MMA Eruption!

Athletes and Fighters: A BJ Penn Fan's Hangover

2009-02-01T12:40:00.001-05:00

As of midnight last night, BJ Penn was my favorite fighter in the world. I always loved his aggressive yet technical fighting style, his brash attitude, and willingness to take risks in his career by taking on bigger guys.

I'm still a BJ Penn fan this morning following his destruction at the hands of Georges St. Pierre, but I can't remember being more disappointed in a fighter.

I feel like I was slapped in the face for believing that BJ was prepared for this fight, ready to give Georges St. Pierre a run for his money in the UFC's welterweight division.

But BJ was actually in better shape for their original match at UFC 58 than he was last night. He insulted his incredibly loyal, passionate, and forgiving fan base by coming into the fight in such terrible shape -- especially when you take into account how much smack he talked before this bout.

The boy from Hilo called GSP a lot of things, the worst of them being 'quitter.' Now MMA fans are calling BJ a quitter for not coming out for the fifth round. But that's wrong. BJ isn't a quitter because his corner very smartly threw in the towel.

BJ quit before the fight started because he wasn't prepared.

Ahead of the event, BJ continually stressed that technique can overcome size and strength differences. He just ignored a few details. Like the fact that superb technique only goes so far when you're exhausted. Inhuman flexibility means nothing when you can't get in enough oxygen. A granite chin will crack if somebody hits it enough times.

BJ also enjoyed calling himself a fighter while deeming GSP nothing but an athlete. I just wish BJ would realize that you need to be both in mixed martial arts, even with his natural gifts.

A true fighter has the will to get in the cage and put his life on the line. A true fighter will move forward against an opponent trying to take his head off. A true fighter will fight anyone put in front of him.

A true athlete will constantly challenge himself. A true athlete will improve his skills on a regular basis. A true athlete will surround himself with the right people.

BJ is a true fighter, but he doesn't have the will, spirit, and perhaps even the confidence to be a a great athlete. And that's just not enough in a world filled with guys like Georges St. Pierre.

GSP to Beat BJ Penn by Leg Lock???

2009-01-31T08:36:00.004-05:00

Man, it's been a while since I posted and rather than list my excuses, I'm going to jump right in and discuss a potential strategy Georges St. Pierre may pursue in his fight against BJ Penn tonight at UFC 94.

GSP has repeatedly said that his goal is to finish BJ Penn, a feat only achieved by Matt Hughes at UFC 63 after Penn suffered a rib injury. BJ undoubtedly has one of the best ground games in the world, particularly when it comes to defending himself on the bottom the improving his position by passing the guard. In fact he's so slick on the ground that I can't remember anyone getting even halfway close to a decent submission attempt on him.

Enter the highly motivated and athletic GSP.

Georges spent part of last year in Brazil honing his BJJ skills with leg lock specialist Gustavo Machado. And since then, GSP has received his black belt from Bruno Fernandes of Gracie Barra. Given his desire to finish BJ, there is a very good chance GSP will be going for a submission, and most likely it will be an attack on the Hilo boy's legs. GSP wants to build a legacy, and there aren't many better ways to do it than submitting the best BJJ practitioner in MMA.

If you've picked up the excellent Renzo Gracie: Legacy DVD, you know that one of the extras is a training session in which Matt Serra and Ricardo Almeida prep Renzo for his 2005 fight against BJ Penn. During that practice, we learned that Ralph Gracie (Renzo's brother and BJ's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor up to purple belt) told Renzo that BJ tapped to leg locks quite a bit in practice.

And we do know that Renzo trained GSP to fight BJ at UFC 58. I'm sure that little tidbit about BJ Penn being susceptible to leg locks came up in their training sessions, though GSP never attempted a sub against BJ.

Now, landing a leg lock on BJ will not be easy. BJ's legs are extremely flexible and getting those legs into an uncomfortable position won't be easy. And when it comes to practicing BJJ, many people will tap early to leg attacks because it is very easy to cause serious injuries with them, making what happened in practice back in the 90's somewhat irrelevant.

To recap, the train goes like this:

Ralph Gracie trains BJ Penn -->> sees BJ tap to leg locks -->> tells Renzo Gracie -->> Renzo tells GSP -->> GSP trains with leg lock specialist in 2008 -->> GSP attempts a leg lock on BJ tonight.

TUF 8 Finale: Phillipe Nover was Jinxed!

2008-12-14T08:19:00.010-05:00

I thought the TUF Finale was a pretty good show. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson got some sweet revenge with his headkick knockout of that eye-poking Kevin Burns guy. Junie Browning actually looked like a legitimate MMA fighter in his domination of Dave Kaplan, though Kaplan obviously isn't ready for the UFC. And Ryan Bader knocked out BJJ wizard Vinicius Magalhaes to become the TUF 8 light heavyweight winner, pleasing those who viewed the latter as a pretty boy that doesn't like to get hit.

But most importantly, lightweight standout Phillipe Nover lost Efrain Escudero. Not by decision. Not by submission. Not by corrupt judges. Not by lay and pray. It was BY JINX!

During the season, Dana White was pumping Nover up like crazy, comparing him to Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. And you know the UFC was praying for Nover to win so they could use him as a poster boy in the Philippines, a key new market for the UFC.

The UFC also scheduled the lightweight finale for AFTER the light heavyweight bout, something that never happens. The little guys always fight first! We should also ask, did Phillipe get cocky? Com one, those sunglasses in the picture above make him look just a little arrogant

The UFC was obviously setting Nover up to be a big star but hopefully they've learned that in the wacky world of MMA, you can't plan too far ahead.

Other observations:

-I can't believe the UFC awarded Browning and Kaplan fight of the night. Their match was far from boring, but it was pretty obvious from the start that Kaplan was overmatched. The Johnson/Burns match was far better.

Umm, umm, umm, can't come up with anything else right now. That's it!

3 Reasons Why Faber vs. Pulver 2 is an AWFUL Idea!

2008-11-25T18:57:00.007-05:00

The wonderful folks over at MMAWeekly.com are reporting that the WEC is planning a rematch between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver at WEC 38 on January 25th. Both guys are coming off tough losses at WEC 36 are are likely very eager to get back in the cage and prove themselves again.

However, the WEC would be making a huge mistake by holding this match.

First, Urijah Faber is the WEC's golden boy and the promotion did take a small blow when he was knocked out by Mike Brown. Jens Pulver is clearly past his prime, but he is still a very powerful striker and could catch Pulver with a punch and put him out. People are still chalking up Faber's loss to Brown as something of a fluke, but two losses in a row would seriously damage his image as one of the world's top 145-pounders.

Secondly, a win over Jens Pulver just isn't considered a very big deal. Jens has lost four of his last five fights, and seven of his last ten. While these losses have mostly been to big names like BJ Penn, Takanori Gomi, and Faber, a win over a guy on a streak this bad just wouldn't do much in terms for Faber's rep.

And finally, Jens Pulver should not be getting back in the cage so soon after such a brutal loss. He's at that point in his career where he should start seriously thinking about how much damage his brain has taken, and whether or not he should continue fighting. Plus, if the WEC cares about keeping Pulver, they should give him an easier opponent.

Jon Fitch Cut By UFC!

2008-11-20T00:49:00.003-05:00

MMAMania.com is reporting that top-ranked welterweight Jon Fitch, along with heavyweight Christian Wellisch, has been released by the UFC for refusing to sign away exclusive video-game rights to his name and likeness. MMAMania also noted that other fighters out of the American Kickboxing Academy camp, namely Josh Koscheck, could also be let go if they don't sign an agreement.

This is pretty disturbing news. Signing away any kind of rights for life is a VERY big deal to any professional athlete, so it's not really surprising that some fighters are willing to walk away. I could understand if the UFC wanted rights for a reasonable time period, but lifetime is pretty extreme.

This is especially true since some MMA stars like Georges St. Pierre are on the cusp of mainstream stardom. It's not crazy to imagine a guy like GSP breaking out as an action star after some acting lessons, and the rights to his name and likeness in video games could be enormously valuable five or seven years from now.

Grappling Wars: 3 Possible Opponents for Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett

2008-11-17T12:14:00.005-05:00

Dustin Hazelett is quickly making a name for himself in the UFC's welterweight division with his highlight-reel submission finishes like his amazing armbar on Josh Burkman at the TUF 7 Finale, which is #2 in this armbar highlight video:

And just this past Saturday at UFC 91, Dustin again won submission of the night honors with a devastating reverse armbar on latest victim Tamdan McCrory.

So who could be next for Hazelett in the UFC's competitive welterweight division? I have three guys in mind:

Karo Parisyan

Karo has been suffering from panic attacks which have plagued his ability to get in the cage and fight competitively. However, the UFC must have faith in Karo's ability to return to his old form because they just signed him to a new eight fight deal.

A Parisyan/Hazelett fight could be an amazing BJJ vs. Judo war. Neither guy's striking is anything special, but I'd have my eyes glued to the screen waiting for Dustin to slap on a nasty submission or for Karo to toss him through the air.

Dong Hyun Kim

Interestingly enough, Kim is another judo guy, though taller and stronger than Karo. When Kim is on his game, he is absolutely brutal. At UFC 84, I actually felt sorry for his opponent Jason Tan who could not mount any sort of offense on Kim. Kim didn't do as well against Matt Brown at UFC 88 as he slowed a bit in the second round, but I still consider him a key up-and-comer in the welterweight division.

Hazelett vs. Kim could be a great second fight at an Ultimate Fight Night, and would make for a dazzling display of grappling. In fact, it would probably be even more exciting than a Hazelett/Parisyan fight.

Jake Shields

Jake Shields would be a great addition to the UFC's stable of 170-pounders, assuming he can get out of his EliteXC contract, and is willing to face top competition in the UFC.

Like Hazelett, Shields is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist that likes to finish fights. Shields also has a pretty average striking game, so there's no doubt a fight with Hazelett would go to the ground fairly quickly. The result would likely be a lightning-fast display of submission attempts and counters.

Hazelett would also be a perfect test to see where Shields really stands in the 170-pound division. Shields isn't ready for guys like Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves, but Hazelett is a perfect opponent. Both guys are on the cusp of the top-10 rankings, and a victory would put either guy close to the top of the division.

UFC 91 Was the Best MMA Event of 2008

2008-11-16T09:54:00.004-05:00

I was pretty worried headed into UFC 91. It didn't seem that the UFC was very much interested in building out a well-rounded card, but the fights were absolutely awesome as just about every fighter on the card put on a great show. Everyone was looking to finish, and the UFC truly delivered maximum bang for the buck by squeezing every fight from the event into the three-hour time slot. In fact, i was so elated by UFC 91 that I forgive the company for UFC 78.

Now, let's look at the key takeaways from UFC 91:

Kenny Florian is the Real Deal

I was sure Joe Stevenson would come out on top in this bout, but Kenny looked fantastic last night. I was simply stunned at how easily he buzz-sawed through Joe Stevenson on the ground, and by how confident he looked in the cage.

Kenny was also smart in calling out BJ Penn during his post-fight interview. BJ clearly has no will to stay in the lightweight division, but maybe a little smack-talk can change that? BJ is a nightmare for any lightweight - he's a great striker with an iron chin, has the best takedown defense in MMA, and otherworldly grappling skills. So I don't think Kenny has a chance in hell of taking him out. But if BJ stays at welterweight permanently, Kenny Florian/Sean Sherk II could be a monster fight.

Brock Lesnar is a Dream Champion for the UFC

Brock Lesnar beating Randy Couture was the best possible outcome for the UFC last night. The fact that Brock is a cocky ex-pro wrestler who had an easy road to a title shot simply pisses a lot of people off, and that's going to make people even more eager to see him lose. The result? Brock Lesnar is now an even bigger pay-per-view draw.

Assuming Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira destroys Frank Mir at UFC 92, the build for a Lesnar/Nogueira match could be simply amazing. Nogueira is impossible to finish and has made a career from coming back from the dead to win fights. Plus, a Lesnar/Nogueira match definitely has some Pride-style freak show appeal to it. If the UFC aggressively promotes Nog to US fans, it could be a huge success on pay-per-view.

Demian Maia Should Face a Top Grappler

Demian is one of my favorite fighters in the UFC as he's just destroying anybody foolish enough to tangle with him on the ground. He might even be able to give Anderson Silva some trouble. Demian called out Michael Bisping last night, but I'd rather see Demian take on a top-level grappler like Dean Lister or maybe even Thales Leites.

Demian's better than 99% of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, and he could probably submit half of the UFC's middleweight division with one arm tied behind his back. So if he wants a title shot, he should first fight someone who can actually give him a challenge when the fight goes to the ground. Alternately, I think putting Maia up against Nate Marquardt, Wilson Gouveia, or Kendall Grove could make for interesting fights.

UFC 91 Fight Picks - Brains vs. Brawn

2008-11-12T18:56:00.005-05:00

Okay, time to get down to business. I was pretty happy with the results of my fight picks for http://www.mmaeruption.com/2008/10/mma-eruption-almost-wins-ufc-fantasy.html and UFC 90, and I'm looking to do even better with UFC 91. With that event coming up this Saturday, it's time to dig into the fight card.

Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar - I'm finding myself at a loss when trying to pick a winner in this brains vs. brawn matchup. There are so many variables at play that my head is spinning.

We just don't know much about Brock. He's big, fast, and strong, but we don't know if he can take a punch, and how comfortable he is on the bottom defending. Randy's had a lot of big wins in his career, but he's also had trouble with some big guys, namely Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriquez. However, both those guys had vastly superior technical skill sets relative to Brock Lesnar.

This match will come down to Randy's ability to get Brock in the clinch, and how Lesnar reacts once he's put there. If Brock freezes up when Randy pressures him, it's game over. My gut tells me Randy survives an early storm from Brock, then begins to take over in Round 3, squeaking out a decision victory.

Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson - Now this is a match I'm really looking forward to. I have my doubts about the consensus view that Kenny is a top lightweight, and he certainly might prove me wrong on Saturday night.

From a skills standpoint, I'd put Kenny's technique as slightly above Joe's in every category except wrestling. However, I think Joe will his superior physical strength and wrestling to control Kenny, and that will make all the difference in this fight. Roger Huerta didn't have the skills to impose his will on Kenny, but Joe's toolbox is more than enough to get the job done. I see Joe winning by decision as Kenny is too smart to put his neck out there for Joe to grab.

And if I had to put money down on this fight card, I don't see any better bets than Joe Daddy as a +160 underdog.

Nate Quarry vs. Demian Mai - Nate Quarry is a pretty solid all-around fighter and he'll be looking to put on a good show for the crowd given the fiasco that was his fight with Kalib Starnes at UFC 83. Demian Maia, on the other hand, will be going for his fourth straight submission-of-the-night award.

I'm looking at this fight in a fairly simply manner. If the match goes to the ground with any time for Maia to work, he's likely to lock Quarry in a submission. Maia's ground game is unbelievable and Quarry hasn't faced anyone even remotely as skilled.

I'll take Maia by submission.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory - I was bummed about Amir Sadollah being pulled ouf of UFC 91 due to a leg infection, but I perked right up when the Hazelett/McCrory fight was pushed up to the main card

Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett has one of the best ground games in the welterweight division, and I see him using McCrory as a stepping stone into the upper tier of the 170-pounders. McLovin by submission.

As for the other fights, I see:

Gabriel Gonzaga > Josh Hendricks
Jorge Gurgel > Aaron Riley
Rafael Dos Anjos > Jeremy Stephens
Alvin Robinson > Mark Bocek
Matt Brown > Ryan Thomas

Fabricio Werdum Fired By UFC? Huh?

2008-11-10T10:45:00.004-05:00

MMAWeekly.com is reporting that the UFC is giving heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum the boot following his first-round knockout loss to newcomer Junior Dos Santos at UFC 91:

Sources tell MMAWeekly.com that Werdum's exit comes on the heels of a failed contract renegotiation following the loss to dos Santos. The Brazilian came into the fight with the expectation that he would soon be contending for a heavyweight title shot.

The knockout at UFC 90 derailed anything of the like in the near future, and spurred a renegotiation of his contract. Werdum and the UFC were apparently unable to come to an agreement. He has already opened talks with other promotions in the U.S. and Japan.

Assuming this report is true, I can't imagine the justifications the UFC is making for Brandon Vera, who has retained his status as one of the UFC's highest-paid fighters despite putting up a string of lousy performances.

The prospect of Werdum being fired by the UFC doesn't bode well for the promotion's thin heavyweight division, but at the end of the day, Werdum just isn't very marketable, especially following the loss to Dos Santos. But this move is a bit disturbing and it sends a clear message to fighter that the UFC won't ever hesitate to turn on anyone at the drop of a hat.

UFC 91: Kenny "Asterisk Man" Florian's Proving Ground

2008-11-07T08:49:00.008-05:00

Don't get me wrong. I like Kenny Florian. He's a game opponent always striving to fight better competition, and more importantly, he's good for the sport. While The Ultimate Fighter has devolved into a circus of vomit-inducing food tampering, Kenny's friendly personality and professional appearance give the public a different picture of what an MMA fighter can be.

But has he proven himself as a top lightweight? I don't think so.

I call Kenny the "Asterisk Man" because I feel compelled to add an asterisk to just about every one of his victories in the UFC. For example:

Roger Huerta* - With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Roger is an average fighter who couldn't handle quality competition after being fed a string of easier opponents.

Joe Lauzon* - Joe gassed in the second round, essentially handing victory over to Kenny. Prior to that, the match was fairly close and Joe could have grinded out a win.

Din Thomas* - Din blew out his knee against Kenny, leaving Ken-Flo's submission victory looking better on paper than it did in reality.

Kit Cope* and Sam Stout* - Both these guys are one dimensional strikers who obviously weren't ready for anyone with a decent ground game.

Alex Karalexis* - This is a cut stoppage victory over a guy who subsequently moved down to the WEC - not very impressive in my opinion.

So while the UFC is clearly positioning Kenny for a title shot, I'm not sold on the story just yet. From a technical standpoint, Kenny is up there with the best in the UFC's lightweight division, but he needs an impressive win over a top-quality opponent to get me on board.

And at UFC 91, he'll have one to tangle with in Joe Stevenson. Joe will be a huge test for Kenny, mostly because Joe presents a rough approximation of Sean Sherk - a guy who beat Kenny via sheer brute physicality at UFC 64.

Joe Daddy will not go quietly. He has a great ground game and brutal strength, and is coming off a submission victory over Gleison Tibau, the biggest lightweight fighter in MMA. Tibau is so big that Kenny Florian will feel like a little kid in comparison.

Has Kenny's technical skill-set evolved to the point where he can overcome a physically imposing top-10 lightweight? The betting odds say yes, but for now I'm saying no. In fact, if I was a betting man, my money would go on +150 underdog Joe Daddy.

WEC 36 Was a Disaster

2008-11-06T09:17:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning, put my eggs on, and did some deep thinking about last night's WEC 36 event. And now that I've had some time to think about it, the only conclusion I can come to is that the event was a total disaster.

Urijah Faber's loss to Mike Brown was a serious blow to the WEC, as Urijah was their poster boy. After all, we saw about 9,000 energy drink commercials featuring Urijah during the show, and he's been widely regarded as a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter. Nobody thought Brown was a scrub, but he was relatively unknown to casual fans, so there's an appearance that the top dog Faber just lost to a nobody.

We know that Zuffa had been considering putting the WEC on pay-per-view, but now that Faber's star has dimmed a bit, they don't have anyone that can carry a pay-per-view card. And of course, he has to rematch Brown and beat him as soon as humanly possible.

The WEC's middleweight division also took some damage as Paulo Filho looked like a damn fool in his match with Chael Sonnen. The stars weren't exactly aligned for a great match as Filho came in overweight and possibly depressed, and the fight basically had no action save for some conservative striking on the part of Sonnen.

The UFC is folding the WEC's middleweight division into its own, and Filho was pegged as a top contender. Forget that for now, because the guy obviously needs some mental help to get his head together.

One bright spot, however, was Leonard Garcia's TKO victory over Jens Pulver. With a victory over a well-known fighter like Jens Pulver, Leonard Garcia just dramatically built his notoriety as a fighter and put himself in line for a title shot vs. Brown, or potentially a fight with Faber to determine a number-one contender.

WEC 36 Recap - Somebody Get Paulo Filho a Shrink! And Richard Simmons!

2008-11-05T21:45:00.011-05:00

Oh Lordy Lord, WEC 36 started off as a pretty decent show, with the Jake Rosholt/Nissem Osternek providing us with some decent back-and-forth action. I picked Osternek as an underdog, but Rosholt pulled it out with a second-round TKO. However, Rosholt's striking looked pretty awful and he's clearly not ready for the UFC, which will soon absorb the WEC's middleweight division.

Leonard Garcia scored a pretty impressive first-round TKO of Jens Pulver. Garcia is a damn good fighter, but tis was an ugly loss for Lil Evil and he's clearly at a crossroads in his career. You can't knock Jens for losing to top pound-for-pound fighters like BJ Penn and Urijah Faber, but he clearly can't hang with top competition these days.

While I was satisfied with those two fights, the Paulo Filho/Chael Sonnen fight was a complete disaster. Paulo fought four pounds overweight, gassed early, and clearly looked as if he didn't want to be there. And was he taking instructions from an imaginary friend? Because I can't figure out who he was talking to during the match! It wasn't long ago that Paulo was widely considered to be a contender to Anderson Silva's throne, but don't be surprised if he failed the drug test for WEC 36.

And finally, we have the headlining Urijah Faber/Mike Brown fight, which I'm watching right now. And holy crap, Mike Brown just TKO'd Urijah Faber! Now that wasn't supposed to happen, given how many Urijah Faber commercials were played during this broadcast.

Hmmm, Leonard Garcia, meet Mike Brown!

WEC 36 Preview - Nissen Osterneck Worth a Bet

2008-11-05T11:05:00.006-05:00

WEC 36 is on tonight, and hot damn am I pumped for this card!

Even with Paulo Filho ruining his middleweight title fight with Chael Sonnen by coming in 4 pounds above the 185 pound weight limit, you have to be excited for this event. The fight I'm most looking forward to is Jens Pulver vs. Leonard Garcia, which should be awesome as both guys hit hard and like to push the pace. Both Pulver and Garcia are hungry for a win, and Jens appears to be turning over a new leaf in his training, moving away from his typical sprawl and brawl style.

As for Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown, I'm not going crazy over this one because nobody in the WEC can hang with Faber at 145. If the WEC does decide to enter the pay-per-view realm, let's hope Zuffa will pay the big bucks to bring in Kid Yamamoto from Japan. Elsewhere, the Rani Yahya vs. Yoshiro Maeda and Rob McCullough vs. Donald Cerrone fights should provide some excitement.

Now if I had to put a bet down on WEC 36, I'd pick Nissen Osterneck over Jake Rosholt. Jake is an extremely strong wrestler with rudimentary striking, but he's compiled a 4 - 0 MMA record, finishing all his fights. Osterneck, an underdog going off at +260, is no slouch himself and has a much better jiu-jitsu game than Rosholt.

Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle... ...in a Boxing Match?

2008-11-04T16:10:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you folks but I'm pretty peturbed by what Marcus Davis recently said on TAGG Radio regarding his upcoming fight with Chris Lytle at UFC 93:

"Chris Lytle and I want to fight each other," Davis said at the time. "He's expressed that he wants to fight me. I've expressed that I want to fight him.

"We like each other, we respect each other, but we want to have that fight. And my pitch to Chris is, 'The first guy that starts grappling is a pussy, so let's not do that. Let's just stand up and just beat the hell out of each other. If we get in a clinching scenario, and somebody wants to throw somebody or whatever, go ahead and do it. But let's not try to finish it on the ground. Let's stand up, and let's bang it out.'"

Call me crazy, but aren't these guys mixed martial arts fighters? Sure, stupid fans cry and moan when fights go to the ground, but if these guys are vowing not to go to the ground, they should just have a boxing match!

Talk like this sets a bad tone for the sport, because the whole point of mixed martial arts is to use a variety of skills to neutralize and defeat your opponent - not to do what will get some cheers from a blood-thirsty crowd.

EliteXC Back from the Dead?

2008-11-03T13:09:00.002-05:00

Now this is an interesting one:

MMAWeekly.com on Sunday learned that ProElite, Inc., parent company of Elite XC, has notified several fighter managers the company still intends to promote mixed martial arts events.

“Elite XC and ProElite are currently downsizing its staff in an effort to improve its business moving forward,” the notice states. “As this process is implemented, Elite XC cancelled the event previously scheduled for Nov. 8 in attempt to re-schedule another event in early 2009.”

The notice also disputes reports the embattled company is declaring bankruptcy.

I find this new development rather baffling. With fighters clearly itching to move on, a bare bones staff, and the bursting of the Kimbo Slice bubble, EliteXC is going to have an awfully hard time putting on successful events anytime soon.

My guess is that EliteXC is holding out until it can sneak itself into the government's bailout plan.

Dissecting MMAMania.com Article on Renzo Gracie

2008-10-29T13:17:00.016-04:00

MMA Mania posted an article on Renzo Gracie today, discussing his MMA career and feud with BJ Penn. It was pretty interesting, but I take issue with some of the statements made in the piece.

First, let me say that BJ Penn is my favorite fighter, but I also like Renzo Gracie as from what I've seen and heard, the guy is a total class act. However, let's break down some of MMA Mania's statements:

"Renzo and BJ fought to a very close decision that saw Penn win a battle of positions. Renzo would later get his revenge when his star pupil Georges St. Pierre outpointed Penn in similar fashion at UFC 58."

True, GSP trained under Renzo, but in no way was he Renzo's star pupil. GSP was awarded his brown belt by Renzo, but earned his black belt under another instructor. And if you wanted to pick a star pupil of Renzo's, the logical choice would be either Ricardo Almeida or Matt Serra, the latter of whom is the first American to be awarded a black belt under Renzo. Serra also lost to BJ Penn at UFC 39. BJ also holds a victory over another Renzo Gracie black belt, Paul Creighton. These losses were never avenged, and I seriously doubt Renzo got much satisfaction out of seeing GSP beat BJ, especially since the fight was pretty close.

MMA Mania also says this:

"Penn was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Renzo’s brother Ralph Gracie, who took the gifted Hawaiian under his wing and molded him into a formidable grappler. Penn eventually left the Gracie school and in 2005 went against Gracie tradition by calling out one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most revered pioneers in Rodrigo Gracie."

According to plenty of articles, BJ was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by a neighbor, and only after that did he move to California to train under Ralph Gracie. I have no comment on Gracie tradition, but Dave Camarillo's Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu book paints a pretty damning picture of Ralph Gracie. I don't know if it's all true, but there is a chance that Ralph Gracie is a jackass!

Some of the points I'm making are purely semantics but I still think MMA Mania could have done a better job with the facts.

Introducing the 2009 MMA Blogging Open Weight Grand Prix!

2008-10-28T11:35:00.013-04:00

Are you an active MMA blogger? Are you good at picking fights? Do you like to win prizes? If you answered yes to all three questions, then you should enter the 2009 MMA Blogging Open Weight Grand Prix!

In the 2009 MMABOWGP (nice, huh?), MMA bloggers from all walks of life will battle it out for bragging rights and prizes. I'm shooting for a Cadillac for the top guy, but most likely the winner will have to settle for a set of steak knives or a box of Twinkies. Remember, this event will run for all of 2009, so if you're not committed, don't enter.

Here's how it works:

We'll be focusing on the UFC since it's the only promotion that is guaranteed to still be in business at the end of 2009, and to keep things manageable for me. This includes UFC pay-per-view events, Ultimate Fight Nights, and Ultimate Fighter Finales. The champion of the contest will be the blogger who picks the most fights correctly for the entire year.

For each event, I'll send an email to the competitors. All you have to do is respond with your fight picks by midnight Eastern Time the night before the event. If you miss the deadline, you're not out of the contest but you'll lose the chance to score some points. If there are roster changes the day of the event, those fights will simply be ignored. Since I'll be entering myself, I'll be posting my fight picks publicly before the deadline.

Remember, the winner is the blogger who picks the most fights correctly, not the highest percentage of fights picked correctly. This is to keep people committed to the contest for the entire year and to provide an incentive not to skip events.

So if you are still interested in entering, drop me a line at MMAEruption@gmail.com with your full name and the blog you run or for which you write. I'm going to accept about 25 entrants, so respond quickly so I can put together a roster.

Cage Potato Nabs Interview With Genghis Con

2008-10-27T11:50:00.002-04:00

Gotta give some props to CagePotato.com, which just posted an interview with Genghis Con, who might be the MMA world's most prolific highlight video producer.

If you watch any MMA videos today, it better be these ones from Genghis Con's blog: They are 100% guaranteed to amaze you!

MMA Eruption Almost Wins UFC Fantasy Contest... ...Again!

2008-10-26T16:53:00.003-04:00

UFC 90 marked my second entry in the UFC's fantasy game, and I'm pretty happy with my results. I finished 90th out of 20,411 participants, meaning I did better than over 99.5% of participants. This is pretty close to my performance from UFC 89.

What I Got Right:
I picked 8 out of 11 winners correctly, which got me off to a good start. And I don't think these were particularly bold picks, but I correctly predicted that Hermes Franca and Gray Maynard would win their respective matches by unanimous decisions, giving me the maximum contribution for those fights.

What I Got Wrong
Obviously, my big loser was picking Fabricio Werdum to submit Junior Dos Santos in the first round - we saw what happened there. Also, I picked Josh Burkman and Pete Sell to win.

Oh well, I didn't win the iPod touch but there's always next time!

Anderson Silva Must Move Up to 205, and Other Observations From UFC 90

2008-10-26T16:13:00.004-04:00

Overall, I found UFC 90 to be a fairly average event, save for the main bout between Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote which was a bit of a circus. Silva's goofing off and dancing went overboard pretty early, and Cote's freak injury certainly didn't help matters. With decisive finishes over Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin (2X), the UFC simply has zero middleweights that can compete with Silva. Yushin Okami might be an exception but I don't think that would be a very fun fight to watch.

Therefore, unless the UFC wants to spend big bucks on new talent, we can all agree it's time for Anderson to move up to the highly competitive light heavyweight division. The guy's bored - it's no wonder he's talking about retirement! There has been a lot of talk about a match with Chuck Liddell, but I don't think that's such a great idea because Chuck doesn't need any more losses at this point in the career.

The only problem is that most of the UFC's top light heavyweights are booked up for the next few months - Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, and Shogun Rua already have fights set up. Maybe Keith Jardine or Luiz Cane are willing to step in? They could add the match to the UFC 93 card featuring the Franklin/Henderson and Coleman/Shogun fights. Another option is to keep Silva on standby until a match can be scheduled, ready to step in for any light heavyweight that gets injured.

Okay, enough spider talk, let's move on.

I am officially convinced that Thiago Alves is the real deal. He didn't look so hot against Karo Parisyan, and I wasn't terribly impressed with his win over Matt Hughes, given that Hughes is a bit slower these days.

However, Thiago's takedown defense against Josh Koscheck was fantastic and his striking was pretty nasty. I thought there were times that Thiago could have been a bit more aggressive, but he won a very decisive victory over a top five welterweight in Josh Koscheck, and he can't be denied a title shot now.

It's just too bad that in all likelihood, we won't see Thiago fight again until next April at the earliest. He deserves the winner of BJ Penn/Georges St. Pierre 2, and with that fight scheduled for January, the winner won't be ready to fight again for a few months. I do hope the UFC pushed Alves as a star. He is very charismatic, has a great look, and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. He needs some marketing muscle behind him.

We also have to give Josh Koscheck some credit here. He has a pretty damn impressive chin and he recovered from some pretty hard strikes. However, the fans still hate him and that won't change any time soon. Maybe he should shave his head?

The big loser of the night had to be Fabricio Werdum, who was viciously knocked out by UFC newcomer Junior Dos Santos. Prior to this, Werdum was largely considered to be a top heavyweight, but this loss knocks him down the ladder a bit.

Elsewhere on the card, I took special notice of Thales Leites' successful rear-naked choke on Drew McFredries. Thales used the BJ Penn technique where a leg is used to restrain one of the victim's arms, leaving only one arm to defend the choke. BJ successfully used this technique on Jens Pulver and Joe Stevenson. Now why the hell don't more guys use this technique?

Best UFC 90 Prediction Video

2008-10-25T13:41:00.004-04:00

Benjamin Charles does by far the best UFC prediction videos on the web. Here's his video for UFC 90: (homophobes beware!)

I Want to Be A Bunny Rabbit or a Witch or Tito Ortiz On Halloween!

2008-10-23T14:48:00.010-04:00

My girlfriend and I have been freaking out for the past week because we can't come up with any cool ideas for Halloween costumes! Should we be Palin and McCain? Brandon and Brenda Walsh? Randy and Kim Couture?

Well forget all that, because Punishment Athletics has given me the costume I need to be THE big star at the party. For the price of only $59.99, I can be Tito Ortiz for Halloween!

Here's what the package includes:

Original black flame shorts
Tito Ortiz UFC 84 after fight shirt
Titos trademark yellow beanie
Punishment black socks
2 new Punishment wrist bands

Hmmm, since this is a UFC 84-themed costume, I'll have to do the following at the party:

Complain about my opponent running away
Argue with my boss over which of us is trying to be a superstar
Find someone to play my cornerman Ricco Rodriguez

The only question is, should my girlfriend play Jenna Jameson or Lyoto Machida? Because on Halloween night, I don't want someone that will kick my ass and I don't want any STD's. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Cage Fighter Out, Is Punishment Athletics Next?

2008-10-23T14:36:00.004-04:00

MMAPayout.com posted a pretty unnerving news item today, saying that apparel company MMA Authentics, best known for its Cage Fighter Brand, has banned from the UFC. The crime? Beating out the UFC for shelf space at Wal-mart. I really hope this story isn't true.

Here's the dirty sexy part of the story:

Sources told MMAPayout.com that CageFighter/MMA Authentics beat out the UFC for the valuable real estate in the nation’s top retailer. As a result Zuffa pulled the plug on MMA Authentics’ access to the Octagon in retaliation.
The UFC is able to take such measures by exercising Article 22.1 of the Zuffa Standard Contract, which states that “Fighter covenants and agrees that no wording, symbols, pictures, designs, names or other advertising or informational material… ii. of any sponsor in conflict or competition with Zuffa or any of Zuffa’s sponsors.”

According to the UFC Sponsor Request form sent out to all fighters and obtained by MMAPayout.com, “in addition to Affliction and the Xtreme Couture t-shirt brand, Cage Fighter, MMA Authentic, Familia Gladitoria and MMA Elite will also not be permitted. The Xtreme Couture Training Center is permitted provided, however, the logo must clearly refer to the mixed martial arts training centers and gyms.”

While I don't imagine it will be that difficult for big names guys like BJ Penn and Forrest Griffin to find new sponsors for their upcoming fights, but this is a dangerous step towards the UFC monopolizing every possible angle of MMA.

One question I have to ask is, is Tito Ortiz' Punishment Athletics clothing line the next to go? Dana would like nothing more than to see Tito fail and I don't think screwing over some fighters would stop him. Well, I guess they're safe until the UFC decides to get into the Halloween costume business.

UFC 90: Don't Count on Any Surprises

2008-10-23T09:18:00.003-04:00

UFC 90 is coming up this weekend, and it's time to preview the action. Even though I only picked 7 out of 11 fights at UFC 89 correctly, I finished in the top 1% of the UFC's fantasy contest. Hopefully, I'll have a similar performance. Okay, let's jump right in;

Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote
Cote is a game opponent and a good striker, but like everyone else in the middleweight division, he's not match for the Spider. Expect Anderson to TKO him in the first or second round.

Josh Koscheck vs. Thiago Alves
Assuming Koscheck comes into this match in good shape, he should be able to take Alves to the ground for three rounds to grind out a decision. Alves' takedown defense was effective against Matt Hughes at UFC 85, but Koscheck is more explosive than Hughes, who may have lost a step over the years. And call me crazy, but Alves' strikigng didn't look all that hot against Hughes or Karo Parisyan for that matter.

Koscheck could get cocky and try to stand with Alves, but he wont' want to blow a a title shot. The conclusion: Alves will get 120% of the cheers but Koscheck will win via unanimous decision.

Gray Maynard vs. Rich Clementi
Clementi's been on a winning streak but it's about to end via Gray Maynard throwing him to the canvas and pounding on him for three rounds. Clementi has a good BJJ game, but if Maynard was able to control Frankie Edgar for three rounds, there's no reason to expect anything but a repeat performance. I'll take Maynard by unanimous decision.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior Dos Santos
I would assume this match-up is some sort of consolidation prize for Werdum, who was left out of the Couture/Lesnar/Nogueira/Mir four-man tournament for the title. Unless he gets struck by a bolt of lightning, BJJ monster Werdum will win by submission.

Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin
Sean Sherk is a mighty big test for Tyson Griffin and this match could either be a barn-burner or it could be the most boring fight since I dreamed Machida fought his evil twin brother. Griffin is a damn good fighter but Sherk is going to come into this match fired up to deliver a hefty dose of his signature smothering wrestling style. Sherk by split decision.

As for the undercard, I'll take:

Leites > McFedries
Fisher > Gugerty
Miller > Horwich
Franco > Aurelio
Burkman > Sell

So to recap, I'm going with literally all the favorites. Not very exciting, but what can you do? Bookmaker.com was kind enough to post the odds, and unfortunately, there doesn't look to be anything worth betting on:

Anderson Silva -630 vs. Patrick Cote +480
Josh Koscheck -165 vs. Thiago Alves +135
Gray Maynard -240 vs. Rich Clementi +190
Fabricio Werdum -850 vs. Junior Dos Santos +600
Sean Sherk -260 vs. Tyson Griffin +210
Thales Leites -445 vs. Drew Mcfedries +365
Spencer Fisher -345 vs. Shannon Gugerty +275
Dan Miller -345 vs. Matt Horwich +275
Hermes Franca -200 vs. Marcus Aurelio +165
Josh Burkman -220 vs. Pete Sell +180

Video Coming Soon

2008-10-22T19:31:00.002-04:00

Hello folks, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to begin posting videos pretty soon. I just picked up a pretty bitching webcam (as bitching as a webcam can be) and I'll be previewing UFC 89 in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading!

Mike