Pay Per View Prices

When one wants to catch a UFC, Affliction, or Strikeforce event, how much does he/she have to dish out? ANSWER: $44.99. Is this a reasonable number by any stretch of the imagination? Lets contemplate:

-I can buy three CD's with that money.
-I can buy two cheap Playstation 3 games with that money.
-I can buy a week's worth of food for one person with that money.
-I can buy admission to 4 movies with that money.
-I can buy two t-shirts of high quality with that money.
-I can buy hundreds of things on ebay for that money.
-I can fill up my gas tank 150 % with that money.
-I can buy 20 mixed drinks with that money.
-I can buy a pair of nice jeans with that money.
-I can buy 3 haircuts with that money.
- I can buy a taxi drive around New York, Boston, or Chicago with that money.

ANSWER?: NO

Couture Makes His Debut in Straight to DVD Scorpion King 2

Former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight champion Randy Couture made his first real debut as an actor in "The Scorpion King 2" last year. Randy plays Sargon, an evil king of a Middle Eastern sect of Scorpion Warriors.

Couture's acting is a bit cheesy at times, and you can certainly tell that he hasn't been doing this for awhile. The action sequences (as one might assume) fit him perfectly, however. Everything looks natural, and it seems like an MMA fighter is just as good of a stage performer as a stunt double when it comes to physical actions.

The movie itself is forgettable as a been there, done that warrior type film. The special effects are second rate, but there is an extremelly attractive demon goddess who attempts to make the main character her slave in the bowels of hell. If I were he, I would have taken the offer.

UFC Legends Aging

It seems like the days of Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Dan Severn, Matt Hughes, Pat Miletich, Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, and Tank Abbott are nearly behind us. Their ages ( 45, 39, 45, 36, 41 respectively) are sounding more and more like a nursing home breakfast list than a list of elite fighters. While Couture, Gracie, Hughes, and Liddell are still testing their might against younger men, each is near the end of the career road. In fact, every one of the men has publicly stated that they have only a few fights left.





I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think MMA might have reached its pinnacle in the year 2005, when all of these men (the ones who started it all) were all still in prime fighting condition. I think each could stop right now and be better off solidifying their legacy than if they were to repeatedly try to take on fresh talent in the sport. They will always be remembered by the fans, but I believe if they want to be remembered in a positive light then they should hang up thier hats.

Manhoef defies all logic.

Melvin Manhoef is 19-5. 18 of those 19 wins have come by the way of KO or TKO. Can you say modern era Mike Tyson? With a recent win over the notoriously Iron-Chined Mark Hunt, Manhoef seems to be defying all the odds of MMA. Hunt weighed in at 285lbs in that fight, while Melvin came in at a lean 215. Weight classes are usually a great idea to protect fighters, but apparently weight advantages (along with a little reach) have their limits. His explosive power is unmatched to my untrained eye, and his phyisique is extremelly imposing.

The scary part of this equasion is that Manhoef has already been beaten, and unlike Tyson, he has proven he can bounce back from defeat. He is a Dutch kickboxer who regularly competes in K1, and his record there against the best in the world is also quite intimidating. If only he was to make his way to the UFC to face the likes of Anderson Silva! 185 is where Manhoef belongs, and seeing that fight would be a dream come true!

UFC 97 Right Around the Corner

Anderson Silva is poised to make his 5th title defense, and 9th win in a row. Both would be UFC records, but 14-1 Thales Leites lies ahead of him. The young Jiu Jitsu ace is hungry for the belt, and has defeated a who's who of Middleweight threats on his way to Silva.
Thales Leites has been training his entire life for his moment in the Sun against the UFC middleweight champion. He still lives in his mom's basement with his girlfriend, and has a child on the way. Becoming the UFC champion is his lifelong dream, as he has been competing in Jiu Jitsu his entire life.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is coming off of a win against rival Mark Coleman. His performance according to himself and fans was sub-par, however. His cardio is suspect after a long fight layoff, but he has been training like an animal for his fight against Chuck Liddell. He knows that the loser of this fight may very well be dropped from the UFC.

Chuck Liddell is now 21-6, and is coming off being knocked out by Rashad Evans, the current light heavyweight champion. He realizes that his career in the UFC might be at risk with a loss, and at age 39 Chuck has only a few years left as a top quality fighter. Shogun is a fight he has always waited for, however, so expect to see some fireworks on April 18.

The Snowman on a Roll

30-8 Jeff Monson is on a 6 win streak, yet is still not cracking the top 10 heavyweights in the world. The 5'9 247lb spark plug has defeated such names as Ricco Rodriguez, Roy Nelson, and Sergei Kharatinov, and is on his way back to the UFC. His last fight there was against the 6'8 Tim Sylvia, which presented a foot height difference. Many deemed the fight david vs goliath...if David was a 247lb freak of nature with gorilla strength. The fight was boring, but his other fights were a pleasure to watch for any fan of submission fighting. He is a North/South Choke specialist, and in my opinion needs the respect he has gained through beating some incredible opponents. He is 8 or 9 in the world material in my (and a true fan of mma's) book.

Size Matters....In a Way

At the head of the Ulitimate Fighting Championship's Heavyweight division lies Brock Lesnar, a 3-1 former WWE superstar. While hardcore fans might wince at this grim reality, there is a reason Brock is on top. The combination of size and skill in MMA is hard to beat, and few are as large as the 280lb Lesnar. His skill lies in his wrestling as his other game pieces continue to grow. For a Heavyweight Brock is somewhat fast as well. The combination of size, speed, and skill in one facet of MMA have catapulted him to the top of the fighting world. But is size a common factor among all UFC division toppers?

LIGHTWEIGHT: BJ PENN (Formerly Sean Sherk)- While Penn is slightly large for a lightweight and Sherk is an absolute monster, Penn uses his incredible skill to win fights in ANY division. Sherk's strength is compacted into his barely 5'6 frame, and he packs on a ton of muscle. But both skill and size have been shown to work in this division.

WELTERWEIGHT: GEORGES ST. PIERRE (Formerly Matt Hughes)- St. Pierre is a huge welterweight with a good degree of muscle and length. Matt Hughes was large for 170lbs as well, and always dominated with his strength. Both had beaten people larger than themselves during their reigns, however. But with Thiago Alves on the horizon for St. Pierre at UFC 100, it seems large welterweights are where it is at. Alves is 5'8-5'9 (about average for a welterweight) but regularly weighs 190lbs before fights.

MIDDLEWEIGHT: ANDERSON SILVA (Formerly Rich Franklin)- While Silva is one of the longest Middleweights in the UFC, other competitors have proven they defeat larger opponents. The former champion, Rich Franklin, was beaten out by Silva in brutal fashion twice in a row. Franklin was larger than Silva. There are several Jiu-Jitsu aces who use skill over size as well, such as Thales Leites or Demian Maia.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: RASHAD EVANS (Formerly Forrest Griffin)- Rashad is an average sized light heavyweight, while Forrest Griffin is a long guy, but without much muscle packed onto his frame. It would seem that Light Heavyweight is not dominated by size alone, because champions have varied in musculature and length in the past few years.

Styles Make Fights

On April 11, 2009, perennial welterweight contender Nick Diaz defeated MMA legend Frank Shamrock via TKO. Shamrock is a 185lb fighter, so the two met at a catch weight of 179lbs. Because of Frank Shamrock's legendary reputation and usual higher weight class, I put more than enough confidence in him prior to this fight. Diaz usually exibits when in the MMA world they call "pitter pat" punches in his fights, and Shamrock has serious punching power. Both fighters like to keep things standing, so this was a clear Shamrock victory for me. It turned out, however, that Diaz was able to TKO Shamrock with his longer reach, yet weaker punches. While Shamrock looked off that night, I couldn't help but feel that he should have taken the fight to the ground with his superior wrestling. While Diaz has great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Frank could have controlled him on the ground like Sean Sherk once did in the UFC. Shamrock has a good chin like Sherk, so why not just manhandle the lanky fighter like the former UFC lightweight champ did? Some fighters need to realize that certain matchups favor them stylistcly, and some don't. If someone has reach on you, why not wrestle them and use their length against their game? As a striker and wrestler, Shamrock should have wreslted the long reach out of Diaz like Sherk had. As a consequence, he suffered an embarassing loss to a guy he has been feuding with. Styles make fights.

Professional mixed martial artists are the physically toughest men on the planet. Many (most) of them have had difficult upbringings, but this has changed in recent years, due to the fact that the sport has gone more mainstream. But something always keeps my attention whenever I see a one sided fight: the heart of the man getting bested. So many times in a fight have I seen a fighter who has no hope of winning simply stay in there when he could so easily opt out of the contest. Is it pride that keeps him going? Is it the prospect of money? Maybe it is the simple drive that exists within all of us as humans to simply persevere.

Fight Nights: A necessary 'Meh'

So I'm sitting here early in the morning on my living room couch, and I had a positive thought. What the UFC is doing with its free fight nights on Spike TV is fantastic for the future of the organization. It is providing exposure for the lesser known (oftentimes younger) fighters whom UFC President Dana White hopes will one day become pay per view draws. The last fight night's main event was Joe Lauzon vs 23 year old Jeremy Stephens. While neither fighter at 155lbs is a huge draw as of early 2009, they both have a bright future in the UFC.

My eyes usually don't widen very much when I scan over the advertisement of a fight night as I'm flipping through the channels on my television. But I now realize that these solid, but lesser named fight cards are a necessary exercise. They showcase the most eager of the UFC's talents, and give each up and comer a chance to make a name for himself. Take Cain Velasquez, for example. Many sources insist that this 6'4 240lb heavyweight is the future of the division. He fought on the other night's card, and appeared to be obsessed with putting up a stunning victory. While he WAS the dominating fighter in his bout, Velasquez was unable to close the deal in such an explosive manner. These young guys know that the quick road to victory in the UFC is through shock and awe. Houston Alexander was never as talented a fighter as Lyoto Machida in the Light Heavyweight division, but because of a few jaw-splitting knockouts he recieved the fast track to stardom. Meanwhile, Machida has won 6 straight fights and remains not the number 1 contender in the division. Most of Machida's fights have been less than entertaining. The average fan wants brutal action, so unfortunately pretty knockouts must take precedent over deservedness. Isn't that always the way?

Lets Play Monopoly

I sat down this morning to eat breakfast, and read a few posts on a MMA forum. The topic was, "Would MMA be better with only one organization?" The creator posed a scenario where the Ultimate Fighting Championship would aquire all other promotion's fighters. The likes of such promotions as Afflicition, Dream, Strikeforce, and Elite XC would give up, and we would have a single enormous association akin to the NFL. There were two sides to the argument: One group stated that having one organization would allow for the most talented fighters in the world to be matched up without any hesitation. The other view, however, argues that allowing for only one organization would be a license for the UFC to charge ridiculous ticket, viewing, and merchandising prices. They simply state that the envelope would not be pushed, and a monopolizing situation would be taking place. While I can see the positives associated with both sides of the dispute, I can't help but feel that this issue does not need to be solved: the fans win either way!

If things were to continue as they are, different associations of mixed martial arts would stay creative with their events, crown new champions, hype their best fighters, and give the fans multiple perspectives on a young sport. When the time came for a cross promotion event, the hype would be epic. When the UFC and PrideFc first unified their titles in 2007, the hype for each melting pot of a card was unprecedented. If Affliction and the UFC were to currently market their fighters effectively, and then setup a mega card, a repeat scenario could occur. Wouldn't that be worth settling for multiple organizations? Another positive in which would stem from a multiple organization scenario lies with the situations of the fighters themselves. More options for a fighter to choose from means more happy (and wealthy) athletes. If you don't like the treatment of one promotion, why not pursue a contract with another? This scenario would never be possible in a monopolizing situation.

On the other hand, if the UFC was to gain the resources of all other leagues, the fans would have definitive answers to several questions: who is the best, who would win against whom, and who is washed up. The fighters would be able to start a union to secure a set of rights, taking away the need for employer options. The fans would also be treated to more multitudes of fight cards, since fighters can't only compete once a year. Traditionally in the world of sports these titan organizations have done quite well. Who could argue with the NBA, NFL, and MLB's dominance in each of their fields? Would anyone argue that those organizations never "push the envelope?" But MMA isn't a traditional sport. For this reason, I question whether classic themes should be cut and pasted. I don't, however, doubt that the fans will win either way.

Pound for Pound.

Well then...its my first post, and there are a variety of ways I could kick this thing off. I find that the most pressing matter to attend to in the current world of MMA is the question: "who is the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world right now?" Pound for pound is a term used by MMA fans to describe the proportional talent of a fighter for his own body weight. It is often used in sentences like: "Damn Sherk is a dominant 155'er, and pound for pound one of the most talented fighters on the planet!" What usually makes a fighter highly positioned in the P4P rankings are the following criteria:

- He is dominant in his weight class
- He has beaten a considerable amount of top level competition relatively RECENTLY
- He has few losses on his career record
- His talent has allowed him to fight/would allow him to fight at a higher or lower weight class and be competitive.
- Any combination of the above, or a considerable amount of any of the above.



So who are our candidates as of late?

Fedor Emelianenko- "The Russian Experiment" has always vied for the number one spot on most P4P lists, but was previously questionable due to his relaxed schedule and lack of top competition. His recent destruction of Tim Sylvia (a former UFC champion) and KO of the well rounded Andrei Arlovski (another former UFC champ) has brought him back into strong contention, however. Fedor is a Heavyweight fighter who stands 6'0 tall and weighs 230lbs, and is a member of the organization known as Affliction. As a small heavyweight (the weight limit for a heavyweight is 265lbs), Fedor has consistently clobbered all of his heavier, taller, shorter, and more muscular foes to create a 29-1 record. He was a long time PrideFc champion and is the current World Alliance MMA champion. His only loss was actually a DQ due to an illegal elbow, but it was recorded as a loss because of the tournament format. Fedor has incredible power in his hands, is faster than most welterweights, and has some of the most brutal ground and pound in the entire sport. He also has great takedowns and submissions due to his Sambo background.

Anderson Silva- Another strong contender for the P4P top spot is the 23-4 UFC middleweight champion. Anderson has won 8 fights in a row in the UFC, however presides over a lackluster division of middleweights. Recently Anderson defeated Patrick Cote due to a blown out knee, a light heavyweight in James Irvin, and the always challenging Dan Henderson. All of his fights have been dominating performances of elegant striking, skull crushing muay thai, and on the ground he is a jiu jitsu black belt.

Georges St. Pierre- A final top contender for the P4P champion is the champion of the UFC's most talented division, the welterweights. St. Pierre has the best wrestling in MMA and defeated another great P4P fighter in BJ Penn on January 29. With a record of 18-2, Georges is on a 5 fight win streak against top level competition. There are even talks of him moving up in weight to fight Anderson Silva very soon. He has developed as a fighter in the past few years and not only wins in the most talented division of MMA in the world, but dominates in it.

AND THE WINNER?

Fedor Emelianenko- Fedor routinely fights guys whom have a 35lb or more weight advantage, and has fought top level competition lately. He has never truly lost and has fought all of the greatest fighters of every dicipline. If St. Pierre or Silva wish to take this crown from him, they would each have to fight men who were routinely heavier and just as talented as those Fedor has fought. Oh, and wait. Fedor would have to actually LOSE as well. I say good luck with that one...