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.