The other day I was on the couch watching Spike TV as they re-ran the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, and I remember why this series was so successful. If you look at the fighters that made that show great, whether it was the talk of Chris Leben and Mike Swick or the walk of Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin, I remembered that all of the guys that started on this show were, even then, very talented fighters.

Watching Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck spar on the first day, watching Forrest and Alex Schoenaur go at it, really demonstrates, for anyone who’s spent time in a mediocre MMA gym, what a good gym should look like. These were teams that were really teams, a spirit that has been lost in the last few seasons, but it’s nice to revisit it and look at the guys who made the series so successful.

Obviously, all of the fighters on that first season that have come back to compete in the UFC have shown their ability. Even Chris Leben, who I thought would never be a serious warrior in the UFC upon watching the first season has secured his place as one of the prime gatekeepers in the 185 pound division. Read the full story

John Philipavage from PW Chronicle and I talk about what it’s like to cover a MMA event as a reporter and a photographer at Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat 21. ROC 21 featured Glen Sandull vs. Ricardo Romero along with 11 other bouts at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12th. Photos from the event can be found at MMA Prints. John Philipavage’s cage side commentary can be found here.

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 MMA Opinion & PW Chronicle Podcast - Ring of Combat 21 [31:30m]: Download

With one of the most stacked cards to date, the sixth installment of Japanese promotion, DREAM, is set to explode on September 23rd at Saitama Super Arena. With five productions behind them (of varying levels of success), it seems impossible to disregard the future DREAM has established for itself as one of the biggest and most dynamic MMA organizations in Japan and the world.

Looking back, DREAM has made an arduous journey from the low ratings of DREAM 1 to an organization that’s combined their forces with the popular Hdnet and fight org EliteXC. Dream has not been without it’s blows, having suffered repeated low ratings, and canceling fights with the (recently) elusive Mirko Filiopovic and “injured” Japan poster-boy Norifumi Yamamoto “Kid”. Yamamoto’s recent “hush-hush” drug allegations by Japanese tabloids have given Kid some trouble, and may be one of the reasons for his recent absence from the ring. Marijuana possession is socially unacceptable in his native Japan, and is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Thankfully, “Cro Cop” is set to fight Dutchman Alistair Overeem at DREAM 6, headlining the final four of it’s middleweight grand prix. Overeem publicly ostracized the “Croatian Sensation” for dodging real competition as of late. Alistair Overeem is coming off a string of wins, having submitted Samoan superstar Mark Hunt at DREAM 5, and having recently taken the Strikeforce heavyweight, defeating Paul Buentello. This will be Cro Cop’s first real challenge since returning to Japan after 2 back to back losses in the UFC.

Read the full story