It might not be quite as exciting as when first announced, but the Superfight between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva looks as if it is going to happen after all. It was first announced at UFC 61 in July 2006, that the two fighters who were at the time at the top of their respective promotions, would fight if Liddell could get past Renato Sobral at UFC 62. Liddell did, but negotiations between the UFC and PRIDE broke down, Wanderlei got knocked out by both Cro Cop and Dan Henderson, Liddell got rampaged by Quinton Jackson, and before you know it, here we are. Two fighters who were at the top of the pile less than a year ago are now struggling to regain their respective reputations. Such is the world of Mixed Martial Arts. So even though this fight may not be the greatest thing to ever take place in an Octagon, it still promises to be an excellent fight between who I consider to be the 3rd and 4th best Light heavyweights in the world (Rampage and Henderson are above them).
Wanderlei is 2-0 against Rampage, with his first victory coming by TKO after 17 consecutive knee strikes. Coincidentally, this took place at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, the same event in which Rampage Jackson knocked out Liddell for the first time. Wanderlei holds a split record against Henderson. Liddell has obviously lost twice to Rampage but has never fought Henderson. Of course, Liddell has many other wins to his credit, including two against Randy Couture and two against Tito Ortiz. Both fighters (Liddell and Silva) are well-known for their street fighting inspired strategy and generally aggressive style. Although I'd expect them to feel each other out for a little (a la Rampage-Liddell II), I think it would only be a matter of time before these two legends started to bang, ending in a fast and hard finish.
MMAfighting.com has an excellent article on the subject, and in a far more articulate fashion than mine, lays out each fighter's strengths and how the fight would go down (both under PRIDE rules and UFC rules). For those of you too bored to read (or maybe you don't know how, like me), the article paints Silva as having near-equal punching power, a slightly better chin, and some of the best conditioning in the world. Essentially, he's Tito Ortiz if Tito could punch and withstand punishment. Or from another perspective, he's like me with conditioning. Either way, we're talking about a complete fighter here. However, Liddell shouldn't be overlooked: with punching power (probably more than Silva), a great chin (other than the Rampage fight which is unfortunately everyone's most recent memory), and a legendary sprawl (seriously, the best since Royce Gracie ten years ago), he wouldn't exactly be expected to drop easily. Despite Liddell's credentials, I believe that Wanderlei Silva's Muay Thai skills would come through in the end, delivering the victory to the Brazilian Chute Boxe prodigy in one of the earlier rounds.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The Iceman and The Axe Murderer
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
ECW Notes/UFC Notes/Updated Cards
I thought about using a whole post to go through tonight's "ECW," but I quickly realized that it was what it always is. The stars were involved in a non-extreme match plagued with interference (CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke), Originals were used to put over less-extreme new wrestlers (Balls Mahoney vs. Kevin Thorn), and more Superstars that people actually like were humiliated (RVD, Tommy Dreamer). The only good thing I have to say about ECW is that the producers have become quite talented at fitting in four commercials, three matches, two promos, one bizarre dance segment, and a partridge in a pear tree into their single hour time slot.
Onto the the UFC. Despite what I reported about Liddell getting the winner of the Rampage-Henderson fight, it appears that he will have to wait. I watched an ESPNews clip in which Dana White (one of Liddell's biggest fans) said that Liddell would have to prove himself in a COUPLE of fights before getting a shot at Rampage. He included the fact that Chuck has now lost twice to Rampage and so it would be hard to justify a third fight. Despite that I don't really count Rampage's first win as valid in this context, I take a bigger issue with the statement that Liddell has to prove himself. If an ESPN cover and PPV numbers bigger than the WWE and Professional Boxing don't coun't for something, then I'm not sure what White is looking for.
Below are the updated UFC cards that you've become so used to seeing from us. Worth noting is the heavily rumored but still unconfirmed Rampage-Henderson fight at UFC 76. It's the first card that isn't already full and/or on cable television. It would also provide Rampage with enough time to recover from the Liddell fight (as if he needs to) and train for Hollywood Henderson. Also worth taking a look at is the Hughes-Serra fight which has been pushed to the end of The Ultimate Fighter 6 (for which both are coaches). This seven-month layoff means that the only real Welterweight action during the remainder of the year will be the St. Pierre-Koscheck fight at UFC 74. Although the winner has been promised a title shot, the long layoff between UFC 74 and the Spring of 2008 (when the winner of Hughes/Serra would be ready to fight) means that the UFC 74 winner will probably fight again prior to the title shot, meaning that it isn't necessarily guaranteed (if the winner were to lose his intermediary fight). This is the first bit of poor planning I've seen from the UFC in a long time. Finally, when looking at the two September cards (UFC 75, UFC 76), it is obvious that the former card will be shown on SpikeTV. Whenever you have an event being held in Europe with Michael Bisping and Cro Cop headlining, you can bet it'll be on cable. Anyway, here are the updated cards (new fights in bold):
UFC 72: Victory-June 16, 2007
Rich Franklin vs. Yushin Okami
Forrest Griffin vs. Hector Ramirez
Jason McDonald vs. Rory Singer
Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida
Mauricia "Shogun" Rua may fight
UFC 73: Stacked-July 7, 2007
Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt (Middleweight title)
Sean Sherk vs. Hermes Franca (Lightweight title)
Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring
Kenny Florian vs. Alvin Robinson
UFC 74-August 25, 2007
Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (Heavyweight title)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia
Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Roger Huerta vs. TBA
UFC 75-September 8, 2007 (SpikeTV)
Michael Bisping vs. TBA
Jess Liaudin vs. TBA
Cro Cop vs. TBA
UFC 76-September 22, 2007
Rampage Jackson vs. Dan Henderson
UFC 77-October 2007
Anderson Silva vs Rich Franklin
UFC 78-November 2007
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
UFC 79-December 2007
Spring 2008
Hughes/Serra winner vs. St. Pierre/Koscheck winner
Read More...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Who Will Move in the WWE Draft?
As Shane McMahon announced last night, WWE will hold a tri-branded draft on RAW in two weeks. The probable reason for this is that the recent spike of main-event injuries within the WWE makes a redistribution of talent necessary. So who will go where? Here are some preliminary predictions, but keep in mind that we still don't know how many wrestlers will be taken by each brand.
RAW receives:
Chris Benoit - This has been rumored for a long time, so it's about time that it happens. It especially makes sense since Benoit is just coming off a feud with MVP.
William Regal - It has also been reported that Regal has requested a switch to RAW for a big heel push. It finally happens.
Smackdown receives:
Carlito - Smackdown is a little heavy on heels already, but I think Carlito is on the move.
Cryme Tyme - They're going nowhere on RAW...why not move them?
ECW receives:
World's Greatest Tag Team - One Night Stand will be a preview of Haas and Benjamin in ECW.
Super Crazy - An ECW original, his push on RAW has all but disappeared. He would be great on ECW.
Ok...if the purpose of this draft is to move more star power to RAW, then why is it that the only big star they are receiving is Chris Benoit? It may not be the case - it all depends on what direction WWE wants to take with ECW. They have guys that would be great on RAW: Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, and Elijah Burke. One possibility is that Lashley goes to RAW while Punk feuds with Snitsky for the ECW championship.
Of course, these predictions are not official (those will come later), but it's a general direction that I think WWE will take. It also starts a discussion on what roster changes would be best for the company...give me your thoughts!
- Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Monday, May 28, 2007
RAW Results
As I predicted, a busy and forgettable pre-PPV RAW. The opening divas segment, which involved them shooting each other with water guns and sliding all around, was absolutely worthless. I watch RAW to see wrestling, not to see something I could probably witness any night of the week at school. This followed with Shane's discussion of his 2 on 3 match later that night and the announcement (many of you knew about this already) that the three hour RAW on June 11th will feature a tri-branded draft. Who will draft and which wrestlers will be eligible remains to be seen. The Irish Whip has done a few segments on this, including my award-winning column "The Invasion Is Dead" along with a more insightful version done by Jared (which I can't find right now).
The 8 man tag (Hardys and Cade & Murdoch vs. World's Greatest and Kenny & Nitro) was good, but not great. Of course, it had its moments involving Jeff Hardy and Johnny Nitro, but it went on too long and ended with Shelton Benjamin holding a microphone. Nothing kills a segment quicker than giving that man a mic. Maybe Bobby Lashley. Thankfully, it ended with the announcement of a Ladder Match at One Night Stand (I thought it would be TLC), but I would rather have seen Kenny & Nitro in the match than the World's Greatest Tag Team. At this point, I'll take what I can get.
The RVD-Randy Orton match was probably the highlight of the night with both men being the excellent technical wrestlers that they are. For the majority of the match, RVD used his high flying ability to shine above Orton, but this was quickly squashed when it was time to kick RVD out of the WWE. I hate that Vince feels the need to get rid of wrestlers in this manner, but since he does, I'll at least give credit to the one and only RVD and note that he took it like a man. As it was happening, I kept asking myself why Bret Hart couldn't have exited like this.
Carlito then came out to absolutely zero reaction from the fans. I always think it's entertaining when the WWE tries to turn a wrestler too hard and instead of getting a strong reaction one way or the other, they get nothing. The match was actually decent, and I always enjoy watching a male wrestler perform a dangerous finisher to a 95 lb. female diva. Let's call this the second bright spot after the first half of the RVD-Randy Orton match.
Finally, we come to the...main event, for which I have nothing good to say. I'm so tired of seeing these big oafs lumber around the ring in triple the time it would take Chris Benoit to do the same thing. I refuse to waste more potential sandwich making time on the likes of Lashley, Umaga, Cena, and Khali. The best part of this match, BY FAR, was that we got to see Shane McMahon wrestle.
Last week's polls have been closed, ending with the following results:
66% of respondents think that Mr. Kennedy has been the most devastating injury in the WWE.
60% of respondents think that Chuck Liddell should fight the winner of Rampage-Henderson, with 40% thinking that the loser should be awarded an immediate rematch.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Why You Should Be Watching TNA
In between RAW on Mondays and SMACKDOWN on Fridays, there's another wrestling promotion that everyone should be tuning in to. It's TNA IMPACT, the once-a-week cable show for the only rival company in town. Now, I'm as loyal to the WWE as the next John Cena fan, but TNA has lots to offer that the WWE does not. And so, I'm proud to present the top four reasons you SHOULD be watching TNA IMPACT (9 PM on Spike TV, Thursdays). Since it's only an hour long, it more appropriately matches up with the ECW show. You don't even have to watch TNA IMPACT to know it's probably better than the mess being featured every Tuesday on SciFi.
1. The Tag Teams. Blowing SMACKDOWN's teams out of the water and still light years ahead of RAW, the teams from TNA are best since The Attitude Era. And predictably, that's where a few of them originated. There's Team 3D (The Dudley Boyz) and The Voodoo Kin Mafia (New Age Outlaws), two of the best teams in the history of wrestling. They never really feuded during their time together in the WWE, but that's not because they didn't match up well. Just as some of the best of the WWE is represented, so too is WCW. The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) are on the roster in their original form. And possibly the most impressive of the teams is an entirely new creation, LAX (The Latin American Exchange). LAX features two Ring Of Honor stars, Homicide and Hernandez. Homicide had the more celebrated Indy career and is a prolific trainer to others while Hernandez received the better initial training (Shawn Michaels). Together, they form what I believe is the best tag team in all of wrestling.
2. The Moves. The moves are just better. No question about it. Since TNA doesn't have the bankroll of the WWE, it has to excel in aspects of the sport which aren't controlled by money. Enter: good moves. LAX's Homicide and Hernandez own two of the most interesting finishers in the sport, The Gringo Killer and The Border Toss, respectively. The Gringo Killer is a back to back double underhook sit out piledriver which seems to be just dangerous enough to kill someone, but easily entertaining enough to draw the fans. The Border Toss is a throwing crucifix powerbomb, which is very similar to Razor Ramon's Razor's Edge. However, neither of these comes close to the best of all, Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer. This move, a flip piledriver, has to be the most spectacular and interesting move in the business. It's not just the finishers, however, that are innovative. TNA prides itself on diverse and entertaining move sets, and in that, it succeeds.
3. The Competition. For an avid WWE fan, TNA and its show might be seen as a rival. But really, this isn't the case. It's on a different night and it doesn't even travel to various cities. Sure, it's technically the competition, but not in a way in which viewing it will hurt the WWE. I believe, instead, that increased viewership of TNA will help the WWE. The greatest success of Vince McMahon, The Attitude Era, grew out of competition with WCW. The WWE had to continually work on storylines and feuds to make them fresh and fun. They didn't have the time or the money to let a stale feud like Lashley and Umaga play out over the course of many months. If TNA can become a true competitor to the WWE, it would force Vince and Co. to rethink their strategy and continue to innovate as they did during the late 90s. It is often said that there can't be a third Golden Age of wrestling without two competing companies. The WWE and TNA might just be the two to do it.
4. Vince Russo. They have Vince Russo. A quick refresher course on Russo: He was eventually promoted to the WWF Creative Team in 1996. In that same year, RAW hit an all-time ratings low of 1.8, as WCW's NITRO, was in the midst of an 84-week winnings-streak against Raw head-to-head (see Monday Night Wars). With WCW eclipsing the WWF, McMahon called upon Russo to make changes to the televised product. Russo would eventually become head writer for the WWF, contributing edgy, controversial storylines involving sexual content, on-camera profanity, and unexpected heel turns. Notable storylines and characters during Russo's run as head writer include the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon feud, The Undertaker vs. Kane feud, D-Generation X, the rise of The Rock, and the Mick Foley saga. Russo was able to increase ratings enormously on Raw, bringing the rating from a 1.9 to a 8.1. Sold on Russo? I thought so. He's essentially solely responsible for every dollar of marketing revenue that the WWE made between 1996 and 1999. Seriously, go back and read that bolded list again. Tell me something that you remember from the Attitude Era that doesn't happen to be on Russo's list of creations. The mind behind TNA is more than enough reason to start tuning in.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
WWE Notes
So I know that I've been bad about giving you guys your stolen article of the week, WWE Legend, and Top 5 list that you've all become accustomed to. But with all this UFC 71 business going on, it's just been crazy around here. Phones ringing off the hook, bricks going through windows; its chaos, really. But never fear! I'm here with your SMACKDOWN recap, RAW preview, Saturday Night Main Event preview, and One Night Stand preview.
Let's get started! On Friday, Batista speared all his opponents to win the right to face Edge at One Night Stand. Although the Batista-Edge feud is in its infancy, I think it will be a successful one. Throw in the fact that their match will be inside the confines of a steel cage, and this becomes something worth looking forward to. Edge had an awesome promo on SMACKDOWN (he needs to speak every single week, he's that good) while proclaiming himself to be the greatest champion ever.
Benoit and MVP had a nice little segment which ended in three German Suplexes (there's a name for this succession, but I can't remember it). I love this feud and I actually think it's the best thing going on SMACKDOWN. The rivalry between a brash, young Superstar and a wily veteran is something that will always resonate with sports fans.
There was some sort of tag team action, but I'm relatively positive it was not entertaining. I'm tired of non-descript teams (Taylor and Regal) facing badly-gimmicked teams (Deuce and Domino). Also, what is going on with Matt Hardy's push? They're having him beat everyone in sight (including Mr. Kennedy a few weeks ago), but they aren't doing anything with it. He hasn't claimed a feud, demanded a title shot, or anything that would designate a typical push.
This week's RAW should be decent, with Cena and Lashley teaming up against Khali, Umaga, and Shane-O in 2 on 3 tag match. Shane apparently has a huge announcement to make, but I just expect it to be extreme stipulations or additional matches. Usually, I don't like it when the WWE teams people who have no business being together (Cena and Lashley), but I care so little about these feuds, I'd much rather have them kill two birds with one stone and make more time for the tag team matches.
I know, I can't believe I said it either. I'm actually excited for the tag matches! Being this close to the PPV, the WWE doesn't want to give too much away or have anyone get hurt, so you can't expect much from some of the bigger ticket wrestlers. And so, the burden of good matches will fall on the newly-developed tag teams. Expect to see heel and face development and lots of interference. Maybe an 8-man brawl at some point? I hope so. The WWE is teasing a Cade and Murdoch heel turn, but I don't think it will happen. There's a really nice balance of power right now in the tag division (no injuries!) and I expect the WWE to capitalize on this.
I have no idea why they would have Saturday Night's Main Event just ONE DAY prior to a PPV. They aren't even scheduling big matches for it, which makes sense, since they don't want wrestlers to get hurt. So far, I've seen two matches, only one of which I can recall: Finlay and Hornswaggle vs. Boogeyman and Little Boogeyman. Now who wouldn't want to see that? Perhaps they're using this to appease the wrestlers who didn't make the cut to be included in One Night Stand. Who knows?
One Night Stand, on the other hand, despite being held in Jacksonville and not featuring any of the ECW Originals, is shaping up to be a decent card. I think we need to stop pretending that this is an ECW PPV and just accept it for what it is -- a general WWE card with extreme rules. Can anyone even tell me what brand Lashley is on anymore? Anyway, this card features a Street Fight between Vince and Lashley for the ECW Championship, a Falls Count Anywhere match between Cena and Khali for the WWE Championship, and a Steel Cage match between Edge and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. Two of these matches should be good. We know that Vince can put on a show (see Valentine's Day Massacre of 1999) and Lashley is improved. Edge makes his matches good, no matter who he is facing, and he'll need to be as good as ever if he plans to make Batista look like a real wrestler. I have faith in Edge, though, and I think this will be the best match of the night. The disappointment, of course, is the Khali-Cena match. I expect a double count out a la Backlash 2007. They can't give the most decorated belt in Sports Entertainment to (gasp!) The Great Khali...can they? Check out this prediction from my award-winning article "One Night Stand Officially Sucks Before It Happens": "I wouldn't be surprised if there were matches featuring no ECW extremists at all."
With most of their talent on the disabled list (see our new polls on the right!), it is more important than ever that the WWE correctly manages its remaining wrestlers. The next two weeks will give us a very good indication if this is going to happen. If mismanaged, the post-WrestleMania slump could easily continue until SummerSlam in August.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
The Morning After, Some Clarity
Late last night, I received word that recently signed Dan Henderson would be debuting in a title match against Rampage. While I personally think it's a little early to be giving Henderson a title shot, it will be good for Liddell to get a win or two under his belt first, and let's be honest, no one wants to see Ortiz make a run at Rampage.
Henderson and Rampage will be a good fight, and relatively even, Rampage having lost twice to Wanderlei Silva and Henderson having split their fights. Both like to throw bombs and it should be one of the more exciting bouts of the year. We can safely assume that Liddell will get to fight the winner, and since we can do this, it becomes easier to predict the direction of the Light heavyweight title over the next year. I am assuming that Tito is done getting title shots (considering I think he'll get mopped up by Rashad Evans at UFC 73) and I don't think Shogun is UFC-ready (he likes to stomp his opponents' heads when they are down -- a clear rule violation).
We can assume that the winner of the Rampage-Henderson fight will get Liddell. If Rampage wins, two things can happen in the next fight (obviously): Liddell wins the rematch or he doesn't. If Liddell beats Rampage, there would most likely be a third fight between the two to settle the feud once and for all. Whoever wins the third fight would most likely then face Henderson, Shogun, or possibly Wanderlei Silva if he were signed by then. If Rampage wins his second UFC fight against Liddell, that would end their feud and Henderson would probably get a rematch. Rampage would essentially have control over the division as Liddell used to...that is, until Wanderlei is signed. To recap, if Rampage wins, the progression of fights should look something like this:
Rampage-Henderson
Rampage-Liddell II
Rampage-Liddell III (if Liddell wins above fight) or Rampage-Henderson II (if Liddell doesn't)
If Henderson wins the initial fight, he will most likely get Liddell. If Liddell is able to beat Henderson, Rampage would then probably get his title shot at that point. If Rampage then beat Liddell, the Rampage-Liddell feud would be done and Henderson would get another shot at Rampage (whom he would have previously beaten). If Henderson beat Liddell after beating Rampage, he would have little else to prove to either man, although Rampage would probably receive a courtesy rematch. To recap, if Henderson wins, the progression of fights should look something like this:
Rampage-Henderson
Henderson-Liddell
Henderson-Rampage II (if Liddell loses above fight) or Rampage-Liddell II (if Liddell wins above)
The best case scenario for the UFC, is for either Rampage or Liddell to keep winning. Having Henderson win fights with the potential of dropping them later could create an unsolvable round robin that you can see beginning to form in the Henderson scenarios. Rampage's progressions are much simpler and actually provide for some sort of temporary closure to the Light heavyweight division. Now, if Wanderlei Silva is signed...we might never have a dynastic champion again.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
Video Of The Knockout/New Polls Are Up!
Check it out here.
Our new and attractive polls are up and running! This week's questions ask who the winner of Rampage-Henderson should fight next and which current injury is the most devastating for the WWE.
Last week's polls have been closed, ending with the following results:
85% of respondents prefer the UFC to professional boxing (15%).
77% of respondents believe that Chuck Liddell will beat Rampage Jackson (23%).
So much for that last one...
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
I Did It Again.
My sincerest apologies to Georges St. Pierre, Cro Cop, and now, Chuck Liddell. Dana White and the entire UFC fan nation, too. As I predicted would happen at the end of my post predicting Chuck Liddell to retain his title, I was wrong, once again. It's obvious that my blessing makes fighters lose. Unfortunately, it's finally happened to a fighter I like. Now, to make some sense of this disaster area we call the UFC. The last two upsets I could handle -- this, not a shot. I didn't even like Georges St. Pierre, so that was fine. And I thought Cro Cop was overrated...no problem there. But Chuck Liddell, the poster boy of the UFC, recently featured on the cover of ESPN, HAD to win. Didn't he?
With Rampage's shocking first-round knockout of Liddell (it is still to be determined whether or not Jackson used his signature chain during the fight), it is not just the Light heavyweight division that has been thrown into disarray, it is the entire organization. Although the UFC boasts a new signee a day (more on this later), it is proving to have the title stability of the WWE Hardcore Championship. I suppose this is what happens when you ACTUALLY get the best fighters together (think Ali-Foreman-Frazier from 1971 to 1975) -- the title changes hands rapidly. I know I'm just getting upset over a function of what Dana White and various PRIDE signings have done for the sport, but I also know that it's not good for the sport. Liddell was the UFC's Rocky, and after the entire sports world put their marbles in The Iceman's basket, he simply and plainly lost. Will they be interested enough to come back for more? We'll probably have to wait a few cards (until UFC 74-Couture's next fight) to find out. Will the hype from this fight have trickled off by then? It's possible. With a Liddell win, the UFC would have solidified viewership and further concreted the dynasty-like image they worked so hard to build. With Rampage, none of this is possible. He breeds uncertainty and little name recognition. I can't wait to see the pictures of Dana White putting the belt on Rampage; I wonder if White threw up in the ring or at least waited to get backstage...
A quick recap of the fight: Liddell and Rampage traded uppercuts and hooks until Rampage caught Liddell with a right hook, sending him to the mat. Rampage jumped on top, landing three or four blows, forcing Big John McCarthy to stop the fight. Liddell jumped up immediately after the fight, showing that he had, in fact, NOT been knocked out. During post-fight interviews, Rampage was met with boos and Chuck seemed stunned as he was barely able to answer questions. From the tape, it looked like Liddell was close to being out cold, so the stoppage was probably justified. It was just a case of a fighter getting caught.
Prior to the fight, Dan Henderson (PRIDE Welterweight and Middleweight champion) was announced as being the newest 205 lb. fighter for the UFC. He's the guy who most recently knocked out superstar Wanderlei Silva. With his defection, Silva and Fedor are the only true great fighters who remain outside of the UFC. I expect both to be signed within six months, which will all but make the rival organizations defunct. With Rampage's win and Henderson's signing, this completely opens up the Light heavyweight division. It now contains Rampage Jackson (Champion), Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The last three on that list represent the pre-UFC 71 #1-3 in the world. With the new signings in the Heavyweight division, it contains Randy Couture (Champion), Tim Sylvia, Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, and Gabriel Gonzaga. Unfortunately, the the top two divisions in the UFC are TOO wide open and it will be some time before a legitimate champion is resolved. What the UFC wants to avoid is a round robin dilemma (as it has in its Welterweight division) in which no one fighter can make an undisputed claim to the belt. You know, the kind of claim Liddell was able to make before tonight's fight.
So stick around, UFC fans; it's going to be a long five years.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Liddell The Heavy Betting Favorite For UFC 71
"Sports bettors can wager on UFC:71 at bedED.com,which has Liddell as a heavy favorite at -200. Jackson is +150. Liddell (20-3-0), 37, based in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is a devastating striker with an incredible takedown defense, according to the UFC 71 website. He is the reigning UFC World Light Heavyweight Champion and has knocked out his last seven opponents including Randy Couture (twice), Vernon White, Horn, Renato “Babalu” Sobral and most recently Tito Ortiz (twice) at UFC 66. Jackson (26-6), 28, fighting out of Irvine, Calif., beat Marvin Eastman in February, dropping him with a TKO in the second round. Jackson is known and respected – and feared – for his raw strength, power slams and equal striking ability. “I'm excited to make this long awaited rematch a reality for UFC fans,” said UFC President Dana White. “Chuck has been on a mission to avenge all of his losses. He avenged Randy Couture, then Jeremy Horn and now standing in the way is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. “Rampage is extremely excited to finally be in the UFC, and is very confident that his second fight in the UFC will earn him the light heavyweight championship. This is without a doubt the blockbuster fight of the summer.” Another Main Card fight features Karo Parisyan against Josh Burkman. Parisyan is the clear favorite at -300, while Burkman is +260." A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
A quick betting lesson before you go ahead and enjoy this article. A favorite will have a minus and then a number. That's the amount you would need to bet to make a $100 profit on their victory. An underdog will have a plus and then a number. That's the amount of money you would make on a $100 bet if the underdog won the fight.
So, for UFC 71, Liddell is -200. That means you would have to bet $200 to make $100. Rampage, on the other hand, is +150. That means that you would make $150 if you bet $100.
UFC 71 is a rematch of a 2003 fight from PRIDE: Final Conflict, in which Rampage defeated Liddell by TKO. That loss, four years ago, was Liddell's last.
This Is Huge
I was surprised enough last night, when watching ESPNews, to see a five-minute interview with Chuck Liddell. My surprise soon turned to disbelief as I saw that ESPN had designated their "question of the day" poll to determining who would win the main event at UFC 71. The onslaught of coverage being dedicated to this event has now taken on another level with the announcement that the UFC 71 weigh in will be televised tonight on ESPNews. Don't miss it!
"The weigh-in for UFC 71, which features the Chuck Liddell-Quinton "Rampage" Jackson rematch in the main event, will be televised live by ESPNEWS on May 25 at 7 p.m., the UFC announced during a conference call on Thursday.
ESPNEWS will also have interviews with Liddell and Jackson immediately following their UFC light-heavyweight championship fight on pay-per-view on May 26 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
"We're very pleased to be working with ESPN and we're all looking forward to cultivating this new relationship with them," said UFC publicist Jennifer Wenk, who served as moderator for the conference call because UFC president Dana White was unable to because of a cold."
Thursday, May 24, 2007
SMACKDOWN Preview & RAW Notes
With The Undertaker and Mr. Kennedy sidelined, it looks as though there will be very little development of new storylines tomorrow night on SMACKDOWN. Barring any earth-shattering event, I would expect to see a continuation of the Edge/Batista and Benoit/MVP feuds. Of course, we know that Finlay, Kane, and Mark Henry will be competing in a fatal four way with Batista to determine the #1 contender to Edge's title, but I wouldn't bank on anyone other than The Animal leaving as the victor. Batista is the Cena-like investment for SMACKDOWN, and the writers wouldn't have him step aside so someone like Mark Henry can get a title shot. And who'd want to see a Mark Henry/Edge feud anyway? Barring a good promo or two from the Rated-R Superstar, it would be a waste. And so, expect to see more of the same tomorrow night from the WWE. Even with Edge switching brands, it isn't enough to keep this show afloat. And with The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, HHH, and Mr. Kennedy all suffering from injuries and accounting for exactly 68% of the talent in the WWE, Vince is in trouble.
There's little news on the RAW front, and so I'd expect more "continuation" (McMahon/Lashley, Cena/Khali) along with additional role changes (Carlito becomes stronger heel, Cade & Murdoch become stronger faces). It shouldn't be an non-entertaining RAW, with more One Night Stand matches being made and stipulations being revealed. Also, the recent development of the tag division should provide for an interesting match/interference or two. I always did love that palindrome-style RAW logo.
Actually, I brought up RAW just so I could mention that the episode on June 11th will be THREE HOURS LONG. That's right; three hours. I'm not even going to touch this one.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
This Is Getting Out Of Hand
The somewhat controlled battle between UFC President Dana White and WBC Welterweight and Super welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has opened a new chapter as of late, effectively spiraling out of control and towards a legitimate fight. For those of you needing to brush up on the topic, read Irish Whip original articles "Articulation of the year" and "Why would he go home and watch basketball?". For those of you too lazy to click, to recap, Mayweather bashed on Chuck Liddell, stated he would give Liddell a million dollars if he beat a heavyweight boxer from his promotion, and said that the UFC “ain’t shit”. White came back with a challenge of having one of Mayweather Promotions’ heavyweights fight Liddell under MMA rules.
IBF World Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron has stated he would like to accept Dana White's challenge put forward to face UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk. “I want the fight,” said Cintron. “I can wrestle. I can box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr. White to make me an offer and I’ll take on his guy after I fight Matthysse on July 14.” IBF Welterweight champion Cintron has a professional boxing record of 27-1-0 with 25 wins coming by knock out.
While I think Cintron is out of his mind for throwing his name into the proverbial hat and should have listened to his elder (who could still kick his ass), I'm absolutely delighted that he lacked the thought process necessary to prevent him from accepting the challenge. As each flamboyant, overconfident boxer enters the fray, we become one step closer to actually seeing this circus take place. Liddell vs. Rampage is all well and good, but boxing vs. MMA would end the debate that the UFC was created to answer.
Read More...
Here Comes The Money
If you have read the comments of the past few blogs, you might notice that I have mentioned Shane McMahon. I have mentioned how great he would be on any brand, but especially ECW.
Shane has a history of extreme. He has fought in a hardcore match against Steve Blackman, a no holds barred match against the Big Show, a street fight against Kurt Angle, a street fight against Shawn Michaels, and an ambulance match against Kane. (There are many more including the handicap Hell In a Cell, and the Iron Man match against the Big Show, but I am just too lazy to get the links to them).
He also takes as many risks as any extremist I've ever seen. Let's be real here. ECW needs reviving, and we have Shane McMahon who (correct me if I'm wrong) is one of two wrestlers who have ever gone coast to coast..the other being RVD (the best athlete in wrestling). How can WWE let his talent go to waste? How can they let him just appear in his father's corner? Yes I know he has a job other then wrestling (the WWE Executive Vice President of Global Media), but he is exciting and he is creative. His entrance is hilarious, but cool, and his moveset is nothing short of amazing. In fact, Shane should be the main heel of this new Corporation that the McMahons have going.
Let me ask you readers a question. Would you rather see an extreme rules match between Vince McMahon and Lashley, Umaga and Lashley, or Shane McMahon and Lashley? If you said one of the first two, I would love to hear your reasoning.
Think of Shane as a singles wrestler on ECW. Shane vs. CM Punk, Shane vs. Elijah Burke. Although to some, these two matches may not sound as enticing as CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke, I think that Shane could bring some serious heat.
Let's put it this way...Shane would be as good in ECW as Chris Benoit, Edge, or Rey Mysterio (two of whom came FROM ECW). You have to give a man some respect when he jumps off of a Titantron...three times.
Like I said before, if you disagree, then tell me. Hell, you aren't going to hurt my feelings.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Questions From The Readers
Q: Why didn't you guys do anything on the signing of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua?
A: Good question. I'll do something now. Although the signing of former PRIDE star Shogun brought less fanfare than that of Minotauro, the Brazilian Muay Thai expert is just as deadly. Here's everything I know about him: he's from the same Muay Thai camp (Chute Boxe) as Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva (current UFC Middleweight champion), and Gabriel Gonzaga (#1 contender to the UFC Heavyweight championship). In other words...he knows his stuff. I also know that he hasn't lost in over a year and holds wins over Rampage Jackson and Minotauro (who I ranked #2 among the PRIDE holdouts). Is it possible I overlooked Shogun? It's probable. Finally, I know that Shogun is ranked #2 among the Light Heavyweights in the world. This puts him ahead of Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Minotauro, Tito Ortiz, and Rampage. In the words of Brian Regan...he's good.
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Q: Is the UFC acquiring too much talent for their own good?
A: Yes. And no. The dangers of a monopoly are myriad and well-documented. It's possible that the UFC falls into what the WWE did in the beginning of the current decade. They put everyone out of business, took all their guys, split the rosters, and didn't know how to juggle it all. The UFC, being real, might not have this problem as the reality of it will always appeal to people. The UFC also runs the risk of having so much talent that no one can hold a belt for more than a month. If dynasties like Liddell and Hughes can't form, I guaran-damn-tee that the fans will get bored. On the other hand, it's possible that the ongoing signings of the biggest and the best guys in the sport will continue to draw in new fans. New fighters means different and more interesting matches along with the possibility to see the "Superfights" fans can only dream about now. For those of you keeping score at home, the remaining MMA stars NOT in the UFC are the following: Fedor, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, and Takanori Gomi.
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Q: Who is winning the Liddell-Rampage fight this Saturday?
A: Liddell, hands down. Rampage is great and all but he really doesn't have complete MMA skills. Is he a fantastic fighter? Yeah, he is. Will he get frustrated dealing with Liddell's legendary sprawl, forcing him to abandon his game plan in the first two minutes? I think so. Liddell is enormously improved from 2003 when he lost to Rampage in Japan. While Liddell isn't the most complete Mixed Martial Artist (I give that title to Georges St. Pierre), he's more than equipped to beat Rampage, who just knows street fighting. While his strikes and slams have been enough in the past, they won't do Rampage enough good this Saturday. Now, I'm also the guy who said St. Pierre was going to kill Serra and then followed that by predicting a Cro Cop KO victory over Gonzaga. I'm 0-2 in the last two PPVs, so I expect a call from Liddell's Kempo camp tomorrow, asking me to predict Rampage as the winner.
ECW Results
I must say, not a bad ECW tonight. The two tag teams of RVD/Punk and Burke/Cor Von were nothing short of brilliant and I'd even go as far to say that the ECW tag division, if these teams are kept intact, rivals that of RAW or SMACKDOWN.
Dreamer put up a decent fight but it was still disheartening to see one of my favorite Legends being squashed by Snitsky. I'm tired of seeing Snitsky run through people as though he were talented. Does everyone remember that just a few months ago, he was teaming with Goldust on Heat? After the departure of Goldust, he was..."promoted"...to a jobber on RAW. And now he's ripping through ECW originals and priming himself for a title feud with Bobby Lashley? I just don't see it.
Next was the Kevin Thorn match. I know they're doing this whole post-Ariel angle, but isn't he a little bit too untalented to be winning squash matches? Even if the man can wrestle, and I'm not really sure if he can, squashes should be reserved for the huge and menacing, not just those receiving a push.
I actually enjoyed the Matt Striker match. I thought that Striker and whichever Major brother it was put on a really good match. They seemed to match up well and each used a move that I haven't seen in some time. I doubt they'll turn this into a feud, but it's still nice to know that the ECW execs are capable of solid mid-card programming. It says good things about this year's One Night Stand.
The main event was more or less a singles match between Elijah Burke and RVD. Not that I'm complaining...both were awesome and it makes me even more upset that RVD is leaving. If Burke was willing to do some work under extreme rules (and I don't see why he wouldn't), these two could have an amazing feud reminiscent of old ECW. Unfortunately, the match ended in a DQ for Cor Von not being the legal man. For all the trouble Burke gave Striker earlier regarding winning his match, Elijah didn't seem to be upset at all over the New Breed's loss. If you consider Striker a New Breed member but not Thorn, the stable still went 1-1 on the night, with the loss being a major moral victory.
UFC Main Card Updates
UFC card updates are as follows, with additions in bold:
UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson
Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson (Light Heavyweight title)
Karo Parisyan vs. Josh Burkman
Chris Leben vs. Kalib Starnes
Ivan Salaverry vs. Terry Martin
Keith Jardine vs. Houston AlexanderUFC 72: Victory (SpikeTV)
Rich Franklin vs. Yushin Okami
Forrest Griffin vs. Hector Ramirez
Jason McDonald vs. Rory Singer
Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida
Mauricia "Shogun" Rua may fightUFC 73: Stacked
Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt (Middleweight title)
Sean Sherk vs. Hermes Franca (Lightweight title)
Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring
Kenny Florian vs. Alvin Robinson
UFC 74 (Las Vegas, Nevada: MGM Grand)
Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (Heavyweight title)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia
Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino
UFC 75 (London, England: O2 Arena)
Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes (Welterweight title)
Michael Bisping vs. TBA
Jess Liaudin vs. TBA
UFC 76 (Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Bank Arena)
Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin (Middleweight title)
Monday, May 21, 2007
RAW Results
Okay, so it wasn't quite as bad as I said it would be, but tonight's RAW was no WrestleMania X, either. It started out on a very positive note, with the announcement that this year's One Night Stand will feature ALL extreme rules matches. As much as Drew and I love One Night Stand 2005, we never understood why some of the matches fell under regular rules.
As Drew predicted, the Carlito/Flair feud will continue. This match was all right, but I think if I had seen the PPV last night, I would have been bored to death with this repeat.
Next, there was a women's match during which I left to make a delicious pork roll sandwich. It was an excellent sandwich, consisting of two pieces of pork roll with a slice of melted cheese in the middle and another one on top. Then, I put the whole thing on a toasted honey wheat English muffin. By the time I finished, Lashley was beating up on Masters and I was far more satisfied than had I watched the women's match. Does the Masters squash loss mean that his IC title run is done for? It's something to watch.
I LOVED seeing Dykstra and Nitro together. As you know, they're both "Guys I Like" and it was awesome to see some real tag teams. I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth, but the division...is not that bad. They just need to replace Murdoch, who is a mess next to the HHH-esque Cade. With the Hardyz and the World's Greatest Tag Team, RAW finally has a second legitimate division.
Cena had a decent promo with Khali before which he interestingly entered to less boos than he has been accustomed to. The WWE really did a nice job of selling the submission and I like the controversy angle. They used to use it more often (Royal Rumble 1994 or WrestleMania XII, anyone?), and I always bought into it.
This was followed by more Lashley nonsense including matches against Umaga and Shane-O-Mac. Normally, I love a good Shane match, but he wasn't given a chance to do any of his usual coast-to-coast business. If nothing else, we'll get to see the street fight at One Night Stand.
Overall, not a bad RAW and a nice transition between PPVs. I would like to see some different combinations, some title matches, and improved backstage promos, but it wasn't the worst I've seen. Overall grade: C+
