Earlier this week, the UFC's Thomas Gerbasi announced that TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping would be dropping to his natural weight class following a less than stellar effort against Matt Hamill and a split decision loss to Rashad Evans.
UFC's Middleweight class is well known for being the least deep while controlled by the sport's most dominant champion. These contrasting truths make this an interesting decision on Bisping's part. On one hand, he will most likely be considered a Top 5 fighter in the division whereas among the 205 pounders, he wasn't among the Top 10. On the other hand, once he climbs the short ladder to a title shot, he'll have his ass handed to him by the most dominant UFC champion since Chuck Liddell.
Bisping elaborated on the move: “Even though I’ve never fought at middleweight, I’ve gone back and forth with the decision to go down pretty much my whole career. Even from my very first pro fight (April 2004), people were telling me that I was a little too small for the light heavies. But I kept winning and, at least before I stepped up to the UFC, I was winning easily so I didn’t really take much notice.”
He'll make that transition at a UFC event in March -- no word yet on whether this will be UFC 83 or a Fight Night event. Sherdog confirmed the announcement with this statement: "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner's first opponent will be fellow TUF alumnus Charles McCarthy. Sources close to American Top Team confirmed to Sherdog.com that the fight will take place in London, England on March 8."
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Bisping To Make Middleweight Debut In March
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Evans And Bisping Turn In Three Round War At 78
Evans squeaked by his TUF counterpart, Houston Alexander got a nasty surprise, and Karo cruised in their respective UFC 78 performances. Quick results below:
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Round Robin Leaves Hamill In The Dust
With Michael Bisping booked against Tito Ortiz's expect opponent (Rashad Evans), and Ortiz being put up against Dan Henderson, Matt Hamill has been left out to dry, with no opponent and no rematch against the man whom he beat.
Apparently, Dana White and Joe Silva are making a conscious effort to let the past be the past and have since booked Bisping and Evans in a match up of TUF winners. The winner will most likely get the UFC "future stamp of approval," setting them up to be the unofficial #2 or #3 contender.
Rather than bother Ortiz with another fight against Evans, he'll face Dan Henderson, which will either resurrect his career...or end it. Similar to Liddell's potential bout with Silva, this is a chance for the two vets to put up or shut up. And for Hendo (and Silva) it's a chance to prove they belong in the world's premier fighting organization.
Meanwhile, the man who actually won a fight in the last three months (something Bisping, Evans, and Ortiz can't say) is stuck without a rematch or even an advancing fight. Personally, I think it has to do with the fact that a deaf fighter would be hard to market to an extremely auditory American audience, and if that's the case, White should be ashamed. It should be Hamill and not Evans who gets the next shot at Bisping. Rather, Hamill should be allowed to bypass them both and take on either Ortiz or Henderson to see if he can hang as the leader among the newest crop of LHW stars.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Around The Horn
Match booking was the name of the game this weekend, as some blockbusters (and equally spectacular surprises) were made official.
FOXSports has the Nogueira-Kongo bout, first scheduled to take place at UFC 79, now happening in "early 2008," according to Dave Meltzer. This fantastic match (and potential #1 contender fight) should be one of the bigger wars we've seen in years. It features one of the true veterans of the sport against the HWs newest star. I know it seems as though the division has a new star every week (Gabriel who?), but Kongo is LEGIT.
Matt Hammil is "in shock" (read: furious) with the Evans-Bisping booking at UFC 78. I can't really understand it either, considering that Rashad Evans-Tito Ortiz and Michael Bisping-Matt Hammil were probably the two most unresolved bouts of the year, but Joe Silva knows what he's doing.
In my most disappointing moment of the weekend, the Kimbo-Tank fight, to be held at Cage Fury 6, has been canceled. I don't know quite what to make of this, considering Tank hasn't fought a meaningful bout in ten years and Kimbo is only a few years removed (okay, a few days) from fighting on the streets of Florida, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Rashad Evans to fight Michael Bisping at UFC 78!
This was a huge surprise to all people (including myself), not to mention Rashad. It will be the first time that two Ultimate Fighter winners will fight each other. This boosts up the UFC 78 card a great amount.
Right as Sherdoggers started complaining about the lack of exciting fights on the UFC 78 card, Dana sets this fight. This is a GREAT move in my opinion, because while doing this, Dana sets up a Tito vs. Henderson fight.
BOOM. UFC 78 would then have two great headliners, plus a Karo fight. This isn't even mentioning the great under card fights that UFC 78 will contain. This is a wonderful decision by Dana.
Being a fan of "The Count", I have to give this one to Bisping. Due to Bisping having a lot to prove to everyone after his controversial "win" over Matt Hamill, he's going to train his ass off and come prepared. However, Rashad didn't win the Ultimate Fighter 2 championship for nothing. He used to train under Dan Severn, and now he's with Jackson's Submission Fighting. Do you think he has some good people to train with? (GSP, Jardine, MacDonald, etc...) Stay tuned to Irish Whip Fighting to see how this plays out. Post your predictions!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bisping Wants Hamill Rematch
Not content to let the scorned Hamill request first, Michael Bisping has jumped the gun and asked for the rematch on his own. He cited constant critiques from the media as his reason to attempt to settle the controversy.
He spoke to The Sun, and said this:
"I’m getting so much shit. I got the decision, I went through the fight and I got the win – it’s not like I went out there and got knocked out in 30 seconds. I think people need to realize that. It was a good, exciting fight and I think people are focusing on the negatives and not looking at the positives."
Bisping admitted that Hamill was improved but also noted that he doesn't need any controversy surrounding his wins. He wants them to be unanimous and definitive. And so now it will be up to Hamill, the man who said Bisping's punches didn't connect during the famed second round, to either accept and make this a certainty or wait for Dana White to declare it on his own.
It will be interesting to see whether or not this rematch takes place in Bisping's home country of England. Many cited a home field advantage for the Brit and suggested that the location played into the judge's decision. Additionally, the UFC has been using Bisping as their star in a campaign to win support in Europe. To have him lose there could be disastrous to their plans. On the flip side, if they let Bisping fight Hamill in England and he happens to win by decision, the credibility of the UFC could be challenged. White is far better off putting his Euro tour on hold just to have this in a neutral U.S. locale.
(Originally written for martialbase.com)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
UFC 75 Is Huge Success
In a beautifully designed event, UFC 75, free on Spike TV, ended up being the most watched UFC event ever. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for UFC/MMA?
We'll start off with some numbers:
In the United States, UFC 75 drew in 4.7 million viewers. It drew in 5.6 million from England. Among men ages 18-34, UFC was the most watched program on television that night...(which consisted of NASCAR, College Football, and the Women's US Open Finals).
Ad my personal favorite statistic: among men ages 18-34, UFC 75 had more then twice asmany viewers then Oregon vs. Michigan, Notre Dame vs. Penn State, Virginia Tech vs. LSU, and NASCAR. UFC had 8 times the viewers that the Women's US Open Finals had.
These are GREAT numbers (especially for the growing sport of MMA). UFC has gained a ton of fans from this. Not only was it on for free, but it hosted several extremely important fights. I know at least 5 of my friends who didn't even know what MMA was, but after I told them to watch UFC 75, they became hooked. (I think one even has a sherdog account already.) My hat goes off to Dana White.
We all know that MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world. How did this happen so quickly? Dana White put together a careful and systematic plan to skyrocket this sport to the top. And it has worked. When did Vince McMahon put on a free event that was treated as a PPV? The closest the WWE comes to a free PPV is Saturday Nights Main Event which can hardly be called exciting. Even though the fights weren't amazing, the sheer availability to fans without cable boxes should be enough to make this a worthwhile long-term deal.
Monday, September 10, 2007
UFC 75 Results
So maybe it wasn't the explosive card most expected, but it provided enough big hits, big submissions, and controversy to classify it as a quality event.
Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara
Alexander continued his post-Jardine KO rise to the top with another dominating performance, this time over more-than-competent Sakara. He should start to get some legitimate contenders in his sights if he continues this run.
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor
I'm going to go ahead and call this the most exciting fight of the night. The Irish Hand Grenade (Davis) took an early lead only to barely get knocked out later in the first round. He fought hard from the Brits guard, eventually ceasing the pounding and ending the fight with what later won "Submission of the night."
Cheick Kongo vs. Mirko Filipovic
Kongo flat out dominated Cro Cop in this three round decision. When striking, Kongo didn't let himself get in CC's range while delivering inside leg kick after inside leg kick. On the ground, where Kongo was supposed to be most suspect, he seemed in control, even though CC had put in weeks with guru Dean Lister. Kongo looked like the former Champion while CC looked confused, nervous, and overwhelmed.
Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill
Although this fight has garnered much controversy, it wasn't as close as some media outlets make it sound. Each fighter had his moments during the fight in a see saw battle that had Bisping ending strong. Personally, I had the fight 29-28 Hamill. No one agreed with me, as two judges put it 29-28 Bisping and one had 30-27 Hamill. I'd expect to see a rematch.
Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson
In the most anticipated bout of the evening, Jackson and Henderson exchanged some flurries but generally remained limited in their exertion. Jackson did win definitively, but it wasn't a bad loss for Henderson, at it was his first trip inside The Octagon. With Liddell and Hendo out of the way, Jackson can now set his sights on Shogun and Wanderlei, two guys who absolutely destroyed him in PRIDE.
Please Stop Whining About Bisping
I don't want to hear that Hamill was cheated out of a win, or the judges were paid, or the UFC has pre-determined decisions. Let's be real here...Bisping won...it's in the past. And just for those of you who make ridiculous claims like "UFC is corrupt!"...Dana White has already announced a rematch...is everyone happy?
I personally feel that although Bisping fought a horrible fight, he should've won. Here's a little excerpt that I found that everyone should read. It is Jeff Mullen (one of the judges for the fight) explaining why he scored Bisping as the winner:"I am only going to tell you why I judged the fight the way I did. Watch the fight again and turn off the sound. Commentary can color what you see. No doubt Hamill dominated the 1st. He hurt Bisping with a right hand right off the bat and again near the end of the round. He out scored Bisping and busted him up. It was a very impressive round for Hamill but still a 10-9 round. Not dominant enough for 10-8. Watch the beginning of the second round closely. When Hamill throws the jab,Bisping slips the punch and hits him with his own counter jab. It is hard to see on camera because Hamill's back is to the camera. His back was also to Goldie who was talking like the beginning of this round was like a continuation of the 1st. If you look you will see that Hamill is facing me giving me a clear view of what is landing.Bisping was landing the jab again and again and not getting hit. Hamill got 2 takedowns in rounds 2 and 3 but did very little with them. Bisping is using an active guard trying to turn for armbars and sweeps, Hamill is doing very little on top. Bisping is keeping him from scoring or improving his position. In the 3rd round Bisping actually lands more punches from the bottom than Hamill does from the top. In both the 2nd and 3rd rounds Bisping does more scoring."
And my personal favorite part of the explanation:"Striking. Under pride style scoring Hamill would have won. He did more damage, but it was all in the 1st round. By 10 point must system Bisping won the fight 2 rounds to 1. 29-28 Bisping. Sometime the angle you see the fight effects your decision. That is why they put the judges on 3 different sides. BY THE WAY MARIO YAMASAKI THOUGHT BISPING WON ROUNDS 2 AND 3 ALSO. MARIO WAS THE REF AND HAD A BETTER VIEW THAN ANY OF US. I have never taken a payoff as some of you have suggested and never will. You may not agree with my decision but please don't question my honesty."
As Mullen said, under PRIDE rules Hamill would've won, because of the damage he inflicted upon Bisping. However, Bisping won the fight because all of Hamill's damage came in the first round. Even if you disagree with the decision, the crying should stop because we're going to have ourselves a rematch.
Please comment. I'd love to argue with you.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Kongo and Hamill look to defy Cro Cop and Bisping at UFC 75
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With UFC 75 being polished for delivery, it is easy to forget the historic Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Dan Henderson title unification bout is not the only fight on the card. Mirko Cro Cop looks to use Cheick Kongo as a Gabriel Gonzaga stand in, while Matt Hamill sets out to prove he would have won season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter. Get in-depth now!
Quinton Jackson battles Dan Henderson to unify the UFC and Pride 205 titles on September 8, 2007 in London, England. The magnetism of what could be mixed martial arts’ most important fight in history is well deserved. There is, however, an undercard that requires attention.
Mirko Cro Cop was once known as MMA’s stand-up fighting version of fear. After capturing Pride’s 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion, the Croatian left behind Japan’s honored war zone for the rabid arenas of the UFC.
The structural change of the fighting arena, which Crocop failed to train for, caught up with him in the form of severe underdog and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Gabriel Gonzaga.
“Napao” knocked out Cro Cop with a head kick eerily familiar to the highlights Cro Cop reeled off in Pride.
Cro Cop’s upcoming UFC 75 showdown with Cheick Kongo relies entirely on his mental state. Is the sound of fury that sent him terrorizing Pride’s ranks after an upset loss to Kevin Randleman in 2005 ringing again?
Cro Cop has expressed desire to retire, but his fighting future should not factor into the Kongo equation. The thirty-two-year old cannot look past his opponent with lackadaisical training and/or a tentative performance that typically characterize his losses.
He appears to be rededicated. He bought a cage. He is training in real jiu-jitsu (as opposed to submission defense) with one of the world’s best in Dean Lister. In addition, he added Gilbert Yvel and Remy Bonjaski to prepare his striking for the Thai boxer.
As Cro Cop has said himself, no one can beat him if he comes forward.
The trouble is Kongo will come forward. The mammoth stalks opponents and can send fighters reeling along with strong hands and sharp knees. His key to victory is to close the distance against the superior striker, negating Cro Cop’s NASCAR-fast precision leg kicks. Training with Juanito Ibarra and an array of top fighters in that camp, Kongo will elevate his game and look far better than he did in his impressive defeat of Assuerio Silva.
While both fighters are improving their groundwork, no one is likely to take it to the ground. This will be a stand-up fight.
Cro Cop must be violent grace under pressure against Kongo’s assault. A win for the Frenchman would thrust him into the title picture. A loss for Cro Cop will regale him to unjust criticisms of being a “has been” and a “never was” and to the backseat of the UFC’s heavyweight division. Given years of fighting elite competition, Crocop should be fear incarnate again, however, do not believe victory a certainty. That is certain defeat.
A light heavyweight showdown between Michael Bisping and Matt Hamill can be billed as The Ultimate Fighter season 3 Finale that never happened.
This fight has compelling implications of the participant’s future. A hearty Hamill can be an early awakening for the undersized Wolfslair Gym star. While “The Hammer” lacks experience, wrestling is the one discipline that can grind out an MMA win without a full arsenal of martial weapons. If he can suffocate a win out of “The Count,” it lends weight to Tito Ortiz’s prodigious image of the physically impaired fighter.
Top-flight training makes the difference in this bout. England’s favorite son has been sparring with Quinton Jackson and the mastermind behind “Rampage,” Juanito Ibarro. Bisping can submit, pound out, or knockout the Ohio native. Hamill only has the option of a decision victory unless he can summon Sobral-Heath-esque ground and pound to demoralize the gritty Brit to a technical knockout.
Kongo and Hamill are the unanimous underdogs, but MMA is exciting because stacked odds are often caught in swirling winds.
*By Danny Acosta
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Does Bisping Deserve Better?
TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping, who is now set to take on Matt Hamill at UFC 75, has routinely expressed his displeasure with this opponent, citing that he should be facing only the best in his climb to the top. The undefeated Brit had this to say on the topic: “And if he’s hoping that I’m gonna cut corners in training he’ll be very upset when he reads this – because I’m going to Big Bear to train for a month with Rampage Jackson. That’s how keen I am to put on the performance of my life and smash this arrogant egomaniac to bits. I’ve done a complete 180 – I’ve never been so excited and motivated for a fight in my career because I am fighting a guy I can’t stand personally. No way am I losing to this egomaniac – and I am really excited to go to California to train with a fighter of the level of Rampage.”
Bisping also mentioned that he considers it a step backwards since he won The Ultimate Fighter and Hamill did not. Some have called this brash, but I've got to agree...for a number of reasons. First, Bisping is essentially the only real link the UFC has to England. They poured more money into their UFC 70 event than any other in history (as far as advertising goes) in a bid to win over all of Europe. Who was their poster boy? Bisping. Who are they planning the UFC 75 pre-fight activities around? You guessed it. Using Bisping for 2 of 6 fights and then handing him Matt Hamill is plain highway robbery.
Another undefeated TUF fighter, Rashad Evans, got to fight Tito Ortiz and immediately make a name for himself. Bisping has been stuck beating up on old UFC Legends and new guys who no one knows. Had he been offered an opponent of Ortiz's caliber, and been able to pull off a win, he would without a doubt be in higher regard among UFC matchmakers and Sherdoggers alike. Even if Bisping was given his original opponent of Ken Shamrock, he would have been able to make a statement by beating one of the true Legends and start to receive some real attention.
Since none of these decisions have gone Bisping's way, it'll be up to him to prove everyone wrong and make Matt Hamill into his own personal example.
Article originally posted on MartialBase.com
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
UFC 75: Bisping to Square Off Against Hamill
The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, Michael "The Count" Bisping, is looking to make some big changes as far as training goes. Bisping has found a new training partner for his upcoming fight against fellow TUF 3 participant Matt Hamill. Bisping will be training with UFC's light heavywewight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson up in Big Bear.
In a recent UFC.com article, Bisping rants and raves about his disapproval of upcoming opponent Matt Hamill. Bisping thinks that a win against Hamill will not only be a walk in the park, it would do nothing for him in terms of moving up in the light heavyweight division, Bisping actually believes it will be "a backwards step because he[I] won The Ultimate Fighter."
Bisping is hoping to send out the message to Hamill about his new training camp for the fight.
Bisping had this to say:“And if he’s hoping that I’m gonna cut corners in training he’ll be very upset when he reads this – because I’m going to Big Bear to train for a month with Rampage Jackson. That’s how keen I am to put on the performance of my life and smash this arrogant egomaniac to bits. I’ve done a complete 180 – I’ve never been so excited and motivated for a fight in my career because I am fighting a guy I can’t stand personally. No way am I losing to this egomaniac – and I am really excited to go to California to train with a fighter of the level of Rampage.”
Michael "The Count" Bisping, for those not too familiar, is also Cage Warriors Fighting Championship's former light-heavyweight champion, as well as Cage Rage's former light-heavyweight champion. Bisping holds an undefeated professional record of 13 wins and no losses. His most recent win was over UFC long timer Elvis Sinosic, whom Bisping defeated via TKO by strikes at UFC 70: Nation's Collide.
Matt Hamill, the elder of the two, was also on The Ultimate Fighter 3 alongside Bisping and also holds a perfect record of 3 wins and no losses. Hamill's latest win was against Rex Holman at UFC 68: The Uprising, winning in similar fashion as Bisping's most recent win, by TKO due to strikes.
Michael "The Count" Bisping is set to face Matt Hamill at UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion on September 8th at The O2 arena in London, England.
UFC 75 will be featured for free on Spike TV via tape delay.
I think Bisping should be able to walk over Hamill with relative ease, especially since he will be training with "Rampage" in Big Bear for this fight. Bisping has a significant advantage on the feet and is pretty attains a pretty well-versed ground game on top of that. However, I don't think a win against Hamill will be a setback to Bisping's UFC career, it'll just be another feather in his hat to boast about.
Bisping is becoming a premier player in the UFC's light heavyweight division and always putting on a good show, with all his wins ending by way of KO/TKO or submission.
The Lianger
Monday, July 16, 2007
UFC 75 to Air FREE on Spike TV!
So it looks like UFC president Dana White isn't as Satanic as he makes himself seem, he can do us some good deeds from time to time. White recently announced that UFC's next "stacked" card, UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion, will be aired for FREE on Spike TV via tape delay, as UFC 70 was.
Spike TV will be airing UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion, scheduled for September 8 from the O2 Arena in London, English, free of charge at 9 P.M. E/T via tape delay.
Official word and specifics regarding the free airing of UFC 75 can be found in this press release issued by the UFC.
Last time a major UFC event was aired on television was of course UFC 70: Nations Collide in Manchester, England, where we all got to see Mirko "Cro Cop's" head ripped off my Gonzaga's foot.
Nonetheless, we're going to get to see yet another UFC event without having to dish out fifty big ones. The card's main event includes a light heavyweight title fight with UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and PRIDE's welterweight and middleweight champ Dan "Hollywood" Henderson.
Mirko "Cro Cop" will also be facing Cheick Kongo, let's just hope he comes serious this time. The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight winner Michael Bisping will also be joining the card as he is set to face off against former castmate Matt Hamill.
And just to remind you, the Jackson-Henderson main event will in fact be the first ever title unification bout, which was confirmed earlier this month.
I can't wait for this fight, I'll just have to keep myself from checking the live play-by-play's this time around!
Thank you Mr. White for this. :)
The Lianger
Thursday, June 21, 2007
UPDATE: Shamrock v. Bisping
Last Monday rumors of Ken Shamrock facing Michael Bisping were floating around the Internet, claiming Shamrock to be Matt Hamill's replacement for UFC 75.
Despite the rumors about Shamrock and Bisping, former opponent Matt Hamill is still set to face Michael Bisping on September 8th's UFC 75 event.
Matt Hamill (3-0) was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 3 television series and currently trains under Tito Ortiz. Hamill's most recent win was at UFC 68: The Uprising, where he pulled the victory against Rex Holman via TKO (due to strikes), just four minutes into the first round.
Looks like Ken Shamrock is going to have to join the audience and sit this one out.
Last Monday's article can be found here.
The Lianger
Monday, June 18, 2007
UFC 75: Bisping vs. Shammy?
The rumors claim yet another addition to UFC 75's card. According to The Fight Network, The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight winner Michael Bisping (13-0) will go toe-to-toe with UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock (26-12-2), in place of Matt Hamill, at UFC 75 in London, England on Sept. 8.
Shamrock suffered a loss to Franklin, Sakuraba, and Ortiz twice, all by way of TKO in his most recent MMA matches. With Shamrock's string of bad luck upon his return, who knows what Bisping, who is undefeated in the Octagon, has in store for good ol' Shammy. Bisping's three wins in the Octagon have all been way of TKO.
This would be the 43-year-old Shamrock's chance to pull a "Randy Couture" and come out with a victory.
Stay classy,
The Lianger
Friday, June 1, 2007
The Future of the UFC
While it's a good bit of fun to try to figure out who will fight at UFC 75 (just a few months away with no real bouts), I find it even more entertaining to look..oh, say five years ahead and think about who will be fighting who for the title. In five years, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and Tito Ortiz will all be retired. Current champions Anderson Silva and Sean Sherk will be on the downswing of their careers. And Randy Couture...well, Randy Couture will probably still be fighting. With injuries, streaks, and simple luck factoring into the roulette wheel that is the UFC, I now will do my best to present you with the title fights you will most likely be seeing in five years time. And now, I get to use the catchphrase I've been waiting to use for some time now...Never heard of these guys? Dont worry; you will.
Heavyweight
Andrei Arlovski vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Now, some of you might dispute this pick, but if you look at the current age and health levels of the PRIDE crossovers (Cro Cop, Minotauro), they just won't be around. Arlovski (pictured), however, is rarely injured and is just 28 years old. This seems impossible since he's been around forever, but the former champion who holds a win over Tim Sylvia will just keep getting better. He'll only be 33 in five years and will be at his prime. Sylvia won't want a part of him then. Gonzaga, also 28, is a Chute Boxe prodigy who took down Cro Cop without a mark on his body en route to a title shot against Randy Couture (coming up at UFC 74). As he fights more top guys, this BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) expert will improve further and elongate his career.
Light heavyweight
Michael Bisping vs. Rashad Evans
Bisping, 28 and 13-0, is constantly improving and learning new disciplines. With his bringing in a large share of the Western European market (okay, the whole share), he'll get pushed to the top even if he doesn't turn out to be the next Chuck Liddell. Evans (pictured), 27 and 15-0, seems to be the more promising fighter. He's facing Tito Ortiz at UFC 73, and a win there should propel him into matches with the likes of Henderson, Rampage, and Shogun. Evans is an accomplished submission fighter -- something which will help him win fights in a division which rarely utilizes submission as well as keep him out of the path of large, looping lefts.
Middleweight
Kendall Grove vs. Yushin Okami
Grove (pictured), who is a precocious 24 years old and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3, is a dangerous and smart fighter. If I had a column about fighters who will still be around in 15 years, Grove would probably be on the list. In 5 years, however, he'll just be getting real attention for the first time. And deservedly so -- this Tito Ortiz prodigy and member of Team Punishment is on a 4 fight win streak with 75% coming by way of submission. As I said before, those submission fighters stay around longer than the guys who just trade bombs. Case in point: Liddell was just suspended through June for the shots he took from Rampage at UFC 71. Okami, who is 25 years old and holds an impressive 21-3 record, enters his fight at UFC 72 on a six fight win streak (he's also won 12 of his last 13). Modeled after guys like Caol Uno and Takanori Gomi, his classic Japanese style will serve him well in the Octagon for years to come.
Welterweight
Diego Sanchez vs. Georges St. Pierre
Sanchez (pictured), who is just 25 years old, recently received his first loss at the hands of Josh Koscheck (decision). However, he's still the younger fighter and he's probably the better fighter. Sanchez looked stiff against Koscheck, but that will loosen up with age and experience. And with a decade of fighting ahead of him, Sanchez has that time in his favor. He's beaten Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs, making him one of the more tested Welterweights outside of the Trinity (Hughes, St. Pierre, Serra). Speaking of Georges St. Pierre, I think he will keep getting better and when all is said and done, will be considered the greatest Welterweight to ever compete in the UFC. For all he's accomplished (beating BJ Penn AND Matt Hughes), he's still just 26 years old. He'll have a million more opportunities and countless years to perfect his lethal blend of striking and ground work.
Lightweight
Roger Huerta vs. Joe Stevenson
Huerta, 24 years old and recently on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has won all three of his UFC fights and looks to be one of the more promising fighters in the division. His slightly rudimentary style is suspect at times, but his decisive victories (a 19 second knockout being among them) more than make up for the questions which linger. Stevenson (pictured), also 24 and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2, has won his last three fights and only seems to be improving his BJJ skills. I consider BJJ to be the most dangerous of the styles featured in the UFC (look at St. Pierre or Royce Gracie), and improved ability in this discipline can only mean more tallies in the win column for Stevenson. With most of his victories coming on the ground, he'll have the health to stick around and be a contender five years from now.
Poll results: 66% of respondents think that the WWE rosters should not be combined (33%-yes) and 75% of respondents believe that Chuck Liddell is still the best fighter in UFC's Light heavyweight division (25%-Shogun).
Monday, April 23, 2007
Serra's been a "terra" long before recent TKO
