Thoughts, criticisms, and overview of 2011 World MMA Awards

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Last night was the World MMA Awards at the Palms in Las Vegas, which are chosen by fan voting organized by Fight! Magazine.

Obviously, when I give out my (far less popular and meaningful) year-end awards, they’re going to look a little different, owing more to my personal views and bias(es) and the different time frames for the awards. But it’s still interesting to see what the fans think was/is the best in the industry in 2011.

I’ve included the winners, nominations, and picks as posted by Steve Cofield over on Yahoo! Sports’ Cage Writer blog. Mostly because I genuinely like Steve and always find his take fascinating, even when I don’t agree with them.

Speaking of which…

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Dominick Cruz, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
Winner: Jon Jones; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz

Agreed with Jones as the winner (spoiler alert for my forthcoming awards). I find it hard to fathom an argument against it due to not only his meteoric rise but absolute dominance of the most competitive weight class in all of MMA.  Which, by the way, is why I would disqualify Anderson Silva as the winner. He’s still Silva and still the pound for pound best fighter in the world, but he’s still the great champion of the weakest division in all of MMA and didn’t have any opponents that gave him a potential or literal challenge.

As I’ve said before, I like and respect Steve, but his pick of Nick Diaz confounds me. His two highlights for the year were the fight of the year candidate against Paul Daley in Strikeforce and his recent win over BJ Penn in his UFC debut. In the Daley fight, he was fighting a dangerous but frustratingly mediocre and sloppy opponent and quickly sunk to his level in a way that nearly cost him that fight. I’ll take nothing away from his win against Penn; he looked like a monster and convinced myself and other skeptics that he provides a very real and credible threat to Georges St-Pierre. On the other hand, this is BJ Penn, who we need to remember is at his absolute best at 155, not at Welterweight which is where the Diaz fight was contested. And even at that weight, he’s already been dominated in similar (but not as brutal) fashion by Frankie Edgar.

Again, credit where it is due to Nick Diaz, and that’s coming from a longtime skeptic. But I don’t think there’s even a contest here, and if there is, he’s fourth on this list at best. In all fairness, I’m every bit as perplexed by Dan Henderson making the Top Five and not Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, or anybody else who was far more active and successful against a higher level of competition (the recent Rua fight notwithstanding).

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Donald Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, Demetrious Johnson and Brian Stann.
Winner: Donald Cerrone; Cofield winner: Demetrious Johnson

Cerrone was my vote, too. I think a title shot for him is inevitable, and it’s amazing how much he’s improved since making the jump to the UFC after it officially absorbed the WEC brand. Just a Hell of a year for a guy who went from losing the WEC Lightweight Title towards the end of the promotion and questioning his place in the sport to being, in my mind, a legit Top 5 (#3 IMO) Lightweight.

I also wouldn’t argue with any other of the nominees. Except for maybe Brian Stann, who I still see as being in the exact same place he’s been for several years: a tough fighter with a great story that can’t break through the middle of the pack.

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR
Nominees: “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 129, Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete at Bellator 38, Vinny Magalhaes vs. Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132
Winner: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24: Cofield winner: “Korean Zombie”

Chan Sung Jung’s twister submission was very impressive and made Jiu-Jitsu guys across the country mark out. Usually you only see that sort of thing with guys goofing around in the gym with white belts.

However, I can’t say it’s as impressive as Richard Hale’s absolutely ridiculous hanging inverted triangle submission on Nik Fekete at Bellator 38.

See the video for yourself:

KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Toby Imada at Bellator 39, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
Winner: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126; Cofield winner: Lyoto Machida

All memorable, but really it was a two-man race between  Silva and Machida. My vote went to Silva. Both were similar in scope (and Steven Seagal took credit for both even though the kickboxing instructor I see maybe once or twice a month also taught me the same kick so it really is a fairly basic maneuver). But what gave the edge to Silva was how effortless he made it, and everything else the man does, look.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley,” and Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC Live 3
Winner: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125; Cofield winner: Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley

All worthy nominees, but the technique geek in me voted for Edgar and Maynard. Can’t fault anyone who went the same route as Cofield, though. Wild fight. Note – the time frame excluded what I think were the best three fights of the year, all of which unfortunately have taken place in the last three weeks.

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR. Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Joachim Hansen, Alistair Overeem and Dennis Siver. Winner: Alistair Overeem; Cofield Winner: Overeem

Longtime readers will know I’m a fan of Siver and think he’s hands down the most underrated fighter in the UFC. He’d be my pick if he hadn’t been subbed by Cerrone. While you can’t fault a guy for succumbing to a guy like Cerrone who’s been on such a tear this year, there’s no question that of the five listed, Overeem is the best fighter and had the best year.

I will say, however, that I find this category redundant and unnecessary. All these guys are fighting stateside for North American organizations. Those that do fight internationally do so against far lesser competition, and as such it becomes harder to gauge where they’re at. And if we’re just going to have a category for best non-American fighter, what about all the Brazilians and Canadians? What’s the criteria?

Once this sport is able to break into the European market (and European MMA overcomes its severe grappling deficiency) and expand Eastward, this award might be necessary. But we’re a long way off from that happening.

REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Herb Dean, “Big” John McCarthy, Dan Miragliotta, Josh Rosenthal and Mario Yamasaki. Winner: Herb Dean; Cofield winner: Josh Rosenthal

Being a ref is an often thankless job that is not nearly as easy as it looks. Dean is always dependable. My vote went with Dan Miragliotta, who I think because of his style – he’s every bit as attentive but stands further away from fighters and usually out of camera range – often gets overlooked.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche at “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson,” Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career), Tito Ortiz (career) and Joe Warren vs. Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Winner: Cheick Kongo: Cofield winner: Tito Ortiz

I’m with Cofield. I don’t think there can be any question that Ortiz has made a Hell of a turnaround. This is a guy whose first fight was at UFC 13 – THIRTEEN! – and has gone literally from fighting for his job to being a legitimate threat and potential title contender. Nogueira is a close second. Kongo I’d take seriously in this category if he had fought someone other than Barry. I love watching Pat fight and he seems like a great guy, but he always gives it away in the cage. It’s maddening.

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Marloes Coenen, Zoila Gurgel, Sarah Kaufman, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate; Cofield winner: Tate

Cyborg was conspicuous by her absence. Not in this category, but in the calendar year of 2011. With that, it’s Tate, hands down.

RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133, Dave Herman at UFC 131, Mark Hominick at UFC 129 and Jason “Mayhem” Miller at DREAM.16
Winner: Jason “Mayhem” Miller; Cofield winner: How is Tom Lawlor not on this list?

Again, I’m with Cofield. What the Hell is wrong with you people? There should have been six slots, all occupied by Lawlor, and his entrances at weigh-ins should also have counted.

OTHER AWARDS (courtesy MMAJunkie):

GYM OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Alliance MMA, Black House, Jackson’s MMA, Roufusport and Xtreme Couture
Winner: Black House

A toss-up between Black House and Jackson’s MMA (my vote). But no argument here. Black House (which includes Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, and the Nogueiras amongst others) had a Hell of a year.

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT
Nominees: Bad Boy, Everlast, Hayabusa, Rival and Venum
Winner: Everlast

The gloves I use are Everlast so, uh, yeah.

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Nominees: John Morgan, Gareth A. Davies, Josh Gross, Ariel Helwani and Ben Fowlkes
Winner: Ariel Helwani

All great guys. My vote went with Fowlkes, though, who I think in all honesty is the best pure writer covering MMA. Personally ,I’d go even further: he’s one of a small handful of guys writing for any media that I will actively go out of my way to read, no matter what the subject. How this guy hasn’t landed a book deal is beyond me, and I can only assume it’s because he hasn’t pitched one yet. And if he has, then what the Hell?

COACH OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Rafael Cordeiro, Eric Del Fierro, Cesar Gracie, Greg Jackson and Shawn Tompkins
Winner: Greg Jackson

No contest.

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING
Nominees: Affliction, Bad Boy, Form Athletics, RVCA and TapouT
Winner: TapouT

Ugh. MMA lifestyle clothing.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
Nominees: BAMMA, Bellator Fighting Championships, DREAM, Strikeforce and UFC
Winner: UFC

It’s hard for me to argue against this. In fact, it’s impossible. My vote went to Bellator, and I can only justify it by saying that we need a strong number two in the sport and they seem to be on the rise and have found the right model and niche for it. Their lighter weight classes are also super competitive and, in many ways, on par with the UFC’s.

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees: “Inside MMA” on HDNet, MMAFighting.com, “MMA Live” on ESPN, MMAjunkie.com and Sherdog.com
Winner: MMAjunkie.com

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING
Nominees: Bad Boy, Hayabusa, Jaco, Sprawl and Venum
Winner: Bad Boy

MMA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Bruce Buffer, Jacob “Stitch” Duran, Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten and Burt Watson
Winner: Joe Rogan

I have a love/hate relationship with Rogan. Always have, going way back to well before he was even doing UFC commentary. Actually, maybe love/hate is the wrong phrase, because it’s not as if I’m ever angry at the guy. He just says things sometimes that make me shake my head.

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Arianny Celeste, Kelli Hutcherson, Brittney Palmer, Chandella Powell and Mercedes Terrell
Winner: Arianny Celeste

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR
Nominees: Scott Coker, Lorenzo Fertitta, Marc Ratner, Bjorn Rebney and Dana White
Winner: Dana White

No comment. In that none’s necessary.

I’m thinking that my own MMA year-end awards will come sometime late next week. Keep an eye out!

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis is your UFC on Fox 2 main event

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Phil Davis and Rashad Evans will face off on January 28th, and it's the perfect fight for a Fox network broadcast.

According to ESPN.com, the UFC is going to make the main event of their second broadcast on the Fox network a Light Heavyweight bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis. The fight, if confirmed, will air live in primetime on Saturday, January 28th.

Davis vs. Evans is actually the perfect fight for network broadcast. Evans has the star power and mainstream recognition to draw in the casual audience, while Phil Davis is a huge prospect with great upside that would benefit from the increased exposure.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, it’s all but a lock that the winner will be named the #1 contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship currently held by Jon Jones. Rashad Evans has been waiting for his shot ever since an injury kept him from a scheduled bout with then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March. As a result of Evans’s injury, the fight was offered to teammate Jon Jones, who accepted and won the title from Rua. Evans has been itching for a fight ever since, with media attention gravitating towards his disappointment with his former teammate for taking the title shot. Now the only thing standing in his way is Phil Davis, a highly touted prospect and has been on an absolute tear since entering the UFC in February of 2010 and racked up wins over the likes of Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

It’s also an intriguing fight for fans on its own competitive merits. Although Evans is a solid striker and wrestler, he’d be giving up a lot of size and strength to Davis. On the other hand, Davis is still a young fighter with an untested chin. I’m hedging my bets on Davis being a long-term fixture at Light Heavyweight and eventual champion, but Evans has the most technically proficient stand-up game of any opponent he’s faced.

For their second go around, the UFC has already confirmed that two fights will air on the Fox network. There’s still no word on what that fight will be. A Welterweight fight between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger was rumored for the event, but that’s since been confirmed as the main event for the February 15th fight card airing on Fuel TV. Another fight, still rumored and not confirmed by either fighter or the UFC, is a Middleweight #1 contender’s match between Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz.

The full card for UFC Japan on February 26th: what were they thinking?

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The UFC has announced the full card for its first foray into the Far East in over fifteen years.

MAIN CARD:

  • Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson – UFC Lightweight Championship
  • Rampage Jackson vs Ryan Bader
  • Mark Hunt vs Cheick Kongo
  • Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Jake Shields
  • Anthony Pettis vs Joe Lauzon

PRELIMS:

  • Yushin Okami vs Tim Boetsch
  • Takanori Gomi vs George Sotiropoulos
  • Hatsu Hioki vs Bart Palaszewski
  • Kid Yamamoto vs Vaughan Lee
  • Riki Fukuda vs Steve Cantwell
  • Takeya Mizugaki vs Chris Cariaso
  • Leonard Garcia vs Tiequan Zhang

The fact that Yushin Okami is on the prelims despite being the country's best export and a legit Top 5 Middleweight speaks volumes.

In terms of pure entertainment value, it’s a decent card. People have been salivating in anticipation of Edgar and Henderson since the horn sounded for the third round of Henderson’s unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida. Mark Hunt, who has had quite an understated career comeback, has the right opponent in Cheick Kongo to guarantee a stand-up war. Quinton Jackson always provides some degree of entertainment, though I think this go around it’ll be relegated to pressers as Bader is on the larger end of 205 and Jackson’s at his best when he’s fighting leaner guys who can keep him on his toes and allow him to set up a highlight slam.

From a business standpoint, however, the card is a little confusing. The card has an early afternoon start time, which guarantees it’ll air as scheduled on pay-per-view in North America but will make it harder to move tickets for the live event.

An even bigger problem is that it also has all of its Japanese talent relegated to the undercard. Yushin Okami, who in my mind is the most successful Japanese export in UFC history, should arguably be in at least the semi-main event position. Jackson had his time in Pride, but you’re talking a gaijin who hasn’t been in the Japanese spotlight in about a decade versus a guy that the UFC and its Japanese PR could herald as a returning hero for his success. KID Yamamoto and Takanori Gomi are going to be seen, and have already been written off in Japanese media, as wash-outs fighting for their jobs.

The question is, does the UFC want to break into Japan or is their primary concern making a good face for the North American audience and breaking Japan into accepting their version of the product?

Zach Arnold over at Fight Opinion has some strong thoughts on the matter:

So, what did UFC do? They went the Vince McMahon route. Book an Americanized show that, for traditional Japanese fight fans, has no tribute to their past glory days or history. The matchmaking of the show does not touch on any past or present cultural themes. It’s just a straight-up UFC card. Now, in most other countries on this planet, this card is perfectly acceptable for a mid-range show. However, we’re dealing with Japan here and the Japanese are prideful people. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the Japanese want you to do business on their own terms and to cater to their tastes. They want a world-class card and themes promoted that deal with their natives winning on top. Why do you think Antonio Inoki forever and a day was successful at constantly beating random foreigners that he built up at Kuramae Kokugikan or Budokan?

Arnold hits on an important point (as well as many others from a business standpoint I won’t get into here but you should definitely read for yourself). This would be an okay monthly show and an above-average European card, but in terms of appeasing a Japanese market, it’s got some empty gestures and glad-handing littered in the prelims but not much else.

Thing is, I’m convinced that Dana White knows what he’s doing, even if I don’t agree with it. He’s aware that the Japanese market is an entirely different creature than the European market or, actually, any other market in Southeast Asia. You can bring the UFC product to more or less anywhere else in the world and, with some education and the right PR, it will sell. In certain ways, though, the Japanese are unique. As Arnold touches on in the above excerpt, they’re a prideful people. They also hold a strange and, to most, perplexing dichotomy: they’re a global economic powerhouse yet remain, in many ways, an insular and at times xenophobic island nation. Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, they have globalized purely on their own terms.

I can only speculate as to the mindset that went behind this card and what the UFC’s goals are, but I’m convinced Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta are of the mindset that they can, with time, break the Japanese market. That’s not a typo; I don’t mean “break through” in the traditional sense. With the Japanese fight scene in a complete shambles (Arnold, again, recently wrote a fascinating piece on this), the UFC sees it as an opportunity to market itself as something completely different and re-educate the Japanese fanbase.

Sakuraba became a star the last time the UFC took to Japan. Now, 15 years later, his career trajectory has mirrored the fading Japanese MMA industry.

While it may be the wrong card for the Japanese market, it’s the right one for the UFC.  I think this card’s going to be a hard sell for all the reasons he outlined, but from the start of its international expansion, the UFC has been nothing if not consistent in their approach to exporting their product. If you watch a card in Anaheim, Philadelpha, London, or Tokyo, it’s going to be a UFC card.

Fans of the old Japanese cards will cry foul, but their objections betray a misunderstanding of what the UFC is trying to accomplish. You may, like Arnold, disagree with it. But, for better or worse, they know what they’re doing.

The last time the UFC was in Japan, it introduced Japanese and American audiences to a young fighter named Kazushi Sakuraba, a middleweight (185 pounds) who entered the heavyweight Ultimate Japan tournament with weights in his pants – literally – to break the 205 pound limit at weigh-ins. After a chaotic and tumultuous night that included a rare early stoppage from John McCarthy and subsequent overturn of the decision, Sakuraba was victorious and a new star was born. Fifteen years later, Sakuraba is a broken and aged fighter who fights with his legs taped up like a mummy and looks physically bruised and battered before the bell even sounds. He also, by all accounts, has not been paid for a fight in over two years due to the fact that the fight promotions that are left after the implosion of Pride in 2006 are hemorrhaging money, grappling with Yakuza scandals, and are all but invisible to the Japanese mainstream due to a lack of television exposure. In many ways, Sakuraba is the living embodiment of Japanese MMA, in both his representation of the ideal of what they call “fighting spirit” and his career trajectory running parallel  to the Japanese fight scene.

And, obviously, he will not be fighting at the Saitama Super Arena on February 26th.

The UFC seems to think now is the right time to march its product over the smoldering ashes of what constituted a fight scene in Japan. I don’t think it will take. But with deep pockets and nothing to lose except a little face with a miniscule portion of its audience, they’re going to try anyway.

5 things MMA fans have to be thankful for this holiday season

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With Turkey Day upon us, it’s time for us to count our blessings and give our thanks for all that’s right with the world of MMA.

*****

Tom Lawlor’s entrances
Last Saturday, Lawlor fought in the last Facebook prelim against Middleweight phenom Chris Weidman. He lost (Weidman is on a tear and I expect him to be in a position for a title shot by the end of 2012), but he won our hearts with his latest entrance. Even better, though, was his turn at the weigh-ins where he showed up dressed as Steven Seagal:

 

*****

Chael Sonnen’s mental illness

Sonnen  is an incredible creep, highly unlikable, a liar, a cheater, brash, and irritating. Thankfully, though, he’s also batshit crazy. This makes him at least entertaining, even when he’s being intolerable.

*****

More “free” MMA than ever before
With UFC on Fox now behind us, we’re set to see more specials on Fox, Fuel, and FX in the next few months. As a bonus, they’ve learned their lesson from JDS/Cain, and Fox Network specials will have a minimum of two fights. It’s little consolation for those who decided to forego the Facebook prelims or didn’t know about them and missed a fantastic display from Benson Henderson and Clay Guida.

*****

Too much MMA
One of the things MMA fans have complained about over the past year – and I’m certainly one of them – is burnout. At certain times the UFC has operated at a blistering pace, putting on as many as six events in as many weeks. Add that to the weekly (and fantastic) Bellator cards and it becomes a bit too much to take. But let’s put this in perspective: remember when we’d get a UFC once every six to eight weeks? Not only was the wait killing us, but if you’re like me and had the occasional obligation on a Saturday night and missed a card, you had to wait another month or two before you got to see a decent fight again. In that sense, maybe too much MMA isn’t such a bad thing after all.

More Fight of the Year Candidates in the next five weeks (or would be if Shogun and Henderson hadn’t fought last Saturday)
UFC 140 is just two weeks away – I know – and features Mark Hominick taking on the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung, on the undercard. As star-studded as the card as a whole is – it’s a triple bill featuring Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, Frank Mir vs. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira, and Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – Hominick and the Zombie are all but guaranteed to steal the show. Then, just a few weeks later, we get Brock Lesnar taking on Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141 and in the semi-main event a fight featuring two of the most aggressive Lightweights in the world, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz. And a lot of people seem to be sleeping on the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale between coaches Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, which I think is going to surprise a lot of people with its intensity. It could be a thoroughly competitive, entertaining affair. Well, so long as Bisping doesn’t stick his chin out and skip in a straight circle like an idiot.

*****

Am I missing something? Probably. But clearly, there’s a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to in the weeks, months, and years to come. So when you’re at your table tomorrow and your elderly grandmother asks you to lead the family in saying grace, take the hands of those next to you and tell everyone that you’re thankful to God and everyone else for the Minotauro brothers, the Korean Zombie, horse meat, and Mayhem.

Amen.

Watch the (second best) Fight of the Year online for free

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The only possible way Rua vs. Henderson from this past Saturday doesn’t end up getting my pick for Fight of the Year is if Kazushi Sakuraba from 2001 shows up in a Tardis to fight Anderson Silva. Sadly, that’s not going to happen (Anderson’s injury won’t allow him to fight until 2012).

But Rua vs. Henderson has overshadowed another fight that in any other year would be a Fight of the Year candidate: the Bellator Lightweight Championship match pitting defending champ Eddie Alvarez against tournament winner Michael Chandler.

And, because it’s Bellator, it’s online for free. Enjoy. It’s the second most insane thing you’ll see this year.

Rua/Henderson is what MMA is all about

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A bloodied and at many points almost beaten Mauricio "Shogun" Rua reversed the momentum in the fourth round of his bout with Dan Henderson and never looked back.

I actually didn’t get to see UFC 139 during its initial airing. Those of you who actually know me personally (which accounts for somewhere in the neighborhood of my entire readership) will know that I spent much of the weekend nursing a stomach virus that had me completely out of commission – and solid intake – from Thursday until Saturday morning. Even after I was able to keep down a meal (Chinese take-out from down the street, because I’m a rebel), an incessant headache and remnants of dehydration kept me home on Saturday night. Since I don’t have cable, I have to watch MMA either at a friend’s house or gather a group for a table at a local restaurant. Which I actually prefer, since I love MMA enough to want to do everything possible to maximize the number of eyes on the sport on any given ngiht.

Long story short, I skipped the event.

I started to regret missing the card around the time I started seeing reports of the Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles fight. Then the drama and controversy of Wanderlei Silva’s win over Cung Le (see the previous post). By the time the main event came around, I was bummed out.

Then my Twitter stream turned into a half-hour scroll of expletives, transcriptions of audible gasps, and exclamation points. The phrase “fight of the night” popped up, then was supplanted by “fight of the year.” By the end of the night, everyone from the most stalwart contrarian to UFC President Dana White himself was calling the five round main event pitting Dan Henderson against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua one of the greatest fights in MMA history.

On Sunday, I *ahem* borrowed footage of the previous night’s top two fights, and wow.

Wow.

One of the first things I thought of watching the fight was that this is exactly the sort of thing that gripped me when I was first introduced to the modern version of the sport through not the UFC but bootleg VHS tapes of Pride events I would purchase when visiting my older brother Jack in Manhattan during the early aughts. Like the earlier performance of Wanderlei Silva that showed glimpses of the Axe Murderer I saw ten years ago, the struggle between Henderson and Rua showed the heart, determination, but most importantly skill that I admired in those early Pride fights. This isn’t to say Pride didn’t have its share of controversy and bad fights. But men like Silva, Rua, and Kazushi Sakuraba engaged in wars in those early days of the promotion that made you forget about not just what had happened earlier that night, but everything else in the world of sports.

By the time Rua gained full mount on Henderson for the second time in the fifth round and was once again reigning down strikes while asking himself what he had to do to finish this guy off – an inverse of the position both men found themselves in just two rounds earlier – I was thinking about what a lost opportunity it was for me not to have taken out my note book to document this blow by blow for this space or someone else’s. The blows, the blood, the seeming ends supplanted by sudden reversals or heelhook attempts. It had everything I honestly didn’t expect, even if I had secretly hoped for, in the weeks leading up to UFC 139.

Then I realized that even if I had taken notes, they would have been of much use. I would have been too transfixed by what I saw unfolding before me to convey it in words. Even if I were to re-watch that fight (an inevitability) and try to document it in hindsight, I’d be distracted by the thought that something would be lost in not conveying the experience of seeing this for the first time.

That fight – or whatever it was that unfolded on Saturday night – ended in a unanimous decision win for Dan Henderson. Of course, fans complained. This time I feel they were right, in the sense that the fifth and final round was as clear a 10-8 round as you will ever seen in MMA, but not one of the three judges appointed by the California State Athletic Commission saw fit to judge it as such. It brought to light the problems inherent in judging (note I didn’t say “MMA judging” because the problem is actually just as bad if not worse in boxing and there’s plenty of overlap in personnel).

But the beauty of that fight and the sport as a whole is that it doesn’t matter. Nobody will look at the extra digit at the other end of Rua’s record and hold him against him. It’s the same reason why one of the two or three greatest fighters of all time, Randy Couture, has a 30-11 record. MMA isn’t about your record, statistics, or the result of your last three fights. It’s about who you fought, what you did, and how you got there.

Just one week before, 8.8 million people in the United States watched MMA for the first time during the UFC on Fox broadcast. Rua vs. Henderson would have been too much a shock to the system of someone getting their first exposure to the sport, but I’ll be goddamned if it didn’t more accurately reflect what this sport is, what it should be, and why we love the goddamn thing.

Bring on the rematch.

Monday Fallout: Silva/Le stoppage at UFC 139 wasn’t questionable, but Cung Le’s judgement was

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Le took literally the beating of his life this past Saturday night, and it was totally avoidable.

 I’ve read both ire and praise directed towards Joe Rogan after he vehemently criticized the stoppage in the second round of Saturday’s fight between Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le.

 Surely, Rogan has been around long enough to know better than hugging your opponent’s calves with your face on the mat while he pounds the side of your head doesn’t quite qualify as a “takedown attempt” as he insisted.To be fair, though, the original angle did show Le as being deceptively active. It was only when they showed the angle that the referee saw – where Le’s face practically exploded after a knee before collapsing to the canvas – where it was absolutely clear that fight was over and whatever Le was doing was pure reflex. Rogan, to both his detriment and benefit as a color commentator, is first and foremost a fan of the sport. I think his fanboyish obsession with Le – one that he shares with no shortage of fans in the sport – got the better of him. Still, this ignores that having a loose grip on whatever happens to be in front of you is not enough to qualify as intelligently defending yourself, and the fact that when it was stopped, Le’s hands were apart.

 Personally, I think Rogan owes referee Dan Snell an apology for calling him out in public for a bad stoppage and then harping on the point. There have been bad stoppages in MMA – and there always will be – but that wasn’t one of them.

 As for the fight itself, Wanderlei looked like it was 2001. Clearly his return to Chute Box has reinvigorated him physically and mentally, as that was the most focused and on-point I’ve seen him in years. After losing four straight, he got a much-needed win against a legitimately dangerous opponent. I won’t go so far as to say he’s back, but it’s a step in the right direction.

 Le, on the other hand, should not fight at this level if he’s not going to take it seriously. I’m not talking about his waist, either, which too many people harped on. Le’s always had a thicker core. Sure, he had an extra pound or two he didn’t have a few years ago, but the guy is 39 years old. The problem, though, is moments like when he had Silva rocked and primed for a kill in the first round with a spinning backfist, which he followed up by completely wiffing on a stupid wheel kick. It only got more frustrating as the fight went on. Early in the fight, he was able to keep Silva at a distance with devastating front kicks. As the round wore on and especially when he got in trouble in the second round, he resulted to more spinning back kicks, axe kicks, and other gym rat bullshit.

 I mean no disrespect to his love of San Shou and devotion to the form. Okay, maybe I do. See, the thing is, that sort of thing is all well and good when you’re in Strikeforce fighting an aged and broken Frank Shamrock and other hand-picked opponents in-between film shootings. But the UFC is on a whole different level. They’re going to put you in there against guys that can do some real damage, and if you’re not going to take it seriously enough to throw a straight punch when you need to, you’re going to end up without a nose at the end of the fight.

 More than reckless in terms of competition, Le’s choices posed a very real danger to himself in that fight. Maybe he’ll realize that, or maybe he’s still not that serious about MMA and just needed or wanted to pick up a paycheck in front of his home crowd.

 As bad as Saturday night was, just imagine if things had gone as originally planned and Le stepped in there against Vitor Belfort. That fight would have been even harder to watch.

UFC on FOX this Saturday: satisfaction guaranteed

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Joe Silva and Dana White are smart men. For their first fight on network television, they’ve chosen a bout that is all but guaranteed to be entertaining.

As Mike Chiapetta notes over at MMAFighting.com:

The success of both starts with offense. Both men are among the most prolific offensive heavyweights in UFC history. Actually, they are the most prolific offensive fighters in UFC history among all division. Again, this can be proven with numbers. According to FightMetric, they rank No. 1 and 2 in UFC history for significant strikes landed per minute all-time.

Brazilian MMA journalist Alexandre Matos asked for my pick for MMA-Brasil.com:

Kevin Marshall (Mixed Mashall Arts): Eu vou de Cain. Não há dúvida na minha cabeça. Acho que a única chance de Junior é terminar rápido. Se ele não o fizer, a luta será de Cain. Além disso, acho que Cain é muito inteligente para deixar a luta se tornar um verdadeiro quebra-pau. Vejo perfeitamente Velasquez botando Junior para baixo rapidamente e dominando-o

What, you don’t speak Portugese? Oh, fine. A translation:

 ”I gotta go with Cain. There’s no doubt in my mind. I just feel like Junior’s only going to have a chance to get in there and finish it quick, and if he doesn’t, it’s Cain’s fight. And I think Cain’s too smart to let it get into a total slugfest. I can totally see him taking it to the ground quickly and overpowering him.”

In his last fight, Cain shattered whatever was left of the Brock Lesnar myth. This is not to say Lesnar can’t or won’t be champion again, but Cain made him look human. Strip away the intimidation factor and you have a guy that, although bigger than Cain, was slower and physically weaker. Junior Dos Santos, because of his superior stand-up and conditioning, may be a more dangerous fight for Cain, but like I told Alexandre, I think Cain’s too smart and versatile to not take that fight where he needs to take it. Either way, it’s going to be a Hell of a fight, and in terms of quality and excitement you couldn’t ask for a better bout for the UFC’s network debut.

While the broadcast kicks off live at 9:00pm EST, the undercard starting at 4:45pm on the UFC’s Facebook page will also provide no shortage of interesting match-ups. Most notable is the semi-main event (for the live crowd at least) of former WEC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson taking on Lightweight stalwart and UFC veteran Clay Guida. Dana White has declared that the winner will get the next shot at Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, which I take issue with in light of the absolute tear Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has been on since joining the ranks and the fact that the #2 Lightweight in the world, Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, has a fight in two weeks that all but guarantees he’ll be in line as well.

Issues of rankings and placement aside, you couldn’t ask for a better fight than Henderson and Guida. Both are tough as nails, have cardio for days, and fight Japanese (a term I use to describe fighters who for better or worse let the momentum of the fight dictate their style). That said, one of the things that has made Clay Guida more successful over the course of the last year is that he’s fighting less wild and showing a bit more restraint when the leather starts flying. He’s still exciting to watch, mind you, but the difference now is that he dictates the pace rather than chasing after it. In addition to restraint, I thinke he also has an edge in strength and experience.

Surprisingly, Henderson is currently a 5-2 favorite on the books. Personally I think that should be flipped, but Henderson is also the type of fighter I would never put up money against.

More info and the full card is available over at the official site for UFC on Fox.

 

Why the winner of Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida may not determine a #1 contender

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Ever since it was announced that Clay Guida would face former WEC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson on the undercard of the first UFC on Fox event (Saturday, November 12th), speculations and assumptions have built towards an inevitable conclusion: the winner would be #1 contender to the UFC Lightweight title.

Not so fast. From Mike Chiapetta at MMAFighting.com:

“I don’t know. I have no idea,” he said. “We’re going to have to see what happens. I haven’t even thought about it. You have to understand, the only thing I’m thinking about now is FOX. I’ve just got to get past this event. Everything else is taking a back seat. All the other s— will work itself out.”

Even without the Fox event, there can’t be a clear-cut distinction of the next title contender stemming from this one fight. Don’t get me wrong; it’s very possible that the winner will be a future opponent for Frankie Edgar. But a few things have to fall into place first.

Gilbert Melendez, the current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, will have to successfully defend his belt against Jorge Masdival at the December 17th event on Showtime. Based on his performances and his shattering of the myths of fighters like Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri, the general consensus is that Melendez is the best Lightweight outside of the UFC and, perhaps, the #2 Lightweight in the world. He’s definitely Top 5. The problem is that challengers in Strikeforce were few and far between due to their paltry Lightweight division (hardly the only weight where there the promotion had little to no depth). With the UFC’s absorption of Strikeforce, it’d be foolish to keep Melendez out of the UFC and walking all over lesser fighters. A champion versus champion fight seems like a foregone conclusion, but Masdival also has more punching power than Melendez is used to seeing. Him as #2 in the world is a very strong theory, but one that’s been ultimately untested in the last calendar year.

Then there’s Dennis Siver. Admittedly, I’m a bit biased; I’m a fan of Siver’s and my first pitch to UFC.com was a profile of the fighter (conducted via a translation from the kind and knowledgeable Oliver Copp, to whom I’ll always be grateful). Siver has been on a tear his last four fights and looked impressive in every outing, including a dominating performance against George Sotiropoulos, who myself and many others thought was on a trajectory towards title contention himself. His next opponent is another potential contender, former WEC Lightweight champion Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who since dropping his title to Ben Henderson a year and a half ago has gone on a five-fight tear. Depending on how that fight and other circumstances play out, that fight as well could realistically determine a #1 contender.

Talk about a logjam.

Regardless of how the division plays out, the fight between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida is sure to be a barn-burner. You can watch it for free prior to the network broadcast on the UFC’s Facebook page or by visiting FOX.com.

After being wrongly jailed for 26 years, Dewey Bozella wins first pro fight

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From our sister sport of boxing comes this amazing story from Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports: a man wrongly convicted who not only served time for a crime he didn’t commit, but refused a plea deal offered twenty-one years ago that would have made him a free man because he refused to compromise his integrity.

Last Saturday, Dewey Bozella made his professional pro boxing debut and won.

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