UFC 73: What's Next?

In my last post, UFC 73: Quick Results, I didn't really get into the details of what happened at the event, why certain outcomes were noteworthy, and where the UFC and its fighters go from here. I didn't do any of that. But I'll do it now.

Who does Sean Sherk fight next?
A little-known 155 pounder named Masson Liang. Just kidding...actually, I don't know who he's going to fight. Since the Lightweight division is relatively new and unfilled, who is to take the takedown master on while all the Welterweights cut pounds? I don't really need to see a rematch with Florian and Penn seems to be more interested in fighting up a class. BJ is no longer the svelte Hawaiian who took out Caol Uno in 11 seconds. Maybe Nick Diaz or Sports Illustrated cover boy Roger Huerta? It's possible, but there's nothing currently in the works. With 9 events in between Sherk's last two bouts, don't expect a title defense before the New Year.

What happens in Silva-Franklin II?
The same damn thing. But before I get into that, let me just say that I'm ecstatic to have a champion who can hold a belt for more than one defense. I really could've done without a Marqurdt upset and Anderson Silva has made me a very happy man. Now, onto the UFC 76/77 fight between Ace and The Spider. I don't see how it goes any different. Silva's only gotten better and had more experience, he always looks prepared, and boy, can he strike. How does Franklin win this fight? He'd be better off cutting to Welterweight than sticking around in Silva's division for the next half decade.

What do Tito and Evans do now?
Nothing? Maybe? I don't know. If Tito hadn't held the cage, he'd probably have a unanimous decision, but that wouldn't overshadow the fact that Evans was able to hang with Ortiz. Unfortunately, this fight didn't serve its proposed dual purposes: take out the trash of the LHW division and end the bad blood between these two in a bloody and violent fashion. First, the former purpose: instead of leaving us with just one of these fighters to join the pantheon of UFC LHW elites (Rampage, Liddell, Shogun, Hendo), we've got 1 champion and about a million guys who think they deserve a title shot. There's nothing worse than a UFC fighter who thinks he deserves a shot. And now we have six of them. Just throw a Grand Prix tournament already! Now, the second purpose: in an unsuccessful bid to hype up a fight and have it come through, the UFC was left with a lackluster performance which left much to be desired. These guys were supposed to rip into each other like animals! And when they didn't, fans booed. Will we trust the UFC military-industrial promotional complex next month, when they hype up their new God, Josh Koscheck? Probably not. If you havent seen the new UFC 74 website, go there now. Rogan calls Kos "the best athlete in MMA" and "the best at takedowns." Had I known that Rogan was so adept at building people up into something they aren't, I would've had him asking girls out for me all along. "Ben's the best looking guy in the world!" he would say. But next month, when he had someone new to promote, he'd say the same thing about them. That's kind of what this is like. Nate Marquardt (you know, the guy who had "all the tools to beat Anderson Silva") must feel dirty after being fucked so badly by the UFC 73 promoters.

Should Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira be worried?
I don't think so. Sure, he got caught with a HUGE kick, BUT, he wasn't knocked out and he won the fight. I think Big Nog probably underestimated Herring (whom he beat twice in PRIDE) and even admitted that the UFC was the big leagues of MMA (after the fight). He'll need to prepare a little more for the next one, but as far as shaking off those first fight jitters, I think he did a nice job. Similarly, Rampage and Cro Cop seemed a little tentative during their debuts at UFC 67. Rampage followed this with a spectacular second fight whereas Cro Cop got KTFO by Gonzaga. What will happen to Big Nog? It will largely depend on whom he fights, but if I had to place a bet (on the -700 favorite), I'd say he'll be quite all right.