading into this run . . . more celebrity that fighter. If he stays, Sanchez will be a true test to see if he belongs.

-Tim Boestch vs. Mark Munoz - Look, The Barbarian knocked out a guy who just fought for the title. He deserves a chance at a top guy . . . and that win should move him far enough up the rankings that a fight with a top guy like Munoz. Not much else to say about Boestch, that was an incredible win when everything was against him.

-Yushin Okami vs. Michael Bisping - Bisping badly needs to get a top name on his list, something that has eluded him (although I thought he beat Sonnen). Both are coming off losses and both are credible enough that it would make for an interesting match-up.

-Hatsu HIoki vs. Poirier/Zombie winner - A good number 1 contenders match.

-Bart Palaszewski vs. Mark Hominick∫ - Both guys need to get back on track.

-Joe Lauzon vs. Donald Cerrone - Both guys had bad losses, both need a jumpstart, and both come to scrap so its win-win here.

-ONE last thing . . . 7 fights on the main card are waaaay too many.

The UFC needs to do everything they can to ensure Georges St-Pierre comes back healthy, wealthy, and wise. "Rush"ing him back into action because of this Nick Diaz pissing bong water (part II) is a huge mistake and could cause GSP problems. Now if he is really healthy, yes, he should come back. But the back-up plan could be just as exciting.

I think the winner of Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger should fight Carlos Condit next.

Why? First off, the UFC doesn't necessarily abide by conventional rankings. Lyoto Machida was 1-2 in his previous three fights before fighting Jon Jones. Rampage Jackson got his shot after losing to Rashad Evans two fights before. Timing and name recognition means almost as much.

If Diego Sanchez beats Ellenberger he will be on a three fight win-streak with Ws over Paulo Thiago, Martin Kampmann, and Ellenberger. Its not the worst winning streak in the world, he's a big name, and the fact that him and Condit trained together would make things very interesting. Sanchez always comes to fight (except against Hathaway) and is a name that can sell. Ellenberger is an up-and-coming fighter who knocked out Jake Shields and fought Condit before (to a split decision) and that story writes itself. The UFC has also had interim champions defend their interim titles before (Nog vs. Mir I).

None of these guys are the "real" champion anyways because none of them have beat GSP. So why not, while the champ fully recovers, we have a couple of young studs fighting each other?

So this is my final fanpost on "what I think the Redskins should do." Not that anybody cares, there are scores of these but I wanted to set this in stone for myself as much as anyone. So here is what I want to see happen:

1. Get Robert Griffin III . . . whatever it takes. I've read all the names - Orton, Flynn, Manning, Garard, Grossman, various lower tier draft picks. My problem with signing a free agent is that its someone's player, someone else's draft pick. By drafting Griffin we get a chance to bring a true face of the franchise into the fold, someone we draft and craft and build ourselves. Someone who the entire NFL looks at and says "he's a Redskin." Honestly, we haven't had that since Joe Theismann. The QB needs to define his team . . . Brady and the Patriots, Rogers and Packers, Manning and the Giants, Stafford and the Lions, Brees and the Saints, Schaub and the Texans. On and on. (PS - I get that Brees wasn't drafted by the Saints but the great point still stands). Griffin, for the first time since ever, will give the Redskins a dynamic, strong, athletic, face of the franchise. We've tried the free agent QB (Johnson, George, Banks, the various Florida Gators backups, Grossman, Beck) and we've tried the mid-round draft pick (Ramsey, Campbell). Griffin has it all, we need to go get him and get him now. Two first and a 2nd? Done. Whatever it takes.

2. In Rounds 3 through the end, draft nothing but offensive lineman and defensive backs. Okay, maybe its a slight overstatement, but O-line and D-backs are for me the two parts of a team that can be best addressed in the draft and can be addressed in later rounds. We can sign a few free-agents here and there, but depth and talent are available in later rounds for these positions (especially o-line).

3. Sign a wide-receiver. Something not talked about much are the bevy of high-quality WRs available in free-agency: DeSahun Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson, Wes Welker (maybe), Robert Meachem, Marques Colston, Stevie Johnson, Mario Manningham, Reggie Wayne. My vote goes to Dwayne Bowe because he doesn't have the problems that Jackson comes with, he's not small like Jackson and Welker, has proven he can stretch the field on a bad team with not-great QBs. Manningham would be a nice fit, too. Get a big field stretcher, move Moss into the slot where he's best, develope Hankerson and keep Gaffney, then toss in Davis and Cooley and suddenly we have a lot of options.

4. Re-sign London Fletcher. This team does not have a ton of leaders who go all out and with such a young squad, I believe Fletcher is key to moving the entire team forward. Losing him would be a huge blow for the intagibles he brings and the fact that he is still one of the best players on the team.

5. Get rid of both Grossman and Beck. The disgrace of '11 needs to flushed away for good and forever. I think Grossman and Beck might have been the absolute nadir in the post Gibbs I era when it came to our QB situation, and that is saying something. It has to be forgotten and forgotten for good. If we draft RG3, I'm still okay with bringing in an Orton or a Garard, professionals who have excelled in the league and not had teams win in spite of them.

6. Re-sign Tim Hightower. While many may argue that this is a passing league, I would argue that the new norm is having a running-back by committee set-up. Backs stay healthier and these complicated offense work better with different backs who can come in and do different things. Off the playoff teams, nearly all had at least two major backs that contribute. The days of the one back dominating I think are either a) dead, or b) exist because those teams have no other talent. A running back trio of Tim Hightower, Roy Helu, and Evan Royster is a good group to enter next season with, combined with MIke Sellers and Darrell Young as FBs there are a lot of things that can be done.

So there it is, my blueprint for the Redskins.

I've been thinking a lot of this chatter that is all over the interwebs and sports talk radio about Peyton Manning coming to DC and I think a) its ridiculous and b) its a bad idea. But like most things, I tend to over-think and I've been doing that on this subject a lot.

First off, it could be ridiculous. Manning may have gotten clearance, but you don't have to watch Any Given Sunday to know that sports and medicine aren't always looking out for each other. But if Manning can play, why not take a shot? Signing Manning wouldn't cost them any draft picks and any money they would spend on him would be short term money and I believe they have done enough thus far in the last two drafts that it won't be a repeat of the 2000 Skins. Manning would bring leadership and experience and elite level talent. He would bring a professionalism and an example of how to be a true leader on a team that has been lacking that across the field. A lot of people think of great players going to different teams, they think of Namath as a Ram and Unitas as a Charger. But Brett Favre took the Vikings into overtime of the 2009 NFC title game and Joe Montana had playoff success with Kansas City. It can be done, great players can contribute with other teams.

The problem is signing Manning changes nothing in terms the needs of the team. They still need a quarterback of the future, they still need playmakers at wide receiver, they still need depth on the O-Line. Signing Manning just ensures that at best they will get much better play at QB as long as he doesn't get really hurt. It's a stop-gap, and that might be, in the end, why this won't work. Does Manning want to essentially be in the same place he would be in Indy if he signed with Washington? In the end, this leaves me rather indifferent if they sign Manning or not because it won't really matter one way or another. The core of this team is still weak whether Manning is signed or not. He makes things better for sure, because I can't even write R__ Gro______ name in the same post as Peyton Manning.

The temptation isn't whether to sign Peyton Manning or not. The temptation is whether we allow Peyton Manning to dominate our thoughts and focus this off season, to let it determine our success versus failure. Instead I would focus on names we don't know, offensive lineman and draft picks that will turn us into the New York Giants and New England Patriots, teams that can perennially restock their rosters because of smart management. Sign Peyton Manning, don't sign Peyton Manning . . . in the end, neither decision would define if this team because a true power in the NFC. The small choices of signing and drafting depth, speed, and talent will be what makes us a winner or not.

So what would I do?

I would keep the 6th pick and see what happens because unlike last year, this draft does have depth. I would focus like a laser on Justin Blackmon, who I think is going to be a true stud on this team. The most depressing stat of this season was the Redskins scored exactly ZERO touchdowns on yards after the catch. Its a lack of talent at both quarterback and wide receiver. Santana Moss is a great player, but he's who go with for an 10 yard crossing pattern for a first down. The last three Super Bowl winners . . . New Orleans, Green Bay, and New York . . . have proven that you don't need the dominate rusher to win, you just need a rushing attack. Evan Royster and Roy Helu are a nice tandem and I say give them a year to see what they can really do as a combination. You have Blackmon, Moss, Hankerson, and Gaffney as WRs, I think things could be interesting. What would make a compelling case for Manning being signed is that there is so much young talent on this team . . . being around a superstar like Manning could do wonders for them. Think Fred Davis . . .

The point of all this is that I hope Skins front office brass don't become Manning-obsessed to the point that they ignore what really needs to be done. Sign him or don't, just don't repeat the mistakes of the past and define success by a big name versus doing the real hard work of winning.

First off, let me say this - I think that the Nationals not losing their minds and overspending over someone they thought they needed just to try and "keep up" with other teams like the Marlins. If they could add Gio Gonzalez that would be enough for me with Adam LaRoche coming back healthy.

But the signing of Mike Cameron set off bells in my head. He fills two potential needs. Either he's an off-the-bench defensive specialist that can add veteran leadership to the team or he is your starting center fielder for the short run. But what it really tells me is that the Nats might be seriously thinking about bringing Bryce Harper up to start the season. Because they haven't gone out (yet) to try and add someone to the outfield that is in their prime, I think the Nats have reconciled that they need to trust what they have built and bring their guys in instead of overspending. Although I'm not convinced they aren't going to make a big push for Prince Fielder.

But back to Harper. He is going to play in the outfield and if the Nats went out and got a BJ Upton or Coco Crisp, they would be set with Michael Morse and Jayson Werth in the corners. But with the Cameron signing, it tells me that we might be looking at Morse and Harper in the corners and Werth in center, with Cameron around in case Harper isn't ready and to take some defensive pressure off of Werth at center.

So, does the Nats not making moves in the outfield tell you that Harper may be in the big leagues to start the season?

Mulling over the Redskins this year, you can see a lot of weaknesses on this team. A lot. But you can also see some foundations slowly being built that one hopes will grow. On the defense we have the threesome of Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, and Jarvis Jenkins (hopefully) that if all works out could become a ferocious group. Even the much-maligned offensive line, I've noticed slowly some players starting to step up like Will Montgomery and Willie Smith that could, hopefully, add depth when our line his finally healthy. But above all, even more than the defensive backs, no unit on this team is weaker than wide-receiver. We all love Santana Moss, he'll go down as one of the great Redskins of all time, but he's being asked to be more than he is. He's the perfect slot receiver who can slice and dice a defense over the middle. He's not a #1. In this league, you need that monster receiver who can just go get a ball that is thrown up there. Rex Grossman is a built-in 2 turnover a game guy, but part of that reason is in his entire career the man has never had an elite #1 receiver (I can't think of any in Chicago). This is not to say that Grossman would somehow morph into Drew Brees if he had Megatron lining up for him. But that dimension is missing for the Redskins and has been for a long long time, which means offensively Grossman is being asked to throw it deep to guys that can't just "go get it." Now he does it anyways, but that isn't always a bad thing.

Enter: Justin Blackmon.

The Oklahoma State wide receiver has the chance to become a Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson-type. Explosive, athletic, a receiver who can impose his will on a game. His slash this year at OSU was 113/1336yards/11/.8 average/15TDs. Sick.

Now, this all depends on the jockeying of the various terrible teams in the league. As of the most recent Hogs Haven draft watch, this might be a bit of a stretch. We know Indianapolis is going QB . . . Andrew Luck. Minnesota is an interesting case because they, like Washington, could go a million different ways here. They have the QB, they have a running back, but need help everywhere else. Offensive line is probably the most important thing they need, but they could take Blackmon here. Then St. Louis, who upgraded with Brandon Llyod but no doubt would go for Blackmon. But they, too, need help everywhere else. And I wouldn't put it past St. Louis to trade Sam Bradford if it meant getting Grffin or Barkley for half of what pre-lockout Bradford cost them. Or they could just trade down. Or they could take Blackmon.

But let's assume the chips fall and Blackmon is there for Washington. I'm beginning to think its not such a bad idea to pass on Griffin or Barkley and take him. Why?

http://www.sbnation.com/admin/entries/new?community_id=61&entry_type=FanPostEnter: Brandon Weeden.

I know this might be getting silly. But this year's draft is interesting because of how truly deep the quarterbacks are. Last year we saw guys like Ponder and Gabbert move high up in the draft because it was a weak draft for QBs and some franchises felt so much pressure to get their QB they took them too early because there was not a lot of choices. This year is different. Guys like Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden, Russell Wilson, and Ryan Tannehill would have gone first round last year. Weeden and Tennehill, I argue, are better than Gabbert and Ponder. Real depth is here and I think the Skins . . . assuming youngsters like Leonard Hankerson and Roy Helu develop into true NFL players . . . .can take a gamble on Blackmon high up and count that you can get a good QB down low.

So why Weeden? Its not just to be cute with a funny blog title and the coincidence that Weeden and Blackmon lit up the Big 12 (except Ames) the last two years. Weeden is big, has a powerful arm, and can mover around - the kind of movement someone like Big Ben does. What some people are holding against him, the fact that he's 28, I think is a positive. The Shanahan system requires discipline and maturity, something that Weeden has. I think at 28 he can come in and be more comfortable commanding not only the offense, but the huddle and the locker room as well. It also makes him low risk/high reward. They wont' have to spend near-as much money for him, his upside is huge, and if it fails it won't be as spectacular.

But the moral of the story isn't necessarily to make it Weeden, though I really like him. But guys like Wilson, Tannehill (who some people really like) and Moore have as much of a chance to be great in the NFL as Luck, Griffin, and Barkley but won't have the same pressure, nor will it cost as much. If the Skins can pull this off, they could address QB and WR in the first two rounds and then draft offensive lineman with the rest of their picks.

You know what? I'm not even sure this is realistic or smart. But my worry is that over-focusing on Barkley or Griffin without fully evaluating what is in this draft - and it looks to be an incredible one - could blind us to the fact that we could fill a lot of needs and move us forward as an organization much faster than just picking Griffin or Barkley.

Jon Jones - Obviously Rashad Evans is what everyone wants to see, he just has to take out Phil Davis, which I think he will. But if Evans falters, I think Dan Henderson would be next.

Lyoto Machida - He needs a bounce-back fight badly to get him back going. He actually looked very good tonight, he just couldn't handle what Jones has. He's going have now sit back and wait for Jones to go to heavyweight before he'll get another shot. Forrest Griffin would be a good match-up, though I wonder if Forrest even cares about fighting anymore.

Frank Mir - With JDS out for a little while, I saw give him the winner of Lesnar vs Overeem and do so especially if its Lesnar because a trilogy fight would do huge business and carry the heavyweight division until the champ came back.

Minotauro Nogiuera - Well, for now probably a doctor. He's 35 and just had his arm broken, I'm not sure what his future is right now. He has nothing left to prove to anyone and after the two straight KOs and now this . . . not to mention the damage Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia put on him in his other UFC fights? Maybe its time for Big Nog to hang 'em up. But if he DOES want to come back, it would probably be on the Roy Nelson/Cheick Kongo level. But really, after this, I would rather him just retire.

Rogerio Nogiuera - The one guy from Brazil that did have a good night, he looked sharp and patient but ready to swarm. I thought Ortiz - the original ground n' pound wrestler - would give Ortiz fits. But he looked awesome, and Tito is still a really tough guy who's only lost to elite talent in his career. Next? Let's do this . . . Rogerio/Shogun II.

Tito Ortiz - One more fight . . . Stephan Bonnar. He'll give you a fight.

Brian Ebersole - I think he might be the most boring fighter I've ever watch, and I want to see someone end this inexplicable run he's on. I honestly have no idea . . . probably the winner for Paulo Thiago vs. Mike Pyle

Claude Patrick - Is Mike Swick ever coming back?

Chan Sung Jung - I am ALL for him getting a title shot next . . . featherweight isn't really deep so its unreasonable to expect someone to go on a five or six fight win streak before getting a shot. That will change as all the talent form the TUF gets absorbed into the full roster, but knocking the guy who took the champ five rounds in 7 seconds deserves some recognition. Besides, Jung has shown actual improvement and growth as a fighter. He could really bring out the war in Aldo. So the winner for Aldo vs. Mendes

Mark Hominick - I felt really bad for Hominick because he's been through so much this year . . . co-main eventing the Skydome card and putting on perhaps the best performance of his career in a losing effort to the the death of Shawn Tompkins, that's a lot to bring in the cage with you. I read someone say the may drop Diego Brandao in there, but I'd rather see him in there against Mike Brown.

It has to be said . . . GSP's dominance over this division was getting boring. Much like Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre's five year tear through the welterweight division has been impressive but eventually led to some lopsided fights. Not to discount his opponents, top notch fighters like Jon Fitch and BJ Penn and Jake Shields, but let's be honest GSP has been dominant. He was also becoming boring. The hungry all-out GSP that tore through the ranks before putting his shin on Matt Hughes's face to win the title has not been around for awhile. And please, don't take that necessarily as a criticism. St-Pierre came upon a formula of finding his opponents weakness and training relentlessly to expose it and never deviate from that plan. It was awesome in its percesion . . . no better example than Georges calmly jabbing Josh Koscheck's face into ground beef. But it was getting boring. The sad thing is this fight was Diaz was the first GSP fight in awhile I actually thought was going to get wild, was going to bring out the GSP of old. Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz is going to be a blood bath, its going to be a war that I think will be very similar to Diaz/Daley. I cannot wait, I'm actually almost just as excited for this. Can you imagine the smack talk, the mean-mugging that is going to go down here. And both guys are warriors and I anticipate something glorious. But they aren't the biggest winners . . . the biggest winner might just be Jon Fitch.

Why?

I completely understand why the UFC haven't given Jon Fitch a title shot since UFC 87. Its mainly because he was so thoroughly demolished, and in all subsequent fights he's looked nothing different. He hasn't evolved, his game hasn't changed, nothing. Josh Koscheck upped his stand-up to get his rematch, he changed and offered an avenue to think, "Hey, Kos isn't the same fighter as he was," plus Kos did well against GSP in their first fight.

But with GSP out of the way, Jon Fitch might now finally be in the catbird seat. With GSP gone, and this interim title fight essentially eliminating both Diaz and Condit from above him in the rankings. He has to deal with a very game Johny Hendricks and he better be ready (there is a Shields/Ellenberger feel to this fight), but once he's past that he will be 6-0-1 since he fought for the title. If Fitch can get a finish against Hendricks, a legit tough guy, then he gets to make a real statement.

If Jon Fitch was EVER going to convince his bosses that he should get the next title shot, now is his chance. If he can get in and dominate Hendricks and actually, god forbid, finish him? It could be a whole new game.

Just to remind everyone, here are the upcoming welterweight fights coming up:

• Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz
• Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann
• Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger
• Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
• Anthony Johnson vs. Vitor Belfort - I ONLY ADD this because I believe I read somewhere that Johnson took this fight but he does want to return to welterweight, and that might even be more the case with GSP out.

That leaves two major fighters out there . . . Josh Koscheck and Rory McDonald - if "Aries" is healthy enough, let's put THOSE two together.

(Note, this is my first blog post here on Hogs Haven . . . I've grown up a dual Pats/Skins fan. I live in the DC area but went to high school in NE and lived most of my younger days overseas)

Why is it such a bad thing to root for your tea to lose to get a potential franchise-saving quarterback?

That is the question I constantly as myself as I listen to one talk radio host after another say you can't root for your team to lose. But let's be honest, its not like we are used to much else here in DC. I've been watching the Skins closely since 1999, when I moved back to the DC area for good. This collapse into obscurity began when the team let Brad Johnson go in exchange for Jeff George. They have never recovered from losing such a strong leader and have never replaced him.

Granted, much else has gone wrong as well.

And their drafts haven't been strong either when it comes to QB. Patrick Ramsey and Jason Campbell come to mind. And that is because QB was a decision they always felt they could put off or patch-up with veterans like George, Tony Banks, Mark Brunell, and of course Rex Grossman. Skins's QB draft picks have been lower first/early second . . . they have passed as well on some big ones, namely Aaron Rogers.

So with that, as good as it felt to beat the Seahawks, I immediately checked to see what the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Seahawks (our main competition for non-Luck QBs) stood. Because I don't want to do just enough to eek out a playoff spot but have yet to do the real building to create a sustainable winner. And to me, the bottom line is you can't have a sustainable winner without a franchise quarterback. In this draft . . . Matt Barkely, Robert Griffith III, and Landry Jones could be that guy. What else should we do for the future? Mid-round pick? A cornerback who might be good but it means nothing because we can't score more than 21 points in a game?

This isn't so much rooting for them to lose . . . wait, yes it is. I'm not going to lie or hid behind something its not. Gibbs, Zorn, and now Shanny have not been able to draft and fully mold a QB they picked for their system. Gibbs went with the vet Brunell that he liked, Zorn inherited the tentative Campbell, and Shanny tried with McNabb, Grossman, and Beck.

In a way I've been learning how to watch 'Skins games in two ways, as a schizophrenic fan. The first is a pure fan, rooting for them to win, jumping off my couch right after Helu leaped over DB for Seattle. The second is someone who is dying to finally find a quarterback that can lead this team for ten years. They have, for the last decade, bet that they can find a late-round steal like the Pats did with Brady . . . or even grab a potential superstar like Rogers in the second round. But they don't have the talent scouts that Green Bay or New England.

Indy's taking Luck . . . from there Jacksonville, Minnesota, and Carolina don't need QBs. I won't lie, I want Matt Barkley. Barkley is the superstar to me, he has everything you want in a QB and has just torn apart college football this year. But if its Landry Jones or RGIII, you can go either way. Like I said, I don't one these one-shot playoff deals then got back to scratching and clawing to be 8-8 and pat ourselves on the back.

The pieces are coming together . . . Orakpo, Kerrigan, Helu, Williams, possibly Hankerson. Its not that we can't draft, its that we can't draft quarterbacks.

I know purists out there say you can never root for your team to lose, but what if your team has already been losing since the beginning of the Clinton Administration? What if, this once, there is a guy out there you can get who can bring us back, bring ups stability, and bring us credibility. Before folks flame me out there . . . consider this:

PS - I'll be rooting hard to see the Skins put the beatdown on the Jets . . . but afterwards I'll go right back to check where we are on the draft board.

I am super excited to watch Miguel Cotto versus Antonio Margarito II.  Usually HBO (and Showtime) contrive reasons for their to be interest in a fight.  But the psychological games here are fascinating.  Everything about these fighters and who they are revolves around that fight in 2008.  Never has a rematch meant so much to each guy.

For Margarito, no matter the controversy derived from his Mosley fiasco, he will always have that Cotto fight.  As 24/7 showed before beating Cotto, Margarito was the most dodged fighter in the world.  It made him a star, it showed everything that made him great as fighter, and it personified Mexican boxing.  And despite everything, nobody can prove he did anything but put a beat-down on Cotto.  That fight is why he got the Pacquiao fight.  Its why there will constantly be interest in him and why he kept getting fights, because that fight proved how great he could be.  If Margarito loses this fight, it might somehow prove everyone right.  If he loses, he was a cheater and Cotto was the better man.  I steals from him the one moment of greatness that nobody could take from him.  But yet, something about the beating he took from Pacquiao has almost absolved him of that to some.  Manny beat him like an animal for all of us, and I think it has helped dull some of the anger at him.

For Cotto, the psychological impact could be worse.  He was undefeated and on his way to being a superstar.   Not that he's not a star, but he's not elite.  That fight robbed him of that perfect record and showed chinks in the armor.  Granted, the only other fight he lost was to Manny Pacquiao, but I think something about the loss was embarrassing to Cotto, he feels he should not have lost.  It haunts him.  He lost to Manny in a great fight, but I think he might be able to accept Manny was the better man.  But Margarito?  He's a dog to Cotto, and he loses again?  What is worrisome is the hand-wrap controversy has given Cotto a psychological crutch to somehow excuse that loss, it explains it, it explains how a man like Margarito could beat him.

Cotto not only believes he's a better fighter, he doesn't respect Margarito as as man.  He is an old school prize-fighter, who fights for God, family, and country (or American territory).  What does Margarito fight for?  And Margarito understands this and plays the part of the villain not because he enjoys being seen as a bad guy, but he knows to break Cotto he needs to be that. 

If Margarito loses, on some level it will prove what Cotto said was right.  Marg couldn't beat Miguel in a fair fight.  It will take away Margarito's one major victory, the one fight that defined him as a fighter.  If he loses this one, he goes back to being just a tough Mexican nobody wants to fight.

If Cotto loses, I'm not sure how he will handle it.  There will be no excuses this time.  He will have to admit that Margarito is the better fighter.

Its these mental games that have me so enthralled for this fight.

I've been fan of pro wrestling since 1988 . . . I was 7 years old.  So clearly, I've seen a lot.  And for the first time in a very long time, the WWE has RIGHT ON with their champions.  I mean, every single guy holding a title has made that tile mean something.  And right now, there seems to be a logical challenger that can really be build up for them.  Let me start with each title

1.  Tag Team Champions:  Air Boom - Synthetic marijuana aside, these guys are awesome and mesh well together.  They even done something that is a lot art . . . they dress similar.  Its a pet peeve of mine having seen the apex of tag wrestling . . . WWF/NWA late 80s early 90s and then against at turn of the century WWF.  With the break-up of Awesome Truth (something I think is EXTREMELY short-sighted, what happened at Survivor Series should further play into their gimmick of a conspiracy), a tag team will need to be created.  There are a couple of ways to put this together . . . I personally would put Drew McIntyre and William Regal together but if you want to blow away everyone - put Gabriel and Slater back together or McGuilicutty and Husky Harris.  With all of these NXT guys, you could make a ton of interesting tag teams.  But Air Boom vs. Gabriel/Slater in a ladder match would be insane.

2.  Intercontinental Champion:  Cody Rhodes - He has gone from one of my least favorite wrestlers to one of my most favorite because a) he's really taken to his character and gone all out for it, and b) he brought back that just bad-ass old IC title belt.  Getting the mask off of him and putting knee pads on helped too.  But I love him as a heel and he's going places.  Picking a fight with an established superstar like Booker T will be a nice way to give him a rub . . . you could even work Goldust (his big brother) into it since Goldust and Booker had a good run as a tag team back in the day. 

3.  United States Champion:  Dolph Zigger - He might be my favorite guy on the entire roster and he might even be the one guy I could see losing his title because he could be a main event match.  Ziggler is a beast right now, his workrate is top notch and he doesn't need Vickie for his heat anymore.  His work on the mic has gotten that strong.  The obvious play here is to keep dodging Zack Ryder by claiming he's a clown to keep him away even has he must know Ryder keeps getting the better of him.  Have him dodge Ryder to WM, drop the belt and move up to the big boys. 

4.  World Heavyweight Champion:  Mark Henry - NOBODY has been a better story in 2011 than Mark Henry.  I've loved seeing a true dominate monster heel for the first time a long long time.  Maybe since Yokozuna?  And, shockingly, he's managed to put on good matches and has really learned to wrestle as a heel and use his size.  I have no desire to see him against Daniel Bryan, I just think it might be a trainwreck.  The guy I would want to see him against is The Undertaker . . . if Taker comes back and is willing to work the sched of the World Champion.  If that doesn't work, I honestly don't have a problem with Randy Orton again.

5.  WWE Champion:  CM Pink - Punk is money as champion.  Alberto Del Rio is okay, but there is just something missing with him.  I don't know.  But here is how I would lay this out.  Danie Bryan becomes the first guy to lose cashing in MitB at the Royal Rumble when he tries to do it on CM Punk.  But then Bryan wins the Royal Rumble.  Punk vs. Bryan at WM would just be awesome AND interesting.

PLEASE WWE, keep your champions strong!

Or at least it shouldn't be . . .

Cena/Rock vs. Miz/Truth

I know fantasy booking can be kind of lame, but something struck me watching the last Raw before Survivor Series as in one fell swoop the WWE obliterated whatever credibility that they had spent months building for Awesome Truth.  I mean, they barely connected a single punch before being destroyed by Rock and Cena.  Why make this so ham-handed?  A couple of points, based on the premise that wrestling reality should follow some logic.  Here are some basic facts:

1. Rock hates Cena
2. Cena desperately wants Rock to respect him
3. Miz/Truth mean nothing to Rock, they've done nothing to him
4. Mick Foley got Rock Bottom'd by The Rock for no reason
5. Zach Ryder is a huge Mick Foley mark

So why does Rock even accept Cena's request for a tag team match?  This process should have been dragged out until the pay per view . . . tease that Rock might not even show up.  I would have had Cena constantly being beat down and attacked by Awesome Truth ever since and Rock not act.  Foley returns offering to use the Cena: This Is Your Life to show his support and himself thrown in to tag with Cena.  But Cena is obsessed with The Rock, he needs The Rock to give him the credibility in the business that he doesn't have (storyline-wise).  He's beyond championships, he wants to be the best and he needs Rock to become the best.  Why would Rock so willingly give up his crown he's worn for the last seven years to Cena? 

So lets pick things back up last Monday when Rock comes in and rock bottom's Foley, who himself has had a controversial relationship with The Rock.  Cena chuckles as Rock walks away, Foley looks and wonders why the man he respects (Rock) attacked him while the man he wants to help (Cena) does nothing.

Last segment of the night, Cena comes out and he wants answers.  Rock comes out and asks John Cena why he needs help, why if he's superman and the best ever and the most dominate champion ever why do the fans boo him and why isn't he champion?  Cena says he's beyond championships, he's done everything there is to do, beat everyone there is to beat . . . but he needs that last hero.  That last name, the great superstar.  Hogan beat Andre, Rock beat Hogan, and now Cena has to . . . no, needs to . . . beat The Rock.  This needs to be about more than funny jokes, t-shirts, catch-phrases, and Twitter followers.  We need to know why Cena needs The Rock and why would The Rock even come back to fight Cena.

This is where Awesome Truth comes in. They parlay their theory about a conspiracy into this storyline.  They argue that the WWE has always been about the giants; the Andres, Hogans, Austins, Rocks . . . nobody who gets stepped on.  Miz and Truth say they will not be regulated to part time players like so many other superstars of the past and they will not allow the entire roster to be pushed aside because Cena needs a "moment" and Rock needs the "spotlight."  They won't allow the WWE to have their way, hold back talent, so two guys can be bigger than the business.  They vow that this match at Wrestlemania will not happen.  This taunting pulls Rock in two ways, but the idea of letting Awesome Truth win versus Cena is to much.  He agrees to Survivor Series.  We need to know why Awesome Truth want to beat them, and their reasons have to be real.  Get heat, speak to the fans, make it real.

So we get to Survivor Series.  The Rock and John Cena vs. Awesome Truth, main event time.

The storyline of the match is teasing Rock getting in.  He's still conflicted whether he wants to beat Truth and Miz or help Cena and get where he deep down knows he doesn't really want too.  He knows the business, how superstars come and go.  He left on top, doesn't he want what happened to Hogan happen to him.  He finally decides after Miz and Truth taunt and put the beat-down on Cena.  Everything from slapping Rock all that.  Finally Rock makes the hot tag and just cleans house.  He tears Miz and Truth apart, reminding Cena exactly what he would be getting into.  The a man in all black, sweatshirt and mask comes out with a pipe (a la Truth and Miz at Hell in a Cell) and attacks Rock and Cena after (you guessed it) a ref bump.  Miz gets the pin on the Rock.  . . . .the masked man reveals himself to be MICK FOLEY. 

That leaves you the rest of the way to Wrestlemania with Miz and Truth being strong and adding Foley for some intrigue while both explaining why Rock and Cena will fight and what will get them there.  By the end of the feud at the February PPV . . . Cena and Rock move past Awesome Truth and they then turn on Foley . . . creating a strong feud going into WM with Rock vs. Cena, Foley & ______ vs. Awesome Truth.  Who fills that void?  Zach Ryder.  You could have, during the winter feud between Cena/Rock and A.Truth/Foley, Ryder be a guy constantly asking Foley why and being the agent that allows him to overcome his resentments towards both Rock and Cena . . . they have the Long Island connection. 

See?  I came up with that watching backed-up episodes of Sons of Anarchy on my dvr.

Junior Dos Santos - Obviously, the new champ is staring down Brock Lesnar or Alistair Overeem.  That fight will be interesting because this will now be the third straight striker/brawler that Brock has faces and he's gotten beaten up by both of them.  Has he learned, has he improved?  Who knows, but what I do know is that if there is a fighter in MMA that has a more padded record, its Alistair Overeem.  He's fought a ton of fights, but scan his record and honestly, the best heavyweight he's beat is Fabricio Werdum.  He beat up a lot of chumps and cans in Japan.  This isn't to say he's not super talented, but Brock Lesner isn't Todd Duffee or James Thompson.  Alistair knows how to beat Brock, but can he stop the takedown and what could be a 275lbs frame on fight night laying on top of him?  Either way, Junior Dos Santos better spend every day he can with that belt because both guys would be tough to beat.  Its nice to know the heavyweights are back!

Cain Velasquez - Someone at the press conference asked the ex-Champ if he wanted to fight Cheick Kongo, since Kongo has been calling him out.  I hope Cain and his team realized that that could be a terrible fight to take.  You gain nothing from fighting Kongo, and eve though he's a chronic underachiever, he's shown flashes of being able to put it together in a fight.  Hits high-risk, low reward.  Should Frank Mir take down Minotauro, I think a Mir/Cain fight would be outstanding.  And if Cain really wants to get more of a "tune-up" fight, if you will, I think Big Country Nelson could be a great and exciting fight that pushes Cain.  I have no faith in Cheick Kongo being anything more than a gatekeeper, and Cain needs to remember he's still young and he needs to be fighting the best.

Ben Henderson - vs. Frankie Edgar, UFC 144 in Japan.  Yes, please!

Clay Guida - I love Guida, especially after watching the press conference and he talked about how he's realized he needed to fight smart, its great to see a veteran understand he needs to change his game and see it work.  You don't often see that with guys like Clay who are such veterans.  Needless to say, there is no harm in losing to Bendo, so I don't think he falls too far back.  There are a ton of lightweights, but most of them are locked up in upcoming fights - except for two big names, Jim Miller and Gray Maynard.  But a more interesting scenario might be Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez.  I guess its about timing, and I do believe that Gil should get a shot immediately but its something to keep in mind shoul, say, Edgar win but get hurt?  They fought back in 2006 with El Nino taking a split decision.  That would be a great fight.

Dustin Poirier - I love watching this kid fight!  I think there are two ways to go with him, but either way its time to go upstream.  A prospect vs. prospect (both of whom are ready to break through) could be a bout with Erik Koch (which would be awesome).  But I think more of a name fighter would be better, let's got with MIke Brown and see what he can do with a former champion.

Pablo Garza - I like Garza, but he clearly needs more seasoning - but worth keeping an eye on anyways.  He could be an interesting fight for Rani Yahya to see where each guy stands right now.

Ricardo Lamas - Unranked in the Bloody Elbow rankings, but he's got a good record and two-straight in the UFC.  Who else has two-straight wins?  Darren Elkins . . . I think that's about right.

Cub Swanson - Since 2008, Cub has gone a frustrating run of lose then win then lose then win.  The losses are too Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes, but one of his wins was a fun brawl with Mackens Seminzer.  if Mackens isn't cut (he's 1-4 in his last five fights after his upset over Wagnney Fabiano), that would be a great fight down in the prelims.  Cub is worth keeping around as a gate-keeper, he's a fun fighter. 

DeMarques Johnson - Like Swanson, Johnson is an up and down fighter who always brings it.  He's more of a filler fighter now to flesh out prelims or get an opening fight on a Spike/Versus card.  But he's fun, and he just won so he'll get another fight.  So let's go with John Hathaway on a British card.

Clay Harveson - If he's not cut, I say who knows . . . generic welterweight maybe Che Mills?

Darren Uyenoyama - Eddie Wineland

Kid Yammammoto - Who knows if he's kept around, but if he is lets go with Charlie Valencia

Mackens Seminzer - like above, vs. Cub Swanson

Robert Paralta - Alex Caceres

Alex Caceres - Robert Paralta

Cole Escovedo - Someone in Shark Fights, methinks.

MIke Pierce - Still a fun fighter and a good prospect with only two losses on his record, he's a game fighter.  Lets go with either Charlie Brenneman or Paulo Thiago

Paul Bradley - Mike Pyle

Aaron Rosa - First off, how this guy got down to light heavyweight after see how big he was against Joey Beltran.  Incredible, honestly.  I say Cyrille Diabate would be a good fit here.

Matt Lucas - He might be so far down the totem pole, I don't even know who he could fight.

Thanks for playing!

Darren Uyenoyama

"Sean Sherk, your dead!"  - BJ Penn

I still hold UFC 84: Ill Will in the top five of shows I've ever watched live.  There wasn't a single bad fight on the main card, and the prelims had Shane Carwin and Dong Hyun Kim's debuts in the UFC.  And of course, Jon Koppenhaver got put to sleep as well.  First was Thiago Silva's mugging of Antonio Mendes, then Tito Ortiz's drama with Dana White was coming to an end at the hands of Lyoto Machida - and Tito almost got the last laugh.  As the night when on, my buddy was filling me in on the background.  Gouvia and Reljic went to war in an awesome fight, and then Wanderlei Silva just savaged Keith Jardine (that knockout is what got me hooked).  Then came BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk.

I'm assuming that most fans know what happened between Penn and Sherk but in case there are newer fans that didn't, here is a brief recap.  The UFC's lightweight division died back in 2002/2003 when a mini-tournament for the belt ended in a lame 5-round draw between Penn and Caol Uno (Din Thomas and Matt Serra where the other two) and Penn moved up to welterweight, shocking the world and beating Matt Hughes for the belt.  Penn then bolted over contract issues and fought in K-1 in Japan (including a 205lbs fight against Lyoto Machida!) before returning at welterweight against Georges St-Pierre.  In 2006, the UFC brought back the lightweight title and pitted Sean Sherk and Kenny Florian against each other - with Sherk taking it by grinding Florian into the mat for five rounds.  Penn decided to settle on old score with Jens Pulver at coach a season of TUF, then defeating his rival and announcing his return to 155lbs.  A month later, Sherk defended the title against Hermes Franca successfully, but both champion and challenger both tested positive for steroids.  What happened then was a protracted legal fight between Sherk and the California State Athletic commission that exposed corruption and/or incompetence within the CSAC, but Sherk was never proven to have been innocent either and he was stripped of the title.  At UFC 80 in England, Penn turned Joe Stevenson into a horror movie outake and choked him out (with blood literally spewing out of Joe's forehead) to take the title. 

Now we had a champion who never beat the ex-champion, and an ex-champion who never lost his belt.  And then Penn turned on the magic.  Hyping a fight like Chael Sonnen before there was the Chael Sonnen we know now . . . Penn called out Sherk for being a cheater and said he never had to cheat to win anything.  While Penn talked and talked, Sherk stewed and trained (Google "Sherk caveman workout" to see what I mean).  The hatred was plain as day, and for the first time the UFC lightweight division had a real title FIGHT, with two men who had a rightful claim to the belt and both who were considered the top of the division.  And just remember who Sean Sherk was - he was the first guy to take Matt Hughes five rounds (as a blown up welterweight).  In fact, at the time of Sherk's fight with Penn the only men ever to beat him were Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre  See here (watch the first minute or so):

When I learned all (or most) of the background, I was amped - and honestly I was rooting for Sherk b/c I thought Penn was an asshole.  And then the bell ran.  You saw what Nick Diaz did to BJ Penn last Saturday?  That's what Penn did to Sherk in 2008.  Sherk insisted on keeping the fight standing, attempting to box with Penn, and in this I learned the secret about MMA.  Just because you have muscles doesn't mean you punch harder.  Penn touched Sherk's face over and over, bloodying the ex-champ and swelling his face like a watermelon.  This night, BJ Penn put it all together.  Sean Sherk was known for his unlimited gas tank while Penn was (and still is) know for always gassing badly, not this night.  Penn wore down Sherk.  Constantly throwing punches and missing while getting tagged over and over will destroy your cardio.  Sherk refused to do what he does best, the double-leg into destroying opponents on the ground.  He refused to even attempt takedowns.  And Penn just destroyed him, as one-sided a beatdown as there was.  And the end was epic and a perfect representation of Penn.

A tired, bloody, and beaten Sherk reeled backwards and bounced against the cage, then came forward putting his head down attempting perhaps to finally take Penn down.  BJ, in a perfect example of the incredible fighting instincts he has, ran in and threw a vicious knee that caught Sherk clean on the jaw and punished him with more punches.  Sherk lay slumped against the cage.  The only thing that prevented the ref from stopping the fight was the bell ringing before he got there.  Penn looked at Sherk, waved his hands in the air, and declared the fight over himself.  The referee would agree.  Sean Sherk, the proud champion who steamrolled through 32 of 35 fights before this, lay on the ground completely destroyed. 

BJ then runs over to Sherk and wipes his blood onto his hands and licks it.  He owned him now.  And then what does he do after that? 

He called out Georges St-Pierre.

That moment was the apex of Penn's career.  Never was he more athletic, well-conditioned, destructive, and brash.  Never was he more BJ Penn.  And that fight, he was truly great.  He was, for one fight, the fighter we all know he should have been his entire career.  Penn was never able to sustain his greatest, to live and breath an obsession with perfection the way GSP and Anderson Silva and Randy Couture did.  The BJ Penn that demolished Sean Sherk might have been the greatest fighter on the planet at that moment.  Its sad, in retrospect, that in many ways Penn's greatness came from him coasting in his natural ability, and one wonders might have been had he applied himself the way St-Pierre and Couture did in terms of living and breathing this.

At UFC 84, BJ Penn made me an MMA fan.

Its a great fight, Condit is a beast, GSP is the greatest . . . blah blah blah. 

Nick Diaz deserves to get the title shot against Georges St-Piere.  Why?

1. He hasn't lost since 2007, and hasn't really been beaten since Sean Sherk at UFC 59
2. His skills are more complete than Condits', and his skillset make for a more interesting fight.  GSP is a calculating, gameplanning takedown artists who out-thinks you and out plans you and then takes you down over and over, smothering and wearing you out.  Diaz is a wild striker with an endless gas tank and fire hydraint chin who's BJJ is world class and hands can rip your face apart.  Condit is a striker that GSP can take down and dominate.  There is buzz for St-Pierre and Diaz, not Condit.
3. Carlos's UFC's career isn't as impressive in terms of name fighters - he lost to Martin Kampmann, and was dominated by Rory McDonald.  His best win is knocking out Dan Hardy.  He's a great fighter, but he has nothing on his record compared to what Diaz just did to BJ Penn. 
4. Diaz would force GSP to be more than just the aw-shucks guy he is now.  GSP's past fights haven't been interesting because he shows so much respect for his opponents and his opponents show so much respect to him.  Diaz won't do that. 
5. Come on, Georges St-Pierre vs. NIck Diaz!!!

Respectfully yours,

an MMA Fan.

This according to MMAFighting, which is a site I generally trust as full of professional reporters.  Veeery interesting and a potentially better match-up in my opinion.  I just did not see any way that Rashad Evans could defeat Jon Jones, there was not one aspect of the game I felt Evans was better at.  But Machida?  Now this is interesting . . . . The Dragon will be interesting because his counter-fighting style might match-up well with Jones.  Bones doesn't like to attack in a fury of rage like Shogun Rua does, rather its more surgical.  Machida's footwork is phenomenal. 

That said, I would bet my life on Jones and be comfortable with it.  But Machida, though by MMAmath standards might not be deserving of the title shot, presents a more interesting match-up.

From CNNSI.com:

09:47 AM ET 10.08 | This was a Phillies team built to win now. Except they didn't. And what lies ahead is a future that's uncertain at best. Ryan Howard had to be helped off the field after possibly suffering a torn left Achilles tendon while grounding out to second for the final out of the game. He collapsed in pain and was still writhing in pain as the CardinalsRyan Madson, Raul Ibanez and Lidge all may have played their last games in a Phillies uniform. Placido Polanco will have surgery to repair a sports hernia and will also be 36 when spring training convenes at the Carpenter Complex next February. Oswalt and the Phillies have a mutual option that would cost the team $16 million to pick up. Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino will all be a year older. Hamels is a year away from free agency. ran on the field to celebrate. Jimmy Rollins,

Wow.  I don't think I could have put it more succinctly or more damaging than that.

We could be on the brink of a seismic shift in the National League after this year, and none of that is more apparent than in the fall of the Philadelphia Phillies - who have made two world series and three NLCS since 2008, all the while owning the division.  The time could not be more ripe for the Washington Nationals to finally make their breakthrough.  Lets look at the division:

• New York Mets:  Ownership hell right now, the Mets are paying the price for big trades and big spending that have led to basically David Wright and a depleted roster of barely-major leaguers, and a pitching staff of little regard.  The Wilpons hold on the team is tenuous.  The only positive they have is Sandy Alderson, who I find to be an excellent baseball executive.  Oh, and they are about to lose Jose Reyes.
  
• Miami Marlins:  They are going through a wholesale re-branding of their identity with a new name, logo, and manager in Ozzie Guillen.  There is good talent here, but its young and raw.
• Atlanta Braves:  One has to wonder who their epic collapse will affect them.  Will Chipper Jones be back?  Dan Uggla was a bigger bust for them than Jayson Werth was for us.  They seem to be losing faith in Jason Heyward.  But there is a lot here still - I just wonder what that collapse will do to them.
• Philadelphia Phillies:  Like the above quote, we could be seeing Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madsen, Raul Ibanez, and Brad Lidge all play their last game in Philly.  Cole Hamels has one year left to free agency, Roy Oswalt maybe gone because of how much he will cost.  And who knows about manager Charlie Manuel.  If their was a "Dream Team" in this city, it was the Phillies and they got beat.

Now, on to our Washington Nationals.  No team in this division right now is better position to bounce on this Phillies fall.  Washington has built a core of good players built form within:  Zimmerman, Desmond, Espinoza, Strasburg, Detwiler, Zimmermann, Storen.  Combined that with smart trades for guys like Morse, Clippard, and Ramos, and you have a tremendous core.  The Nats also have an incredibly deep farm system led by, of course, Bryce Harper but also includes Chris Morero, Derek Norris, and Sammy Solis among many others.  I would try and keep vets like Rick Ankiel and Laynce Nix around too. 

But what Washington and Mike Rizzo need to do is not overract.  The core is there, like I said.  Many of us have been tantalized by the rumors that Prince Fielder might be open to DC . . . but I wouldn't do it.  We have Adam LaRoche coming back finally and fully healthy and when you add him to Michael Morse's emergence, you have enough power with sacrificing defense.  I honestly think Fielder will end up in Los Angeles.  There is also the issues with Ian Desmond, who will be at a career crossroads.  This will be his third year as a starter and he's not a classic lead-off hitter.  People talk BJ Upton but he might cost too much.  Personally, I would think someone like Coco Crisp would be perfect because he's been on winning teams, his average was a bit down in Oakland but he stole 49 bases.  He's only 31, he's a tremendous center fielder and a classic lead-off hitter.  He's a winner, and we need more of that around here.  So we could have a line-up like this:

• CF: Crisp
• SS:  Desmond
• 3B:  Zimmerman
• RF: Morse
• LF: Werth
• 1B:  LaRoche
• 2B:  Espinoza
• C:  Ramos

I'll take that!

Now, to pitching.  Again, like the offense, the core is there they just need to be allowed to grow and to be given some time to mature.  Strasburg, Detwiler, and Zimmermann are your core here.  Strasburg will be on a pitch count, so I expect that it will be Jordan Zimmermann that will become the workhorse next season.  But a difficult choice for fans has to be made here . . . John Lannan.  He had a better year and is a gritty guy, but he's also an under .500 career pitcher who's 3.78 ERA this year was the best of his career.  Not exactly dominating stuff.  I would part ways and do what can be done to resign Chein-Ming Wang, who the Nats worked so much to get healthy and he started to show his '09 Yankees form.  And clearly they will be in the market for another starter . . . namely CJ Wilson.  So again, of fantasy GM Me had my way, here is how the staff looks:

• Jordan Zimmermann
• CJ Wilson
• Stephen Strasburg
• Chein-Ming Wang
• Jordan Zimmerman.

The bullpen was a strength this year and as long as Storen and Clippard are dialed in, they will be fine.  But they could get warned down if the starters don't do more here to stay in games.

If Rizzo and Co play it cool this offseason, avoid the splashy signing in exchange for the smart one, we could see the balance of power in the NL East head down I-95.

Its not often a manager is available who has two world series rings on his hand, much less doing it in a city haunted with the greatest sports curse of all time.  Consider this a "wishful thinking" post, but one that merits some attention.  The Nats have to be one of the more attractive teams out there who will be interviewing for a managers job . . . even if it is apparently rigged.  But if your Francona, coming out of the hell hole of Boston - a locker room loaded with egos, cliques, and arrogance - perhaps the idea of taking on a young and hungry team that clearly gets along might be attractive to Francona.  And if Francona expresses interest, what should Rizzo do?  Does his love for Davey blind him to what is out there?  Also, DC is hardly the sports meat grinder that Boston is . . . which must be a welcome change.

The greater question this evolves into is the manager issue in Washington.  Ever since Manny Acra was let go, the Nats have had a situation in manager where there is no certainty, where both Riggleman and Johnson seem to be managers-in-waiting.  Riggleman was never given full confidence.  As for Johnson, he's another guy who's in there just to sort of hold the fort.  We need a full-time manager without and already announced expiration date.

If the Nats and Mike Rizzo are serious about becoming a contender, they cannot ignore Francona's availability.

I wrote something up about the Bad Blood DVD about Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, but I must reiterate how good I think it is that the UFC is doing this.  I'm an old WWE Attitude era wrestling fan and they do a great job with these DVD sets and it adds to your knowledge about the fighters. 

This DVD was very straight forward.  It is a chronological history of his life and a fight-by-fight review of his UFC career.  They have cool footage of Hughes first fight with Dennis Hallman that humbled him.  They show his childhood in rural Illinois and is upbringing on the farm.  The following fighters are interviewed for this - Pat Miletich, Georges St-Pierre, Frank Trigg, Matt Serra, and BJ Penn - the big names in his career.  Its cool listening to Matt talk about his fights and he has a pretty good handle and memory on his fights and its fun to listen to him narrate.  They go fight by fight, but I really loved the time they spent on his first fight with Carlos Newton that included the press conference before hand and Newton's outrageous entrance compared to Hughes.  They spend a lot of time on the Penn fights as well, and the apex is the second Frank Trigg fight . . . which is famously Dana White's favorite match of all time.

Two main things come out . . . that Hughes seems more at peace with his losses to BJ Penn rather than Georges St-Pierre.  With Penn, they show footage of today with Hughes in Hawaii helping to train Penn and the two talk really respectfully of each other.  St-Pierre is very respectful of Hughes, but Matt doesn't seem happy with his GSP fights.  The second one he gently blames on the couple of low blows that GSP landed before the second round KO.  He gives St-Pierre credit for the low-kick feint to headkick that ended the fight.  For their third fight, Hughes says he kept having GSP in the positions he wanted him in, but couldn't pull the trigger on what he wanted to do.  He said he was having some sort of brain cramp that got in the way of him doing what he wanted to do.  Now for me, the second fight excuse I can understand because it can't be easy to get kicked in the balls twice from Georges St-Pierre be be okay.  But the third fight?  I've watched it numerous times and St-Pierre handled him.  Now compare that to the Penn fights.  Hughes has no such excuses for their first fight, and said he just wasn't prepared.  For their second fight, Penn is equally respectful of Hughes's submission defense of the triangle armbar that Penn describes as Hughes brilliantly rotating his arm and shoulder against whatever Penn was trying to do.  In their third fight, Hughes admits to just getting KO'd.

But Penn explains their closeness.  Hughes is at the end of his career, and even before that he was growing as a husband and father and having to learn how to juggle all of that while being a full-time father.  Penn says he's beginning to approach where Hughes used to be and understands him better.  The growth from fighter to family man is not something Georges St-Pierre has had to do, so in some ways I think that is the disconnect with Hughes and Penn.  But its clear for whatever reason Matt Hughes does not like Georges St-Pierre, and its probably because GSP was the fighter that ended Hughes as a contender for titles and as a relevant major player in MMA.  Penn didn't do that.  Anyways, its a good look at Hughes career and the story about the relationships between Hughes, Penn, and St-Pierre is very interesting.  Its basically Hughes and Penn vs. GSP.

Now for me, I love watching old Matt Hughes fights.  As much as he was a pioneer, it seems to me many fighters of Hughes's style could learn a lot from him today.  I think of someone like Jon Fitch, I when he fights I scream at the TV for him to try submission but he just doesn't know them.  Other wrestlers like Brock Lesnar (although he is learning), Chael Sonnen, Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, Gray Maynard, and Chad Mendes seem to have regressed compared to Hughes.  Especially Sonnen and Maynard, they get in great position and just can't do anything but ground n' pound.  Hughes has an incredible base of wrestling, but what made him impossible to beat was that he could submit you when he took you down easily.  When a guy is as strong as Hughes and can do what he wants to 90% of other fighters and just muscle them down and then tap you out, there was no beating that until GSP exposed his stand-up weakness and great takedown defense.  Not only is Hughes a legend, but he built an unbeatable style that I'm surprised more American wrestlers don't emulate. 

Anyways - a great collection of fights of a guy who is in the league of Tito, Chuck, Shamrock, Couture, and Gracie in terms of guys that put the UFC on the map and dominated the sport in the United States.

Comparison have been made over and over between Stephen Strasburg and previous pitching phenoms like Kerry Wood and Steve Avery.  But as this season has closed, I saw at the end of the year a coalescing of three young starting pitchers for the Nationals that will dictate their future.  Its not just Stephen Strasburg but . . . but Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Ross Detwiler.  The Nats seem to have everything in place right now . . . hitting, defense, and especially their bullpen.  At times in the last two years, all three of these guys have shown flashes of true brilliance - which made me thought of two teams.  The early 2000s A's and the mid-90s Mets.  Why?  Because its a tale of what to do and what not to do with a group of amazing young arms.  The A's nurtured Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito to lead those Moneyball teams constantly into the post-season.  The Mets future of Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher, and Paul Wilson fizzled before it could start - only Isringhausen has had a career of note, converting into a effective reliever and winning a World Series with St. Louis in 2006. 

I'm not an expert on why one worked and one didn't, but I would hope MIke Rizzo takes a good look into why.  I like what the Nationals have done all around and I expect them to round-out the power and lead-off spots through free agency.  There will be a lot of pressure on these three to finally come through for DC next year for an entire season.  Strasburg will be the key, the superstar and face of the franchise.  But he needs help . . . and with probably Chein-Ming Wang and John Lannan being the only two starters behind them (if they can resign CMW).  

This should be the only question Mike Rizzo asks Davey Johnson in his "job interview."  Starting pitching.

• Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans for the title
• Rampage Jackson vs. Shogun Rua in Japan (if he beats Hendo, then vs. Forrest Griffin)
• Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez
• Matt Hughes vs. his wife . . . retirement, son.
• Mark Hunt vs. Pat Barry for shits and giggles
• Ben Rothwell vs. Jon Olav Einemo
• Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub
• Rob Broughton vs. Joey Beltran
• Nate Diaz vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Takanori Gomi vs. Sean Sherk
• Tony Ferguson vs. Sam Stout
  
• Tim Boetsch vs. Rousimar Palhares
• Nick Ring vs. Alessio Sakara
• Junior Assuncao vs. Mike Brown
• Eddie Yagin vs. Rani Yahya
• Takeya Mizugaki vs. MIchael McDonald
• Cole Escovedo vs. Eddie WIneland
• James Te Huna vs. Stanislav Nedkov
• Ricard Romero vs. Karlos Vermola.

Thoughts?

145lbs might be the best weight class in MMA - small enough to lightly quick but just big enough to still have serious power.  I can't remember a featherweight fight in WEC, Bellator, or Japan (via HDNet) that I didn't enjoy before the UFC absorbed the WEC and created this division.  But it also happens to be one of the weakest in the UFC right now . . . thanks largely to Champion Jose Aldo.  He beat down Mike Brown, leg-kicked Urijah Faber to the bantamweight division, annihilated Manny Gamburyan, and gutted a tough but real win over Mark Hominick.  Those four are four of the top fighters at this weight class.  Convincingly beat, its hard to argue than any of those four really deserve another shot at him.  Here are two major challenges towards creating a real marketable division:

First, The gulf between contenders and prospects.  Erik Koch, Dustin Poirier, Diego Nunes, and Chad Mendes are the future of this division . . . but other than Mendes, none of them are ready for a shot.  And I'm not sure Mendes is either, but he's undefeated.  Its why the UFC had to hot-shot Kenny Florian into title contention after one fight, its why Tyson Griffin is so highly ranked in the BE rankings despite one fight in the weight class.  Clearly, the UFC is hoping to build up Aldo by fighting a couple of name fighters while Koch, Poirier, and Nunes get ready.  The addition of Hatsu Hioki is a good start, and he should only be a fight or two from a title shot - if he beats George Roop convincingly I wouldn't be surprised if him and Aldo/Florian scrap at UFC Japan.

Second, There are no name stars.  At bantamweight, we have guys like Torres and Bowles and Faber and Cruz and Mighty Mouse who seem to exist in a large consciences among MMA fans.  Again, I retreat to my argument of why Florian and Griffin are ranked so highly despite each only having one fight in the division.  In a scary statistic, since Jose Aldo was made Champion at UFC 123 there have been exactly TWO featherweight fights on the scheduled main card of a numbered PPV - Aldo vs. Hominick at 129 and Florian vs. Nunes at 131.  There have only been three featherweight fights on broadcast Prelims and only three fights on Fight Night cards.  Guys like Chad Mendes and Erik Koch - real studs, should be featured on PPVs so fans can learn who they are and get excited for them.  

So how do we solve these issues? 

1.  TUF.  The UFC is on the way when you come to the question of divisional depth - this year's TUF Bisping/Miller season will feature featherweights, a an especially good one in Micah Miller.  TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins returned to the division, which should help.  But TUF should be a nice way to infuse some much needed talent onto the roster after years of pointless seasons full of lightweights and welterweights.

2.  Feature featherweights on TV cards.  The UFC was brilliant in putting Dominck Cruz and Demetrious Johnson on for their final Versus card . . . the novelty of a title fight for free should help and gives these guys (especially Cruz, who should win) gain a greater name and a stronger PPV name.  Chad Mendes vs. Hatsu Hioki (should be beat Roop) should be a co-main on a FX show.  Erik Koch and Dustin Poirier are very fan-pleasing fighters.

3.  Add some lightweights . . . and not over-the-hill, can't win lightweights.  The lightweight division is just stacked right now, and bottled-up to boot since Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard have held it hostage for basically a year.  With BJ Penn's permanent move to welterweight, it opens things up a bit.  But with the huge influx of talent for too many TUF seasons has created a glut.  The division is so deep that so many fighters take two steps forward, but one step back (Sotiroupolos, Miller, Gomi, Dos Anjos, Tibeau, Wiman, Dunham, Tavares, Pearson).  And with lightweights getting bigger and bigger, some of these guys could come down.  In particular - Wiman, Dunham, and Pearson could really become outstanding featherweights.

4.  Put fights on the PPV!  I was STAGGERED that only two featherweight fights had been on announced PPV cards.  These are GREAT fighters - especially a guy like Money Mendes.  I feel like the bantamweight division has come along faster because they have more of a television presence.  Don't waste these guys.

5.  Frankie Edgar.  I think Edgar will eventually come down . . . the monsters awaiting him at 155, guys like Henderson, Guida, Cerrone, Pettis, and (yes) even Melendez - not sure if he can run that gamut.  Personally, I think Gray gets it done at 136.  Edgar would bring some real star power, a real threat to Aldo, and a guy that would give some serious star power, a guy who is in his prime. 

So that's my thought.  Featherweights produce some of the very best fights in all of MMA - I just wish the UFC would do a better job with this division.

I literally wanted to come on this blog and just demolish Floyd Mayweather . . . I didn't watch the fight live because I'm married and that oftentimes gets in the way of fun, but I was keeping up with it on my iPhone and I was ready to grab my torch and pitchfork when I was reading the reaction.  Then I watched it.  And watched it.  And rewatched it.  Again.

Victor Ortiz threw a uncalled-for, despicable headbutt for no reason.  He was right in this fight, making Floyd work and starting to impose his size on Floyd from the stuff I found online.  It was going to be a hellacious fight.  Then I thought of something . . . Marcos Maidana.

Victor Ortiz is a front-running fighter who doesn't seem to enjoy being pushed.  Maidana withstood everything and Ortiz's mentally crumbled.  He faced some tough situations against Andre Berto earlier this year, but it was Berto who blinked first.  I think Ortiz, for whatever reason, panicked and had somehow convinced himself he couldn't be Floyd.  Why not take a cheap shot early, get a point deducted, but perhaps the lasting damage would help him win?  Or maybe the just snapped, maybe Floyd said something?  But Floyd always has something to say.  I find it weird that we are talking about Floyd and his lack of sportsmanship, but Ortiz . . . he went Bam Bam Bigelow on Floyd!

Then I looked at the KO.  Floyd accepted the hug and stepped back and Ortiz . . . he did nothing, he just stood their.  You are in there with the very best fighter in the world, why on earth aren't you going in for the kill?

Victor Ortiz's once again mentally fell apart. 

Please bring on Floyd vs. Manny

-Jon Fitch vs. Jake Ellenberger should be the main event for the San Jose show.

-Jake Shields has always been one of my favorite fighters, but he looked terrible out there.  That super-stiff stand-up jabv he has looks like something from my LA Boxing gym.  His shoulders aren't loose, their is not bounce to him . . . its beyond rudimentary.  He needs to spend six months at Sityondtong or Golden Glory and just work on that because Ellenberger wasn't afraid to move forward on him.  For Jake's next fight . . . lets see Diego Sanchez.

-I literally could not care less about Dongi Yang and Court McGee . . . Court's going to do well in the UFC because of his conditioning but that's about all I could see in that fight.  I like him but he needs flesh out his stand up, get a bit more aggressive in his strikes.  Let's test him next and have him fight someone like Dan Miller.

-Dongi Yang should probably be cut.

-I like Erik Koch, but I'm not sure he won that fight.  Brookins was constantly the aggressor and was able to hit a lot of knees and short elbows on the fence.  But Brookins didn't do enough to take real advantage of his position control, so that's on him.  You can't fight a fight like that and let it go to the judges.  Sorry.  Koch should move up now and I say give him a fight with Diego Nunes would be a barnburner.  As for Brookins, he's a tough guy and won TUF as a lightweight so he's a big featherweight.  I think he would match-up well with Mike Brown.

-Lastly, Alan Belcher (one of my favorite guys out there) looked awesome and I was happy to see him get the win.  He's been on the cusp now for awhile and is now riding a three fight win streak and is 5-1 since September 2008 (how did he lose to Jason Day!?!).  I think its time to see, finally, what Belcher can do with fighters closer to the top of the division.  I would give him the winner of Damien Maia and Jorge Santiago.  So for McDondald . . . he's the kind of fighter that is good to have around but has been milling about as a middleweight mid-carder for a long time and I'm not sure what else is out there for him past gate-keeper status.  He's still a dangerous guy for fighters who don't know what they are doing but he's had his shot at top guys and proved he can't hang.  So I don't know what you do with him next.

-New Orleans should have been a hotter event, but this was a pretty shitty card, to be honest.  Belcher and Ellenberger's win were fun, but I could have cared less about McGee-Yang and Brookins-Koch was very boring.  Not a good way to go out for these Fight Nights.  Hopefully the move to FX will mean better, more meaningful fights.

To recap, here should be the next fights for these guys:

• Jake Ellenberger vs. Jon Fitch
• Jake Shields vs. Diego Sanchez
• Court McGee vs. Dan Miller
• Dongi Yang vs. next Dream fight
• Erik Koch vs. Diego Nunes
• Jonathan Brookins vs. Mike Brown
• Alan Belcher vs. Damien Maia/Jorge Santiago
• Jason McDonald vs. Generic Mid-Card Middleweight
  

Part of the problem that has plagued this series as its rolled along is that the young talent out there has thinned out over the years because of companies like Bellator, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, Titan, and MFC grown and been able to get young fighters.  The great thing about TUF the early years were all these competitors where legit fighters just waiting for a break.  They were top fighters in their own right.  For instance, since TUF 5 they had used lightweights four different times, but light heavyweights only three times total.  Fighters want to get to Zuffa, but there are other avenues now.  The show went from showcasing exciting new fighters to spotlighting feuding coaches at the expense of the fighters.

But this year, the TUF is showcasing bantamweights and featherweights . . . two divisions simply backloaded on the regional scene because the biggest promotions in America did not have those divisions.  My hope is that instead of turning this into a three month promotion for Bisping vs. Mayhem, they will actually focus on the fighters themselves and the fights. 

The new format next time should bring this back to where it should be because the fights will be live.  But my hope is that for its last run on Spike, TUF can go out the same way it came in.

I was very excited when this DVD was announced.  I'm a long time pro-wrestling fan, and something the WWE has been very good with in the past are concept DVDs that are based on themes, rivalries, or biographies.  So to see the UFC finally jump into this game where they can get their history out there for new fans to see.

The very first thing I noticed watching this fight is that I am very happy that Chuck Liddell has stopped fighting.  His speech has noticeably slurred, even for a guy who has that sort of gravely voice.  The other thing that is evident is that despite all the hoopla about their entire feud, Dana White is right that Tito Ortiz just could not beat Chuck Liddell.  It was a terrible match up for Tito.  Chuck was long and rangy, could kick box and couldn't be taken down.  Ortiz feasted on competition that couldn't strike with the precision and technique Chuck had, and if they did  the didn't have his takedown defense.  Tito didn't have the hands or technique to keep up with Liddell in their primes.

The DVD starts with the two of them talking about coming up.  Tito's story is the most interesting, as you takes you to his old neighborhood when he was growing up and talked about his once successful father got hooked on heroin and led the family into decline.  He talked about his gang, F Troop, and their fights with a rival gang.  He talks about watching a friend get shot dead next too him.  Its here we sort of begin to see Tito the striver . . . why he continues to refer to himself as a business man, why he's so obsessed with taking care of his family, and why he made some of the decisions he made.  I think Ortiz's background drove his decision making throughout his career.  He's not the most articulate guy, and that is why he made some of the decisions. 

They show their rise and how they implemented their skill-set, and did some background on their training together.  We meet Chuck's fiance Heidi and Tito takes us on his boat where we discover that he has a passion for fishing. 

The meat of the DVD is what happened after Chuck Liddell beat Vitor Belfort and Tito Ortiz defeated Ken Shamrock.  Dana clearly still holds a grudge about what happened with Ortiz and why he held out for a year.  White naturally sides with Liddell, saying he was a fighter through and through and would do whatever was asked.  Tito maintains that he felt an Ortiz vs. Liddell title fight should make millions and he felt that would not happen.  White says that's bullshit, and compares it to athletes in other sports - they didn't make the same amount in the 60s and they did in the 90s.  But he said Tito would have made a ton of money off this fight, make than any other fight in his career.

My thought is that Tito was ducking Chuck, but I partially by his reasoning.  If you know you are going to lose to a guy, you want to get as much out of it money-wise as you can.  And maybe Tito would not have lost that first fight?  Randy Couture exposed Chuck's take down defense pretty badly, and one wonders if Tito hadn't caught Chuck then he might have been able to do the same thing?  Like GSP vs. Hughes, if Tito was ever going to win it would be the first fight.  But again, we see that neither Dana or Chuck ever really understood what made Tito tick.  At one point near the end of the documentary, White lambastes Ortiz for claiming he built the brand and instead argues he did more to hurt it.  Instead he frames Liddell as the ultimate company man who deserves the accolades of building the brand. 

The problem is that I find both guys are right.  Tito, more than any other fighter that I can think of, insisted on putting his personal goals and desires ahead of the company.  But as we saw at the beginning of the disc, Tito has seemingly been running from his past his whole life.  There is more going on with him, a drive to not only be a great fighter but to truly set himself and his family up for life, and he wants to do it on his own terms.  That has helped and hurt him.  But when you understand that, you begin to understand why Tito made the decisions he did - and why someone like Dana White or Chuck Liddell can never understand.  But as to why Tito held out . . . I just have a hard time understanding how Tito "the businessman" didn't understand the kind of money that fight would have made then.  

I found Tito much more interesting than Chuck, and more compelling in the disc.  But Chuck owns Tito, and those losses are on Ortiz's record for good.  You do see Tito the complaining, and you get a full understanding of why these two were destined to fight, to hate each other, and why one was made to win and one was made to lose.  But you can see what partially fueled much of Chuck's hatred of Tito is that Ortiz held his career and dreams hostage.  By refusing to fight him, he essentially put Chuck's title hopes on hold for nearly two years.  But I think Dana can come off as a complainer too.  He bitches about Tito wanting to get into the t-shirt business or into the movies - but at the end talks about all the things Chuck was able to do like acting and endorsements.  Is it because Tito did all of that without him that angers Dana? 

Its a fun retrospective that does get into some pretty good depth about about the two (three actually, including Dana) guys and how their feud defined their careers and helped build the UFC into the world power it is today.  But I will say this - a lot of things remained unanswered.  Its hard to take Dana White seriously sometimes because you know how much animosity he had for Ortiz.  You get a picture of Chuck as a basic guy who just wanted to fight, that he would fight for anything or for nothing - an attitude that made him millions but also took a heavy toll on him.  Ortiz is a guy so focused on creating a brand for himself, his business, and his family it lead him into questionable professional decisions that hurt him as much as it helped him.  Dana even questions exactly how motivated Ortiz was as a fighter - Chuck claims Tito quit in their last fight.  Dana had one good quote, though:  "Tito would step over dollars to pick up pennies," though I am paraphrasing some.  Chuck made it too easy for the UFC to make money, while Tito made it too hard.

But the fact remains:  Chuck Liddell was built to beat a fighter like Tito Ortiz. 

This is a cool DVD that's only $15 at Best Buy so I recommend it.

(DISCLAIMER:  This was filmed around and after Ortiz lost to Hamill, so the Ortiz love that Dana has now thanks to his win over Ryan Bader and his stepping in to fight Rashad Evans isn't there.  But watching this, you can see what Dana meant by saying Tito is doing things for the business now.  The Tito of old would have never done that.)

~Want to know how dominated Anderson Silva is?  When thinking about writing a fanpost outlining who I thought all these guys should fight next, my mind drifted to a plant-eating robot planet from a 1980s cartoon.  Or maybe Thanos?  Mum-Rah?  Doomsday?  Okay okay, you get the point.  But its to the point now where the middleweight division really should just have two champions . . . Anderson Silva and the #1 contender.  They should give that contender a silver belt just to have something.  And this isn't to say I went into this fight trying to convince myself Okami had a chance . . . we all knew how this would end.  Anyone picking Okami was either a) praying to make some serious cash, or b) a born contrarian just looking for an argument.  The fact is the closest Silva has come to losing was Chael Sonnen and he still won.  Now they can keep feeding him challengers . . . Sonnen could talk himself into a big buy-rate rematch, Stann could be sold on his story, and I guess Munoz could get a shot.  But seriously?  There is literally NOTHING left for him to do in this division.  There is only one fight left that really matters for Silva . . . and that would be Jon Jones.  How do we get there?  Jones will finish Rampage and then take on Evans.  If he gets by that, we see Silva.   As for Silva, I would give him a light heavyweight fight against the again red-hot Dan Henderson to build this up.  Seriously folks, what else is there for Silva to do at 185lbs but clown people?

~No, Shogun Rua does not deserve an imediate title match.  He got DESTROYED by Jon Jones, and just because you KO a Forrest Griffin who has already admitted his mind isn't in it anymore doesn't change that fact.  I want to see Shogun go on a sustained run of dominance to prove he is the top contender but also to prove he can stay healthy.  As for Griffin - I don't even know if he wants to fight anymore.  As for Shogun, there isn't much out there for him now as everyone is tied up except for two guys:  Tito Ortiz and Dan Henderson.  Ortiz is game but I think he's earned a rest.  I know above I just laid out some fantasy booking, but I'm not the booker in the UFC.  I could see Shogun vs. Henderson and a test for both guys and a big name headiner.  This is the kind of fight that makes me glad the UFC is going to 5-round non-title fights.  

~Was it me or was Edson Barboza more flash that substance?  Look, Pearson is a real tough fighter but hasn't put it all together.  He was touching Edson's face over and over, and Barboza is going to have to rely on more than just spinning kicks when he starts moving up in this really dangerous and deep division.

~Big Nog became a young man again before our very eyes.  I remember watching the opening and saw that Nogueira is only 35 and I was stunned . . . he's only five years older than me but he looked ancient.  Then when the fight was over, the smile on his face - you could see how much this meant to him - he looked so young.  I love that Nogueira is back, he's one of the true warriors of MMA.  My temptation is to see him fight Brock Lesnar, but I suspect Lesnar will take on a little softer competition (Schaub?) for his comeback.  I think the idea of Minotauro Nogeuira vs. Alistair Overeem (should he sign) could be a mammouth fight.  

~Luiz Cane could really use some time back in the minors to tighten up his game.  Florian was pointing out over and over how low he was keeping his hand and Nedkov come over the top an stanky leg'd him as good as Zab Judah.  Nedkov didn't particularly impressed me, he couldn't get a takedown and he just swung - but Cane couldn't keep his hands up and got caught.  Oh well.

~Dan Miller is a grown-ass man.  It drives me crazy to think that Dan Hardy keeps getting chance after chance even though he's been beaten convincingly four straight fights but Dan Miller might get cut now.  Oh, and Rousimar Palhares, a really great fighter, needs to get his head in the game.  Against Marquardt he complained and got knocked out for it, and in this fight he stopped fighting even though the referee did nothing to indicate the fight was over and almost got knocked out again.  He has all the tools, but he just keeps making these glaring mental mistakes.

-Thiago Tavares beat Spencer Fisher . . . ok.  Not sure where either of these guys go.

~I REALLY enjoyed Kenny Florian on commentary.

I think that the UFC is really going to make a splash on Fox and look to stack this to get some eyeballs on the product.  If EliteXC proved anything, there is an interest in MMA on cable but your average American sports viewer has not been exposed to the best product out there.  EliteXC promoted on Kimbo Slice, but the UFC will have real stars.  I think the UFC will look to make a real splash and put a huge card and slowly water them down.  Remember, this is me kind of "fantasy booking" so I know some folks might think I'm crazy on a couple of these.  And I'm assuming, like most Spike and Versus live shows on TV, we are going to go with four fights on

MAIN EVENT:  Cain Velasquez (c) vs. Junior Dos Santos-UFC Heavyweight Title

WHY?  Velasquez and Dos Santos are popular within the sport but not well known outside of MMA.  They are also the two best heavyweights in the world and I don't think any heavyweight on the roster in the UFC can beat either of these guys.  But unlike some of the serious stars like Silva and GSP, I don't think either Cain or JDS get PPV cuts so from a business stand-point it makes sense.  Thirdly, you get to promote your first big show with a the great American sports phrase:  "heavyweight title fight."  That means something in our sports culture.  So in one fight you get to make superstars, lay claim to the great sports title "best heavyweight in the world," and it makes perfect business sense for everyone arund.

CO-MAIN EVENT:  Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell III - Light Heavyweight

WHY?  Why not?  I don't think that Liddell should fight, but I think he's got the itch again and seeing how competativfe Ortiz has been in his last few fights must drive him crazy.  The build-up on TUF 12, their bitter rivalry that is a being put on DVD, and they are both legit MMA superstars.  It would be a huge history fight, a way for the new fans to get a sense of MMA and the UFC's rich (though not terrible deep) past that nobody better than Tito and Chuck can show.  Plus, as excited as Cain and JDS are as fighters, let's be hones they are the most electric guys in the world.  But if this is too crazy, I could put Stephan Bonnar in too.  Given his past success on the memorable TUF 1 finale, you could make the case that he could draw well with Tito as well.

Ben Henderson vs. Denis Siver - Lightweight

WHY?  Both guys are red-hot right now.  Henderson has stormed out of the gate in the UFC beating both Mark Bocek and Jim Miller - two serious guys.  Siver, after a rocky up and down career, has also caught fire, going 7-1 since his return at UFC 93.  This could be your #1 contenders match between two fighters who have to work hard to have a boring fight.  Both are lethal who always go for the finish.  Winner of this should get Frankie/Gray winner.

Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

WHY?  Classic veteran versus hot-shot rookie fight that does have some consequences.  Torres its 2-1 in the UFC and has shown that he has really grown as a fighter.  I don't hold the Demetrious Johnson loss too much against him because both men were excellent grapplers and the fight could have gone either way.  He's shown to be less prone to his old and reckless ways.  McDonald is simply a flat-out stud in the making, and its time to see where he stands.  This fight could be a perfect way to open a show so important to the UFC.

So in short, here is what I think should be the UFC on Fox 1 main card:

• Cain Velasquez (c) vs. Junior Dos Santos - UFC Heavyweight Title fight
• Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell III
• Ben Henderson vs. Denis Siver
• Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

Thoughts?

I had a feeling.

I can't prove it to you, and its going to sound like I'm just joining the bandwagon.  So that's fine, but please believe me.  Some days at my job its can be very boring and I'm looking for things to past the time.  So one day I came up with a list of overrated and underrated fighters, planning on doing a BE fanpost when I got home.  Sadly, as a married man, oftentimes the "honey-do" list is waiting for me at home or we have plans (it was easier blogging and hitting the interwebs as a single man).  So I never published it.  My thought was that these were fighters with talent - not cans, that's easy - but talented fighters who were artificially blown up because of a lack of good competition and/or simply being one-dimensional.  I had names like Jason Miller, Shane Carwin, and Lil' Nog.  I had the opposite, too - names like Ricardo Arona, Nate Diaz, and Chris Lytle for underrated fighters.  Two other names popped up - Jim Miller and Ben Henderson.

I had forgotten it too until I looked through my wallet today and pulled out the folded paper with the lists I had made.  But ti made sense.  The biggest thing with Miller I looked at was his level of competition.  His best win was probably Matt Wiman, but for a guy that really went after WEC lightweights the roster of fighters he's fought looks like that of the WEC.  Kamal Shalrous, Bart Palaszswki, Duane Ludwig, Steve Lopez, David Baron.  Half of the fighters in Miller's eight fight win-streak aren't even sniffing the top 25 of lightweights in MMA.  Again, its not about his skill set.  Joe Rogan is right to call Miller a savage.  But the only time in the UFC he has fought top tier competition, Gray Maynard, he lost.

Then there is Ben Henderson, smiling through his improbable rise.  His run through the WEC was never really suppose to happen.  The lightweight title in the WEC belonged to Rob McCullough and Jamie Varner.  Donald Cerrone was suppose to be the next one.  Henderson forced himself into the picture.  His first fight against Cerrone is one of my all-time favorites, and like last night, everyone was surprised that Henderson won.  And he kept winning.  And, in my opinion, an ESPY-nominated CGI kick from Anthony Pettis lost him that belt.  Henderson, more than any other fighter, seemed to have been the biggest question mark about going into the UFC. 

But watch Henderson's WEC fights.  Its a carbon copy from last night.  Why are people surprised?  Does anyone remember what he did with Donald Cerrone in that first fight?  When he destroyed Jamie Varner?  He is vicious, an endless gas tank, unsubmitable defense, and an absolutely unrelenting top game.  Its amazing, this guy cannot be submitted.  Miller had that leg lock.  How many submissions has he escaped?  And his top game was what surprised me.  He knew Miller was going for submission after submission and he just shrugged it off.  Instead of technique, he used punishment to get out.  When his arm was in trouble, he ripped Miller's ribs with rights and elbows to the hea with his free arm.  In the clinch, he was using a weird ax-kick. 

Sometimes one performance really makes you say, "holy shit."  For me, it was Henderson-Cerrone I and this Miller fight just confirmed it.  This is a bad man with a smile.  He is relentless, moves forward, eats submissions like cereal, and has a diverse offensive arsenal of elbows, takedowns, and submissions (Varner and Cerrone II). 

I think Ben Henderson might be the most complete fighter not in the UFC 136 main event.  The fight fan in me wants to see Henderson and Cerrone go one more time.  But honestly, Cerrone is further down the totem pole than Benson.  Some want to see Benson and Melvin Guillard go. That would be fun.  What about G-Sot?  Meh, he's damaged good.  Denis Siver?  A possibility?  But for me, I think Benson Henderson should fight a returning Sean Sherk next.  A healthy Sherk, a proven former champion and a name fighter.  Henderson vs. Sherk would give Ben Henderson a chance to make a name for himself and gives Sherk a chance at one more big fight. 

Ben Henderson is going to a problem in the lightweight division.  His skill-set is hard to deal with.  Because it appears he can't be submitted, it allows him to move forward and go for the kill over and over.  Pettis beat him by being just as reckless as Henderson and using an uncanny athleticism.  Jim Miller fought the wrong fight, trying to prove he could do something nobody else has.  And honestly, I'm not sure how seriously Miller took Ben.  But he could never get off his back.  Henderson put him down and kept him down from round 2 and on.  I look at Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar and I think Henderson, if he can get through this division (which is like getting through a hedge maze) he matches up well with these guys.  

But then again, he could be put down with one fight and there will be a plethora of BE posts about "the next guy." (I'm looking at YOU, Gilbert Melendez)

As for me, Ben Henderson's violence with a smile I think will breathe new life in a division that has been stagnated by injuries and a talent pool that is very high but very even which causes the mess we are in now.  As soon as a guy gets hot, he runs into someone else.  Look at guys like Florian, Sotiropolous, Dunham, and Pettis - all were poised to make the final leap but kept got knocked off by "the next guy." 

The test for Ben Henderson is if he can avoid that.  His timing is perfect, because he's coming along after both Edgar and Maynard had healed up so he doesn't have to wait around and take dangerous fights.  We will see.