MMA Stomping Grounds

Could Lyoto Machida dethrone Brock Lesnar?

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:15:22 -0500

Chris Thomas, the co-host of Fight Club on SiriusXM (and a Baltimore guy), was on Scott Ferrall’s Sirius show Monday night and raised an interesting point about Brock Lesnar.

He said, essentially, that light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida could move up to heavyweight right now and beat Brock Lesnar. Given that Machida has developed into quite an enigma himself, this fight sounds like it could be fascinating. Machida has expressed an interest in fighting Lesnar in the past but I think this would be a very tough fight for him.

Still, I like his chances better than 95 percent of the UFC’s heavyweight division. It could be awhile before we see Machida lose and the UFC has nothing to gain by making this fight while both are champs.

We’ve never seen Brock’s chin tested and Machida has excellent jiu-jitsu but Brock’s size and strength would be two difficult problems for Machida to solve. Machida has a unique style though and I'm not so sure Lesnar would be able to impose his gameplan at will.

Make no mistake, Lesnar has flaws. His strengths are capable of masking those against most of the UFC's heavyweights and Lesnar hasn't reached his peak yet. But an "elusive" and smart fighter, like Machida, could make things interesting for Lesnar. Certainly more interesting than with Heath Herring or Frank Mir.

Photo courtesy of the UFC

UFC 100 fallout ... time to sign Fedor

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:53:26 -0500

The fallout for UFC 100 may be even more interesting than the actual night of fights. While there are plenty of questions left from the undercard that will be debated and discussed in the coming weeks (what’s next for Mark Coleman and Jon Jones has to be at the top of that list) but most of the postfight discussion centered on Brock Lesnar, which is a shame.

I say that not because of his post-fight antics. In Lesnar’s mind he was back in the WWE, cutting a promo as the heel. The reality is more complicated than that and Lesnar isn’t nearly as bad a guy as he’s trying to appear. Sure, fans hate him now. But this whole thing isn’t nearly as bad as some are trying to make it out to be. Dana White shut him down fairly effectively and we won’t see this in the future. Lesnar’s WWE background made him a huge draw in the UFC and brought many new people to the sport. That’s a good thing. This is one of the few negatives that comes with bringing a Brock Lesnar to the sport. It’s still worth it in the end. Anyone who complains about Brock’s trash talking sounds like the aging broadcasting vet that whine about touchdown celebrations in the NFL. Get over it.

The reason Lesnar taking center stage is a shame is because Georges St. Pierre should be the talk of the night. He’s simply a freak. The welterweight division is much deeper than the UFC’s middleweight division and St. Pierre’s streak has been more impressive than Anderson Silva’s, yet GSP still has to fight to earn the respect he’s due. This was a huge test for GSP and he cruised. There’s no one left for him in the welterweight division that will be much of a challenge. Jon Fitch is next in line and I don’t think too many fans are clamoring for that bout.

Hopefully, what’s next for GSP is Anderson Silva. Silva has to take care of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, which isn’t guaranteed, but a Silva-GSP superfight would be the best MMA fans have seen in a long time. Dana White has been talking about this fight since December and it would shock me if they don’t make it after UFC 101.

The next biggest fight the UFC can put together is Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar. The time is right. Randy Couture vs. Fedor wouldn’t have been nearly as big as Lesnar- Fedor. Fedor’s contract is up after the August 1 fight with Josh Barnett and moving to the UFC to fight a detested opponent is a brilliant move for Fedor. If he’s looking to make a name for himself stateside (among the casual fan that’s just hopping on the UFC bandwagon), what better way to do it than by destroying the man MMA fans have quickly grown to hate?

Lesnar probably poses more problems for Fedor than anyone currently in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but those problems are offset by the numerous question marks surrounding Lesnar. There are still so many holes in his game that are offset by his tremendous size and wrestling ability. The way he neutralized Frank Mir (who came into that fight with plenty of questions of his own) by lying on top of him and pulverizing his face was impressive, especially when some thought Mir would destroy Lesnar. Instead, he barely mounted much of an attack.

With Mir ruled ineffective and with Lesnar already sporting a win over Couture, the list of challengers is fairly weak. Shane Carwin would be an interesting match with Lesnar, and the winner of the Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez bout will likely be Plan B for Lesnar if White can’t sign Fedor. Still, Carwin wouldn’t be able to keep the fight standing and Velasquez won’t be able to outwrestle the monster.

Dana White claims the UFC will get Fedor and will get him soon. That’s exciting news. Of course, I was excited the first time I sat in a UFC news conference and heard Dana White say that. More than two years ago.

There are several elite fighters outside of the UFC. Jake Shields comes to mind, along with a number of lightweights. No omission is bigger than Fedor, arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. The UFC’s heavyweight division is thin but adding the Last Emperor is the key to rebuilding it. The rest of the pieces of the MMA puzzle will come together after that but the key for the UFC is to sign the only heavyweight that can make Brock Lesnar the massive underdog.

Mike Goldberg's quick thoughts on UFC 100

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:27:38 -0500

I spoke to the Voice of the Octagon, Mike Goldberg, on Thursday as he was heading into a production meeting to get his thoughts on UFC 100. I also asked him about his broadcasting career, working with Joe Rogan and how working for the UFC is different from working for a station. Part II of the interview will be up next week, but here’s what he had to say about UFC 100.

On what has him the most excited for UFC 100
Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves. To me it’s the two best welterweights in the world. They are young and hungry and explosive and both are extremely well-rounded. I’ve said for the past few years that the biggest threat to GSP was Thiago Alves and to me that’s the fight, from a pure MMA point of view, that I’m the most jacked about

What could be the sleeper fight of the night
Stephan Bonnar and Mark Coleman. It’s a prelim fight but Coleman has been pushing himself to a different level. I talked to his training partners and they said he hasn’t been this hungry in a long time. I’m excited to see Mark prepared mentally and physically to fight at 205. Randy Couture was wearing a belt at age 44 and I don’t know if Coleman can get there, but his fight with Bonnar will be interesting.

Catching up with Jon Fitch

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:53:47 -0500

I spoke with Jon Fitch, the consensus No. 3 welterweight in the world, about UFC 100 and he seemed pretty geared up for his fight with Paulo Thiago. If he wins, he would likely face the winner of the Georges St. Pierre-Thiago Alves fight.

On fighting on UFC 100
It’s a definite bonus to fight at such a large event. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get a fight sooner after January but being on UFC 100 absolutely makes up for it.

On the GSP- Thiago Alves fight
I’m not gonna pick but I want GSP to win so I can fight him again for the title. He’s a fairly complete fighter and has speed, agility and is a heck of an athlete. He’s got tight standup and good ground game and good control. He’s strong and has all the assets to be a top-level guy. Alves has made huge improvements in his takedown defense and is physically bigger and stronger. His standup is world class and he’s very good.

On how he’s changed since fighting GSP
I’ve tightened up my defense quite a bit. My ground game is continually improving. I needed to get back to the wrestling a little bit and focus on that. A lot of times we get away from the things we were good at to focus on other things so I had to get back to my wrestling.

On what would be different in a second GSP fight
I made a lot of technical mistakes in that fight and when you fight someone of that caliber and make mistakes, you pay for it. I took bad shots because of those mistakes. I took two big punches on mistakes and those alone set the course of that fight.

On his gameplan for Paulo Thiago
I don’t set a strict gameplan. Anything can happen and I just expect to pressure my opponent and try to force him to make mistakes so I can capitalize on them.

UFC 100...where to watch?

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:49:05 -0500

UFC 100 is almost here and everyone seems pretty fired up for this card. I just hope it lives up to the hype as a lot depends on the two main events. Great card but they have also been hyping the holy hell out of it.

Either way, where are people going to watch UFC 100? Besides the requisite Hooters or a friend’s house, leave the best places to watch UFC 100 locally in the comments section so people can check it out among other MMA fans. Any place that serves chicken wings should have this show.

I’ve got one more radio appearance to do tomorrow and I don’t think I’m making my picks until then, but I’m leaning towards Lesnar/GSP/Henderson/Fitch/Akiyama. Henderson is the only lock of the three big fights, though. The others might as well be a coin flip. I can't wait for Saturday night.

UFC 100 odds and ends

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:32:01 -0500

There’s been plenty of news on the UFC 100 front, although most of it is trivial bits designed to hype the fight. The UFC announced that a former "Girl Next Door" will be an honorary Octagon girl at the fight. UFC president Dana White also announced that Chuck Liddell and Charles “Mask” Lewis from TapouT will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at the UFC 100 Fan Expo. Both worthy additions.

The Bleacher Report is in the process of breaking down the top 100 MMA fights.

Kevin Iole at Yahoo has an excellent piece full of great MMA memories from fighters and fans.

Mine was definitely UFC 68 (a popular choice). Being an Ohio guy, the crowd was electric and this was the first event I covered as a journalist (although not the first event I’d seen). The energy before, during and after Ohio’s first UFC event was something I’ll never forget. Just a great night. Anyone else have favorite memories that weren’t listed in the Iole piece?

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo had a good read about Dana White late last week

The Canadian Press’s Neil Davidson has a good read on White as well

SI.com’s Josh Gross with the report that Liddell is going to take at least a year off from fighting

Gross also has an interesting read on the business controversies brewing near UFC 100.

The most important trait for a fighter?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:28:34 -0500

What’s better for a fighter? To promote a fight like crazy and put on a show in the Octagon or to just take care of business and win at all cost? Two UFC 100 fighters seem to be on the opposite sides on the issue and it makes for an interesting question.

Brock Lesnar was very clear on the UFC 100 conference call that money is the big reason he fights in the UFC.

“This is prize fighting for me,” Lesnar said. “If you look at it any other way then you might as well fight in the underground, you know with bare knuckles and fight in the streets as far as I’m concerned.”

Now, that was in response to a question on Frank Mir calling himself a true martial artist and saying Lesnar only fights for money. There’s no doubt Lesnar loves the sport and loves doing what he does but the bottom line is what’s paramount.

Lesnar knows how to play the game and how to promote a fight and those are things outside of what happens in the Octagon that have gotten him where he is today.

Mir, whether he’d like to think so or not, is closer to Brock Lesnar than he realizes in that respect. He may have more invested in the sport and may love the sport more but Mir has done his fair share of talking trash and hyping the fight, which are things necessary to improve the bottom line but not to someone who wants to be above the fray.

Another UFC 100 fighter, Jon Fitch, fits that martial artist label a little better. I spoke with Jon this week (the full interview will be up later this week) and he said he doesn’t get wrapped up in the stuff outside of the Octagon.

“I don’t care about making money or putting on a show,” he said. “I’m a martial artist and I want to improve myself and be the best. I could talk smack but it’s not me and not how I think it should work.”

And later.

“Some guys focus on flashy fights but I just want to beat good opponents with solid wins and it’s just not my job to sell tickets. Too many new fans are accustomed to the professional wrestling side and think every match should be like a pro wrestling match.”

Fitch isn’t a flashy fighter but he’s impressive in the Octagon and has developed quite a resume. Lesnar, on the other hand, is more flash than anything. I don’t think we’ve seen Lesnar as good as he will become and while he’s pretty intimidating, right now he is still fairly raw as a fighter.

But, he’s an honest guy who knows how to get people interested for a fight. And, like a Wanderlei Silva, he’s got an exciting style (until he gasses).

The mantra always used to be “put on a show” in the Octagon. So which side should be more important? Is it the flash and the pizzazz to sell tickets and hype a fight and to have an entertaining fight style or is it more important to just win?

Does Michael Bisping have a shot against Dan Henderson?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:26:59 -0500

The consensus seems to be no. He’s the biggest underdog of the three main fights at UFC 100 (according to Vegas) and most pro fighters are taking Hendo in that fight. I think Henderson has been less than impressive in his last two bouts. The nicest moves he had against Rich Franklin were illegal (eye poke, head butt) and even that was a controversial win. And he’s no spring chicken at age 39.

Bisping has good stand-up and has never been stopped. His only loss is a split-decision to Rashad Evans. Of course, there’s also the phantom win over Matt Hamill, which should’ve been a loss. Still, he's a younger guy with a promising future. He should be a good threat for Henderson, right?

When you compare the resumes of the two it’s not even close. Henderson’s reads like a who’s who of MMA legends. Just in the UFC he’s fought Anderson Silva, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rich Franklin. Three legends in four fights and if you go back to his PRIDE days the list goes on and on and on.

I think you can make a case for Alves. I think you can make a case for Mir (although not as much as some think). So, maybe it does make sense that Bisping is the biggest underdog of the three.

(Dan Henderson photo courtesy of Zuffa, Inc.)

Does Lesnar cheapen UFC 100 for purists?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:14:09 -0500

The UFC has been building up UFC 100 for months. It’s a topic that was on the minds of fans and media members for months before. It’s being billed by the UFC as the biggest event they have ever had.

So, with that in mind, how much does it offend MMA purists to see Brock Lesnar in the main event of this card? With his pro wrestling background and the fact that he got a title shot after going 1-1 in his first two UFC fights, he had his haters from the beginning.

Is this just more salt in the wound, having a former pro wrestler with less than 10 MMA fights headlining the biggest card in UFC history as the heavyweight champ? Or have fans finally accepted Lesnar?

It’s hard to deny he’s one of the top fighters in the division after his destruction of Randy Couture, so maybe fans have finally accepted that Lesnar is here to stay. The guy is still raw in a lot of areas but he’s got amazing strengths in his game as well. There’s no denying he’s good for the sport, as he’s a huge PPV draw.

After the UFC was forced to move the Mir-Lesnar fight, it was just smart marketing to put it at UFC 100. With Mir coming off a big win and with the revenge factor surrounding this fight for Lesnar, it’s got to be one of the easiest main events to market.

At the same time, though, you’ve got Georges St. Pierre fighting Thiago Alves for the welterweight championship. The GSP bandwagon has been growing exponentially and it looks like St. Pierre could be the new face of the UFC after Liddell’s fade from the limelight.

What better way to reaffirm that then to make his fight the main event at UFC 100? Alves is a more than worthy contender and that should be a heck of a fight. Lesnar’s fight will be interesting as well, but that’s more because we’re still trying to find out what holes Lesnar has in his game -- not because it’s a fight between two guys near their primes as fighter.

I don’t think the Lesnar main event cheapens UFC 100, but I am curious what the purists think on the topic.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, Inc.)

The real main event at UFC 100?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:08:41 -0500

Am I the only one who thinks the Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves fight is the best on the UFC 100 card? The quick answer is no. At least I have the UFC color guy and stand-up comedian (anyone catch his special on Spike? It was incredible) on my side, as he seems most excited for that bout as well.

Everyone else is seemingly buying into the Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir hype. I get it, Lesnar is a beast and is looking to avenge his embarrassing loss to Mir. Mir thinks Lesnar shouldn’t have been given a title shot and thinks he will roll him easily again. Both fighters are coming off strong showings, but how much do we really know about these guys?

Mir is coming off arguably his best fight in his destruction of Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, but Nogueira also was recovering from a staph infection heading into that fight. Before that, Mir was getting whomped by Lesnar until he caught a lucky break.

Lesnar has even more question marks. He beat Heath Herring and looked even better beating Randy Couture, but neither of those guys have styles that are very conducive to facing Lesnar. Lesnar still has questions about his chin, ground defense and cardio.

St. Pierre, meanwhile, is coming off a big win in a superfight with B.J. Penn. He’s at the top of his game and the welterweight scene is much deeper than the UFC’s heavyweight division. St. Pierre has defeated several of the top contenders already, but Alves presents several new challenges to GSP. His last loss was almost three years ago and he’s a big and athletic welterweight. He’s also, in the words of Rogan, the best striker GSP has faced.

The UFC 100 card will be awesome because of this and the Mir-Lesnar fight (I couldn’t be less excited for a big fight than I am for Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping). One of those main events is a big attraction for the right reasons. The other is a big fight but doesn’t have the same merit.

Then again, other insiders I've talked to think Alves doesn't stand a chance because of GSP's strong wrestling and Alves' inability to prevent St. Pierre's takedowns, so there's that.

Catching up with Joe Rogan

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:50:14 -0500

Joe Rogan’s comedy special “Talking Monkeys in Space” airs after The Ultimate Fighter season 9 finale on Spike TV this Saturday. Rogan is one of the more intriguing comedians working today (his interviews in podcast and satellite radio form with people he knows are incredible) and his special should kick ass.

I spoke to Joe earlier this week about the special and his work with the UFC.

JOE ROGAN

On his special

All of my specials mean something at the time. This one means more because it’s the new one. I have a real good relationship with the Spike guys, they have seen me perform at comedy clubs many times and the beautiful thing is they are owned by Comedy Central. So the reruns will be on Spike and eventually on Comedy Central.

On doing comedy and UFC commentary
It’s fun, it’s an interesting way to do it. I like to go to these towns and do comedy one night and the UFC the other night. It’s been working out and has been the best of both worlds.

As a human being you evolve and your thinking evolves. As a comic and artist your comedy evolves as well. The more you do something the better you get at it. I think I enjoy it more now.

On balancing writing new jokes versus research for MMA commentary

All the research I do for MMA commentary is stuff I would do anyway. I’m a huge fan of mixed martial arts and I’d be going to the same websites, watching the same fights and same videos. I’m just a huge fan. I’m very fortunate to be a paid professional fan of the UFC. The more stuff you do the more your perspective is enhanced. The more different things I’ve done the more my comedy is enhanced. The better I am at comedy the better I am at commentary.

On Sanchez-Guida

Diego has a very good chance. It’s a very interesting fight. Clay Guida is a juggernaught. He has great conditioning, great wrestling, sets a relentless pace and is great taking fighters out of their game plans. But, at 155, Diego is a different animal. His jiu-jitsu is off the chain.

On his favorite fighters

I like different varities of fighters. I like fighters that are exciting and intelligent. I love Wanderlei Silva, he’s my favorite fighter of all time. He doesn’t have a safety sense style at all. He has that reckless abandon and just attacks with the most aggressive style ever. I really enjoy that and then I again I enjoy Lyoto Machida. He takes no damager, fights intelligently and is amazing to watch.

You can’t do commentary on the ground game unless you’ve done it. You can call a triangle while it’s locked on but you won’t see the setups, the transitions. There are too many steps before you finish that you won’t catch on. Doing jiu-jitsu has definitely helped my commentary.

Some sports fans just think UFC guys are all a bunch of meat heads. That they aren’t real athletes and that they aren’t intelligent. That’s the biggest misconception.

On the growth of MMA

The outcropping of new organizations like Strikeforce is very important. There are so many up and coming guys that need places to fight and I believe competition is good. New organizations are great for the sport. I just think this sport has so much potential. It’s exploded over the past few years and there’s so much more room to grow. I truly believe it’s the most exciting sport in the world.

On GSP vs.Thiago Alves at UFC 100

Thiago Alves is the very best striker GSP has ever faced. In his career he has one loss from a grappler and one loss from someone who struck with him. Alves is way more powerful than Serra, was more dangerous on his feet. Georges has to be careful in the standup aspect. But how will Alves handle GSP’s wrestling? GSP is the best mixed martial arts wrestler in the business. He’s the best at executing a game plan. His execution is flawless.

On Kimbo Slice joining the next season of The Ultimate Fighter

He’s got Roy Big Country Nelson on that show. He’s a really good jiu-jitsu guy with a ton of experience. He’s a dangerous fight for a guy who has a hard time on the ground. Kimbo will have a real hard time with guys who are good grapplers. It takes too long to learn the grappling game. You have to love it and do it for years before you can defend yourself from a high level guy. I don’t know that Kimbo is that guy. I don’t know if he trains all the time with the right people and goes over positions.

Catching up with Joe Stevenson

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:07:31 -0500

I also caught up with Joe Stevenson, who is taking on Nate Diaz at The Ultimate Fighter season 9 finale.

JOE STEVENSON

On his TUF fight:

I think whoever dictates the pace has the best odds. We’re both very seasoned and very good fighters. You can never count out either of us.

On his hopes for the fight:

Ideally, he walks in, slips and falls, and they raise my hand. I’d also be happy if he slipped right into a choke.

On the MMA video game:

I like the game. I’m honored to be part of it. I’m also glad they did the digital scan of my body right before I had to make weight for a fight so my body fat was down.

On MMA's reputation:

The biggest misconception casual sports fans have is that we’re brutes. That we’re just in it for the rock and roll part of it. A lot of us that have made it to the top went to college and put in a lot of time and sacrifice to get here. They see one person back at home act that way and assume everyone acts that way.

On the B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian fight:

Well, I married a Hawaiian so I’m picking B.J. Penn. I think B.J. is awesome and will prove to be too much for Kenny on that day.

On his maturation:

I’ve grown a lot throughout the years. I’m training with Greg Jackson now and I think fans will be excited to watch me fight as I mature in how I fight. I think there will be a lot of happy fans out there.

Catching up with Diego Sanchez

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:55:21 -0500

Diego Sanchez is headlining The Ultimate Fighter season 9 finale Saturday on Spike TV in a match against Clay Guida and I recently caught up with him for a few minutes to get his thoughts on the fight.

DIEGO SANCHEZ

On his gameplan at TUF 9:

The key to the fight is me executing my gameplan. I’m a better fighter with better fights on my record. I have more experience and am going to have the fight of my career.

On his opponent, Guida:
I have respect for his heart and conditioning, but when he gets on top of people and lays there and holds them down? That won’t work with me. It’s a boring style and I’m ready for anything he tries to do.

On his strategy:

I’ll hit him with elbows, attempt triangles, hitting armbars, sweeps, guillotines. I will be constantly attacking from my guard.

On his current condition:

I feel strong and faster at 155, especially with my wrestling. My takedowns have improved as the guys I fight walk in weighing 160 now as opposed to 190.

On the future:

My plan is when I turn 30 -- I’m 27 now -- I want to turn back to the welterweight division and fight the best. I want to win the belt here and hold it and when the time is right, move to 170. Truthfully, I could fight in both weight classes.

On the MMA video game:

Oh, man, it is so awesome. They did such a good job with the video game. They made me a 90 rating and I’m pretty good on there. I don’t have knockout power but maybe in the next edition I can get that added.

On Georges St. Pierre:

It’s weird ... I fought GSP five times in a row and got my butt kicked. It sucked watching myself get knocked out five times so I switched weight classes.

On what fans don't know about him:

I think my fans know everything about me. What they don’t know they can wonder about.

I also caught up with Joe Stevenson and Joe Rogan, so keep an eye out for those interviews later today or early tomorrow.

Looking at UFC 99

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:43:00 -0500

UFC 99 is finally here (well, it will be tomorrow) and the main event of Rich Franklin taking on Wanderlei Silva is a very interesting one. Is it worthy of the headline status? For a show overseas, probably. For a fan to shell out the same cash they will for UFC 100? Probably not.

Whether you watch it at 3 p.m. live or at 10 p.m. on tape delay, it should be an entertaining card. Silva and Franklin both like to stand and bang, and both guys need a win. Silva is trying to make a case for a title shot against Anderson Silva for his middleweight tile. Franklin is trying to gain legitimacy in the scene at 205 pounds. Both guys have gone too long without a defining win. Franklin is the Vegas favorite (-160) and Silva is the pros favorite (according to sherdog.com) and it’s a tough one to call. I think Franklin will get the win with a third-round TKO, but very little (other than a submission or a boring fight, maybe) in this one will surprise me.

The fight between Cain Velasquez and Cheick Kongo should be intriguing as well. Velasquez is an impressive heavyweight prospect, but Kongo seems in line for a title shot after Brock Lesnar faces Frank Mir. While the heavyweight scene in the UFC doesn’t look as bland as it used to, there still isn’t a ton there and Velasquez moves much closer to a title shot with a win. One would have to think Kongo is officially next in line with one. I know Kongo was a late addition to this fight but I’m not ready to jump on the Velasquez bandwagon just yet.

And, for those of you interested in the past, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is on the card. His bout with Mustapha Al-Turk will be interesting because Filipovic will kick Al-Turk in the head and Al-Turk will lose consciousness. This will cause everyone to rave about how the old Cro Cop is back and is going to set the UFC heavyweight division on fire. Then he’ll go on to lose to Gabriel Gonzaga again or to the loser of the Randy Couture vs. Minotauro Nogueira matchup. It will be cool to see the highlight knockout, but I’m not holding out hope for the old "Cro Cop" to return to the MMA scene.

I’m also pumped for the Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders fight. I saw both of these guys at UFC’s Fight for the Troops and Swick seems like the real deal. He should win this bout but both of these guys are talented fighters. This should be a fun one to watch.

The Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy matchup is intriguing because of the amount of trash talk going on between the two. Davis is a fun guy to watch and he’ll probably add another knockout to his highlight reel in this one.

When all is said and done, this could end up being a really underrated card. It's definitely worth checking out. If I was a betting man, I’d be throwing my money behind Franklin, Kongo, Davis, Swick and "Cro Cop" (in the mentioned fights).

A few quick links

Thefukerton.com has a couple links to check out. They caught up with the TapouT crew and will have the UFC 99 weigh-in streaming live at 10 a.m. EST.

ESPN.com has five things to watch for at UFC 99

Foxsports has an interesting read on the tough reception the UFC is getting in Germany.

It's amazing to see some of the reactions from opponents. Banning minors from attending the event is just excessive. When are people going to realize it’s not two drunk guys locked in a cage beating the crap out of each other? It’s not a freak show. These are well-trained, athletic martial artists. It’s a sport, not a spectacle.

Anyone for Wanderlei Silva vs. Anderson Silva?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:01:54 -0500

After watching the UFC 99 Countdown special it looks like a Wanderlei Silva vs. Anderson Silva fight is on the horizon. I don’t get the hype for this, especially so soon. I like the whole back story of “they used to be close friends but now hate each other!” and the wrinkle of Anderson Silva training with Rich Franklin for his UFC 99 bout with Wanderlei.

Still, I’m not terribly interested in seeing that fight. I used to be a huge Wanderlei Silva fan, especially when he was in PRIDE, but I’ve soured on him lately. I’m fine with his move down to middleweight but I’d like to see him fight a few guys at middleweight before taking on Silva. I’d like to see him fight Demain Maia or even Yushin Okami.

The winner of one of those fights would rightly deserve a shot at Anderson Silva’s title and that match could be a decent draw. I also don’t think Wanderlei is going to take down Franklin (Franklin is favored in Vegas, for what’s it’s worth).

Wanderlei would be a much better opponent than Thales Leites or James Irvin, but we’re running out of Anderson Silva fights (potentially). If he beats Forrest Griffin, he should stay at 205 unless he gets a superfight with Georges St. Pierre or until a clear challenger at 185 establishes himself.

Back tomorrow with a full look at UFC 99.