via www.hbbjj.com

A new scoring method, developed by the veteran official "Doc" Hamilton, and designed for use in Mixed Martial Arts bouts, represents something fundamentally different than what is currently being used in MMA.  

Currently, mma uses the "10 point must system," a system that offers only three possible outcomes for each round (10-10, 10-9, 10-8), while the 10-8 is almost never used due to referee stoppages.  The scoring method, which was originally designed for boxing, has been effective in scoring fights that typically go more than ten - 3 minute rounds -- where as most MMA fights are scheduled for three - 5 minute rounds.

The new system, a variant of the 10 point system, allows for 7 possible variations (10-10, 10-9.5, 10-9, 10-8.5, 10-8, 10-7.5, 10-7) with the 10-7 and 10-7.5 almost never used due to referee stoppages.  The biggest difference, however, is not in the scoring possibilities themselves but in the criteria that is used to determine the score.

Currently, mma uses three criteria of equal value:  effective striking & grappling, cage control, and aggression.  All three criteria are used as a whole in determining the round winner.  The easiest way to characterize how these criteria are used in the actual is to say:  if Fighter 'A' is able to demonstrate a superiority in one or more of the three criteria, and Fighter 'B' is not, than the round will go to Fighter 'A'.  This scoring method has been frustrating to fans on occasion because if Fighter 'A' demonstrates effective striking (that has led to damage), but Fighter 'B' has demonstrated aggression and cage control (things that often don't lead to damage), fighter 'B' will still be the round winner.

The new system, introduces a singular criteria (damage inflicted) that is backed by several other criteria in case of a tie in damage.  If both fighters inflict the same level of damage, then the secondary criteria of effective striking/grappling will be used.  If that too is deemed a tie, then a tertiary criteria of cage control will be used in determining the round winner.  And, if after all rounds have been completed and there is a tie in the cumulation of all round scores, then a "Table Judge" will determine the winner based on a scoring system in which points are given for various technical moves tallied throughout the entire fight (ex.  knock downs, guard passing, sweeps, etc.).

I like this new method -- finally DAMAGE  is the focus of MMA bouts.

This new scoring system will have a trial run in Amateur California MMA bouts before it is used in professional fights.

Fight metric just released their in-depth report of the Lawal/Mousasi fight, and some might be a little surprised:


Effectiveness Score

R1: 115-Lawal 66-Gegard

R2:   41-Lawal 154-Gegard

R3: 116-Lawal 42-Gegard

R4: 101-Lawal 39-Gegard

R5: 49-Lawal 67-Gegard

Total: 422-Lawal 367-Gegard

Ten Point Must System

48-47  King Mo Lawal

In my mind, R2 could easily have been 10-8 for Mousasi, and that round does seem to have the greatest disparity according to FM.  Part of the reason Lawal scored as well as he did was because FM judged some of his takedowns to be 'slams" -- I think I agree with that.

Gegard vs. 'King' Mo

You might have thought that King Mo would be the man to introduce the Pimp Slap to MMA.

via ranjiao.files.wordpress.com

After that fight Mo looked like he should have just given Gegard the money.  What a one-sided beating Mousasi layed on Mo.  And I'm not here to blame the judges, I completely understand why Lawal got the nod -- I don't agree with it, but I understand:  a take down is clean, it's understandable, it's easy to explain to someone who has never been slapped by an angry pimp (and that's most of us).  But maybe, in my opinion, it should be part of judging curriculum to get jumped by the Diaz brothers on route to your graduation day from 'judging school'.  If you don't know what it feels like to get struck, to have your arm twisted, to be tired, to be scarred, AND you are so sheltered that you can't possibly imagine those things, then why are you going to pass judgement on them?  You wanna tell me about 'cage control,' aggression', or 'effective grapping' -- I can understand that, and I understand that that was why Lawal won.  I just think that those things are secondary to taking a beating.  In my humble opinion, damage delivered should always be the most important criteria.

A round by round analysis can easily illustrate what I'm talking about, and I would be a little surprised if some of you thought I was 'crazy' in how I scored the fight:

R1: 10-10 When Mo took it to the mat for the first time, I was thinking "why isn't mousasi even trying to defend the takedown", then I quickly understood why -- Mo wasn't able to do anything from Gegard's guard.  On the feet, the round was a push, and on the ground it was a push also. Mo got the take down and Mousasi had the more effective striking.

R2: 10-8 Mousasi   What an absolute and utter domination by Mousasi. He was laying on his back inviting Mo to lay in his guard and get Bitch Slapped!  How anybody, even the judges or casual fans could have thought that was anything other than a 10-8 is beyond me.  How can you give that round to King Mo?  The fight, maybe, but that round -- no way!

R3: 10-9 Lawal  Less effective striking by Gegard and some impressive take downs that actually looked like they hurt.

R4: 10-9 Lawal  Ditto

R5: 10-9 Gegard  Ok, so Mousasi won this round by doing more damage and proving that King Mo was utterly impotent on the ground, and standing for that matter.  The point deduction was bull shit as the strike either didn't land or had no mustard on it (it's crazy for up-kicks to be illegal anyway), and since this is a fantasy world where I get to judge, I refuse to make the deduction. 48-47 Mousasi (the commission catches me and forces me to rule it a 47-47)

Cmon now -- that ain't so far fetched, is it?

Aoki vs. Melendez

via www.joeydevilla.com

The picture kind of sums it up. I think we all know what's gonna happen:

via www.listicles.com

In all fairness, and I was really surprised to learn that Aoki refused to give this any credence, but the cage, the mat, and the ref-ing, hurt Aoki and his unique style.  Don't get me wrong, Melendez proved he was the better man, and the result would have been the same under DREAM rules, but the fight would have been better under DREAM rules.  Aoki's most effective weapon in that fight (the rubber guard) was completely neutralized by the cage -- you can't complete a gogo-plata with your head up against a cage (in dream, your head goes through the ropes, and you can finish the choke).  Aoki usually has quick and decisive clinch moves, but on such a hard surface, Gilbert's backwards movement was just to quick (a little softer mat would have slowed Gilbert just enough as to let Aoki secure a few more 'judo clinches').  Every time the fight got interesting on the floor, granted not real interesting, the fight was stood up -- wouldn't have happened in Japan.

Overall, Aoki showed he's way too one-dimensional to be considered anything close to a 'Divisional God.'  Anybody with Aoki on there P4P list needs to re-evaluate their criteria and/or get a CAT-Scan.  What would happen to Gilbert in the UFC, against the 'other' top 5 LW's? -- he'd get KO'd or submitted.

Shields vs. Hendo

Let me just say up front that this fight doesn't change my opinion about Jake Shields at all.  The most exciting part of the fight, for me, was when Jake got knocked unconscious -- just like the most entertaining part of his fight with Mayhem was when he was getting choked unconscious. That being said, these fights were entertaining for me.  I suppose the key to marketing Jake, is to make sure he really has to fight for his life. He's in a very tough position because if he loses, people will forget about him quickly, and if he wins, without ALMOST losing, then people will forget about him quickly.

He is getting better, and I would absolutely LOVE to see him fight Jacare (or even Mayhem) -- so I guess my opinion has changed a little.

via www.jakeshields.com

My real quick two cents:

There were two things wrong with what 'Mayhem' did post-fight: 

1) It was in bad taste.

via beat.bodoglife.com

AND

2) It was stupid.

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1 + 2 =

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Pound For Pound: the origin

Some argue that with the invention of Judeo-Christianity, and the unusual notion that there is just one god, humans have become obsessed with a one great super being.  However, even in earlier times, before Christendom, when multiple gods were revered for their powers,  the idea of a King of the Gods was prevalent .  These multi-god worshiping pagans existed under the belief that there were several gods, all sharing 'heaven' together in relative harmony, with the largest of the gods being the god no one could really fuck with.  The other gods, were of course, exactly 15 pounds lighter or heavier from each other (give or take 5 pounds).  These beings were largely benevolent, so the issue rarely came up, but if shit did hit the fan, the "Heavy Weight" was the god that no one could touch -- but was he the BEST?  Some might say, "If no one can fuck with him, then he has to be the BEST, right?" The answer is yes, and no, and the explanation goes something like this:  Ok, you are bigger than me, but, IF you were my size, I'd be the one who could fuck with you!

And the 'Pound For Pound' was born.

via lynx.uio.no

Pound For Pound:  the definition

If weight were not a factor, which god would be the most dominant?

Pound For Pound:  definitions

Before we can have a debate we have to get a few terms straight:  what is a GOD, how can someone be the BEST, & how do we determine WEIGHT

Weight:  Because we are not exactly sure what each fighter weighs at fight time, and even if we were, we would still have to group the fighters by their weight, I have decided to just use the existing weight groupings and to just assume that each fighter within those groupings weighs about the same (I know this isn't true but there is really no alternative):  Bantam Weight (BW), Feather Weight (FW), Light Weight (LW), Welter Weight (WW), Middle Weight (MW), Light Heavy Weight (LHW), Heavy Weight (HW)

God:  The absolute best within the weight class (i.e. GSP,  Anderson Silva) and there can only be 7 (there are 7 weight classes)

Best:  1)  The one who's skill set could best achieve god status at a different weight class OR 2) The one who has proven that they can achieve God status at multiple weight classes (they are a god and they've beaten a god)

In deciding who is the BEST, we have two options: 1) someone can prove it by being the BEST in more than one weight class, or 2) we have to debate who's skills would most likely allow them to be the best in another weight class (this is going to be the focus of the majority of the discussion, although there will be some debate on who is the BEST within a weight class).

The God of Heavy Weight: debate

The debate over who is the best HW is trivial -- it can be determined by nothing more than a quick Wiki search of the records of the divisions top ranked fighters.  I do not believe that the criteria of "fight record" is the most important criteria to be used when determining a 'divisional best', but in the case of HW, the record of Fedor Emelianenko is so staggering, so far and beyond the others, that it alone can be used as justification for Fedor's reign as God of the Heavy Weights.  Fedor has not only beaten a who's who of elite heavy weights, he's finished them:  Brett Rogers, Andre Arlovski, Tim Sylivia. He holds notable wins over Antonio Nogueira and Mirco Cro-cop.  Some might say that his recent fights have been against inferior opponents, and that they were less than dominant.  While I can agree that Fedor has not fought the top tier in some time, he has certainly dominated them. According to Fight Metric (the most objective method for evaluating a fighters performance), Fedor scored extremely high in his domination of all his recent opponents.

Fedor is not the only fighter in the running for best HW, there are several others who could potentially lay claim to that title:  Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasques, and even Alistair Overeem are in the running.  The problem with these choices is that we don't really know enough about them yet -- they are each relatively new to the division -- and none of them have yet to fight, or consistently beat, well rounded-elite fighters.  I would argue that if Overeem could beat Fedor in dominating fashion, he should shoot to the top (we might get to see that).  Or, if one of the UFC HW's can clean out the division, a la Anderson Silva, then they should immediately shoot to the top (we are a long way from seeing that).

via www.mmacrave.com

The God of Light Heavy Weight: debate

The best fighter in the LHW division is tough to discern, but I think most people would agree that it comes down to Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua.  At what appeared to be the pinnacle of his career, Mauricio 'shogun' Rua was absolutely dominating the Pride Fighting Championships.  There is no doubt in my mind that from 2003 to 2005, Shogun was a top P4P fighter as he absolutely wrecked the MW division of Pride. Certain things happened, he looked set back, and turned in some questionable performances against Forrest Griffin and Mark Coleman. He was really off of my radar at that time.  THEN the Machida fight happened, and we all got to see a Shogun Rua that we hadn't seen for years. In my mind, and according to Fight Metric, Shogun won his fight with Lyoto Machida.  So, Mauricio should be 'god of the LHW's' -- right?  Wrong.  Lyoto has cleaned out the division, dominating every one who's stepped in his way (with the exception of Rua), and in my mind showed that he was actually a better fighter than Rua, even though I had him losing that fight.  Rua won that fight with a well articulated game plan that was designed to take the fight to a five round decision and put it in the hands of the judges -- not a bad game plan when you're fighting someone of Machida's caliber -- but if you win like that, do you really deserve to be classified as the 'God of the Division'?  Had Rua won that fight, I would be more than happy to call him the LHW champion, but I think I'd still have Machida as the 'God'.  This confusion will soon be cleared up, and if Rua is able to deliver the same execution of a superb game plan, I will call him the LHW God -- but, at this time, I don't see it happening for Rua.  Lyoto will make the necessary adjustments (I think he was just as startled to see that shogun as the rest of us) and show why he is UFC Light Heavy Weight Champion of the World and LHW God in contention for the Pound for Pound greatest fighter alive.

via static.blogcritics.org

Other fighters in the running include:  Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Anderson Silva, and Gegard Mousasi.  There are serious problems with each and every one of these fighters relative to their LHW dominance -- and therefore, no further discussion is required.

The God of Middle Weight: no debate necessary

via sportchitchat.com

Dan Henderson is #2, but there is really no significant debate that he should be considered #1.

The God of Welter Weight:  no debate

via ultimatemmafight.com

Although there is no debate as to whether or not GSP is the God of the Welter Weights, I believe that of all the divisional greats, GSP's game lacks a plausible transition to other weight classes.  He relies solely on being the larger and/or better wrestler, and if he did not have a size/wrestling advantage, he would fall to a top tier fighter.  I find his lack of finishing ability disturbing as well as his inability to improvise with various skills. In my mind, GSP is the prototype 'Divisional God' who lacks a certain something to be considered the P4P BEST.

Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, and Dan Hardy are all in the mix, but it is clear that none of these guys can beat GSP while GSP is at his best.  The dark horse, the WW I'm most excited to see fight, is Paulo Thiago.  If he were to convincingly dethrone GSP, he would immediately be in the running for P4P Best -- but for now, that ain't the case.

The God of Light Weight: debate

To put it bluntly -- BJ Penn is still the God of the LW division.  If Edgar is able to win again, I think there will be more room for a rational debate, but as for Penn/Edgar I, BJ won on my card (and Fight Metric).  The fight was very revealing as to the path to victory against BJ Penn.  Much like the Rua/Machida fight, Edgar was clearly going for a close decision style win over BJ.  If this happens again, especially if Edgar is the one who does it, I think BJ could relinquish his title as LW God.  I don't see Edgar doing it again though -- the wiser BJ should prevail in the rematch.

BJ Penn, out of all the current P4P contenders, has come closest to actually defeating a divisional best while also being one.  When he beat Hughes to become the WW champion, he could have been (and actually was) considered the best WW & LW in the world -- obviously that would have made him the Greatest P4P Fighter as well. But that was then, and this is now, and we know for a fact that GSP had his way with Penn -- he will certainly not achieve his old status of P4P Best anytime soon.

Someone worth talking about, however, is Kenny Florian.  His last performance against Takanori Gomi showed that he is a brand new fighter.  He has always had as varied a tool chest as BJ Penn, and with his improved boxing and ability to improvise & game plan, I have no qualms what-so-ever about putting Florian as a close #2 in the LW division.  Unlike with Edgar, Maynard, Melendez, or Aoki -- if Florian is able to pull off an upset against BJ, even if only by a small margin, I would happily declare Florian LW God and P4P contender.

via www.combatpower.com

The God of Feather Weight: debate

This question will be answered shortly. It's between Jose Aldo & Uriah Faber.  "But what about Mike Brown, you idiot," some might say.  I simply respond by saying, 'Mike Brown can not beat Faber again!' The first fight was won fair and square -- Faber did something stupid and Brown capitalized, being the outstanding fighter he is. The second time, Faber actually looked better -- without the broken hand, Faber would clearly have won.  In a third, fourth, or even fifth fight, Faber is gonna take it.  It's just my opinion but I'm pretty sure that the betting odds would agree with me.  At any rate, Aldo beat Brown, and if Aldo can beat Faber, then he will be the indisputable FW God.

What makes the FW division so fun is that all the best guys are in the WEC.  There can be no real doubt as to who the best FW in the world is by next year.  If Urijah wins, then he will have to fight Brown again.

Bibiano Fernandez? Not really.

via themmaspace.com

The God of Bantam Weight: debate

We can be more sure that Dominick Cruz is the BW God after his not yet scheduled rematch with Brian Bowles.  For now all we can really do is point to his resume and the fact that he is the current WEC champion of a division in which all the best fighters are in the WEC.  Could Miguel Torres come back and take back the crown? Yes, although he would have to completely retool his game.  Could Joseph Benavidez do the same?  Why not? However, Dominick Cruz is the current God, the least experienced god, the least tested God, but a God none the less.  Don't be surprised if his reign is usurped early -- remember what we all thought of Torres not too long ago?

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Continue reading this post »

In past fan posts we have argued about many different rule changes, and how they would adversely effect the sport or otherwise.  Often times I have been on the side of liberalizing the rules in favor of more action, more technique, and more avenues to victory. But for the first time, I am actually frightened by what appears to be a radical new view on when a referee should stop a fight.  Furthermore, this radical new view seems to be mainstream, it may even be the consensus:  'fighters should not have to defend themselves at all times'.  

Some, rather non-contaversial enthusiasts, have even suggested that a fighter should even be allowed to sustain more damage after a knock out, just to see if they are still unconscious or not.  For me, this is very concerning, bordering on absolutely crazy.

I know that this is not really crazy, I know exactly where the idea is coming from:  'we don't know if the fighter can continue or not, he may still even be able to win'.  But should every knock out victory be followed up with hammer fists to the face of an unconcious dude? I don't think so. I know Rampage hated Silva -- but Silva got pummeled after Rampage had already won.  Should that be the norm?

Now we have a case where Thiago knew he had won.  He knew that Kos was out, and he acted like a compasionate human -- he gave the ref time to stop the fight before he proceeded to rape his unwilling opponent.  Should this be frowned upon.  Does this mean that Paulo is a pussy?  

Also, what about the ref?  When the referee sees that one of the fighters is unconcious, shouldn't he immediately stop the fight to prevent unnecessary damage or should he let it go on, just to be sure?  If the ref yells, "ITS OVER", and then sees that the fighter recovered quickly, should he then yell, "NEVER MIND"?  

Here's where I draw the line:  If the referee sees that a fighter can no longer defend himself, he should stop the fight, verbally and otherwise.  That stoppage should be mandatory, and final.   Whether or not, the knocked out fighter's opponent is compassionate or blood thirsty, should have no bearing on the referees decision. A fighter who is unable to defend himself, is just that, and the fight should be stopped.

The fact that this post is at all controversial (and I know it is), is scary.  Being able to defend yourself at all times is the only rule I absolutely agree with.

Well, here it is Monday and I finally got around to watching UFC 93. I just couldn't get too excited about this one. The card, on paper, was uninspired, and I have no particular loyalty or even fanaticism for any of the fighters featured on this card.  After watching it, however,  I have to admit that I was wrong -- this was a pretty interesting card, as it turns out.

Chris Lytle vs. Marcus Davis

After all the talk about not going to the ground, there was this tremendous buzz about how the fight amounted to some sort of collusion.  What was perceived as collusion was really just hype.  This fight was unlikely to go to the ground from the outset -- partly the reason it was always the most compelling fight on the card.  What I was expecting to see (collusion or no) was exactly what I got to see:  A very interesting stylistic contrast in the stand-up.  Lytle going for the knock out, and Davis willing to simply pick him apart. Lytle came very close to achieving his goal, but Davis's style proved to be more robust.  DEFINITELY, FOTN!

Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang

Alan Belcher, despite having a bizarre game plan, proved that he is legit.  I remember the last time he fought, I was thinking that he would get killed against someone who could take it to the ground -- he proved me wrong.  Belcher has gotten rounded in a hurry.  I hope he finds a new camp because his stand-up looked like it had gotten worse even if his BJJ has gotten good.  That's right, his BJJ was better than Kang's, and that's impressive. Keep your eyes on this kid, 'cause he's only gonna get better.

Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares

Is the UFC trying to tarnish Palhares?  Are they afraid of this fighter because he's "not exciting," or because he has the best chance in the division of beating Anderson Silva?  Why on earth did they pair him with Gumby?  If they don't like Palhares and they want to burry him, then they did a good job in paring him with someone that was just gonna turtle for 3 rounds. I wonder if the UFC gave Horn a "Survival Bonus," cause that's what Horn was fighting for.  IMO, Toquinho has the best chance of beating The Spider.

Thomas Egan vs. John Hathaway

Obviously a fight for the british crowd. Neither fighter is a real contender in the division.

Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Rua

This fight was actually alright for 1.5 rounds. I have a hard time saying that one fighter is much better than the other, considering that they BOTH gassed after the first round.  Coleman's wrestling was adequate, and Shogun's stand-up was adequate as well.  This could have easily been traded for an undercard fight (I wanted to see Kampmann) but I guess there was a Coleman draw that pulled it up to the main card.

Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin

I really liked this fight because it provides another example of how wrestlers get favoritism in the UFC.  The bottom line is that Hendo won because of the takedowns.  He was unable to do damage on the ground, and was bested in the stand-up. Minus the head butt and eye poke, he did far less damage than Franklin overall (presumably the illegal strikes aren't counted by the judges).  Why did he win? Cause of the takedowns.  For christ sake, this isn't a wrestling match, this is the UFC.  I feel like ranting, but I won't.

The funny thing is that I'm starting to become brain washed by the UFC scoring system. I kept telling myself that Franklin was in trouble every time he got taken down -- even though he was doing just fine off his back. The scoring system has to change -- a takedown shouldn't be worth anything if it doesn't lead to damage!!

Over all this was an adequate card. No worse than UFC 89 or 90. It may not have had any big names, but it had some interesting outcomes.

Why all the hate?

There were two fights in UFC 92 that I was supremely confident in predicting: Jackson vs. Silva and Forrest vs. Evans.  After watching the fights, however, I was wrong on one account -- Forrest, actually, should have won that fight: Rashad was performing to the most of his potential and Griffin was not.

The fight, stylistically speaking, went down almost exactly as I had imagined.  Forrest would use his length to keep Evans at bay.  Evans would use his speed to slip inside and deliver some power. This is exactly what happened, except for how effective Griffin was. Every time Evans went in, he had to wade through some serious offense, and when he was on the outside, he had to be continuously wary of that long jab and vicious leg kick.  I wasn't expecting Griffin to be able to put up that much of a fight.

So, why did Griffin lose? HE GASSED!  I'm not close to Forrest, so I can't make this claim with any immediate certainty, but Forrest is a pretty emotional guy. Rashad is dancing around doing nipple tweaks, grabbing his nuts and smiling while Griffin is taking deep breathes and looking rather somber, and frankly, a little tired.  The Adrenaline Dump is something that has been talked about before. It is something that we, as fans, have all seen before -- one fighter comes in bouncing around the octagon, and by the second round looks like he's been hit with a tranquilizer dart. This is exactly what happened to Forrest. We saw, in the Rampage fight, forrest go to the ground and immediately display a vicious guard. With Evans we saw the laziest, sleepiest, most tired display of jiu jitsu I've ever seen from Griffin.  And the signs were being displayed well before the fight went to the ground. At one point, Forrest had dazed Evans with a straight punch, he tried to pour it on but it looked tired, slow motion, like his muscles had nothing left to give. Evans made note of it by laughing and grabbing his crotch.  That's when the fight was really over. Forrest was spent.

He actually looked a little lazy while walking to the Octagon. Now, more than ever, I believe that if Forrest could get his head straight, he would be the best 205er, by far!

First of all let me just say that I am a fight fan. I started watching boxing years ago -- back when tuesday night fights was one of the coolest things on tv. Once the first few UFC's came out, it became clear in a way it never could have been made clear before: Styles Make Fights!  After watching the first 4 UFC's I was able to view professional fighting in a way I was never able to before. A way that few trainers truly understand. This knowledge can be applied to both boxing, MMA, and many other combat sports (I Imagine). However, this knowledge still appears to be something that few people really grasp.

Take the last real big boxing match:  Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya. Does everybody understand that De La Hoya was the favorite in that fight?! I mean, how could that be? The most common train of thought was that De La Hoya was just BIGGER.  I was surprised to see that when it came to fight time, Pacquiao was bigger, but I was not at all surprised in the result. As an MMA fan, how can you not be accustomed to the tremendous amount of weight cutting that takes place. Pacquiao, clearly, has been doing it fairly well for quite some time. But the point is that Pacquiao is a bad stylistic match-up for a guy like De La Hoya, or Diaz. He's quick, he's strong, he has reach, and a good corner. Let me just say that I was comfortable with my bet.

The reason I'm writing this semi-rant, and the reason I even slightly care, is because I would like to see the level of fight discourse be elevated, especially on a site like BE. Bloody Elbow IS the best place for fight discussions, but it still has some room to grow. The spark that prompted this post occured last week in a discussion about Mike Swick fighting Thiago Alves. Many people, including an editor of the site, gave Mike Swick next to no chance in that fight. This, of course, is rediculous, but what is more rediculous is the fact that no stylistic data was used in backing up this assertion (no data what so ever, actually). Once the BE bloggers got involved, we all got a refresher course in Alves's resume, but still no stylistic comments. One blogger was so infuriated by the support of Alves (and lack of stylistic discussion), he actually used the word "douche bag" while at the same time making a stylistic statement supporting Swick. The stylistic statement was ignored but the gratuitous use of the word "douche bag" prompted a threat from the afore mentioned editor, but still no stylistic response to the heinous allegation that Swick has little chance.

All I ask, and I'm sure I will not receive, is that we all think, just a little bit, about what would actually happen in a fight before we all start commenting on the fight.  If everybody was able to do this we could all learn from, and enjoy fights a little bit more.

What would happen if Swick fought Alves:

Swick would use his fast hands and reach to pummel Alves who relies on getting inside to use his strength. Alves is not quick enough to get into range on Swick and Swick is powerful enough to hurt Alves on the outside. Although Alves is an excellent fighter, Swick is a very bad match-up for him. Swick would have to make a mistake for Alves to win. My money goes on Swick.

Enough about the Super Heavyweights, there just aren't enough of them yet to really make a Super HW division viable. I think the misnomer here is that just because you weigh more than 225, you'd be fighting in the 225+ weightclass -- that is far from true.  There are quite a few HW fighters who tip the scales at 230, 240, 250, or even 260, but that doesn't mean they should be fighting at that weight.  Brock Lesnar, to my knowledge is one of a handful (under 5) of people who CUT WEIGHT to reach 265. That is to say, he really weighs around 280, IN SHAPE. I'm sure, several months from a fight, he can be scaled in at 295.  But the important point here is that the rest of the division isn't cutting weight, in fact a good percentage of them look down right dopey at 250 pounds.  

This is more than just a testament to Brock's huge stature, this is a testament to something that he displays and that few other Heavyweights display: the mental fortitude it takes to cut weight, and all the unpleasantries that go along with it. This, to me, is one of the great unforeseen benefits of a new weight class.  It forces all the fat-asses to get into shape as they make their cut to 225. Also, this is the main reason I believe that 225 is a better cut-off point than 235, as others have suggested. 

Why did Brandon "the truth" Vera think he was gonna be HW champion first, and then move his way down to become Light HW champion? Why did Randy Couture move up to HW after he gave up hope on Light HW? Why are there so many heavy weights who could easily fight at light heavy weight, but don't? Because it is a weight class without discipline!  Finally, we see a heavy weight fighter with discipline and we are astounded. I mean there is a reason the HW division was languishing in the UFC: because all the really good fighters work hard and make the cut to 205. Anderson Silva cuts all the way down to middle weight for christ sake -- and so could Vera! Would you rather fight a 230 pounder who is overweight and kinda lazy, or a 205 pounder who is cut and hungry? Both Vera and Couture said the former.

One of the big eye openers for me came during the MMA Live broadcast from the UFC 91 weigh-ins. Stephen Bonnar offered a tremendous amount of insight, as well as a transparent dislike for the weight cutting process, and even Franklin McNeil had something to say that was enlightening (of course it was something that Florian had told him), and then it was Mir's turn. And it was more than just that arrogant smirk that I have become so accustomed to, it was a sense of getting away with something he shouldn't. He really had nothing to offer other than the fact that that was a major inconvenience that he didn't have to deal with (and he gave some bull shit explanation for why that wasn't a problem for him). But the truth is that weight cutting is not necessary for him, and in fact, getting lean isn't important for him either. This is not unique to Mir, many heavy weights are much heavier than is ideal for them as fighters. And there's really no motivation for an average heavy weight to get into shape. If you're a hungry fighter, then you move to 205, and if you're not a hungry fighter then you get beat by Randy Couture and you say, "Well it was Randy, what was I suppose to do against the greatest", and you use your skill to beat a lesser opponent (tank abbot for example) and earn your keep.

Would Mir, Gonzaga, Werdum, etc. benefit from a forced weight cut? I say hell ya. Look at Ganzaga in his last fight, I mean that was a can if I ever saw one. The UFC can't afford to get rid of all the fat asses. I mean they made an example out of Werdum, but I don't think that was enough to straighten out the division.  In my book, Dos Santos is the best thing in the division right now: a big, agile, brazilian, with heavy hands. Lets see some of those other fat asses get KO'd by the young and hungry Dos Santos. Lesnar is a different beast than Dos Santos. When Lesnar beats your fat ass down, you always have the excuse that, "hey, it was Lesnar, he's just too damn big, what was I suppose to do?"

Hey, maybe if Mir had to get fit, and had to cut to 225, he wouldn't have got the shit kicked out of him by a guy who could cut to 185 if he wanted (Brandon Vera).  I say, force these guys to get into shape, no more excuses.

After watching UFC 91 I remember thinking how much I admired Randy Couture. How he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and how much I appreciate his style. I also was filled with a sense of loss. The notion that Randy Couture was extinct, that I would never be able to witness his greatness again. I don't see him fighting anymore. And if he does fight again it won't be the same. What made Captain America so great was The Quest. The quest for the light heavyweight championship, then heavyweight championship, and then the quest to fight Fedor. This fight against Lesnar was, in my opinion, the continuation in his quest to fight Fedor. But now, the quest has to be over. I don't believe there could be mass interest to see that fight now. I mean, Randy will no longer be considered the #1 or #2 heavyweight. Could Randy beat fedor, could he beat Nogueira, is he in the top two for heavyweights? I believe the answer is yes -- but these questions are irrelevant. All we as fans care about now, is Brock Lesnar. How could this tragedy happen? How could a relative new comer beat the Champion?

Couture looked great in his fight with Lesnar. All of the things that made him so great in the past, were displayed in his fight with Lesnar, except one thing.  Instead of implementing that classic DIRTY BOXING, Couture had to devote everything he had into pinning Lesnar against the fence -- Lesnar was just too damn big. Lesnar is very big, he is very good at using that size, and he seems to actually be learning how to fight.  For these reasons, I think he would have to be a significant favorite in any fight I can think of right now.  A guy like Noguiera, or Mir, or someone with exceptional Jiu-Jitsu, definitely has the best chance at beating Lesnar. But he seems to be learning so quickly, and his wrestling is so good, that I don't see Nog winning that fight (Brock doesn't need to learn Jiu Jitsu, he just needs to learn how to defend against it).

The thought that Lesnar is gonna be champion for quite some time doesn't particularly bother me. I could care less about who the champion is in any weight class. I enjoy stylistic match-ups that produce great technical fights, and because Lesnar is champion, I'm afraid that I will be seeing less of these in the upcoming future. Why would I be seeing less interesting stylistic match-ups in the HW division? For two reasons:

1) Lesnar is not just an aberation, an anomaly, a once in a lifetime occurence! He is the future of the Heavy Weight Division. Let me sum up this arguement philosophically, rather than factually:  the best fighter in every weight class, cuts weight before a fight.  They do this because it gives them the highest level of strength possible in that division.  Why should the heavyweight division be any different? Brock has shown us that it isn't different -- being the strongest guy in the octagon, is a huge advantage.  My prediction, not based on any data, is that we will see big wrestlers start making their way into MMA.  As the UFC becomes more mainstream, more popular, and more lucrative, why wouldn't we see this transition of big athletes into the sport?

2) All of the guys who would currently make for good match-ups are kind of irrelevant now. If you can't beat Lesnar no one is gonna take interest. I wanna see Couture fight Fedor, or see Nog defend his HW title, or see how the WEC guys stack up in the division. Now all I'm gonna be presented, is a serious of Brock-style ass whoopings -- not that interested.

So what about all the awesome fighters that CAN'T cut to 205 and DON'T cut to 265. I have a solution: THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION! This is not a new idea. The SHOOTO promotion currently has a heavyweight cut off at 225 and the Association of Boxing Commissions has proposed, as early as July of this year, a Heavyweight division that cuts off at 225. 

Of course I'm not suggesting that we do this immediately. The UFC still has plenty of money to be made off Lesnar -- I wouldn't suggest that we prevent that. Brock has plenty of people left to crush before the UFC can definitively declare that they have the absolute, best heavyweight in the world. But the day will come, when every ex-collegiate super heavyweight wrestler makes his way to the UFC. And, if that day doesn't come, lets draw the line at 225 anyway. Won't we all be sick of watching Lesnar win by then?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that UFC 91 will be the best fight card of 2008.  Half way through I thought I was gonna get charged more money -- and I would have paid.

Thomas vs. Brown

My pick for Fight of the Night. Looked like Brown was on his way to a tough loss and then, BAMM!

McLovin' vs. McCrory

McCrory had what looked like slightly better stand-up and then it went to the ground. Highlight Reel Shit! (my pick: submission of the night)

Maia vs. Quarry

Was there ever any doubt? Textbook shit.

Stephens vs. Dos Anjos

What can you say, all these fights were freakin' amazing. Dos Anjos just couldn't keep his own pace and Stephens capitalized. KO! (my pick: knock-out of the night)

Florian vs. Stephenson

How kind was that, to just choke him out in the first round -- no bloody drip, drip. Even the biggest BJ nut-huggers want to see it happen now. After he loses to GSP, he'll lose to Ken Flo -- you heard it here first!

Lesnar vs. Couture

"That's just a big son of a bitch, that's all there is to it!" -Randy 'the natural' Couture. Now, more than ever, I want some new weight classes. There are too many good match-ups we're going to miss because of this glaring error.  Couture looked like dynamite and he still lost.

Riley vs. Gurgel

Gurgel might be a decent fighter, if he could just pull his head out of his ass and listen to his corner.

Robinson vs. Bocek?

That can't be right -- why is Alvin Robinson still fighting in the UFC? Oh... because he beat Gurgel once.

If these fights didn't do it for you, nothing will. This is as good or better than anything DREAM or WEC have done this year.  I suspect we will have to wait a long time before we see another card like this one.

This fight is an interesting stylistic match-up. Both fighters are at the top of their game and both fighters represent what it is to be a world champion. Their is certainly potential for this fight to end in a variety of different ways, and the winner of this fight is far from certain. That being said, let me launch into my shpeel:

THIS FIGHT IS GEORGE SAINT PIERRE'S TO LOSE!

I've heard it said on many occasions that BJ is tougher mentally, and that that is his fundamental edge. I'm not so sure if BJ is all that tough mentally, but I am sure that GSP has shown in the past that he is weak in this area. He wants to please, he wants to be exciting, and most importantly he believes he is the best, to the point where it is detremental. These assertions are heavily supported by his losses to Hughes & Sera & his aspiring hip hop career. How, specifically, can this lack of mental fortitude result in a GSP loss?

This fight is being billed as a barn burner. There is so mutch history, and so much expected, that it would be hard not to get caught up in it. The problem for GSP is that Penn can feed off this excitement, it actually helps Penn's game plan. He wants a toe to toe war. Penn has huge power in both of his hands and he showed it the first time they fought. GSP, on the other hand, needs to be very cautious, he can not afford to get caught up in the moment. He can not afford to please the fans. He certainly can not affort to exchange with Penn the way Penn, and the fans, would like.

I've heard over the past few months people, including myself, debate the pros & cons of each fighter's style and skill set. I've heard some people say that BJ is a better boxer (seems to be the consensus), and I've heard myself say that GSP is a better boxer. I think that both these statements are half true.  Watch how BJ implements his stand up game in his fight with Sherk and even his last fight with GSP. It reminds me of a Roger Huerta, a Rampage, Thiago Alvez: he inches forward, making sure that his feet are planted as much as possible so that when the opportunity comes, he can use his legs to generate tremendous power. When he does this he is able to put together some beautiful & powerful combinations. This is good boxing.  Watch GSP in his last few fights. Up on his toes, moving in and out, side to side with fluidity. Stops for a moment to plant his feet and then back to the bobbing and weaving. This style allows him to be highly mobile and extremely effective with less powerful combinations. Kind of reminds me of Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Forrest in his fight with Rampage. This is good boxing.  Less exciteing, but equally good. Neither guy has what it takes to go pro, but effective in their own regard. Watch Pacman fight -- he puts both these skill sets together in beautiful fashion.

OK... so the stand up is somewhat of a push. But Penn certainly has the grappling advantage. IF PENN GETS GSP ON HIS BACK, then GSP is in some trouble. Problem is:  PENN CAN'T PUT GSP ON HIS BACK. Rush is just to good a wrestler. At the same time, I don't see him doing much damage to BJ if he gets BJ on his back. For me, it's the ground game that's the biggest push. Their respective skill sets neutralize each other on the ground. But as we all know as MMA fans in America, the wrestler is more easily able to acquire points in a grappling exchange. This may very well be the deciding factor if this fight goes the distance. George should definitely look for the takedown even though he is only doing it for the points.

Given all this, what's the game plan:

St. Pierre needs to use leg kicks, jabs, and footwork to score points and set up a clinch situation. From here he needs to attempt a takedown for points and then retreat.  He's skilled enough that he doesn't need to be overly concerned about Penn's guard, but at the same time, Penn is skilled enough to neutralize any GnP. It's best for him to be counting points and to be dragging this fight to the deeper waters. BTW, this is exactly what he did in his first fight with BJ after the first round -- and it worked. George cannot get overly aggressive, he can not get emotional, and he can not deviate from this gameplan. A boring fight is a good fight for GSP.

Baby J needs to do what he's been doing. He needs to capitalize with power any time George is in range. He should be cautious of leg kicks, as this is a 5 rounder, and he has to conserve energy.  This is pretty much what he did in the last fight, and he lost, so he needs to do somethings a little different.  He needs to be more aggressive in the clinch -- try to do some damage with knees and elbows. If George overcommits on a take down, Penn needs to punch him hard in the face. Further more, and perhaps more importantly, Penn needs to get the crowd on his side. He's the one fighting the exciting style and the crowd is gonna see it like they saw it last time. If GSP gets frustrated, he's gonna make a mistake -- and that's exactly what Penn needs to win this fight.

Pretty damn good card with championship ramifications, and several excellently conceived stylistic match-ups.

Hazelett vs. McCrory

This falls under the category of interesting stylistic match-up. McCrory is hella scrappy and fairly well rounded. Although McCrory has shown a vulnerability to submissions, he definetely has what it takes to survive a war with Hazelett. But it's his vulnerability to submissions that makes this fight interesting -- I would love to see another submission victory from McLovin'. If Dustin was fighting for DREAM he would be a huge star. The promoters would throw cans at him and he would submit them in overly fantastic fashion. The Aoki of the U.S.A.

Quarry vs. Maia

This is the classic match-up between striker & grappler -- my favorite kind! The question is:  Can Nate Quarry keep this fight standing? I don't think so! Enough said.

Gonzaga vs. Hendricks

Are we finally gonna see Gonzaga's BJJ get tested? I hope so. I don't know a lot about Hendricks, but he is suppose to have excellent BJJ, and when you couple that with a wrestling back ground, Gonzaga might be in trouble.  An all out HW BJJ clinic would be something exciting (something we are not likely to see in the Mir/Nog fight).

Sadollah vs. Catone

These TUF guys are pretty F'ing impressive. They come into it with little experience. They basically learn how to fight in front of the cameras, and then, less than a year later, they are taking on the best -- almost always looking much better then we could have possibly imagined. I expect more of the same in this fight. Catone is no joke, he is far from a can, and at the same time I can't believe that Zuffa would make this match unless they believed that Sadollah had the edge. I can't wait!

Florian vs. Stevenson

So much could be said about this match-up. I just wonder:  After Florian dismantles Stevenson, are the 'so called' MMA fans still gonna give him next to no chance against BJ?  Probably!  

Couture vs. Lesnar

I'm not sure what I can say that has not already been said. I'm sure every MMA fan has given this fight at least as much thought as I have. I believe that this is the most important MMA bout in recent history for a variety of reasons.  But I'll just give you a prediction:  Lesnar by complete and total annihilation. This is nothing against Cptn. America (my favorite fighter). Lesnar as champion will ultimately lead to the development of another weight class.

This is one of the best cards of the year and is head and shoulders above the upcoming UFC 92. Although UFC 92 has two title bouts -- UFC 91 actually has more interest in terms of title ramifications: Lesnar/Couture, Florian, Maia, Hazelett/McCrory -- all could be fighting for a title in the near future.

I actually watched UFC 90 late, and had already read and heard many critical comments about how disappointing a show it was. Naturally, after I had watched it, I was surprised to see that UFC 90 was just like any other UFC I had watched recently. In fact, it was actually more entertaining than many recent shows in the sense that the match ups were all fairly interesting across the board:

Sherk vs. Griffin

I've always said that when you put two PURE wrestlers in the cage together, the fight is usually pretty good. This fight showed that. I find 'baby glove boxing' to be extremely entertaining and that is exactly what this fight was. I will admit, however, that this is not MMA and I really would rather not see an entire fight card with these kind of bouts. By this I simply mean that neither of these guys have what it takes to FINISH a fight. And to finish a fight is what MMA is really all about. They don't have the power to KO nor the skill to submit -- an entertaining fight none the less.

Dos Santos vs. Werdum

Dos Santos is BETTER than Werdum. It is as simple as that. Werdum had his chance to take it to the ground and Dos Santos shook Werdum off like the fat, lazy, slob he looked. 9 out of 10 times Dos Santos wins that fight.

Clementi vs. Maynard

I hate these kinds of fights. I feel the same way about this one that I felt about Danzig/Guida.  I have no interest in seeing Maynard fight again. I would like to see Clementi fight Danzig -- that would be an interesting fight. Maynard vs. Guida might not be a bad one either.

Alvez vs. Koschek

This was the most interesting fight of the night. Kos is such a smart fighter and it was a shame to see him go into this fight with the wrong game plan -- and by the time he made the correct adjustments, it was too late. Koschek should have went into this fight the same way he went into the Sanchez fight: keep your distance, use your speed, avoid damage. Instead he went into this fight like he fought Lyttle: shoot in, take him down, do damage, repeat. You can't fight like that against an enormous beast in Thiago. I really would like to see Thiago fight Sanchez. Sanchez is much better in close than Kos is. Sanchez would be a tougher fight for Alvez. Neither are ready for GSP so we might as well watch them fight first.

Cote vs. Silva

I really don't understand all the criticism of either Cote or Silva. And I was actually impressed with Cote. Does he have any chance of beating Silva -- No! But he did frustrate Silva and he has one hell of a chin. It was the chin that was most frustrating for Silva, in my opinion.  I mean, we have always seen Silva measure up his opponent before going in for the kill. Because Cote was fighting so defensively, it took a while for Silva to find the opening, and then when he finally found it, Cote's chin proved strong. I really want to see Silva fight a grappler -- Silva is the best striker in the 185 and 205 divisions.  The most telling part of Silva/Cote was in the second round when Cote desperately tried to take it to the ground.

This was a standard UFC card, and we actually learned quite a bit about some of the UFC fighters. I knew very little about Alves, and now I feel I know a lot. I still wonder how his BJJ is -- Sanchez will be able to show us that. We learned that Werdum is overrated and that Dos Santos is hungry. We were able to confirm our belief that wresters with no submissions should only be allowed to fight other wrestler. This wasn't a bad card!

 Until next month.

I have been very vocal about two things in regards to Anderson Silva: 1) He is the best p4p fighter in the world; 2) He is being protected by the UFC. Nothing supports claim #2 better than recent match making (i.e. Irvin, and now Cote). Anyone who follows this sport knows that Silva is much better than Cote. And I'm not faulting the UFC for trying to build their star up before his record is tarnished, or for giving Cote a shot at the title, he deserves it. But the winner of this match will come as no surprise to anyone -- when the fight ends, however, is a different story.

In addition to this match up being one sided, I also believe that this is a bit of a gamble by the UFC. They have invested a lot of time and energy in building Silva up -- they are hoping that his PPV draw will increase as a result of all this hype. So far, I believe, all the hype has worked and Silva will be the kind of draw a fighter of his caliber should be (granted, of course, his star status can never reach that of someone who can speak English). But the problem with this kind of match making is similar to the problems Elite XC ran into when they promoted Kimbo this way: Not only does he have to win, he has to win BIG.  If Cote makes it through all five rounds, or even if he makes it out of the third, this will be a loss for the UFC.

Given all this -- I think the gamble will work: Silva by KO in the first!

For all you Vera haters:

The results are in for Jardine vs. Vera and as I thought, Vera had a slight advantage in striking. 

61/112 for Vera

59/163 for Jardine

The purpose of this post is not to claim a bad decision by the officials, but rather to show just how close the striking was and that if striking was the only criteria for this bout then Vera clearly gets the nod.

I do, however, believe that Vera should have won that fight regardless of the numbers.

Bisping vs. Leban

It's amazing how the NEW Leban looks just like the old one. Ahhhh the power of being a TUF alum.  Bisping on the other hand was very impressive. He has good technique, good style, every time we see him he's better, and he showed in this fight that he can execute a game plan. He has the potential to be a champion.

Vera vs. Jardine

I actually liked this one. And I'm not completely sure why Vera lost, although it was very close. Vera could have won all three rounds in my opinion though I can easily accept him losing the first round. He won the second, and the third was extremely close. Vera clearly did more damage in the fight. I still keep asking myself why does he insist on standing, it would have been much safer for him to have taken Jardine down in the second or third and torn Jardine's elbow off.

Soko vs. Cane

Soko is done! It would be hard for the UFC to find someone for him to beat even if they really wanted to. He got executed by Machida on the ground and by Cane standing up. By the way, Cane didn't look that good either. He would lose to any of the elite in this division.

Davis looks better and better every time we see him. Could he be the most underrated fighter in the division?

Actually, what's better than bare knuckle boxing? Boxing with four ounce gloves.

Anybody who is a fan of the original UFC knows that baby gloves make for more exciting fights than no gloves at all. My favorite example of this came in UFC 1 when Gordeau beat the hell out of Tuli and in his next fight Gordeau's hand was badly swollen. It didn't stop him from using that badly swollen hand to pummel Rosier, but many of the early fighters had to cut short their tournament dreams due to broken hands (Hackney vs. Yarbourough in UFC 3).

Of course in non-striking fights no gloves are obviously better.  I don't understand why Aoki has to wear gloves. In fact, if he didn't, he'd be an even more dangerous submission artist than he already is.

These kind of stand-up wars are, indeed, very exciting. Nothing quite beats the sight of a dude getting knocked the hell out. This also explains the immense popularity of the ultimate knock out dvd series. I wonder how that compares to the ultimate submission dvd's?

It is no wonder that so many struggling promotions are trying to keep their fights standing. This is where the money is, and everyone knows it. The golden goose is in, what I call, "Baby Glove Boxing" or BGB.

So I pose this to you: WHY NOT ALLOW BGB? 

The only fight that makes UFC 89 worth watching is Jardine vs. Vera. This fight could prove to be one of the most meaningful fights of the year. I hope, however, that it is not too exciting. I really don't want to see Vera stand and trade with Jardine, I want to see Vera win this fight -- I'm not sure it's gonna happen.  Few people realize how good a grappler Vera is, he is primarily known for his clinch game and Mui Thai. The problem is, Jardine probably has better striking, he certainly has more power.  Vera should use his striking to get inside and take this fight to the ground. Why is this fight so "meaningful"? Because depending on how Vera looks, and Jardine for that matter, we could be looking at a future 205 world champion. If Vera can get by Jardine then he could get by Griffin, Jackson, or Evans.

The rest of the card:  To quote my new favorite heavy weight, Brock Lesnar, "Who Cares!" He used this catchy phrase to describe everything from Mir's ability to snap limbs, to Fedor's ability to make it on many p4p lists.  In a recent interview Brock used his catch phrase when asked about Randy being in the UFC Hall of Fame. -- I love this guy!

But seriously, I ask you B.E. bloggers, why should I care about the other fights on this card? I'm not British!

Bisbing vs. Leban:  Leban can take a shot to the grill -- and he's gonna have to. Enough said.

Sokoudju vs. Cane: Alright, this might be the kind of slug festival that makes XC jealous -- but neither of these guys are gonna live long in the UFC.

Taylor vs. Lytle: Clearly this is to get Lytle back in the picture. He is an exciting fighter but he will never be in title contention. Taylor is meant to lose this fight.

Kelly vs. Davis: Why is this fight so far down the card? This has potential to be the fight of the night.

The British isles are well represented here and I'm sure the fans will be pumped. UFC 89 is a bone to the Isles. On the other hand, UFC 90 is a bone to the rest of the world. And we only have to wait another week. I can't wait!

If you haven't watched the latest incarnation of the DREAM tournament (DREAM.6) you must find it, and watch it --- currently the DREAM MMA Product is the most entertaining MMA Product on the market. These fights don't rely on artificial hype or name recognition, these fights are well conceived and stylistically matched.  You do not need to be a fan of MMA, the prior shows, or of any particular athlete to enjoy these fights.  The same thing can not be said for other promotions. The UFC is the next best thing, by far, but even though, these UFC cards often rely heavily on hype, fighter personality, and background story. Often times this results in incredible mis-matches, and frankly, boring fights.  A more glaring example would be the last Affliction card, BANNED. This card relied almost entirely on recognition, and fighter popularity -- resulting in some seriously dull bouts.

So what makes DREAM so damn entertaining?

1) The Rules

No Elbows: a fighter cannot just hang out in someone's guard -- throwing elbows, causing only superficial damage and delaying some kind of finishing maneuver. If you like blood and stoppages due to blood, then you probably like elbows. DREAM bouts are less bloody (in my opinion this is neither good nor bad).

Knees to a downed opponent:  If your strong suit is on the ground, then you have a great advantage in virtually every conception of MMA (Royce Gracie proved this in the first 4 UFC's). You need no further advantage, but, the no knees rule gives these grapplers yet another advantage. This advantage has become, in my opinion, the signature advantage of all the top wrestler/fighters in the UFC. If you look at the top fighters in each division, the most boring fighters are the wrestling specialists who use the one knee on the ground rule to eek out decisions as they time after time attempt take downs. These fighters often do very little once they have taken a fight to the ground.  The striker cannot knee these guys as they shoot in, or after they have successfully stuffed a shot.

2) The Styles: How many guys in the UFC end fights without ever throwing a punch? I've seen plenty of mis-matches end with someone getting knocked out, but have you ever seen one end with a standing gogoplata? Neither have I, but if it were to happen it would be in DREAM. The formula for DREAM fights is straight forward, striker vs. grappler. Given the rules, scoring, and ring -- these match ups almost always make for entertaining fights.

3)The Scoring: Forget the 10 point must system. We know when there is a bad decision -- do we really need to quantify it with a point system? DREAM says no, and as a result, the decisions are less controversial then in pointed bouts. 

4) The Ring: No cage. Two reasons I like the ring better: First of all, the ring is smaller. Being smaller it forces action -- it's harder to just run away for the entire fight (which, by the way, is a common strategy in the UFC). Secondly, it removes the importance of a clinch game.  I like the clinch game, and when you watch experts at it, it is interesting in itself. But, it tends to slow fights down, and when you only have 15 minutes, I want action (not stalemates).

5) The Rounds: One 10 minute round and one 5 minute round. An opening 10 minute round really lets the fresh fighters implement their game plan. How often do we see someone finally achieve the dominant position and then have to start all over again because the round ends.  This is one of the big reasons I like DREAM:  DREAM tends to facilitate a positional game. Watching fighters use their skill to improve their position is really what separates MMA from boxing.  Some promotions want to make MMA more like boxing, which in my opinion would kill MMA.

The final THINGS that makes DREAM so much fun to watch is the production value and tournament structure. Besides the pyrotechnics, and bizarre japanese intros, the tournament structure really lets you know the fighters. Even if you're watching someone you have never seen before, by the end of the tournament, you KNOW them.  This is a tremendous advantage. In the UFC it can take as many as 8 fights and two years to bring a fighter out of obscurity, in DREAM all it takes is one tournament.

I would argue that the DREAM tournaments are the most entertaining cards of 2008. If DREAM fails, as has been rumored on countless occasions, God help us MMA fans!!

Am I the only person sick of watching Guida? I really thought this fight was lame. I would of liked it more if he got choked out -- it's amazing how a good fight with Huerta has all the sudden made him a marketable fighter. Guida vs. Sherk "Battle of the Borings"

Diaz showed another dimension here -- he has a pretty good clinch game -- and that is important for his style. I'm not sure what his weakness is, I could see him getting overwhelmed again like with Pelegrino, but 1) he uses his reach effectively with a nice jab, 2) in the clinch he showed excellent judo, 3) he has fight ending submissions from every position, 4) he never seems to get tired. Any lightweight in the division is gonna have a tough time with this kid. Next fight: Nate Diaz vs. Roger Huerta or Frankie Edgar

Enough of Houston Alexander -- someone told him to improve his game and he went out a did some leg presses -- Houston Alexander vs. Tank Abbot!

Why is Ed Herman still fighting in the UFC? One of the perks of being a TUF alum, I guess.

This is the most uninteresting UFC card of the year. Nothing that happens in this event will change anything.  The only possible meaningful happening would be if Diaz lost to Neer in dramatic fashion. That could potentially boost Neer and hurt Diaz (slightly).  If Diaz crushes Neer, who cares? I suppose that the most compelling match up would be between Alexander and Schafer -- neither of them can really afford to lose again.

As far as the fights themselves go:  Who Cares?  There are really no interesting stylistic, or technical match-ups here.  Although I really enjoy watching Diaz fight, it should be mildly entertaining.  

Is it gonna be entertaining to see Danzig and Guida grind it out? Maybe, but I doubt it.

While watching UFC 88 several things occured to me:

1) The American Style of MMA

Doesn't there seem to be this "American Style" emerging in MMA?  By "American Style" what I really mean is some very slick shot & submission defense.  This kind of defense has always played a role in MMA, but in the U.S. it seems to have taken a whole new level. In UFC 88 this became apparent in all the fights where Americans fought foreigners.

Brown vs. The Korean Guy:  Matt Brown spent the first round defending nasty choke attempts and, after finding his rhythm, was able to defend against some wicked Judo throws by the Korean challenger.  The offense that Brown was able to mount consisted mostly of exciting and crisp strikes which scored and ultimately kept the fight close (some, including Rogan, felt he won). Brown lost to the Korean by Split Decision.

The same could be said for Dan Henderson vs. The Brazilian Guy: Palhares has some extraordinarily deadly BJJ, so much so that Hendo refused to go to the mat (even though he has had success there in the past). Henderson was able to neutralize the BJJ with some excellent takedown defense, not to mention a great game plan which he implemented well.  The fight stayed standing for the majority and Henderson was able to land the more effective strikes. Hendo won by decision. 

What about Marquardt vs. The Danish Dude: Kampmann is known world wide for his Thai Striking, but I don't think Marquardt ever even thought about taking it to the ground. Marquardt by knock out.

Neither of the American wrestling specialists (Hamill & Evans) tried to take it down. Hamill got knocked out in a stand up war and Evans KO'd the Ice Man.

I say bring on the Japanese!

2) Nate "the great" Marquardt is Ready for a Rematch with Anderson "the spider" Silva

Wow... he looked good! In my mind his cardio is still a question but I think he has the second best chance of beating Silva right now (second behind Palhares, who won't be getting a chance anytime soon).  No more foder for Anderson, let him fight someone who can win.

3) Joe Rogan has an enormous Man Crush on Randy Couture,

And so do I.

4)Why Do I Love Tim Boetsch?

Is it because of the Conan theme music?

Is it because he learned to fight by watching Bruce Lee movies?

The UFC obviously loves him too (look at the CAN they gave him to kick).

5) Finally, How did Franklin ever cut to 185?

He looks damn good at 205. He actually looks more energetic and crisp. We might actually get to see his amazing skill set by having him fight against "bigger" guys. What a great decision for him to go to 205. By the way, Hamill did not look any bigger than Franklin, and Franklin actually looked to be stronger. I wonder how he will match up against a guy like Rampage or Wandy?

I look forward to hearing your takes on UFC 88.

BTW, some might say, "what about Evans"? But lets face it -- was that really a surprise?

Criteria:  The following criteria is relevant & poignant:  A great card is filled with great fights. A great fight is a fight in which it is hard to predict the winner OR one in which the underdog wins. This card has that in spades.

1. Liddell/Evans (Liddell is the favorite) -- I don't think we've ever seen liddell fight a Freestyle Wrestler of Evans' caliber, but the consensus seems to be that Liddell will be able to prevent the takedown. I think not.

2. Franklin/Hamill (Franklin is the favorite) -- Franklin, for the first time in a while, is fighting a guy who is significantly bigger. Also, Hamill is an accomplished wrestler who thrives on physically overpowering opponents.  The consensus is that Rich's striking ability will stop Hamill.  I think this is misled because people are so use to seeing Rich as the bigger and stronger guy. He isn't bigger, or stronger, in this fight.

3. Henderson/Palhares (Henderson is the favorite) -- Henderson has excellent wrestling, lots of experience, and knock out power. The consensus is that he will use his wrestling to achieve top position and his experience to avoid a submission.  This leaves his superior striking for a TKO victory over Palhares. I don't think anybody truly appreciates how good Palhares BJJ is. Here is a guy who wants to be on his back and he's fighting a guy who will put him on his back.

4. Kampmann/Marquardt (This one varies but Marquardt was the favorite and still is on many sites) -- Marquardt is well rounded with standout Jiu Jitsu. Kampmann is well rounded with standout Striking.  The consensus is difficult to come to in this fight but the majority believe that this fight will end up on the ground and that Marquardt's superior JJ will prevail.  I say: does Marquardt really want to take it to the canvas, he has had delusions of striking in the past. If he stands, he will realize that Kampmann DOES have knock out power (contrary to many pundits). Also, Kampmann is no slouch on the ground.

So, if all these fights end in upset, it will be hard to deny UFC 88's place in the history books as one of the greatest cards of all time.

Criteria: 

My criteria is all about contrast.  Each fight on this list show a certain contrast between fighting style, size, strength, endurance, etc.  Whether the match-up was even, or the fight was close, is completely irrelevant to my criteria. The fight didn't have to be important, or relevant. There could be other fights that show a similar contrast, but these fights show the contrast in spectacular fashion.

List:

5. Royce Grace vs. Kimo Leopoldo (UFC 3)

Kimo was Bigger, Stronger, had great striking, & as good of Jiu Jitsu as Gracie had seen in the UFC to this point.  He weighed in at 240 pounds (to Gracie's 175) and he looked hungry.  For the first time in the UFC we got to see someone (Gracie) fight for his life. At one point, to keep Kimo from punching him in the face, Gracie grabbed on to Kimo's hair. Needless to say, Gracie won, although he had to be carried out of the cage & could not defend his title of UFC champion.

4. Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin I (UFC 64)

To this point Rich Franklin had dominated the Middle Weight division in the UFC. He was bigger than most of his opponents, he had accurate striking, heavy hands, good wrestling and conditioning.  He seemed to be unstoppable, especially in the stand up game.  Along comes the skinny Brazilian and we all got to see what the striking game is really about. Joe Rogan described it as a "ballet of violence".

3. Takanori Gomi vs. Luis Azeredo 1 (PRIDE Bushido 7)

Striker vs. Striker. The heavy handed, boxer style, Gomi, versus the well rounded, karate style, Azeredo. A lot of fights could be inserted here, but I like this one. Gomi was taking damage from different angles but just kept pushing forward like the terminator. Clearly frustrated and angered by Azeredo tactics, you could just see the knock out coming.

2. Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi (PRIDE 33)

Nick Diaz offers a unique style of boxing along with excellent Jiu Jitsu. In this fight we get to see Gomi's frustrations work against him.  The low power, high accuracy combinations of Diaz kept Gomi unbalanced for the entire fight.  You can see Gomi's strength meter slowly drop like he was a character in a Nintendo video game. And to top it all off, it was ruled a no contest because Nick had smoked a joint sometime in the previous month.  The Japanese will do whatever it takes to protect their best fighter.

1. Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias Calvancante 2 (DREAM 2)

What is the single best fighting style in MMA? Can an expert in just one style be competitive in modern MMA? Aoki has definitely answered these questions and I think this fight best shows why. Calvancante is an excellent striker and well rounded MMA practitioner. Aoki is one of the least "rounded" fighters I can think of. Aoki took little damage in this fight and Calvancante spent the entire fight trying not to lose.

I'm not being sarcastic, and I don't like seeing blood shed or even death.  By nature I enjoy watching amazing displays of Jiu Jitsu, but at the same time I thoroughly appreciate that well placed strike to the jaw, which always results in LIGHTS OUT.  In the UFC, for some reason, fighters are not allowed to kick to the head of someone whose knees are on the ground. Why?  Every highlight reel the UFC ever runs involves the time a fighter delivered a knock-out via head kick (liddel vs. sobral, evans vs. salmon, gonzaga vs. cro-cop, etc.).  But to a downed opponent it's different?  Same amount of damage is being delivered to the brain, if anything, the biggest difference is that a downed opponent is going to be expecting it.  I'm not nieve -- I realize that this rule is probably out of the hands of the UFC.  What state would want to sanction this kind of activity (I understand that)? I guess my point is -- why not? 

In an earlier post on the subject of rule changes, the poster didn't challenge this rule, didn't oppose this rule, and didn't support this rule. It really just seems to be something relegated to those crazy Japanese. Us Americans would never allow that, and, at the same time, never even talk about it.  I ask -- Why not?

What are the benefits to changing the rules?  I believe that the current United States rules are very restrictive and don't represent a "no-holds barred fight", which, by the way, was the original conception of the UFC (not to mention the idea behind all MMA competitions).  Instead, American MMA seems to want to provide employment to ex-collegiate wrestlers.  

Why would this rule change be a disadvantage to collegiate wrestlers? Because they live and die by the SHOT.  A stuffed shot, nowadays, is common place, where as a couple years ago, you rarely saw it.  After that shot gets stuffed, the logical offense is a knee or kick to the head.  I guarantee that the Ice Man hopes they change this rule by September.

1) Liddell vs. Evans

Chuck Liddell has excellent wrestling. We have all seen glimpses of that in his fights against Wand & Couture, but Rashad is a different style wrestler than Couture.  This will be a very interesting fight because in order for Liddell to win, he needs to be able to stuff the excellent shot of Evans.  I don't think he will be able to do it. Also, this fight is such an interesting fight because the winner should receive the title shot. Whoever wins, Forrest is in some SERIOUS trouble.  I believe that either of these two fighters will beat Griffin.  I can't say that about anybody else in the LHW division.

2) Hendo vs. Palhares

So aptly named: UFC 88 "Breakthrough".  That is exactly what Palhares is gonna do... He's gonna breakthrough to a title shot with Silva. Maybe not the next fight but soon.  After Silva destroys Cote (I love Cote) the fans are gonna get sick of the nonsense and demand he fight someone who can beat him. That someone is Palhares.  First he has to get by hendo. This will prove to be a very good fight.  It won't be easy for Palhares, but he will get it done.

The Least Exciting Fights at UFC 88:

1) Franklin vs. Hamill

WHO CARES! Here's how this one goes down: They come out and touch gloves. Hamil takes him down, and Franklin survives. This will happen for three rounds and Hamil will win by decision.  We can only hope that Hamil chooses to stand with Franklin -- the fight might be over sooner. On a good note: I'm glad to see Franklin at 205. He has a better chance in this division.

2) Parisyan vs. Yoshida

I used to be such a huge fan of Parisyan but this fight shows just how far he has slipped in the rankings (Yoshida has beaten up Koppenhaver, so what).  If Yoshida beats Karo, and he definetely can, it's the freezer for The Heat. btw... Yoshida has a good resume and is a veteran of the sport, the problem is, the fans know him as a guy who beat up Koppenhaver.  This will be an exciting fight, just not too interesting. Their differing styles will cancel each other out and we'll be able to see another Karo style brawl.

No more nonsense, no more Shamrock versus Tito, no more Anderson Silva vs. Irvin, no more Lesnar makin $300k a fight. Why was GSP-Fitch fight of the night? Why did Sherk give Penn the title by not fighting his fight (a little suspicious)? Does anybody think Penn will beat GSP?  If Penn wants to fight at 170, shouldn't he have to earn the right to fight GSP? Why can't we as MMA fans ditch the nonsense and demand quality fights? 

Maia-McDonald & Florian-Huerta were Fights of the Night.

As someone who never liked professional wrestling and who loves MMA:

My December Card

• Penn vs. Florian
• Maia vs. Okami 
• GSP vs. Sanchez (has a better chance than BJ)
• Mir vs. Werdum (Noguiera ain't a bad fight)