Ultimate 2009?...Eh

UFC 92 is coming up, and upon looking at the three main fights of the night it has me asking what really is so Ultimate? Granted there are a lot of "Big Names" on this card, but what does it really amount to?

The first and, in my opinion the most intriguing of the night, Is Wanderlei Vs. Rampage. This fight on paper has a lot of potential to be a great fight, and will probably reveal who the next contender for the Light Heavyweight challenger will be. As a lot of fight fans know these two have fought twice before in Pride. Wanderlei owned these fights, and actually knocked Rampage through the ropes. The reason that this has so much potential is because both of these fighters are a lot different than they were in their Pride days. Rampage is a more of a well round fighter, but has faced a lot of...how should i put this..."Challenges" in the past couple of months. Wanderlei while looking like the "Axe Murderer" against Keith Jardine, is not the vicious fighter he used to be. But lets face it, its not a rubber match, its not a great rivalry, just two fighters who have a lot to lose going at it.

Then there is Mir Vs. Noguiera. Here's a spoiler, it will end in a submission, or decision. Need I say more? The only intrigue in this one will be who will face Lesner. Mir being the one who has given Lesnar his only UFC defeat, or Nogueira who has tons of credibility.

Then there is the headliner of the night, Griffin Vs. Evans. While im like everybody else who likes Forrest Griffin, does Rashad Evans deserve a title shot? His only big win has been against Chuck Lidell, and he barely escaped losing to Tito Ortiz, due to a penalty to get the draw. But then again Forrest really didn't beat anyone credible other than Shogun. Jardine must be pissed.

Lets hope this fight card offers non stop action, otherwise UFC 92 wont fall under ultimate, but rather adequate.

Hello Fitch

WHAT!

MMA Junkie is reporting that 24 hours after leaving the UFC John Fitch is back. This time without those pesky AKA coaches and the managment team of Zinkin Entertainment. I mean can you blame the guy who wants people looking out for your best interest, when you can be part of an organization that is obviously out for theirs. 

"It was all or nothing," Fitch said. "[White] wanted our lifetime he wanted our souls forever"

Ya click the highlighted source..... 

No he really said it.

If is wasn't so sad I would think it was funny. So UFC fan REACT, as Rome would say. 

Dana is a businessman. Dana may also like MMA. Dana does not like MMA as much as he like buying expensive things. 

Other members of the American Kickboxing Academy that are in the UFC will have to make that similar choice.

I seem to remember Dana being angry at GSP for signing with a mainstream management company. I think it was because as fighters become bigger than the organization Dana and the Zufffa clan will have to actually think of something other than lining there fat bank rolls. 

I thought the picture reminded me of another sacrificial lamb. However that one was for grace not to further line the pockets of millionaires.

Goodbye, Fitch

MMAJUNKIE.com is reporting that the UFC has given Jon Fitch, and the AKA team a notice to pack up and leave the organization.

As brokenstyle would say. What?

According to Fitch the dispute is over merchandising, and likeness rights. Dana White is saying that the AKA team, including Fitch, is not "in a partnership" with the UFC. The catch here is all of this started over likeness rights for the UFC/THQ to use in video games. Not just likeness rights but a LIFETIME of merchandising rights.

Really?

I like Dana White, and think without him MMA would still average 2,ooo PPV buys per each event. But if this is true its just ridiculous. Fitch is argueably the #2 Welterweight in the world, and just lost a hard fought war With Georges St. Pierre. If this is true then its very disappointing. Sacrificing great fights over video games, and action figures?

Remember MMA is a sport, Not a circus.

CWMMA?

Have you been longing for some Country & Western goodness with your mixed martial arts?

It seems that C&W artist Darryl Worley is about to scratch that itch for you.  According to CMT.com's blogger Alison Bonaguro, Worley is quoted as saying " “I’ve been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts for quite some time.  I jumped at the chance to get involved with Music City MMA and bring this intense sport to Nashville.”

Unless they do mma differently in Nashville, Alison confirmed she does not follow the sport very closely if she expects "headbutts" at this event however.

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Fedor Loses

UFC 91 was not the only place where a legendary mma heavyweight was handed a defeat. 

It seems that Fedor Emelianko lost his first Combat Sambo match in eight years 8-5 to Bulgarian Blagoi Ivanov.

Ivanov went on to score gold, while Fedor settled for bronze.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com Story Source

Heavyweight Combatants Unwind In Diverse Settings

UFC 91 heavyweight main event combatants Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar wound down from their historic matchup Saturday within the confines of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  That is where any similarity ends.

Both fighters wound down in ways that reflect their personas and lifestyles.

Lesnar, former All-American collegiate wrestling champ and WWE Pro wrestler celebrated his win with 60 of his closest family and friends in Shibuya restaurant in the hotel.  He took time to graciously pose for pictures with his new championship belt with fans that approached his table. 

This lowkey living has become typical of the reclusive Lesnar who has shunned the glamour of his former WWE days to a farm in Minnesota.  He is not part of a fight camp, preferring to go it alone in a gym he built himself.  If you want to be in that gym, you have to have an invite from the 6'3.5" 280ish hulk himself.  His fight team consists of trusted coaches and trainers, most of who have known Lesnar for some time.

Couture was cheered, even in defeat, when he showed up to his own official party at Studio 54, with his wife Kim Couture on his arm.  Couture, a UFC Hall of Famer, champion of two weight divisions, and veteran mma tournament participant, straddles two eras of mma history.

Officially fighter sponsored post fight party events have become lucrative revenue streams for fighters.  And Randy arriving at his amid the glitz and glamor that Vegas has to offer is appropriate.  The UFC and Couture are both based in Vegas.  Both (UFC and Couture) have done endless brand promotion as they ascended to the top of  their respective games.

It's ironic that the future of the UFC heavyweight division is a loner who after experiencing the pinnacle of fame and fortune (while in the WWE) prefers to keep to himself, while the past ambassador extraordinaire fades out to the sparkle of Las Vegas.

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Affliction Founder Threatens Kim Couture, Quits Own Company

Seems that Affliction t-shirt fashion mogul and fledgling promoter Todd Beard quit his own company after an altercation with Kim Couture.

This face off did not occur in the cage, rather a face off with Couture and her counsel Sam Spira in which according to Couture Beard raged  "that he would 'get' us and otherwise make us regret that we had persisted" in trying to obtain financial records on an Affliction T-shirt contract she manages featuring Randy's name and picture.

After being outed as a raging boozer via court order banning Beard, an ex-con, from approaching her (Couture), Beard said he was stepping down from the California based company he founded because "There are personal issues I must address."

Kim Couture is Randy Couture's agent and officer of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts company.

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Initiated

Well, there is only one thing left to say about Brock Lesnar.

Welcome.

With the second round TKO of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar has done what has been expected of him since he came into the UFC; won the title. Only I don't think fans would have expected it to happen so soon. Whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect him. No longer can you argue with whether or not Lesnar is here to stay. Many, including myself did not think that someone so new to the sport could be so effective so fast. Couture having more skill, and experience seemed comfortable and ready to keep his title going into the fight. But in the end Lesnar's size, and his Mr. Fantastic size reach were all that mattered on Saturday night.

We can now lay this fight to rest.

Next up for Lesnar will be a massive test in either Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, or Frank Mir. Lesnar has proven that he lacks in BJJ defense which these two fighters are masters in, but by the way he is adapting to the sport I wouldnt be suprised if he picks that up rather fast.

Lesnar is the new prototype for what the UFC Heavyweight division will look like, and adds excitement to this lacking division.

On to UFC 92.

First Rule Of Fight Club.........

I was whisked away early Friday morning to Vegas to take in my first Fight Club Q&A and autograph sessions as well as the following live weigh ins.

Today's potential historic fight will only pale to the buzz of sitting through the day before activities that the UFC treats as an event unto itself.

I rolled into the MGM Grand to check in and noticed a crowd that was buzzing and growing in the lobby like always occurs when a celebrity shows up unexpectantly. It was UFC President Dana White who was taking picture after picture with fans and seemingly enjoying it more with every new fan encounter. This is the man that many contribute the current popularity of MMA to. It was refreshing to see someone enjoying their job so much.

That is much of the appeal of MMA, that anyone that is involved is usually very accessible and down to earth. Later that evening while eating at the MGM Buffett, I experienced this phenomenon myself. I was eating with my wife and fighter Hermes Franca walked past my table as I looked up. I said "Hey Hermes" and he smiled and said "Hello Sir" with a smile.

But let's get back to earlier in the day. We stood in a long line of UFC Fight Club members waiting to get into the arena for the day's activities. The line snaked around like a Disneyland qeue and we were right by a well placed souvenir booth. The air was electric as everyone anticipated what was to come. It was the hub of opinions on who would win and why.

Once in, we got a seat about six rows from the front off to stage left. I went out of the arena to an area where you could get refreshments, or meet UFC fighters Lightweight Champ B.J. Penn, Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva, Marcus Davis, and TUF 5 alum Ben Saunders. Like Dana in the lobby, these guys seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing.

The venue is divided into a 3rd by a large black curtain. Periodically you see venue and UFC personnel as well as MMA dignitaries come walking through. You could also see a partially constructed octagon, which was surprisingly exciting to this first time attender.

Mike Goldberg gets on stage and introduces former middleweight champion Rich Franklin who will answer questions from Fight Club members in today's Q&A session. Franklin, who will move up to 205 to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in January is huge looking and very fit.

Fight Club members step up to microphones located in the aisles and ask mostly good questions ranging from whether Rich prefers the 205 class over 185 class to what he thought people getting into the game should focus on.

Some highlights:

> A FC member asked Rich if now that he has made the move to 205 if believed a rematch with Lyoto Machida would happen. Franklin said a rematch would be be stylistically boring. (This drew OOHs! and laughs from the crowd who thought Franklin was dissing Machida). Franklin followed up with the fact that it wasn't a criticism, rather the fact that Lyoto spends much of the time backing up and looking for spots to attack. He also said it was very effective. He said he'd fight if the UFC put it in front of him. Lyoto Machida handed Franklin his first professional defeat in 2003 at Inoki Festival. Franklin said he took the fight with 3 weeks notice and admitted he was arrogant and did not properly prepare.

> A guy asked if he could experience the devastation of a Rich Franklin punch in person, which Franklin quickly declined. Goldberg told a hilarious story of a drunken fight fan in Ireland that wanted Forrest Griffin to give him a leg kick. Forrest declined, but when the Irishman persisted Forrest obliged. The guy was walking like he was crippled but was screaming about how awesome it was. Classic Forrest.

> It is amazing the scientific approach that Rich Franklin takes to cutting weight for a fight. He documents everything he does and eats in a journal and constantly pores over them and makes adjustments if his progress is not where it needs to be. When asked about Paulo Filiho's recent match where he came in 7 pounds overweight, Franklin said he couldn't conceive how a fighter could miss the mark that much before a fight.

After the Q&A there was an hour gap where they let in the public for the weigh ins. On the multitude of big screens, they ran fighter features on Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar that have been on Spike. Spliced in the commercial breaks were spots for Harley-Davidson, Bud Light, a nutritional supplement, and Gears of War 2, which are all sponsors of this event.

The weigh ins occur as they call in the fighters one at a time, weigh them, announce their weights, and then have them pose against each other.

After Lesnar and Couture did this, Joe Rogan interviewed them beginning with Lesnar. The hometown crowd exploded for Couture and gave Lesnar some boos for his trouble. Lesnar seemed to tire of this treatment and after stating he saw his hand raised at the end of the fight, and that he would see Couture in the octagon the next night, he walked off.

Randy was typical Randy saying that this once again was a battle where people talked about his age and size disadvantage.

Well fight fans, I must leave you and head to the fight. Ha!

UFC 91: Couture Vs. Lesnar

OK so tonight is the big night. So i thought i would do some predictions while i wait the 9 hours of anticipation.

Matt Brown Vs. Ryan Thomas-Matt Brown

Mark Bocek Vs. Alvin Robinson-Alvin Robinson

Jeremy Stephens Vs. Rafael dos Anos-Jeremy Stephens

Jorge Gurgel Vs. Aaron Riley-Aaron Riley

Dustin Hazlett Vs. Tamdan McCrory-Dustin Hazlett

Demian Maia Vs. Nate Quarry- Demian Maia

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Josh Hendricks-Josh Hendricks

Joe Stevenson Vs. Kenny Florian- Kenny Florian

Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Couture- Randy Couture

So there it is. Although Brock has the obvious size advantage, Randy has the experience advantage. I just cant help but think that a guy with three fights total, with 2 wins, can be a legend Like Randy. But who knows it is MMA.

The Ultimate Fighter 8 Falls Short

In 2005 a reality show hit the airwaves that would change the way people looked upon the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. This show is called The Ultimate Fighter. Since then 7 more seasons have been produced, and are currently running the 8th installment.

Within these eight seasons we have seen legendary coaches Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Forrest Griffin, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Frank Mir.

We have also seen a number of great fighters who have come out of the TUF program. Fighters like Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Joe Stevenson, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, and Mac Danzig to name a few.

With all these great coaches and fighters, great moments are bound to come out of it. Moments like when Griffin and Bonnar fought, or when Tito and Ken started going at it, oh and who can forget when that one fighter put his semen on another fighter's sushi. Hilarious! But wait it gets better! That other fighter then eats it and has no idea! If you can't tell, i'm being sarcastic.

If you haven't watched the newest season of The Ultimate Fighter : Mir Vs. Nogueira, then you certainly are not missing out. This season has just plain fallen short of the last 7 seasons. Some of the greatest moments in TUF history have come from antics at the house, but most importantly the greatest moments have been the fights. The fights where you actually remember the fighters name, and not simply as "That One Guy." This is a FIGHT organization, not celebrity rehab, or a Kevin Smith movie. So how about next season we start from scratch, and pretend that the whole Mir Vs. Nogueira thing never happened.

Come on TUF, step your game up.

Sonnen To Face The Spider?

Newly crowned WEC middleweight (185 lbs) Chael Sonnen looks to enter the UFC and fight the current UFC champ Anderson "The Spider" Silva in his first bout.

That's a hard core welcome back to the world's top MMA promotion, since many consider Silva the top pound for pound fighter in all of MMA, much less the middleweight division. 

I think this quick "you're in the UFC, you're fighting for the UFC middleweight championship" illustrates the difficulty that the UFC is having in finding competitive matches for Silva.

Sonnen won the belt (sort of) last week at WEC 36 in a win against one of Anderson Silva's best friends, Paulo Filho in a unanimous decision.  I say sort of because Filho came in overweight forfeiting part of his purse and changing the fight from a 5 round x 5 minute championship match to a 3 round x 5 minute catchweight bout.  In an act of good sportsmanship, Filho announced he'd hand over the belt to Filho.

This will not be Sonnen's first fight in the UFC, as he fought at UFC 55 (loss by submission to Babalu Sobral), UFC Fight Night 4 (Unanimous decison win against Trevor Prangley), and a submission loss at UFC 60 to Jeremy Horn.

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Tito Back In The UFC?

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz is guaranteeing that fans will see him back in fight action no later than July 2009 either as an employee of Affliction, or the UFC.

Since Ortiz' last unanimous decision loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84, he has been seen ringside at more MMA shows than Kevin James.  Before EliteXC's demise, he was allegedly close to a deal with that promotion. 

In early August, Tito announced he was "in line to become the highest paid MMA fighter in history when a "ground-breaking" deal between the free-agent fighter and Affliction is announced as early as Wednesday (August 6, 2008)".

The two factors that jump out at me regarding Tito's latest guarantee are 1) that he expects to heal from a back surgery in 7 months that took fellow MMA fighter Nate Quarry 15 months to recover from, and 2) that he still thinks he can come back to the UFC after his acrimonious split with that organization and it's President Dana White.

Tito is one of MMA's best known personalities whose last victory (not counting Ken Shamrock) was a paperthin and controversial split decision against current UFC champ Forrest Griffin at UFC 59.  He is still a big name fan favorite amongst many fans.

A deal with Strikeforce or upstart Affliction would probably be the best fit for Ortiz as far as paydays available, as well as opportunities to extend his fight career.

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EliteXC's Best Fight May Be In Court

Seems as though Proelite inc., the parent company of EliteXC, isn't quite ready to give up the ghost.

Showtime announced on October 31st that they would be auctioning off all tangible and intangible assets on November 17th.  This sale is said to include fighter contracts, trademarks, names of organizations that joined the consortium, as well as various tangible assets.

This came after a notice to EliteXC contracted fighters' management on October 20th that the organization was closing it's doors.

MMAWEEKLY.com reported :
"In response, many of the managers sent a “notice of breach” letter to the company, citing a clause in the contract that permits fighters to terminate the contract and seek monies owed to them if Pro Elite isn’t able to fulfill their “promotional and payment obligations” within thirty days."

This would free fighters to fight in other promotions.  But in a sudden 180 degree turnaround, Proelite has responded to these Notice Of Breach letters with letters stating they will be fighting the announced auction of assets by Showtime Networks and will in fact be promoting fights in 2009 after reorganizing.

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Fighting Fedor?

Fighting Fedor. Honestly? They had the season of TUF that led to a title shot that I thought was kind of lame. Pointing out to me that MMA is not yet a sport but a sideshow. But at least the show was in the biggest organization in the world. This is a show in obscurity. The weakest division in the world of MMA (though 185 is in competition) is going to have a show to determine the best Heavyweight. It is an embarrassment. Lets create a show in 1990 called fighting the champ staring Mike Tyson. It would have been just as big of a joke.

Fedor pound for pound is the best and I am his biggest advocate. I saw the fight when he beat up on a 7 footer Hong Man Choi when Randleman dumped him on his head and he won both fight with a straight up Sambo arm bar. But honestly a reality show is exactly what MMA does not need.

MMA needs unified rules and a ranking system. MMA needs a place to fight that is not copyrighted like the octagon is.

MMA does not need a show that puts it back with the bearded lady, and the guy that can eat a bunch of hot dogs in a short amount of time.

MMA needs to be in the spotlight with MLB and the NBA. Or at least the NHL and Arena Football.

Carano Vs. Cyborg Destiny

According to Michael David Smith Gina Carano and Cristiane  “Cyborg” Justino have committed to fight each other and have plans on ending up in the same organization soon.

Since Zuffa seems to be stuck in the 40’s and does not want to see two female athletes mix it up, the fight will happen in a less than major promotion. Rumors and innuendo point to Strikeforce.

Strikeforce is a mainstay in MMA but have never reached or even really strived to be a mainstream organization. Happy to be a distant second to the Zuffa based promotions Strikeforce is the underground record company that creates artists and prepares them for the mainstream. Akin to Sub Pop records that bred future giants Sound Garden, Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Most MMA fans are just looking forward to a good fight. Opposed to the Neanderthal mind set many mainstream observers think of the sport and its fans, most of us are forward thinking people who are not hung up on things like sex or race. We applaud great athletes taking part in the most basic and ancient of sports.

According to Mr. Smith the fight may happen on one of the NBC live aired Strikeforce events.

As far as rumors go I wish this to be true more than most.

BJ Pitching Malt Liquor

BJ Penn has joined a short list of MMA fighters that are pitchmen for Mickey's.  Malt Liquor has a fine history of pitchmen outside MMA with the likes of Billy D. Williams and ICE CUBE.  Who else misses Ice Cube talking about the smooth taste of St. Ides?

In my younger days I was known to partake in a 40 oz or two and must say if BJ is going to sell malt liquor he made a great choice. Mickey's is the Rolls Royce of malt liquor.  Forrest Griffin once graced the 24oz tall can of Mickey's and he seems to be doing OK.

          One of the reasons I have such affection for the sport of MMA is that though it has definitely become a mainstream talking point, it is very rough around the edges.  BJ Penn is a Kobe Bryant type superstar in his sport and is selling a beer that graces the shelves of fine establishments as Eddies Liquor, you all have them in your area you know places that their smell is part of the charm.

MMA is the wild west of sports. I hope all you fans out there remember theses days that our sport was really just finding its form, finding its place in society and the stars endorsing things like Mickey's.

Paulo Filho

Lack of respect!

Paulo came in 7 pounds over. That is not a misjudgment in training or drinking too much water, that is a straight up "I don't care".

The former training partner of Anderson Silva has nothing to lose, except part of his purse.
The fight will not be for the title that is going exist after this fight anyway with WEC dropping his weight class. It will be for........wait for it.................. Pride?

No, pride is shown from preparation and respect for your opponent. The life of an MMA fighter is one: train, two: make weight, three: fight.

I am sure that Paulo Filho is going to show up. He's a top 3 185er, as reported by most publications and internet sites, as he moves on to the UFC.

However, as I tell my kids at school when they don't follow the rules, that is not okay. Respect the game. Respect your opponent.

Though as a side note, Gina Carano never makes weight either......... and I never complain.