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- Dan Henderson: The true number one middleweight contender (Opinion)
- Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 video introduction to heavyweight cast
- K-1 MAX Final 8 results and recap; ‘Kid’ Yamamoto, Tatsuya Kawajiri and others in action
- Too much, too fast: Weight cut influenced Thiago Alves loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100
- UFC 100 video blog with Dana White: Fight night on July 11 (Parts one and two)
- UFC 100 medical suspensions and injuries
- UFC 100: In defense of Brock Lesnar
- Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Rashad Evans scuffle cageside at UFC 100 (Video)
- Carano vs Cyborg NYC press conference to air live on Strikeforce.com July 14
- UFC Quick Quote: Bisping praises Hendo, a little fuzzy on details from Saturday night
| Dan Henderson: The true number one middleweight contender (Opinion) Posted: 14 Jul 2009 04:48 AM PDT
I come from the school of thought that says title holders who lose their belts deserve another crack at the title as long as they bounce back with wins (or sometimes two wins if there are other marketable contenders with a legitimate claim to the #1 contender position). The more dominating those bounce-back performances, the quicker a former champ should get a shot. While not a hard-fast rule, it's also been a tradition that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers often follow. Rich Franklin earned a rematch against Anderson Silva with two solid victories, despite looking dismal in their first meeting. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson earned another title shot with two victories, but opted to fight Rashad Evans in a grudge match instead. All Matt Hughes needed to get a rematch against Georges St. Pierre was a sloppy win over Chris Lytle. Since losing his Pride FC title to Silva, Dan Henderson has strung together three consecutive victories against very tough opponents — and he's done it by being the UFC's beckon call boy, fighting at whatever weight Joe Silva and Dana White have asked him to. Hendo's victories over Rousimar Palhares and former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, along with his complete tooling of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 this past weekend, have demonstrated something else about the man once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world: An almost Randy Couture-like ability to dissect his opponents and implement the most effective strategies to win fights.
Palhares entered his fight with Henderson being hailed, along with Demian Maia, as one of two rising jiu-jitsu practitioners with perhaps the best ground game in the middleweight division (if not any division) of any promotion in the world. Back in August 2008, Henderson told MMAmania.com that he wasn't thrilled to be matched up with an opponent who had limited fan recognition — especially one as dangerous as Palhares. He stood everything to lose and not much to gain. But rather than refusing to fight Palhares — as Martin Kampmann recently did when offered to fight T.J. Grant — Henderson played ball, kept the fight on the feet (his "best chance of finishing the fight") and coasted to a unanimous decision victory. Franklin entered his fight with Henderson at 26-3, having only lost to Anderson Silva (twice) and Lyoto Machida. He sported an 11-2 record inside the Octagon and had single-handedly beaten every viable middleweight contender at the time, which is precisely why the UFC asked him to move up to 205 pounds so that "Ace" would stop derailing all its 185-pound contenders. Despite some very different judging that night, Henderson gave Franklin one round, but took the other two in the main event to earn a split decision. It was a huge win over a formidable opponent, earning the former Olympic wrestler a spot as coach opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "U.S. vs. U.K." And what can you say about his victory over Bisping? Without it, UFC 100's pay-per-view card would be best remembered for a lot of decisions (to go with the undercard's plethora of guillotine chokes) and Brock Lesnar acting like a schoolyard bully. Henderson's destruction of Bisping was one of the sickest ever seen inside the Octagon. It will be mentioned with the likes of Rashad Evans over Chuck Liddell, Pete Williams over Mark Coleman, and Franklin over Nate Quarry; but, admittedly, not quite as devastating as Gabe Gonzaga over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic … very likely the greatest knockout in UFC history. The point is, it couldn't have been more dominant. Henderson couldn't have done anything else in that fight to make his performance more impressive. Since returning to the promotion in 2007, Henderson has put his time in, fought whoever the UFC brass asked him to fight, did whatever the UFC asked him to do, earned his victories and then some. He deserves a title shot against Anderson Silva, but yet one wasn't guaranteed for him with a win over Bisping at UFC 100. Why not? I understand why the UFC said that if Bisping won, he would get an immediate title shot. A win over someone like Henderson ought to do that — that's how good Henderson is. Plus, with UFC 105 reportedly being held in Manchester, England (Bisping's backyard), there are few middleweight match ups as marketable as that one. And if you're not marketable, you won't get a title shot … just ask Yushin Okami. But Dan Henderson is marketable. He's the only man in the history of the sport to concurrently hold two belts from two different weight classes for the same major promotion (Pride FC). He has a history with the UFC for nearly as long as Couture, and at 38, he's not getting any younger, but is still just as dominant as he's ever been. And his trash-talk buildup to UFC 100 proved that he can put his money where his mouth is when the UFC asks for hype. Hendo's critics might point to his back-to-back title defense losses to "Rampage" Jackson and Anderson Silva as a reasons he's not the fighter he used to be. But point to a single fighter who has been asked to go five rounds in the Octagon after fighting in a much smaller ring for the decade before. We all saw what great success awaited Mirko "Cro Cop" when he switched promotions … and he was only expected to go three rounds. The fact that Henderson went five rounds against "Rampage" after nine years of NOT fighting inside the larger and much trickier Octagon says more for the man's versatility than the victory said about "Rampage." There's one more aspect to Henderson's marketability when it comes to a middleweight title shot: He's the only fighter to win a round against Anderson Silva since the champion has been fighting in the UFC. And he won it handedly by implementing the smarter strategy and smothering the champion. While the fans — including myself — would love to see the most dominant fighter in the world (I'm talking about George St. Pierre) come up in weight to fight "The Spider," GSP has already stated that he needs time to gain weight and prepare for that fight, if it's even going to happen at all. That time needs to be filled with a middleweight title shot against the true number one contender, Dan Henderson. |
| Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 video introduction to heavyweight cast Posted: 14 Jul 2009 04:47 AM PDT |
| K-1 MAX Final 8 results and recap; ‘Kid’ Yamamoto, Tatsuya Kawajiri and others in action Posted: 14 Jul 2009 04:47 AM PDT Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) held its latest event, K-1 World MAX Final 8, from the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday (July 13). For fans in North America it will air via tape delay Friday July 17 at 10 p.m. ET on HDNet. The focal point of the evening was another mixed martial arts vs. K-1 fight with DREAM lightweight standout Tatsuya Kawajiri going up against former two-time K-1 Max World champion Masato. It seems as if FEG is trying to brew up a rivalry between both sports to drum up fan interest. Perhaps it’s working. The back and forth battles, which have mainly seen MMA stars of DREAM head over to K-1 to try their hands at the striking-only sport, have not only being entertaining, but has seen a fair share of the mixed martial artist stand their ground and do quite well. However, just not this time around. Kawajiri was simply outclassed in his bout with K-1 legend Masato. It's hard to fault him though — his primary base is wrestling and it's safe to say he was out of his element in a stand up only fight against someone the caliber of the Masato.
"Crusher" didn't have much to offer, appearing to be desperately looking for a big power shot to surprise Masato with but to no avail. Masato was too elusive and countered well, tooling Kawajiri late into the first round and eventually landing a right hook that brought his opponent to his knees. Crusher was able to recover and get back to his feet. The second round saw more of the same with Kawajiri not being able to do much apart from try and fail to land powerful hooks. Masato had an answer for them every time, and half way through the round, managed to rock Kawajiri with a flurry of punches. He finished with an uppercut and a knee that completely overwhelmed Kawajiri, who tried to fire back but while doing so flopped into the canvas in pure exhaustion. Also in action was mixed martial arts featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, facing off against young Korean import Jae hee Cheon. He would end up suffering a similar fate to Kawajiri if not worse. He was a tad over eager to engage, which he wound up paying dearly for, eating a vicious left hook early into the opening stanza that saw Yamamoto brutally knocked out just 80 seconds into the bout. Another setback for "Kid" who was just upset by Greco-Roman wrestling stud Joe Warren at DREAM 9 in May. The relatively inexperienced wrestling convert earned a decision over the highly regarded Yamamoto to make a name for himself, advancing deeper into the DREAM featherweight tournament in the process. The event of course played host to the K-1 MAX (154 lbs) World Championship Tournament quarterfinals. K-1 MAX Japan Tournament runner-up Yuya Yamamoto managed to garner a decision victory over Gago Drago in his preliminary bout. He earned himself a spot in the final four with that win and will now face off against Italian bruiser Giorgio Petrosyan, who was also in action at the event outscoring the first ever K-1 Max champion Albert Kraus on the judges scorecards to claim victory. While last year's runner up in the tournament, 22-year-old prospect Artur Kyshenko, had a closely contested battle with Dutch blitzkrieg Andy Souwer, the bout went the distance and needed an extra round before the judges could come up with their conclusion. Though in the end it would be Souwer who got his hand raised, getting the victory and a little bit of redemption. As both combatants previously faced off in last years semifinals though that time it would be Kyshenko who was the victor in another close battle. Souwer now evens the scores and in doing so advances to the semifinals of this years tournament where he'll meet former two-time champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk scored a unanimous decision win over K-1 MAX Scandinavia 2006 tournament champion Nieky Holzken to earn his spot in the semifinals. Here are the official results for K-1 World MAX Final 8: K-1 World MAX 2009 quarterfinals: K-1 World MAX 2009 reserve fights: Non-tournament bouts: Preliminary bout: |
| Too much, too fast: Weight cut influenced Thiago Alves loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 Posted: 13 Jul 2009 08:15 PM PDT
Props: FightHype.com Quoteworthy:
Eric “El Tigre” Castano — kickboxing and Muay Thai coach for Thiago Alves — talks about his fighter’s unanimous decision loss to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11. St. Pierre completely tamed the “Pitbull” for five rounds, nullifying his dangerous striking attack with a mix of speed, wrestling and ground and pound. Alves — who earned the opportunity with seven consecutive wins against several of the best the division has to offer — could not get anything going during the 25-minute championship match. St. Pierre’s gameplan had a lot to do with the result, but so too did Alves’ weight cut (according to his trainer), which apparently zapped much of his explosiveness. Alves is among the biggest fighters in the 170-pound division and he has historically had a tough time hitting the mark. It’s important to note that Alves himself revealed last week that he was lighter heading into this fight than he has been in recent past. Perhaps the last few pounds were stubborn and did him in, which begs the question, should Alves move up to middleweight (a class that Castano feels he’s too light for) or stay right where he is and make another run at the belt? |
| UFC 100 video blog with Dana White: Fight night on July 11 (Parts one and two) Posted: 13 Jul 2009 05:44 PM PDT Check out part two after the jump, which includes the Quinton Jackson-Rashad Evans “push” and much more.
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| UFC 100 medical suspensions and injuries Posted: 13 Jul 2009 05:13 PM PDT
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 100, which took place on Saturday, July 11 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Based on the amount of hemoglobin on the blood-soaked canvas, it should come as no surprise that several of the fighters who competed on the landmark card will have to take some time off to heal their respective injuries. However, one injury that was not oozing during the action is perhaps the one that most fans (and females) are most interested. UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre endured more than two rounds of competition with a strained groin muscle. “Rush” will have to serve a minimum one-month suspension and cannot return to action until January 2010 unless he gets medical clearance to do so sooner. Other notable and lengthy health-related suspensions were dished out to Yoshihiro Akiyama for a broken bone in his face and Jim Miller with a damaged right shoulder/clavicle. Here is the complete list of UFC 100 injuries and their medical instructions:
Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete results and coverage of UFC 100 click here and here. |
| UFC 100: In defense of Brock Lesnar Posted: 13 Jul 2009 12:41 PM PDT
At UFC 100 on July 11, Brock Lesnar soundly defeated Frank Mir in front of a hostile crowd and millions of viewers at home to unify the UFC heavyweight championship. The former WWE superstar spent eighteen months preparing for that moment. In fact, since his debut at UFC 81 in February of 2007, Lesnar has done nothing but listen to how green he is. And how he couldn’t finish Heath Herring at UFC 87 despite the perception that the “Texas Crazy Horse” has no ground game. Or how he was losing to Randy Couture at UFC 91 but scored the win because Father Time robbed “The Natural” of his reaction speed and Lesnar has giant mitts. Leading up to his rematch with Mir, everything about Brock was how awful he was technically, how preposterous it was that a 3-1 wrestler was championship material. Mir even offered to train him after the event to help him become better. And the fans? Well, let’s see. For starters there were the steroid allegations, because we all know that even though you’ve never failed a drug test in your career, you’re still on steroids if you are blessed with a body that keyboard jockeys could never achieve. Talk also surrounded the giant sword tattooed on his chest, because it is completely relevant to his UFC career. And the WWE? Scarlet letter can’t even do that stigma justice. Then Lesnar walks out to the UFC 100 main event to a chorus of boos. The same people who cheered Georges St. Pierre when he had top position on Thiago Alves booed Lesnar in that same position. Lesnar wins and they hiss at him like a villain from a silent film. Eighteen months of abuse. Eighteen months of eating shit from most of the world gets funneled into Lesnar’s bloodstream and erupts in an emotional post-fight adrenaline dump. I believe the UFC had a tagline not too long ago … something like “As real as it gets.” Well it got real — and now it looks like a lot of people are having a difficult time handling it. Welcome to the new era of ultimate fighting. You’ve heard the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for?” In the real world, there are heroes and there are villains. There are also some people who are a little bit of both. If you want to have a real sport with real people, then this is some of the baggage that comes with it. Critics have slammed Lesnar’s post-fight antics as phony posturing, triggered by a pro-wrestling mentality that is provoking by design. You want phony? How about his poorly-scripted and ham-handed apology in the post-event presser — that clearly reeked of Dana’s paddle. I believe that Brock going on an emotional bender after the biggest win in his life was real. Slurping down a Bud Light to soothe some wounded souls afterward, was not. Fans who cry for sportsmanship have an argument, but my problem is those are the same fans who Mir’d him before, during and after the fight. Don’t poke the gorilla in the cage and then act surprised when he gets out and goes on rampage. Now before you claim I’m typing this rant using Lesnar’s pasty pencil, I’ll warn you I’m no Lesnar nuthugger. Taking a verbal dump on the UFC’s biggest sponsor was a little dumb, and I’m not sure how much interest I have in when he’s going to show Mrs. Lesnar his little Gopher. But let’s keep things in perspective. At an event that saw Dan Henderson purposely strike an unconscious Michael Bisping to send a message — I don’t want to hear about Lesnar being unsportsmanlike. And now UFC heavyweight contender Shane Carwin wants to blog about Lesnar being “lame?” Wonderful. Isn’t this the same guy who hastily slammed Brock in his blog for Internet comments that Lesnar didn’t even make? What does Carwin, who’s never headlined an event in his life, know about the pressures of carrying the biggest pay-per-view in UFC history? Carwin’s primary concern as of late has been which of his dimwitted fans is going to coin his goofy new nickname. I would like Carwin to spend a year being ridiculed for a pro wrestling career, accused of steroids, pressured into carrying a pay-per-view, etc. before speaking out on Brock. Lesnar has ESPN in his barn. In four fights he’s been forced to face Frank Mir (twice), Randy Couture and Heath Herring. Carwin, who is being coddled to the point of absurdity, had his biggest test to date against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96. Despite losing, “Napao” re-engineered Carwin’s nose with one punch. The UFC is a sport based on real fighting between real men. No matter how professional your standards, fighting carries a certain emotional intensity that just doesn’t come with an on-off switch. Brock Lesnar is a villain. He lassoed Heath Herring, gave no respect to Randy Couture and got in the face of a battered Frank Mir. He is the antithesis of a Rich Franklin-type of fighter, who thanks God and his opponent in his post-fight speech, then proceeds to shake hands with everyone from the opposing trainer to Mike in Accounting. I like Franklin, just as I like Lesnar. They’re real people who are different in their styles, emotions and philosophy. I appreciate the ability to root for one and jeer the other. And to me, the genuine moments in this sport are also the most unforgettable. From Forrest Griffin’s breakdown after losing to Keith Jardine at UFC 66 to Houston Alexander screaming at a fallen “Dean of Mean” at UFC 71 to Michael Bisping’s jump-for-joy reaction to beating Matt Hamill at UFC 75, those images provided me with an emotional investment in not just the fighters, but the sport in general. Lesnar comes across as a jerk and a bully. But he also comes across as one of the most dangerous heavyweight fighters in the game today. The more vile Lesnar gets, the more I want to see him taken out. Count this fan among the legions of MMA fanatics who will reach into their wallets for the next Lesnar pay-per-view. And I’m not lost on the irony that a man who made his name in the land of make believe is now facing ridicule for being “as real as it gets.” |
| Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Rashad Evans scuffle cageside at UFC 100 (Video) Posted: 13 Jul 2009 12:22 PM PDT |
| Carano vs Cyborg NYC press conference to air live on Strikeforce.com July 14 Posted: 13 Jul 2009 11:50 AM PDT
NEW YORK (July 12, 2009) –-The eagerly anticipated Gina Carano-Cris Cyborg press conference and fan meet and greet session will be streamed live in its entirety, exclusively on STRIKEFORCE's official website, www.strikeforce.com, from New York City's Madison Square Garden this Tuesday, July 14, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT. The wildly popular and undefeated Carano (7-0) and her number one rival, Brazilian powerhouse Cyborg (7-1), will take center stage at the WaMu Theater at The World's Most Famous Arena one month before they face off in what is the most anticipated fight in the history of women’s mixed martial arts (MMA) and the first women's fight to headline a major fight card also featuring men. At stake in the Carano-Cyborg showdown at San Jose, California's HP Pavilion on Saturday, August 15 will be the newly created STRIKEFORCE Women's 145-Pound World Title. The STRIKEFORCE: "Carano vs. Cyborg" mega-event will feature three additional world championship bouts.
Joe "Diesel" Riggs (30-10) and Nick Diaz (20-7) will revisit their bitter rivalry that began three years ago in the UFC when they face off in the first welterweight (170 pounds) STRIKEFORCE championship fight in history. World Heavyweight Champion Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem (29-11) will put his coveted title on the line and, at the same time, attempt to avenge a previous defeat when he squares off with old nemesis and two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (11-4-1). World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson (16-2) will defend his STRIKEFORCE crown against Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (15-2), the man whom Thomson dethroned by way of unanimous decision at HP Pavilion on June 27, 2008. Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: "Carano vs. Cyborg," priced from $30, are available at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070), Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and at www.Strikeforce.com. HP Pavilion doors will open August 15 at 5 p.m. PT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 5:30 p.m. The live SHOWTIME telecast of the August 15 event will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast). |
| UFC Quick Quote: Bisping praises Hendo, a little fuzzy on details from Saturday night Posted: 13 Jul 2009 11:08 AM PDT
– A suddenly humble Michael Bisping talks to the Daily Star about his knockout loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 on July 11. "The Count" had been talking a good game to promote the middleweight showdown, saying previously that Henderson was "nowhere near his level." The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 light heavyweight winner may now have to go to the back of the line for his shot at the 185-pound crown. The question now is, where does Bisping go from here in terms of opponents? Fantasy matchmakers, do your thing … |
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