The Ultimate Fighter 8 Thoughts and Recap

Results:

• Efrain Escudero defeats Phillippe Nover via Unanimous Decision
• Ryan Bader defeats Vinicius Magalhaes via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
• Wilson Gouveia defeats Jason Macdonald via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
• Anthony Johnson defeats Kevin Burns via TKO (Head Kick) Round 3
• Junie Browning defeats David Kaplan via Submission (Armbar) Round 2
• Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Shane Primm via submission (kimura) in round two
• Eliot Marshall defeats Jules Bruchez via submission (rear naked choke) in round one
• Tom Lawlor defeats Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision
• Shane Nelson defteas George Roop via split decision
• Rolando Delgado defeats John Polakowski via submission (guillotine choke) in round two

Bonuses ($25,000 each):

• Fight of the Night: Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan
• Submission of the Night: Krzysztof Soszynski
• Knockout of the Night: Anthony Johnson

Thoughts:

• First off, congratulations to the Ultimate Fighter 8 winners Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader!
• Efrain dominated Phillipe.  I was honestly shoscked.  The difference was Efrain’s wrestling.  He continually went under Phillipe’s punches and got the take down at will.  Efrain is a good kid who deserved the win. He has a bright future in the UFC.  Efrain had the toughest road to the finals by submitting Shane Nelson and Junie Browning. 
• Phillipe Nover will also have a good career in the UFC.  He will be back. While it may be admried that he has been loyal to his gym, Team Insight for many years, I think he could use stints witht the likes of Shawm Thompkins at Xtreme Couture and Greg Jackson. 
• Ryan Bader needed ones round to KO Vinny Magalhes.  Bader threw one right that clipped Vinny.  Quite honestly it looked like it was blocked, but Vinny fell and ate 3 or 4 hammer fists before turtling up and the fight being stopped.  Bader did what his friend, teamate and roomate, C.B. Dolloway could not and that is win The Ultimate Fighter.
• Vinny needs work on striking and on taking a punch.  IF he cac do that he can be a force in the octagon.
• Anthony Johnson had another highlight reel KO of Kevin Burns.  I feel justice was served.
• Wilson Gouveia was just in another league than Jason MacDonald.  Wilson Gouveia could be a real force at 185 lbs…that is if he can make the cut.
• Junie Browning was very, very impressive.  I was shocked by how good he looked.  His triking looked crisp.  His footwork and head movement were great. His grappling and submissions game was top notch.  UFC 155 lb division watch out for Junie Browning.  No, really!  By the way, how about the classy move of his to apologize to Coach Mir and the fans for his antics on the show.  Good move Junie.  Stay out of trouble and the sky is the limit.
• Krzysztof Soszynski dominated Shane Primm.  Then he pulled off a sweet kimura which earned him $25,000 and submission of the night. 
• Eliot Marshall also looked phenonmenal against Jules Bruschez.  He came out aggressive and looked good standing and looked better on the ground
• There are sure to be some of these guys let go.  Let me tell you how it should work:
• Who to keep: Ryan Bader, Vinny Magalhes, Krzysztof Soszynski, Eliot Marshall, Efrain Escudero, Phillipe Nover, Junie Browning, and Shane Nelson
• Who to dump: Jules Bruschez, Shane Primm, Kyle Kingsbury, Dave Kaplan, George Roop, John Polakowski,
• Who to give one more chance to because of their finale win: Roli Delgado and Tim Lawlor

This Week In MMA

 ·         UFC Fight Night 16: Fight For the Troops – Wednesday, December 10^th

This event is a special bonus for fight fans.  Also, it is a stand up gesture by the UFC.  Say what you want about Dana White and the UFC, but no other fight organizations show the benevolence that the UFC does.  The goal of these fights is to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen heroes Fund.  Click here to find out more or to make donations.  Not only is it a good cause, but there are several good fights.  We will see stars such as Josh Ksocheck, Mike Swick, Matt Wiman, Jim Miller, WEC champ Steve Cantwell, and Luigi Fiorvanti.  Tune in to SPIKE on Wednesday Night to watch this event. 

o   Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

o   Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet

o   Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller

o   Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hussan

o   Liugi Fioravanti vs. Brodie Farber

o   Nate Loughran vs. Tim Credeur

o   Steve Bruno vs. Johnny Rees

o   Eddie Sanchez vs. Justin McCully

o   Ben Saunders vs. Brandon Wolff

o   Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt

·         Adrenaline MMA 2 – Thursday, December 11

Some good fights on tap here.  The biggest enw may be the return of legend, Pat Miletich against Thomas Denny.  Also in action will be former IFL Heavyweight champ Ben Rothwell, rising Heavyweight star Mike Russow and several other notable fighters. 

o   Pat Miletich vs. Thomas Denny

o   Ben Rothwell vs. Chris Guillen

o   Mike Russow vs. Branden Bice

o   LC Davis vs. Billy Kidd

o   Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Derrick Mehmen

o   Gabe Lemley vs. Dan Loman

o   Ryan McGivern vs. Geno Roderick

o   Pat Curran vs. Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez

o   Jesse Lennox vs. Ryan Williams

·         Mixed Fighting Alliance – Saturday, December 13

This boasts a solid main event between two heavyweight legends in Monson and Rodriquez.  The big news will be the debut of WWE star Bobby Lashley.  The question will be can he do what Lesnar has done? 

o   Jeff Monson vs. Ricco Rodriquez

o   Bobby Lashley vs. Joshua Franklin

o   Ariel Grandulla vs. David Baggett

·         The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale – Saturday, December 13^th                   

I do not know of another TUF finale that I have been so excited about.  This season has all the 16 cast members fighting on this card.  Two exciting finals and two exciting bouts of non TUF cast members in Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia and a re-match between Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson.

o   Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhes

o   Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero

o   Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia

o   Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

o   Junie Allen Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

o   Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm

o   Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez

o   Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor

o   Shane Nelson vs. George Roop

o   Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

 

 

Mid Year MMA Awards

Best Knockout

Honorable Mention: Luis Arthur Cane KO Jason Lambert, Shane Carwin KO Christian Wellish, Murilio Rua TKO Tony Bonello, Matt Wiman KO Thiago Tavares

5. Anthony Johnson KO Tommy Speer

4. Wilson Gouveia KO Jason Lambert

3. Brian Stann KO Doug Marshall

2. James Irvin KO Houston Alexander

1. Wanderlei Silva KO Keith Jardine

Best Submission

Honorable Mention: Antonio Nogueira submits Tim Sylvia by Guillotine, Yoshiyuki Yoshida submits Jon Koppenhaver by Anaconda choke, Nate Diaz submits Kurt Pellegrino, Cole Miller Submits Jorge Gurgel by Triangle Choke

5. Demian Mia Submits Ed Herman by Triangle Choke

4. Frank Mir Submits Brock Lesnar by Kneebar

3. Rousimar Palhares Submits Ivan Salaverry by Armbar

2. Dustin Hazelett Submits Josh Burkman by Armbar

1. Shinya Aoki Submits Katsuhiko Nagata by Aokiplata

Best Fight

Honorable Mention: Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias Calvancante, Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock

5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

4. Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

3. Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith

2. Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin

1. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda

Best Fight Card

5. WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver

4. UFC 80: Rapid Fire

3. UFC 81: Breaking Point

2. DREAM 4

1. UFC 84: Ill Will

Upset of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Jason Day over Alan Belcher,

5. Thiago Alves over Karo Parisyan

4. Kevin Burns over Roan Carneiro

3. Fabricio Werdum over Gabriel Gonzaga

2. Josh Thomson over Gilbert Melendez

1. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson

Fighter Of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Michael Bisping, Georges St. Pierre, Diego Sanchez

5. Miguel Torres

4. Forrest Griffin

3. Thiago Alves

2. Shinya Aoki

1. B.J. Penn (2 Impressive wins over Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson)

Best UFC Newcomer:

Honorable Mention: Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar

5. Rousimar Palhares

4. Dong Hyun Kim

3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

2. Goran Reljic

1. Cain Velasquez

Worst Calls By A Ref. or Judges

5. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson –  Not just that Forrest got the win, but that it was unanimous.  Many, including me scored the fight either a draw or to Jackson

4. Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum- Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in round 1 when Werdum was mounted on Vera throwing down punches.  There was just 10 seconds remaining and Vera seemed to be defending himself well. 

3. Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites — Leites got the win, but lost the fight.  He lost the fight due to two points taken away from Marquardt.  One point was justified, but the other was due to elbow to the back of the ehad that wasn’t to the back of the head.  I will confess, that another point could have fairly been deducted for an illegal slam, but I hated to see Marquardt get a loss on his record that I feel he won

2. Phantom split decisions — How was Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove a split deicsion?  How was Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo a split decision?  The right person got the decision, but how was it split?

1. Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson – Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in the 3rd round while Thompson was still standing and failed to stop it when Thompson was mounted on Kimbo raining down elbows

Jackson vs. Griffin Press Conference

Some clips from Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin from the UFC 86 press conference. There are some good moments in this, including Jackson saying he thought Stephan Bonnar should have gotten the decision victory over Forrest Griffin at the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale. Good watch…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Jackson vs. Griffin Press Conference“, posted with vodpod

 

UFC News: Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dolloway at UFC Fight Night 14

The UFC has quickly put together a good card to compete with Affliction.  All last week it was rumored that Jesse Taylor would be given another chance and would fight The Ultimate Fighter 7 runner-up C.B. Dolloway on this card.  Even yours truly posted regarding this rumor (here). It looks like the fight will happen.  We all remember Jesse Taylor as the one kicked off the Ultimate Fighter after he had earned a spot in the finale or as the pants peeing drunk.  However, Jesse Taylor seems to have it together.  He has quit drinking, and he has said and done all the right things. Jesse Taylor could have cried and made a big deal out of it, but he owned up to his actions, and I respect that.  I still think removing him was the best way to handle what took place, but I am glad to see him get another chance.  This from Dana White on Yahoo! Sports:

I’ve faced a lot of challenges since we’ve had the UFC, but I have a kid (Taylor) who pissed his pants on television and now I have to turn him into a star…. Without a doubt, the kid deserves another chance. He made himself look like a fool, and he’s aware of that, but everyone deserves another opportunity and we’re going to give it to him. He acted like a moron. He’s embarrassed by it, which he should be, but what he did doesn’t amount to enough to ban him forever. Come on. He was just young and stupid, but at least he seems to have learned from what he did.”

Taylor will have his hands full against C.B. Dolloway.  This will be a tough match, and is very important for both fighters.  C.B. lost in the finale to Amir, and needs a win in the UFC.  If Jesse gets on top he could just lay there and ground and pound C.B.  Jesse is a big fella.  This should be a interesting fight anyways and I hope it makes it on the televised portion.

Here is the card as we know it today:

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

Hermes Franca vs. Frank Edgar

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien

Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dolloway

Rory Markham vs. Brodie Farber

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

Brad Blackburn vs. James Giboo

Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees

Shannon Gugherty vs. Dale Hartt

I imagine that the battle for the fifth spot on the televised card will fall between Burns vs. Johnson, Marham vs. Farber and Taylor vs. Dolloway.  I would have to say the edge goes to Dolloway/taylor because of how familar many SPIKE viewers will be of the two fighters because of TUF.  I’d also like to see the other two fights.  Markham is aggresive, so if he finishes quickly he may get aired as is Anthony Johnson.  I’d also like to see them pick up the Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough fight that got cancelled at the TUF 7 Finale due to Credeur’s adderall.

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale Predictions

C.B. Dolloway vs. Amir Sadollah

This is a re-match for the TUF 7 crown.  Amir beat C.B. in the third round of a semi-final fight via armbar.  However, it must be remembered that C.B. beat Amir for two and a half rounds.  I think Amir has been shockingly good.  I think he has a place in the UFC, and will be very good.  He however has far less experience than C.B.  C.B.’s wrestling is awesome, and certainly he has been preparing for Amir well and defending armbars.  I think when it comes down to it, C.B. may keep the fight standing or do a little bit better ground and pound.  C.B.’s problem was cardio.  If he has bettered that he will be a force in the UFC.  From day one most people considered C.B. the best in the house and in the end I think a great final match is set up.  Some don’t like C.B. because of his cockiness, but I like him.  Some others feel that he shouldn’t be given this re-match and I disagree.  He wasn’t just handed this.  He had to beat Tim Credeur to get there.  Also, Amir didn’t tear him up, he won a come from behind win as he did in all his fights.  Don’t forget Gerald was beating Amir before he won.  Matt Brown gave him fits as did C.B.  Now with that said a win is a win, and Amir is amazing.  No one thought Amir would get this far.  He showed endurance and a great Nogueira like ability to come from behind.  Overall, I think C.B. is the best out of this season and I think he deserves this shot and will make the most of it.  I pick C.B. by ref stoppage in round 2. 

Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner

This has been billed as a do or die fight.  The loser of this fight is probably out of the UFC unless they put on a good show.  Kendall grove has looked horrible lately.  Evan Tanner didn’t look so hot in his bouth with Yushin Okami, but then again Okami is a great fighter.  Tanner has been out of fighting for a while now and I don’t know if he can get back with it.  If Tanner fights like the Tanner of old he will win and win big.  However, if not he is done with the UFC and his fighting career.  He has way more to lose in this fight than Kendall Grove.  I will pick Evan Tanner by TKO or ref stoppage in round 2. 

Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

This match is one that I think will be better than some expect.  Fiorvanti is maybe the most underrated welterweight in the UFC and he could easily pull a win out.  Luigi is an awesome fighter and is well rounded.  He may have better stand up than Diego.  Diego Sanchez though seems to be refocused and ready to go.  I was half tempted to pick the upset here, but I am picking Diego to get back on track and win by submission in round 1.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Burkman

Hazelett is a good fighter, but I think Burkman will prove too strong, aggresive and big for him in this fight.  Burkman didn’t look great against Swick his last outing, but I believe he is betetr than he showed.  Hazelett could hope for some type of submission, but if Burkman strikes with Dustin.  It will not be good for Hazelett.  If I was Hazelett I would try to pull off some type of head kick to get a KO.  I think that in the end Burkamn wins this one by decision.

Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens

Fisher has to be the favorite in this fight, but Stephens is tough.  In this fight I just have to go with experience.  I think it can be a great fight though, and this is on my upset watch.  I will pick Fisher by decision.  If we see the Fisher of old it will be a win for him.  Stephens may have learned from Edgar about wrestling and ground and pound though against Fisher. 

Jeremy Horn vs. Dean Lister

Both these guys are good on the ground, but Dean Lister is amazing on the ground.  Jeremy Horn will want to keep this fight standing and if he can it is bad news for Lister.  I think Horn needs a win here to hang around the UFC.  I think he will do it.  I pick Jeremy Horn by TKO in round 3. 

Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries

This fight may be a good stand up match.  Drew McFedries is talented, but has struggled lately.  Marvin Eastman is big at middleweight.  I think the beastman Eastman will win by TKO in round 1.  Don’t count Drew out though. 

Rob Kimmons vs. Rob Yundt

I don’t know much about these guys, except seeing Yundt lose to Almeida.  Kimmons has lost 3 times and they were all to UFC or former UFC fighters.  Perhaps that means he cannot hang with UFC level guys.  I don’t know if Yundt will prove to be UFC worthy.  However, I pick Yundt to win by decision.

Quick Picks:

Matt Brown vs. Matt Arroyo

Matthew Riddle vs. Dante Rivera

Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough

Upset Watch:

 Jeremy Stephens over Spencer Fisher.  Dean Lister over Jeremy Horn.  Kendall Grove over Evan Tanner.

UFC News: Tim Credeur vs. Cale Yarbrough at TUF 7 Finale

Near finalist Tim Credeur will be fighting at the finale against Cale Yarbrough.  I believe this should be a win for Tim.  Cale can strike very well, but he didn’t look like he could handle any ground game as C.B. showed in their fight.  I believe Tim has a bight future in the UFC, but he needs a win.  The other fights should be made known soon.  I don’t know how many fights will happen from TUF cast members.  

TUF 7 Episode 11

This week saw the first of the semi-final fights between Jesse Taylor and Tim Credeur.  This week spent a lot of time showing scenes from the Ultimate Fighter house.  Also, this week featured the coaches challenge.  The challenge this year was a game of horse, but spelling “The Ultimate Fighter”.  When the coaches talked about their basketball skills Ramapage reveals he stinks at basketball and Forrest reveals he played a little high school ball.  I thought Rampage was just exaggerating, but…he wasn’t.  Forrest killed him in the challenge and even ended it with a dunk.  Who said white men can’t jump? 

    As I said there was a lot of scenes from the house including a scene of everyone getting wasted.  Jesse Taylor drank way too much and proceeded to pee on himself a second time.  This is my blog so I will state my opinion here (you can comment and argue with if you want).  I think it is a shame that these guys portrat themselves like they do.  You can think what you want about drinking, but I think that not only should TUF be looking for new talent, but also should strive to display to the viewers what mixed martial arts is all about.  Every season has shown the same thing: drunkeness, drunkeness and more drunkeness.  Frankly, it ticks me off a bit.  People like Jesse Taylor should have been sober and preparing for a fight.  They should have more respect for property.  That $20,000+ of damage that they senselessly caused could have gone to pay fighters, or better yet could have gone to some people in need around the world.  What a waste.  I just think that many times what we see on TUF is not indiciative of how an MMA fighter should act.  Mixed martial arts has enough critics and enough people against it.  Mixed martial arts has enough stigma to it, and the fighters already are stereo-typed by many as brutes and violent people.  I think the UFC and other MMA organizations need to do better emphasising character of fighers.  I am all for second chances and realize people mess up sometimes.  I also understand not everyone has the same ideas and standards that I have, however there needs to be some punishment for people who act out outside of the octagon.  If I was in charge of UFC rosters thugs like Rob Emerson and Jon Koppenhaver wouldn’t fight in my organization, not because they cannot hack it in the octagon, but because they are poor representatives of the sport.  For me, the one problem I have with watching MMA is the constant foul language from fighters and the emphasis on the party life.  Go ahead disagree with me if you want, this is just my opinion.  I love MMA and think that MMA fighters need more guys who are a postive example, a good role model, and someone that parents can feel confident letting their children look up to.  MMA needs more Matt Hamills, Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierres, Anderson Silvas, Randy Coutures, Kenny Florians and Wanderlei Silvas and less Matt Serras and Tito Ortizs.  One thing I really love about many of the true mixed martial artists, especially your Brazilian and Japanese fighters is their love for fighting, their respect for their opponent, and their incredible sportsmanship (even in defeat).  To them they are not just fighting it is a sport to them.  Okay, enough of my soapbox. 

    The fight was Jesse Taylor vs. Tim Credeur.  I picked Tim to win this fight and picked him to be in the finals from the start.  Round 1, Jesse took Tim down and laid on him while landing some hard shots.  I gave the round 10-8 to Jesse Taylor.  Round 2, was much of the same except Tim did a little better, trying for several submissions and staying in his butterfly guard.  I gave that round 10-9 to Jesse.  Round 3 was much of the same with Jesse winning it 10-9.  I scored the fight 30-26 and two of the judges agreed.  Jesse moves on to the finals. 

    Next week will show the fight between C.B. and Amir as well as a shocking moment, where it looks like someone kicks out a limo window and then is kicked out of the finale and out of the UFC.  I don’t know who it would be, perhaps Jesse Taylor.

UFC News: Matthew Riddle vs Dante Rivera

Slowly we are learning about the fights which are to take place at The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale on June 21st.  It appears that Matthew Riddle will take on Dante Rivera.  Riddle and Rivera have been shown bickering back and forth on several occasions.  The fight was assumed following Riddle’s elimination when he hinted he would be fighting at the finale in a fight the fans would want to see.  The season is coming quickly to an end.  The fight card features several bouts with non-TUF 7 competitors including the headliners of Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fiorvanti and Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove.  Also the show will feature fights between non-TUF 7 guys in…Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Burkman, Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens, Jeremy Horn vs. Dean Lister, Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries, and Rob Kimmons vs. Rob Yundt.  Also, we know that TUF 7 competitor Matt Brown will take on TUF 6 competitor Matt Arroyo in a welterweight bout. 

     I do not know how many guys on TUF 7 are going to be on the finale card, but it looks like the card is already full.  I am guessing there will only be two or three more fights besides the finalists, leaving several out.  Right now there are 9 fights on the card and only three of those fighters are from this season of TUF.  I like the fights on the card and they will be interesting, but I think the TUF 7 guys should all get their chance as they earned it.  Here are my predictions for who will be on the card from the TUF 7 cast…

C.B. Dolloway

Tim Credeur

Jesse Taylor

Dan Cramer

Amir Sadollah

Matt Brown*

Matthew Riddle*

Dante Rivera*

Gerald Harris

 

(That leaves out: Nick Klein, Jeremy May, Brandon Sene, Pat Schultz, Mike Dolce, Cale Yarbrough, and Luke Zachrich)

 * They are already confirmed to fight at the finale

      

TUF 7 Episode 9

There is no way I can compete with some of the other sites TUF recaps and I don’t intend to.  For a great show recap check out MMAMania or MMAJunkie. However, I do want to say a few things about the show in general and episode 9. 

Thoughts on Episode 9:

The first fight of the quarter finals was Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera.  This wasn’t much of a fight.  Jesse took Dante downeasily for two round and Dante laid there and took some punishment.  There was some frustration from fill in coach Ramapage that the corner kept yelling out every submission Dante attempted.  The bottom line is that neither guys was too impressive.  I will give Jesse Taylor credit that he got on top and did his thing.  He can win against anyone because he is so strong and big at middleweight.  He just isn’t very exctiing to watch.  Dante looked horrible.  I don’t know if Dante will fight at the finale, if he does I expect a match between him and Matthew Riddle as they have gone back and forth a bit in the house.  I think Riddle would destroy him.  I don’t even know if Dante really beat Brandon Sene in the first fight.  Anyways, Jesse won that fight easily, I don’t know if he even took a punch.

       The second fight of the quarterfinals was Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown.  During the interviews Matt Brown came across very confident and Amir came across very doubtful of himself.   Everyone knew this fight would be a war.  The first round featured a lot of stand up.  I honestly do not know who won the round.  It could be scored either way, but I would give it 10-9 to Matt Brown, but Amir did have the harder shots and stayed aggresive.  Round 2 came out and Amir got some good hits.  Finally, he took Brown down where he submitted him with a triangle choke.  Let me just tell you that Amir is for real.  He impressed Dana.  White said that he thought Amir had a great chin and great heart.  I agree.  Amir could shock people in this.  He didn’t impress me against Gerald Harris, but against Matt Brown he did great. He just lacks some confidence.  An Amir with confidence can be great.  Perhaps it isn’t quite his time, but if he could hook up with a solid camp he could be a force anywhere.  Nevertheless, he is no pushover now and is in the semifinals.

Next week we will see the other two quarter final matchs of C.B. Dolloway vs. Cale Yarbrough and Tim Credeur vs. Dan Cramer.  Cale appears to be C.B.’s sacrifical lamb.  Tim and Dan was said in the previews to be a brawl.  That may favor Dan even though Tim is the favorite to win that fight.  Also, we will see a feud between Jesse Taylor and the incredibly annoying Jeremy May.  It looks like he causes Taylor to flip his lid.  Additionaly, the semi-final match ups will be announced.

Thoughts of TUF 7 (In General):

Many people have been critical of this season of TUF and I know the ratings are down lower than ever, but I have enjoyed it.  The big complaint was all the antics in the house got too much attention.  I agreed.  I am thankful that the focus is on the fighters and on the fights.  Some episodes have even shown two fights.  I loved the fight to get on the show aspect, even though I don’t know if the best 16 got on the show.  I think the house antics undermined the intent of the show and for the casual viewer turned people off not just to The Ultimate Fighter, but to MMA.  The fighters in the house showed themselved season after season to be foul mouthed, disresectful, violent, and destructive.  I was entertained by it, but it doesn’t represent MMA well.  I think in a society which is skeptical of mixed martial arts, the fighters need to go above and beyond and show people that MMA fighters have class and character.  TUF highlighted the opposite. So I think this season of TUF has been great.  I have enjoyed the fights.  I don’t know how many of these guys will make it in the UFC, but they have put on some good shows.  I think the fighters are better than last season, where Mac Danzig was the favorite to win from day 1.  I think C.B. Dolloway and Tim Credeur are still the favorites to sqaure off in the finale and the most likely to make an impact in the UFC.  Both are capable top 10 guys at middleweight.  I also think that Amir has shown some skill and heart.  Jesse Taylor can ground and pound well and may have a UFC future.  I even think Matthew Riddle could do well, as can Gerlad Harris.  Dan Cramer is a great fighter, who I am excited to see fight next week against Credeur, and I think Cramer could surprise some people.  That means I am picking 7 guys to be around in the UFC in a year.  That would fit the mold well with other seasons.  TUF 1 has 8 guys still in the UFC, TUF 2 has 9, TUF 3 has only 3, TUF 4 has 6, but also featured just recently cut Lutter and Din Thomas.  TUF 5 has 8 guys still around the UFC.  TUF 6 has 6 guys, but msot likely many of them will be cut this year. 

 

TUF News: Matt Brown vs. Matt Arroyo

One of the matchups for the TUF 7 finale on June 21st has been learned and it will be TUF 7’s Matt Brown vs. TUF 6’s Matt Arroyo.  This is an interesting matchup since Arroyo fights at welterweight and Brown competed as a middleweight. The two fighters have fought before and perhaps Arroyo is seeking to avenge a loss that Matt Brown handed him. Brown holds a second-round TKO victory over Arroyo in 2006.  It will be interesting to see who the other TUF 7 guys fight and who fights att all.  Matthew Riddle indicated in an interview that not everyone will fight at the finale though he was going to fight.  I expect that the loser of this fight could fall victim to the UFC’s roster cuts.

Title Shots Is What I Want

The UFC is busy cutting their rosters because they have too many people under contract.  I can understand that.  However, what I cannot understand is why the belt are not being defended.  I don’t want to see a guy only defend their belt once a year.  I think title shots being delayed by the cotnender and champ coaching TUF has limited the fights. 

The Heavyweights…                                                                                                                                   Right now, Nogueira has the interim title, and won’t defend it until December.  That means there will be no heavyweight title fights until the end of the year.  I would imagine someone will be in line waiting for the next fight…probably the winner of the Vera vs. Werdum fight.  But that isn;t fair to them.  They will have to sit on the sidelines for 8-10 months until March or so of 2009 to get a shot.  That is crap. 

The Light Heavyweights…                                                                                                                  Rampage is one of the most marketable UFC fighters.  He is a good fighter and it is those things combined which got him the gig as a coach on TUF 7.  However, his last fight and title defense was his win over Dan Henderson in December.  He is slated to fight Forrest Griffin in July.  That is ten months between fights.  That is crap.  He better fight one more time this year.  I want the champs to defend their belts and I want contenders to have their shot.

Middleweights…                                                                                                                                    Anderson Silva is the man.  He is the best pound for pound fighter in the world.  He is a beast who has stomped his competiton and tore throught he UFC middleweight divison.  His last fight was his win over Dan Henderson in March.  The UFC has not announced his next fight, but you figure that since the main event cards are set up through August, the best case scenario is that he fights in September probably against Yushin Okami. I’m guessing October or November though, as I suspect the UFC is trying to find someone else besides Okami, but it is going to have to be Okami.  Anderson would then be done for the year.  That isn’t quite as bad as some other divisons, but isn;t what I’d like to see.

Welterweights…                                                                                                                                        Georges St. Pierre just fought, and we have no idea when his next fight is although it will be Jon Fitch.  Again it will be sometimes in the latter part of the year.  That would make two title defenses in 2008 and would not include his December fight with Hughes.  I want to see the best in the UFC fight more, they used to fight every other card.

Lightweights…                                                                                                                                              B.J. Penn has said he would like to fight a few times a year at best, but he has done fairly well as of late.  He beat Joe Stevenson and will fight Sherk on the 24th.  In August Huerta and Florian will fight to determine who gets the next title shot.  I would suspect that the Penn/Sherk winner would fight the Florian/Huerta winner in December or maybe January.  I still want to see more. 

My Solutions…                                                                                                                                                         

1. Have a rankings system.  An objective ranking system not just for MMA, but for the UFC would make clear who the number one cotnender.  A lot of time is taken waiting to see who will get the next shot and sometimes two guys fight for the next title shot.  Those fights to get the title shot could be spaced out not as far from the last title defense so both guys can be ready sooner and one guy isn’t sitting around waiting for a guy to be fresh.                 

2. Change the Ultimate Fighter format.  Right now each season of TUF is being coached by a title holder and the supposed number one contender.  Those guys will coach opposite each other and then fight for the title following the show.  The problem with that is you sit those guys on the sidelines for a while.  For example right now Frank Mir and Minatauro Nogueira know they are coaching TUF 8.  The season will start taping this summer and will begin to air in September.  The show will air through December while everyone waits.  Both fought early this year and neither fought again so as not to mess up the TUF coaching drama of going for the title.  Rather than having a title shot in the drama of TUF, why not have two great fighters with nothing to do with the title.  They could have used Florian and Huerta and built the drama of the winner getting a title shot.  They could have done Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin.  I’d love to see some of those guys on TUF or a guy like Wanderlei Silva. 

Dana needs to take my adivce on this one.  The fans want to see more than anything the title holders defending their belts and they ought to fight 3 times a year.