UFC News: Roger Huerta vs. Joe Stevenson at UFC 95

Roger Huerta has re-upped with the UFC and is known to be returning in March.  It seems that Joe “Daddy” Stevenson is his likely opponent for UFC 95.  Interestingly, both fighters are coming off of losses to number one lightweight contender Kenny Florian. 

The UFC lightweight division is getting interesting as the space between Penn and the contenders is swelling.  Guys like Sherk, Stevenson, and Huerta are world class, but may have a hard time as long as Penn is champ.

Joe Stevenson		vs.	Roger Huerta
	Daddy	Nickname	El Matador
	4	MMA Blog Rank	5
	155 Lbs.	Weight Class	155 Lbs.
	29-9 (6-3 UFC)	Record	20-2-1( 6-1 UFC)

 

UFC News: Roger Huerta Re-Signs With the UFC

Be careful how you read the title of this post.  Roger Huerta did not resign from the UFC, but he did re-sign a contract with the UFC.  It was very public that Huerta was in a small feud with the UFC over a contract.  He wanted big bucks, I mean six figures per fight big.  He was very public in his criticism of the UFC.  However, it looks like that is resolved as MMAWeekly is reporting that Huerta has signed a new five fight deal with the UFC and may return to action in March. 

Huerta is a legit top ten lightweight, but I do not know if he can crack the top 5.  However, it is good to see him stick around.

MMABlog’s Lightweight MMA Rankings

Rank	Name	Organization	Next Fight
1	B.J. Penn	UFC	St. Pierre (#1 WW) 1/31
2	Takanori Gomi	World Victory Road	Golyaev (NR), 11/1
3	Shinya Aoki	DREAM
4	Eddie Alvarez	EliteXC?
5	Sean Sherk	UFC	T. Griffin (#15), 9/25
6	Mitsuhiro Ishida	DREAM/Strikeforce
7	Tatsuya Kawajiri	DREAM
8	Kenny Florian	UFC	Stevenson (#10), 11/15
9	Josh Thomson	Strikeforce	Edwards (NR), 11/21
10	Joe Stevenson	UFC	Florian (#8), 11/15
11	Gesias Calvancante	DREAM
12	Joachim Hansen	DREAM
13	Gilbert Melendez	Strikeforce
14	Jamie Varner	WEC
15	Tyson Griffin	UFC	Sherk (#5), 9/25
16	Roger Huerta	UFC
17	Gray Maynard	UFC	Clementi (NR), 9/25
18	Frank Edgar	UFC	Wiman (NR), 12/10
19	Vitor Ribeiro
20	Nate Diaz	UFC
21	K.J. Noons	EliteXC?
22	Joe Lauzon	UFC
23	Nick Diaz	EliteXC
24	Spencer Fisher	UFC	Gugerty (NR), 9/25
25	Caol Uno	DREAM

 

Others Considered: Clay Guida, Hermes Franca, Marcus Aurelio, Jim Miller, Jorge Masvidal , Rich Clementi, Matt Wiman, and Mac Danzig.

When Will They Fight Again?

Pretty much the UFC has booked out all the way through UFC 90.  That means that they will have to find fighters to fill in the gaps on November’s UFC 91, December’s UFC 92, and the Ultimate Fighter Finale.  Unless the UFC adds another card somewhere along the way, that means there are about 25 fights to book before year end.  There are slightly more than 30 fighters who are not scheduled for a fight as we speak.  I say that because I assume that some of the guys that fight in UFC 88 will be ready and will in fact fight again before year’s end.  For example, it may not be out of the question to see Chuck Liddell fight again in December if he wins against Rashad Evans and does not get hurt.  With that said, let’s evaluate the guys in queue.

• Gabriel Gonzaga –  The biggest named heavyweight not scheduled yet.  I say that assuming Lesnar vs. Kongo will take place at UFC 91.  Gonzaga ought to be in action sooner than later, but against who?  Perhaps Heath Herring would be a good match or even Jake O’Brien.
• Cain Velasquez –  I put him here, but I hear a solid rumor that he will fight Antoni Hardonk at UFC 90.  I have also heard that the UFC is having a hard time finding a willing opponent.
• Heath Herring –  Honestly, I think he will sit out the rest of the year, but may get on a January or February card.  He took a beating from Lesnar and needs time to heal. 
• Mark Coleman –  He has been hurt, but has been rumored to be coming back.  For a while there were rumors of him fighting at 205 against Shogun.  He could be back on the December card for his return to the octagon.
• Forrest Griffin –  I am gonna jump all over Griffin and the UFC until the schedule a title defense.  This belt has been defended scarcely.  I think title holder have an obligation to defend their belt.  Griffin fought in July, he ought to be ready by year’s end.  We could see him fight Liddell if he wins.  We could see him fight Machida if Machida finishes Thiago Silva quickly at UFC 89.  Some have even speculated that he could fight Wanderlei, but I doubt that yet.  I think Machida is the number one cotnender today.  I expect to see Forrest fight in December.
• Quinton “Rampage” Jackson –  There have been two rumors floating around about Jackson.  Some have recently spoke of a Jackson vs. Wanderlei III fight to take place in November.  I think that is likely.  The fight is in Portland, not far from where Jackson trains.  The fans want it.  The other fight has been a speculated Shogun re-match in December.  I guess Jackson’s next fight will depend on his legal status.
• Wanderlei Silva –  He has been told to prepare for a December return, but don’t count out the November fight with Jackson.  I expect to see Wanderlei before year’s end, or at least I hope to. 
• Mauricio “Shogun” Rua –  He is recovering from an injury and says he will be ready by December.  He says he is fighting Rampage, but that doesn’t seem too credible.  I am most certain he will be on the December card though.
• Stephan Bonnar –  I also think he will be on the December card as he recovers from an injury.  Against who?  I have no idea.   I have a prediction though: Steve Cantwell or Brian Stann from the WEC.  The UFC has talked about the heavier weight classes coming over to the UFC.  Bonnar would make a good match for either of those guys.  Or even a guy like UFC newcomer Jon Jones.
• Demian Maia –  We could see him as early as November.  I think that he could match up with about anybody, but top middleweight contenders are booked up right now.
• Nate Quarry –  He broke his orbital bone recently and will be out for a bit. 
• Kendall Grove –  He just opened a gym and is enjoying fatehrhood, he may be off for a while too, but I’d like to see him fight soon.
• Amir Sadollah –  Amir will be in the ring before year’s end.  He could possible fight on the TUF finale card.
• C.B. Dolloway –  I haven’t heard whether he will fight again in 2008, but I don’t see why he couldn’t. 
• Matthew Riddle –  I would expect to see him back soon as well.  He looked good against Dante at the TUF 7 finale. 
• Jon Fitch –  He will be back soon against a top contender, but I don’t know who that will be. He could fight on the December card.  He gained tons of respect from the GSP fight.
• Josh Koscheck –  He should be back in November.  The options are numerous for him.  He is just a win or two away from a title shot, which he could have before the end of 2009.  He must get in line though behind B.J. Penn and then the winner of the Sanchez vs. Alves fight will get the next title shot probably in the summer of 2009. 
• Mike Swick –  He says he will be ready in December following elbow surgery.
• Chris Wilson – He looked good at UFC 87.  He could return before year’s end on an undercard.
• Chris Lytle –  I don’t know how he is doing following his blood bath loss to Koscheck, but I presume he could fight this year.
• Dustin Hazelett – He has looked good lately.  I suspect he too will fight this year.
• Luigi Fiorvanti – I hadn’t heard anything on the Luigi front, but he could be back soon too.
• Anthony Johnson –  He says he will be ready to go by October following the eye poke.
• Rory Markham – I am really shocked that he won’t be on the UFC 90 card in his hometown of Chicago.  He lobbied for that event, but apparently won’t get it, but I guess he could still be added. 
• Kevin Burns –  How about Burns vs. Markham at UFC 90?
• Brad Blackburn – He has a broken hand, so he won’t be ready I don’t think.
• Roger Huerta – Grease monkey may be back, I’d like to see him get beat by Edgar. 
• Frank Edgar –  I am pretty sure we will see him by year’s end and probably against one of the guys on this list.
• Matt Wiman – I am looking forward to seeing him return.  How about Wiman vs. Stephens?
• Cole Miller –  He looked good against Gurgel and should be back soon.
• Jeremy Stephens –  See above.
• Manny Gamburyan – He could drop to 145 in the WEC.
• Rob Emerson – He had a nice KO over Manny.  He could fight again, but if he fights any better competition and he will get beat

UFC News: Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson at UFC 91

MMAbay is reporting that a match between Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian is in the works for a November 15th event, probably UFC 91, which is rumored to be held in Florian’s hometown of Boston, Mass.  I do not know how reliable this source is, but it would make sense.  Florian wants to fight again rather than wait around for B.J. Penn.  Joe Stevenson is clearly a top 5 lightweight and would be a good test for Kenny.  A win for Florian would make it impossible to deny him a title shot.  A loss would further confuse the divison, but possibly give way to a guy like Tyson Griffin to take a shot at the belt.  Florian is coming off of a solid win over contender Roger Huerta and Stevenson is coming off of a come from behind victory over Gleison Tibau.

    This event should shape up soon, and some have speculated that a light heavyweight match between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva is possible here for the main event.  We will wait and see.

My UFC 87 Thoughts and Results

Georges St. Pierre defeats Jon Fitch via Unanimous Decision

Brock Lesnar defeats Heath Herring via Unanimous Decision

Kenny Florian defeats Roger Huerta via Unanimous Decision

Demian Maia defeats Jason MacDonald via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round Three

Rob Emerson defeats Manny Gamburyan via Knockout in Round One

Tamdan McCrory defeats Luke Cummo via Unanimous Decision

Cheick Kongo defeats Dan Evensen via TKO (Strikes) in Round One

Jon Jones defeats Andre Gusmao via Unanimous Decision

Chris Wilson defeats Steve Bruno via Unanimous Decision

Ben Saunders defeats Ryan Thomas via Submission (Armbar) in Round One

* I had a good night as far as predictions go, I predicted 8 of 10 correctly. 

Submission of the Night: Demian Maia
Knockout of the Night: Rob Emerson
Fight of the Night: GSP & Jon Fitch ($60k each)

My Disappointment of the Night: Manny Gamburyan or Andre Gusmao

My Thoughts:

• The Maia McDonald fight was a great battle in round one especially.  Maia is awesome.  I am seriously a believer.  I think he is a top flight middleweight and can contend for the belt.  His submissions are sick, he showed some great ground and pound skills.  He stood toe to toe.  Maia is a real deal fighter and he will get some respect now.
• The Huerta vs. Florian fight was a good fight, but it wasn’t the fight of the year that it was billed to be.  I scored the fight 30-27 Florian as did the judges.  I believe the score doesn;t show how close the fight was, but Florian was clearly more technical and better all around.  Florian is now officially the number one contender in the UFC lightweight divison
• Who would have predicted Emerson to KO Manny in 12 seconds?  I was disappointed with that.
• Cheick Kongo is huge and I am glad his fight made it onto the card.  He looked good againt Evensen.  He is a top ten maybe top 5 heavyweight.  However, why call for the belt after you beat Dan Evensen?  Sorry Cheick get in line behind Werdum and beat someone of note.  You need some type of win streak to get a title shot. 
• Brock Lesnar silenced any doubters.  He showed he has the skills to fight, and not just fight, but to win.  And not just to win, but to win against top tier fighters.  He has a lot of areas to improve upon.  He need to improve his submission skills.  He had a dominant position countless times and did nothing with it.  That comes from his wrestling background.  He needs to learn something about keeping the mount and dropping elbows.  He is strong as an ox.  He hits hard.  Man was that first punch hard!  I thought it was funny in the countdown Herring said, “I have fought bigger, stronger, better and more accomplished wrestlers.”  He was wrong.  He has not fought a wrestler of Brock’s calibur and strength and Brock dominated him.
• I was disappointed with Lesnar’s WWE antics and unsportsman like conduct.   He shoved Herring away after round 1.  He acted like Herring at the end of the fight.  He pointed at him and laughed afterwards.  He acted like he was lasoing him.  I don’t have a problem with some of that.  I know adrenaline gets pumping and I know other fighters do things like act like the are burying a guy or the Barnett throat cut, but Lesnar needs to learn respect for his opponent. 
• Speaking of respect for opponents how about the St. Pierre vs. Fitch fight.  A possible fight of the year candidate.  Fitch was out of his league.  He looked good a few minutes during the fight, but St. Pierre dominated.  The story following this is not as much St. Pierre winning and keeping his belt as it is Fitch’s toughness.  Fitch is one tough dude.  I gained respect for him.  How about the show of class between these two after the fight?  That is why I like St. Pierre. 
• It looks like Penn vs. St. Pierre will indeed happen, hopefully in December.  Wow!  What a fight that will be. 

My UFC 87: Seek and Destroy Predictions

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch

As I have said before there are certain guys that it isn’t smart to pick against.  St. Pierre is one of those right now.  There is no doubt that he is the favorite in this fight.  However, do not count out Jon Fitch.  Fitch is no doubt the number 2 welterweight in the world and a loss to St. Pierre may not even change that.  St. Pierre has readily admitted that Fitch is his best opponent to date.  The question with St. Pierre has always been the mental side of things.  Georges seems to be focused and ready.  He has been training hard and will be ready for Fitch.  I think St. Pierre is too well rounded and too strong for Fitch.  I think the fight could go a while and could be very technical.  It is possible that Fitch could catch Georges in some type of submission.  The worry I have in picking St. Pierre is that the UFC has virtually assured us that a St. Pierre win would merit a fight with B.J. Penn and year’s end.  Fitch wants to play spoiler.  I think Georges will be focused and will win by ref stoppage in round 3.

Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring

I respect Lesnar and here’s why.  He came into the UFC relativley inexperienced in mixed martial arts and he debuts against one of the world’s best in Frank Mir.  Then he agrees to fight hall of famer Mark Coleman.  That didn’t pan out and then he agrees to fight a veteran in Heath Herring.  I think Lesnar may have been better suited to get a win or two under his belt before fighting the top fighters.  However, he is game.  I know he is 0-1 in the UFC and Herring is a proven fighter, however in his loss Lesnar showed he is for real.  He has awesome wrestling and he can pack a punch.  Herring is a different opponent stylisiticlly than Mir was.  Herring can win by submission, but he is not the jiu jitsu threat that Mir was.  If Lesnar gets this down he will ground and pound Herring.  If it stays up the question will be can Lesnar take a hit and how crisp is his boxing and striking.  Herring has been in there with the best of the best in MMA.  He is no slouch.  Many people may pick Herring.  I am sure the UFC is pulling for Lesnar.  He is a gold mine and he needs a win.  He is in his hometown and he is prepared.  Herring is apparently re-focused and a changed fighter from what he has been.  I still have to pick the stronger, bigger, more athletic Brock Lesnar is this one.  I could be wrong, but I am picking him anyways and say he wins by TKO in round 2. 

Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian 

Fight of the night right here.  One thing you can count on is that Huerta and Florian always put on a good show.  They are unquestionably the top contenders now in the UFC’s lightweight divison. I do not know if they are Stevenson are Sherk good, but they deserve the shot to fight for the title shot.  I do not know when they will get the title shot, but the winner will get one.  In other words, someone on this card is going to fight B.J. Penn before year’s end.  White would like to see Penn fight the winner of this bout and then admit that B.J. has cleaned out the divison.  Anyways, this fight will be great.  Huerta is no doubt a solid fighter, but I do not know if he is Florian level.  Kenny has beaten some great guys.  Don’t forget Huerta was getting beat up by Guida before he pulled out a come from behind win.  I know a win is a win.  Standing up I give the edge to Florian.  Jiu jitsu I give the edge to Florian.  These two fighters are close in talent, but I think Florian is all around more talented.   I pick Kenny Florian to rain down elbows and open up Huerta and eventually end the fight early in round 3.

Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen

This undercard fight features a heavyweight that beat up Mirko Cro Cop.  I looked up Evensen’s fight record and he seemd to be a fair fighter.  His only losses have come to Christian Wellish and Dan Bobbish.  I am sorry to say that Evensen is not the fighter that Kongo is, or seems to be.  Kongo is big and strong.  I think Kongo wins this fight by unanimous decision.

Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald

Demian Maia has some of the best jiu jitsu in the UFC.  The winner of this fight is looking to climb into contention in the middleweight divison and could be considered a top 5 guy with a solid win.  Jason MacDonald has tons of talent and he could easily KO Maia.  However, I think if this fight gets to the ground it won’t last long.  Maia doesn’t want to mess around.  Demian’s performance against Ed Herman at UFC 83 was impressive.  I forsee something similar here.  I pick Maia to win this by submission in round 1.

Steven Bruno vs. Chris Wilson

I believe Chris Wilson is underrated in the welterweight divison.  He looked very good against Jon Fitch.  Wilson has fought against much better guys in his career than Bruno and I would have to think that will help him.  I predict that Wilson wins this fight by decision.

Andre Gusmao vs. Jon Jones

I don’t know a think about Jones except that he is a last minute replacement. This is a huge chance for the undefeated Jones.  He is facing a veryy highly touted Andre Gusmao.  Gusmao is also 5-0, but he is highly favored here.  We will see if Gusmao is as agood as some say he is.  I think Gusmao will win by KO in round 1.

Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson

Why in the world this fight is on the main card is beyond me.  There are at least 3 fights better deserving of that than this one.  I’d rather see the Gusmao vs. Jones fight or the Wilson vs. Bruso fight or even the Kongo vs. Evensen fight than this.  I have said before I do not like Emerson.  He is a punk.  I can’t get over his gang and him beating up innocent people.  He is a loser.  I hope Gamburyan hurts him bad.  I think Manny is a very good fighter and will have no problem with Emerson.  I hope Emerson’s ticket is punched out of the UFC.  I pick Manny to win by submission in round 1. 

Luke Cummo vs. Tamdan McCrory

McRrory hasn’t fought since his loss to Akihiro Gono in November ’07.  McRrory is very talented and is good on the ground.  Cummo has a sub par record with really struggling against premiere talent.  I think McCrory pulls this one out with a submission in round 2.

Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas

I don’t know anything about Thomas, but I think Saunders pulls this one out.  Saunders willbve ready for this.  Thomas is a late replacement for Jared Rollins.  I pick Saunders to win by unanimous deicison

Fight of the Night Prediction: Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian

Submission of the Night Prediction: Demiam Maia

KO of the Night Prediction: Andre Gusmao

Upset Watch: Herring over Lesnar, McDonald over Maia

Josh Koscheck Wants B.J. Penn At 155

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, Josh Koscheck speaks of a fight he’d like to have.  Interestingly, Josh wants B.J. Penn…

I just want to be a world champion, whether it be at 155, 170, 185, wherever. I believe I have a lot of fights left in me. With my work ethic and the training partners I have and the coaches I have, I believe some day that dream is going to come true…. You never know [about possibly making the drop to 155]. If people would want to see me fight B.J. Penn at 155 for the title, because there is really nobody there for him to fight, I’d do it…. I know B.J. very well, but business is business. We’re friends, but at the end of the day, it’s about making money together. If the fans would want to see it, I’d suck it up and I’d live that life to where I’d do whatever I have to do to make 155…. What are you in this business for, to make money and to win a title. Usually, they go hand in hand. A fight with B.J. would be like a dream for me

He might not need to move to 155 to fight B.J. Penn for the title.  We could see B.J. fight the Fitch/St. Pierre winner by year’s end.  If that is the case Koscheck could keep contending and winning and could get a shot at a welterweight champ in B.J. Penn.  The problem for Koscheck is that he in not next in line.  At welterweight you have Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez probably fighting for a title shot.  Koscheck could be next in line though with a win tonight over Lytle.  If B.J. Penn gets the next welterweight title shot, then we could see the Alves/Sanchez winner fight Koscheck for the number one contender spot.  At lightweight Koscheck would have to get in line behind the Huerta/Florian winner for a crack at Penn.  Needless to say I do not think Koscheck can beat B.J., sorry Kos.

UFC News: Heath Herring vs. Brock Lesnar

When the UFC announced Brock Lesnar’s next opponent as Mark Coleman, I thought it was the UFC’s attempt to get a win for Lesnar over a proven fighter, but one he could beat because he was past his prime.  Lesnar needs that win to earn the respect.  I think Brock will be a great fighter as he is a great athlete.  In my opinion, they put him in against a top guy to quickly.   He almost pulled out a win against Mir.  He needs a guy he can take down and ground and pound.  Coleman is out with a knee injury, so he was going to replace him?  I predicted it would be Justin McCully.  However, it looks to be Heath Herring.  There is good and bad to this math up.  The bad: Heath Herring is experienced and has fought the best of the best in his career, Herring is tough and can hang with top guys.  Herring nearly beat Nogueira and he beat Kongo.  We will see how Lesnar does taking a kick and a punch.  Herring seems to be renewed andlooked great against Kongo.  The good:  Herring is a good fighter and a win catapolts him into a state of being legit.  If he can get Herring down and get on him and beat him I think he will win.  This is interesting.  Brock needs a win here.  The other good is Brock will nearly always be much, much bigger than his opponent and will out wrestle anyone.  Good match up I think if it holds true. 

    This is shaping to be a good card.  I expect one more televised card worthy fight to be added.  That would mean we would have St. Pierre vs. Fitch.  Lesnar vs. Herring.  Huerta vs. Florian and one more good bout at least. 

MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that Heath Herring has agreed to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 on Aug. 9 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its debut in Minneapolis, Minn.

Lesnar was originally slated to face UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman in the main event of UFC 87. Coleman, however, suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in training, which will sideline him for at least six weeks. He was forced to withdraw from the bout with Lesnar due to the injury.

Herring has been on a roller coaster ride since his UFC debut in January of 2007. The former Pride heavyweight title contender has gone 2-2 in the Octagon, most recently defeating Cheick Kongo at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio.

I disagree with MMAweekly, where they said on their site that Lesnar had a “less than stellar performance against Mir”.  I think Lesnar looked great. he just got caught.  He was beating Mir badly and even through a loss showed he is for real.  With some more training he will be a force.  I think of him as one of the up and coming guys in the UFC Heavyweight divison.  The fight with Herring is important. 

UFC News: St. Pierre vs. Fitch at UFC 87

Georges St. Pierre will get his first title defense since reclaiming the title against Matt Serra.  This will take place at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy against number one contender Jon Fitch.  This should be an interesting fight and an interesting card as Lesnar will be given another opponent and there could be another main event caliber fight added.  Also, you have the super fight between Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian. 

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. 

                                                                                                                                  

UFC’s Best Divison

I went to HDnet’s fighter rankings and based this on which UFC weight divisons had the most top 20 fighters.  I know there are other ways to judge the best, but this is interesting…

1. Light Heavyweights –  They are stacked in the UFC.  This is where the light heavyweight competition lies.  They have the top 11 (Jackson, Henderson, Griffin, Liddell, Jardine, Machida, Wanderlei, Evans, Thiago Silva, and Sokodjou) guys in the world and 20 of the top 25 guys.  This is a great divison, full of star power.

2. Welterweights – They have 10 of the top 20 (St. Pierre, Fitch, Hughes, Serra, Koscheck, Sanchez, Alves, Parisyan, Davis and Gono), but 8 of the world’s top ten.  They have a near top ten monopoly only missing out on Shields and Condit.  I feel that there are other UFC guys to mention in top 20 talk (Chris Wilson and Chris Lytle), but the divison is strong and has the top tier welterweights in the world.

3. Lightweights – In most rankings the UFC gets cheated in the lightweight divison.  The system I used ranked 8 of their guys as top 20 in the world (Penn, Sherk, Huerta, Stevenson, Florian, Guida, Tyson Griffin, and Gray Maynard).  I know some of those other guys are good, but they are overrated.  Gomi can’t beat UFC guys.  Nick Diaz, B.J. Penn and Marcus Aurelo all beat him.  Aoki, Melendez, Calvancanti and bunch are unproven in my opinion against top guys.  Plus I feel some guys unfairly got left out of rankings.  Where is Marcu Aurelio?  FranK Edgar?  or Joe Lauzon?  or even Nate Diaz?  You mean to tell me Edgar is not a top 20?  This divison is stacked and has more contenders than any UFC divison.  DREAM does have some great lightweights.  I’d love to see a fight card of UFC’s top lightweights against DREAM’s top lightweights.  I think UFC would win easily.

4. Middleweights – They have 7 of the top 20 fighters in the world at this divison (Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Dan Hemderson, Marquardt, Okami, Bisping and Leites.  I put this above heavyweights first of all because I believe there are some guys that could be in the top 20 mix (Quarry, MacDonald, Leben, Cote, Kampmann and Almeida). It still is weak, not because it isn’t deep, but because they can’t find anyone to compete with Anderson Silva.  Anderson Silva is the second reason I put this divison above Heavyweights…enough said.

5. Heavyweights –  They also have 7 of the top 20 fighters in the world at Heavyweight  (Nogueira, Werdum, Gonzaga, Kongo, Vera, Mir and Herring).  Only 3 of those guys are top ten in the world.  All this assumed Arlovski signs with Affiction.  If that happens Affliction will have 6 of the top ten (Fedor, Sylvia, Barnett, Rothwell, Arlovski and Aleksander Emelianenko) plus Pedro Rizzo.  This is a weak divison for the UFC, but they do have some good prospects in Carwin, Lesnar and Velasquez.  This divison was once strong, but since has lost Couture, Cro Cop, Sylvia, Arlovski, and O’Brien.