The Ultimate Ultimate and January’s Action

The after-christmas UFC ppv was a pretty good card. Maybe not the best all year but certainly one of the strongest in terms of matchups. I don’t think we need ifn depth discussion of each event here, but I would like to discuss some of the possibilities and problems resulting from what went down on Saturday night.

 

First and foremost: Mir KO-ing Nogueira. WTF. Before the fight (and I realize I probably jinxed the hell out of it) I said that if Fedor couldn’t KO Nog, then  Mir certainly would not. Well, I am forced to admit I was wrong…I guess. You could argue that Nog was attempting to regain composure. It was not as sure a stoppage as Evan’s had over Forrest (who simply could not defend). I feel that maybe 5 more seconds should have been allowed to confirm Nogueira’s inability to defend himself. Congrats to Mir all the same, now he has his chance to prove that his win over Lesnarwas no fluke. I have to admit though, Mir’s striking is the best it’s ever been. It may be his best weapon against Lesnar- though if I were him I’d be training TDD like a champ…no pun intended. I’ll be interested to see if Mir can handle the faster, lager Lesnar a second time. I find this matchup more interesting that Nog vs. Lesnar for sure.

We are also left with the prospect of Randy vs. Nog. Not sure I care to see that, but I’m fairly certain randy would take it if it was offered.

Moving on, Evans and Griffin was what I expected it to be. I think the best moment (and most revealing) was Evans’ cup tap- right hook combo that actually landed. It was certainly entertaining. Wonder what Hughes has to say about it? Oh wait, who cares what Hughes thinks? I expected Forrest to keep Rashad at a distance and utilize leg kicks (which he did very well). I also expected Rashad to try and close the distance and utilize the gameplan he used against chuck which was to stay on the outside and make forrest come after him. I think Rashad might hold the belt a while. Certainly longer than Forrest. With Jackson’s win over Silva I think we may be seeing a Rampage/ Evans fight in the near future. No complaints here.

Speaking of Rampage versus Wanderlei… Who failed to predict that one? Not I. After being KO-ed so much in recent fights I was counting on Rampages sound boxingand devastating KO power to win him the fight. Silva comes in with the same gameplan every time and just like other MMAgreats who stuck to what they were good at, someone came along and figured it out. Now everyone can beat him it seems. Same thing happened to Hughes and chuck.

Notable surprises on the card include Hardonk’s hard fought win. I don’t remember him looking that skilled before. Either his opponent sucked (he did sign up last minute) or he has seriously improved. I hope it is the latter and that we can come to expect such performances from him. If he builds on his ground game I wouldn’t mind seeing him against someone like Mir or Nog.

Now, two fights coming up in January. I will state right off the bat that I have NO interest in seeing Franklin fight Hendo. Just looks like a boring fight to me. It may be completely insane in actuality, but I doubt it. I am totally stoked out of my mind for Penn vs GSP 2 though. There’s a lot riding on this one and if the fit, determined BJ shows up instead of Budda BJ I think it will be all his. I honestly don’t see a way GSP can take a BJ Penn that is in prime condition.

Another notable fight (outside the UFC) is going to be the Fedor vs. Arlovski fight put on by Affliction. This has great potential and Affliction has shown already that they can put together a great card. I have great expectations for this event. I think out of most of the viable competitors in MMA, Arlovski has one of the best chances of defeating Fedor. I can’t wait to watch and see. As much as I respect Fedor, I hope Arlovski wins.

Dana White and the Internets or: Insomnia Leads Me to Youtube

No, Dana White has not created a Garage Nerd Punk Band. Lately we have seen Mr. White using the internet and the viral Youtube phenomenon to get the word out about the UFC, upcoming events and… even show us his day to day.

Now, being the provacative and uncompromising man that he is, he is either loved or hated and rarely anything inbetween. His video blogs which have been posted over the last several UFC events have given us a more personal relationship with the UFC president and have given us the chance to see his day-to-day while simultaneously giving some transparency to his lifestyle and his relationships with the fighters.

For your viewing pleasure, here are the video blogs for the UFC 91 event. They aren’t terribly long and most are pretty entertaining (Dana can be a pretty funny guy when he wants to be).

11.09.08

11.10.08

11.11.08

11.12.08

Now you can have video evidence of Dana white being funny, being an asshole and being a major player in MMA.

For more fun: Tim Sylvia VS Fedor Emelianenko with a very special twist that made me choke on my pretzels.

Tim n Benny

Equally humorous, but far more retarded: MMA Lookalikes

And, because not enough people have seen these:

Bob Sapp Japanese Commercial 1

Bob Sapp Japanese Commercial 2 (Different product)

Bob Sapp Japanese Commercial 3

UFC 91: MMA’s Prodigal Son Returns

Well, the minutes are ticking away and we are all excited to see Randy “the prodigal son” Couture return to the ring. If you have managed to avoid the advertising bombardment and the propaganda (largely from Lesnar’s side) then you probably aren’t going to be interested in watching as you are living in a cave or scavenging for food or something.

What it amounts to is the question of “What happens when big wrestler meets with smaller big wrestler with more experience?”. This fight has potential to either live up to it’s billing as the most exciting matchup in MMA history (I doubt it) or be a total snoozefest (also doubt that). I think we are going to see a medium here that sees Randy going in and waving the red flag in front of the bull. It is going to be a strategic game for Randy, likely utilizing his post-retirement gameplan of “keep the head moving, keep the jab coming and stay off the mat when and where possible”. The latter part of that will be difficult with Lesnar who is almost certain to attempt to take it to the ground (and likely get the takedown based on size, speed and power). Not the best plan since Lesnar showed that he could not submit Herring on the ground (Herring is notably NOT a wrestler). I think Couture is good enough on the mat that he will avoid getting pounded out and will keep Brock in danger even if Couture is on the bottom. In all likelihood, I see a decision in Randy’s favor.

Not to be left out, another interesting fight on the card is Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson who will be fighting for #1 Contendership. This is a tough one to call. I think if Kenny keeps it standing, it is all his. Of course, Joe is no dummy and might get hit once or twice before he tries for a TD. If I were Florian I would be training nothing but sprawls and getting to my feet from the mat. I know Florian’s BJJ is pretty solid as is Stevenson’s. Stevenson has a pretty huge advantage in strength, so it may be up to Florian to step up his skills (especially his BJJ since BJ would be the next opponent). This could go either way. I think Stevenson is the safe bet, but I’m not willing to count out Florian. This promises to be one of the more exciting fights on the card.

Now, on to my favorite matchup on the card: Nate Quarry and Demian Maia. This is a really, really tough one to call. Demian has amazing BJJ and could arguably be a 185 BJ penn if given the time and proper training (to make him more well rounded like Penn). Nate Quarry has amazing hands and KO power for sure. The outcome will depend on who takes the fight where. If Quarry can keep it standing, then it’s his. If Maia can get it to the ground, it is likely his win. No surprises here. You won’t see a KO by Maia or a sub by Quarry (unless Quarry has first rocked and battered Maia into semi-consciousness).

Other notable appearances on the card include “Made of Railroad Ties” Matt Brown and Gabriel Gonzaga. Neither of these fights have much promise of action. Alvin Robinson and Mark Bocek are squaring off with each other in a fight that will either be very fast paced and exciting or slow and tedious. Looks like another UFC event where the main card is the only real interest. The UFC has a lot of fighters in their stable that just seem to have off and on showings. Oh well, I guess we can’t all be superstars.

 

Other rumors and news: Denis Kang has signed with the UFC, Arlovski may be coming back to the UFC but not before challenging Fedor Emelianenko in an Affliction fight, Hermes Franca was caught driving drunk, and there has been word of BJ Penn vs. GSP II in January.

And the MMA World Continues to Turn…

Let’s start this post off on a positive note. UFC 90 had some big surprises. Sean Sherk has a real stand-up game now and he managed to utilize it to secure a point victory of Tyson Griffin. No one expected Fabricio Werdum to get KO-ed (especially not that fast) and we were all surprised by Cote’s ACL explosion. I think Cote’s knee blowing out has to take first place for the most anti-climactic moment this year. Cote was off to a good start (and Silva a slow one). Cote ate some fearsome looking shots and managed to stay (for the most part) on his feet. Silva didn’t appear to want any of Cote’s ground game, which I thought was unusual. He even allowed Cote to stand back up and in a moment that came off a bit awkward, Silva offered Cote a hand to help him back up- which Cote refused (I see his train of thought, but there’s no way Silva was going to trick him). Hopefully there will be a rematch for Cote. He was doing better than most of the prior contenders.

In other MMA news, the UFC management must be getting a good laugh at the fold-up of EliteXC. The collapse of the company follows a major bust in the defeat of Kimbo Slice by Seth Petrucelli who later made comments suggesting that he was paid to “stand and trade” with Kimbo. This leaves us wondering who will fill the gap…or, who will stop the gap from happening. It seems the Showtime network has made a bid to buyout the company. This would help prevent a good deal of MMA fallout and keep some exciting free agents in business and in the spotlight (Arlovski for sure). Plus, we’d still get to see Gina Carrano fight Cyborg… and isn’t that what we all want?

Still, I think it would be more competitive if there were to be another Ring-based MMA promotion, like Affliction- but with network backing. I think the ring appeals to most of the free agents out there and a lot of the pride vets who can’t seem to get used to the cage. If Showtime buys out EXC, my concern is whether or not they will shell out the big bucks to get fighters like Barnett and Kang and a few others. Looks like right now only time will tell.

UFC 90: Worth The Wait?

Ok, we’re gonna run through this kind of fast since there’s not a WHOLE lot to talk about here. Nothing especially notable in regards to this ppv- except maybe the change of fighter in the Sanchez/ Alvez match which, if you have been paying attention, you should already know about.

MAIN EVENT: Silva and Cote-

I’ve said it before… I thought this was a joke at first. Apparently it is not and Cote seems to be garnering more support than seems reasonable. Canada is apparently effecting the odds on this one. Way to go guys… Honestly, Cote’s best chance is on the ground. Good luck getting it there though. No way to get Silva to the ground without it ending up in a clinch… and we know how that ends. I’m predicting it ends in the first. Silva-by utter annihilation (as usual). There are rumors circulating that Cote thinks he has figured out Silva’s weak spot… I highly doubt that. Of course, it IS MMA and anything CAN happen.

Koscheck and Alves-

Well, I was excited when it was Diego cause I knew Diego would put up one hell of a fight. He pushes a pace that very few in the UFC utilize. He’s not a quitter and his record (which is impressive) is made more so by looking at just who he has beaten. I thought for sure that fight would go to a decision.

Now we have Koscheck. Despite his win over Diego (where was the REAL Diego in that fight?) I still think Koscheck is 2nd chair to Sanchez. Koscheck has made notable improvements in his game. He’s about as good a wreslter in practice as Alvez. I know that Alvez’s standup is better. This COULD go to a decision, but I got Alvez by TKO no later than the 2nd. I think the biggest factor that will come into play here is takedown defense.

Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk-

GTFO. Wrestling match extraordinaire. There are two ways this could go: One, they recognize each other’s gross wrestling abilities and try to make it a standup battle. This could be exciting. Or…two, the choose to try and prove who has the better wrestling game- in which case you might as well take this opportunity to get another beer, take a piss, whatever. This match has a lot of potential and is waaaaaay underhyped. The key here is legkicks. If Griffin can utilize them well as he has in the past (on occasion) then the fight is his. I personally have this one going to decision. Tyson by Split.

Clementi and Maynard-

This match is likely to be fun. Clementi has limited wrestling skills, but has good subs and great standup. Maynard lacks adequate standup in comparison to Rich, but his ground game is hoss. I think this one depends on whether or not Clementi’s takedown defense is up to par. If he can stuff the TD and keep Gray at arm (or leg’s) length- then he has it in the bag. I’m not one to count Gray out though. This is gonna be a good fight. I’m going out on a limb and saying Gray by TKO…if not the 2nd then the 3rd. I don’t predict a lot of action in the first. Of course, I’ve been wrong before.

Franca and Aurelio-

I’m excited to see Hermes come back and hopefully recover himself. He’s an exciting fighter to watch, he just needs to polish some of those skills. Aurelio is well respected in MMA. He’s a good, well rounded fighter This whole fight likely depends on if Hermes can land that kamikaze hook he loves to throw. I’m not betting on that though. Despite my love for Franca, I have Aurelio winning this one. Decision, most likely… let’s say majority?

Burkman and Sell-

One thing is for sure: someone is getting punched. These two belong in the class with some other middleweights that just wanna punch someone (Franklin, Quarry, Lawler, Scott Smith- yeah I know…EXC. Whatever). This may be the fight of the night. I see both dudes throwing calculated blows, then devolving into brawling when the flurries get heated. If either starts losing there may be a TD, Sell is less likely- Burkman probably wouldn’t hesitate. This is a tough one to call, but Burkman has a better overall skillset and slightly cleaner boxing. I’m going with Burkman- Unanimous Decision.

Yes- I know I have skipped a couple fights. This is because I either was unfamiliar with one of the fighters or the fight simply did not interest me (Leites vs. McFedries). That’s the rundown for this PPV. Hope I gave ou something to consider. Can’t wait to see how this turns out.

Is the UFC Coddling Bisping? UFC 89 A Wash

After the judges revealed their scores in tonight’s bout between Bisping and Leben I was more suspicious than I have ever been of a judge’s decision.  I’ve thought for a while now that Bisping seems to be the man to replace Anderson Silva, or at least the man the UFC head honchos want to replace Silva. Please do not mistake “replace” with “defeat”. Bisping will never defeat Silva. But that is another argument all-together. With Silva expected to have only 6 more fights they will need someone to fill the gap. Is Bisping the one they have selected? His string of contested wins may suggest this is the case.

My point here is that two out of three judges scored this fight 30-27 in favor of Bisping. Yes, Bisping drew blood and yes, he landed some shots. However, Leben got the takedown in the third and had to chase Bisping around the ring for 3 consecutive rounds. I didn’t see Bisping moving forward at all. It was like that terrible fight Arlovski had with Werdum- although I think a more interesting comparison would be the Quarry- Starnes fight. Starnes spent the whole match doing what Bisping did- BACK-PEDALLING. Only Starnes lost his UFC contract for it and Bisping was declared a winner. In both of the prior cases the one moving forward won the fight and the one backing up lost. Why was tonight any different and why was it drastically so?

I can’t recall ever being so angry about the outcome of a fight. I really felt that I and other real MMA fans were robbed by a baffling decision. Bisping showed a total lack of aggression AND octagon control. Two of the three criteria for scoring in the fight. If it had been a closer decision I might be less angry. It seems to me that two 30-27 scores in favor of someone who back pedaled the whole match shows either an incompetent judge or a setup.

Now, something else to consider is the opponents Bisping has had placed in front of him. It is taking him a very long time to move up the ladder. Most of his opponents have been TUF vets who made at least the semi-finals of their season. He did beat Eric Schaefer, but so what? How many consider Schaefer in the top 15 LHWs? His Middleweight fights have been even less impressive. Originally I had no problem with Bisping. I wasn’t terribly impressed with his TUF win since the competition wasn’t up to its usual par. Since then he has made some barely noticeable skill, but has improved his approach to fights.

My biggest beef happens to be a bit of irony. Dana has claimed as well as many others that Kimbo Slice is an overhyped fighter and that he hasn’t fought anyone to warrant him being as popular as he is. Fair enough… except the same accusation direct reflects Bispings current position. The UFC hypes him up a great deal for a fighter who is not top 10 in his division and again, he hasn’t fought any real competition.

I guess it remains to be seen what becomes of Bisping. I think it’s disgraceful that he manages to overstep Leben here because of a bad decision, especially since Leben has fought bigger names and come a longer way than Bisping. But whatever. I imagine it will get shut down when Bisping has to fight a top 10 fighter and get completely disassembled.

Next Season of TUF Already in the Works?

It is casting call time once again for The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Apparently this go round they are planning to make it a US Vs. UK themed show. That’s cool I guess. There’s a lot of dudes in the UK (also Scotland and Ireland) that can really brawl and I know there are some great European MMA camps. What concerns me more is the choice of weightclasses.

I am really glad to see that they have picked the Middleweight weight class for this season. The UFC definitely needs more talent at 185 since Silva has pretty much cleaned that division out and with his upcoming retirement there will be a big gap to fill. I also like the choice of the welterweight class as well. GSP has sort of run out some of the best competitors in that division as well. I think there’s pretty much only Jon Fitch, Diego Sanchez and… well, that’s all I can think of at the moment. GSP has already handled most of the others.

For information about how to get on the upcoming season, check out Matt Brown’s blog over at FightMagazine.com HERE.

The UFC is keeping with the “fight your way into the house” format, which is good because it makes for an interesting premiere. My only complaint is that I think the premiere should be longer and all of the initial fights should be shown in one episode. It would make for a much bigger event, especially since it is usually preceded by an Ultimate Fight Night. I’m sure we’ll update on this as more info becomes available. Most likely when the fighters are announced.

Kimbo Fails Test and Other Highlights of Saturday’s EXC Event

For those of you who tuned in to the Elite XC event on Saturday hoping to see a legend smash a rising star, I’m guessing you were as disappointed as I was to hear the news about Shamrock’s injury. I’ll not lie, I wasn’t going to hold my breath for a win for Shamrock (especially given his last several fights with Tito). Still, I thought his experience would carry the day.

One thing I was not prepared for was the stand-in announcement. Seth Petrucelli? Honestly? Wow. I mean, He did fairly well when he was on the Ultimate Fighter series. Of course, since then he has been under the radar (especially after his contract with the UFC wore out). I had respect for the guy, but I don’t find him particularly impressive. To his credit, he looked the best I’ve ever seen him when he stepped into the cage on Saturday. He looked like he dropped a good deal of excess weight and put on some serious muscle. Still, I figured Kimbo would simply blast him in the jaw one good time and it would be all down hill from there. I was wrong (and happily so). As Kimbo ran towards Petrucelli, Seth pulled a Karate Kid pose. I began thinking… “Oh man, really? I hope this works out for you bud…” and it did. With a quick snap kick to the chin Petrucelli managed to make Kimbo lose his focus for a split second. Just long enough to land an apparently devastating jab right on Kimbo’s left eyebrow. I had to watch the replay 5 or 6 times before I could figure out what the hell happened. When the TV showed the gash over Kimbo’s left eye my mind took a hike. Kimbo has taken some big shots, and this was not a big shot. I can’t imagine how hard that jab would have had to be to make Slice fold up like that.  On a side note, I am not happy that Petrucelli won just because he beat the heavy favorite and a very popular fighter. I am more pleased that, with this win, it shows that traditional martial arts are still very viable in MMA competition. An opinion that is rising more and more to the top as we see fighters like Cung Le and others emerging.

As if the main event weren’t awesome enough, Andrei Arlovski put on a fantastic show as well.  With this showing he has re-instilled my belief that he has returned to being the Arlovski of old. That amazing, explosive counter-puncher with near impossible combinations (Left hook to Left uppercut to Right body uppercut- I couldn’t believe it!).  Big Country started off strong and had more than respectable BJJ for a man that size. Unfortunately for him, Arlovski is no slouch and no quitter. There was an Americana to Kimura attempt at least twice. Both of which Arlovski endured until he could get himself out from under his opponent.  Only once did Big Country truly endanger Andrei and that was when he landed a smashing right hand that buckled Andrei’s legs. He failed to capitalize, however, and ultimate was forced to succumb to the flurries of the Pit Bull.

Another fight that held some promise was Jake Shields’ fight against Paul Daley. Paul started strong and I was hoping he would really put it on Shields. Unfortunately, Daley proved to have only moderate take down defense and no ground game whatsoever. I knew it was all over when Shield’s landed that armbar and Paul, trying to escape, rolled the wrong way. Paul, should you ever happen to read this, please take some BJJ. You really can’t compete in pro MMA these days if you have no BJJ skills. At the very least you should recognize the set ups for submissions and know the proper defenses. At least that way you will stay competitive.

Next up, props to Gina for doing what we all expected her to do (destroy Kelly Kobald). Also, grats to Kelly for hanging with Gina longer than any of her previous opponents (except, I think Julie Kedzie who also went to a decision). It was a great fight from both girls. I just think that Kelly was at a severe disadvantage in the stand up and Gina knew enough BJJ to not get caught in anything (despite a close call- way to go Kelly!). This, I believe, is the first time I have ever seen anyone make Gina bleed.

Overall, it was a good night of fights. More entertaining than most of EXC’s previous showings (exempting a few single fights like Smith V. Lawler 2). I can’t say that I am excited about EXC’s acquisition of Tito Ortiz, but I suppose it will bring some competitiveness to that division. I think EXC is more Tito’s speed now anyways. UFC’s talent pool is way too deep and Tito didn’t seem too capable of hanging on for too much longer. Also, I am not 100% positive this is the case, but it seems that Affliction got absorbed by EXC? If that’s the case, then that may deepen the talent pool of EXC vastly and may make them competitive against the UFC. I know that a lot of the fighters that the die hard fans want to see are not signed to the UFC yet (Barnett, Arlovski, Fedor, Lil Nog, and a variety of IFL stars which seem to be floating around in other organizations). If this is the case, then I really look forward to seeing better cards from EXC.

A Few Quick Notes

Ok, we’re gonna try and keep this simple: Here’s what’s up right now.

I spent all morning on the Fight! Magazine Website ( www.fightmagazine.com) reading articles and playing in the forums. They have updated their design and it looks really professional in addition to being simple to navigate. I read a lot of MMA publications and I feel that nothing quite matches the quality of Fight! Magazine interviews. They really provide compelling articles that give you a better sense of who a fighter is and what they are about instead of just relating some basic info about their training regime and their game plan for upcoming fights. I also appreciate the wide array of staff ranging from If you haven’t already checked them out, do it. Also, if you like it… subscribe to it. It’s so cheap it makes no sense.

ALSO!

I’ve been poking around on BETUS.com checking out betting lines and I have to things to point out. First, is that there are no lines on some of the fights I really want to bet on. No lines for Carano, no lines for Lauzon and several others. I am still fairly new to MMA betting, so do they only post lines for fights that are on the main card?  I have also notice that it seems like people bet based on name recognition. I have seen some great opportunities where the odds are in favor of of one fighter when the other really makes more sense to win. Not that I am complaining, I like making easy money. And since that is the case, I would like to see lines for fights I feel I can fairly accurately predict. Hell, my fantasy pics over at the UFC website are usually 80-90% accurate on the majority of the cards.

I know there’s already a post on here about it, but man… October is gonna be one rad month for fights spanning all the way into November. I can’t wait!

October: Battle Royale Month

With the September WEC card beingmoved to October, that leaves us with just one event left this month. Does that make you a little bit sad? Fear not worthy MMAfan, October will BLOW YOUR MIND with MMA action.  There is a lot of battle comingup that month so start stocking up the brews and pay off your PPVbill… next month will be insane.

First, let’s start with Elite XC. Their events are usually pretty ludicrous and this monthis no exception. If you have been living in a sound proof booth at the bottom of the sea then you probably haven’t heard- Kimbo is fighting KEN SHAMROCK. I know, I know… this makes no sense. When I first read it I nearly vomited from the confusion. Apparently Ken has something to prove? Or maybe he just needed money. I am not going to lie to you. I plan on watching this. It has great entertainment potential even if it does set the sport back a bit. Kimbo has demonstrated already that even with his training, his ground game is still limited. Of course, in order for Ken to utilize any sort of ground game (and by ground game here, I mean ankle lock) he has to get Kimbo to the ground. That means getting within striking distance. I think there’s a pretty great chance of Kimbo KO-ing Ken. I mean, Tito beat his ass pretty hard, so I’m sure Kimbo shouldn’t have too much of a problem. I think the determining factor here is who comes with the better gameplan and the better cardio. I give Ken the advantage in cardio. I haven’t been paying much attention to this so I don’t know if there has been any shit-talking. If there has, then Ken is angry and will do something really stupid. I’d like to see Ken win just on principle. I have nothing against Kimbo other than how others percieve him. He is far too popular for being what amounts to an amateur fighter with pro-level trainers.

That event will also feature Jake Shields defending his belt as well as Gina Carano (the real reason I’m tuning in), Ninja Rua and Benji Radach.

MOVING ON!

UFC 89- Oct. 18th: This might be the most baffling card this year in the UFC. The headliner is a fight most of us have wanted to see at some level or another (My level was passing interest with a touch of curiosity). It’s got potential, but I won’t go into particulars here, this one gets its own analysis closer to the date. My issue with this card is that some great fighters are sitting on the bottom of the card and almost all of them seem mismatched. My particular problem is with Sam Stout sitting in the “may not be televised” section of the card. Sure, there is a good chance it will be shown, but why air Taylor vs. Lytle over Stout who has proven time and again to be an exciting fighter and a possible contender? I don’t get it. Also sitting at the bottom of the card is Gono, Per Eklund (a rather hyped (not overly so) fighter and one who is catching very little UFC air time). There are some strong fighters on this card, but the matchups prove to be weak. Still, a fight is a fight and I’ll watch it regardless.

NEXT!

UFC 90- Oct 25th: Serious? This isn’t even fair. You really want to show Patrick Cote fighting Anderson Silva? I mean… I guess someone has to have a title shot, but I would rather see Silva fighting and furthering his standing in the 205 so he can get to some real competition in that class. Still, we all love a good, sound beatdown. I don’t mean to discount Cote’s ability as a fighter, but he just doesn’t have the tools to keep up with Silva. If Franklin and Henderson and Marquardt couldn’t do it, Cote certainly won’t.

I think other than that my only problem with this card is Thales Leites’ opponent. I’ve not seen this kid before. He could be amazing, but given the wins that Thales has, he should be fighting a bigger name or else put this fight further down the card so I can see Burkman and Drago (total punchfest) or Franca and Tibau. I am also stoked to see Sherk fighting Tyson Griffin. I’ve thought that Griffin deserved a title shot long before Sherk lost the belt to BJ. This is sweet and will unarguably set Griffin up for a title shot should he win. (The analysis for this one is gonna be inarguable as well). I am also stoked to see Diego Sanchez back on the card. I am not a fan, but he IS a great fighter and has a VERY strong record. I think that should he win this he may be deservingof a title shot or at least a fight with a contender to determine a title shot. St. Pierre has had enough time off.

FINALLY!

WEC on the 5thwill bring Faber back to the ring for yet another title defense. In addition to this undoubtedly great fight Paulo Filho is back to fight Chael Sonnen. This one is going to be a total brawl. I really think that either one could move up to the UFC and do well. The UFC 185 div. could use an infusion anyway. Jens Pulver and Leonard Garcia (who must have escaped his drug charges or served his time… or perhaps is still awaitingtrial?) will face off. This might be one of the most exciting fights of the night. I’m really looking forward to this one.  Also, “Razor” Rob is back. This event really is well put together.

There ya have it. That covers it for the big promos for now. Check back soon for fight predictions for some of these events (before you place your bets) and food for thought concerning the fights.