There’s still not a lot going on in the world of MMA news these days, unfortunately. While UFC 84, scheduled for May 24th, is looming, many people are also looking forward to see the first glimpse of MMA action during prime time television only a week later thanks to the partnership of EliteXC and CBS. It’s not like EliteXC just paired up with some junk television station - CBS has been a roll lately by racking up the highest number of viewers for the second straight week while maintaining a solid second place standing for the entire season just behind Fox. Ten of the top 20 shows on television these days are on CBS and the viewership will be there regardless of what else is on television at the time. And now thanks to the UFC and Spike TV, you can also watch “Ultimate Iceman: Chuck Liddell” on May 31st as well.

So why did the UFC decide to air a show opposite of live MMA action? If you go out and ask anyone on the street who Chuck Liddell is, you’ll get a pretty decent response. Ask those same people if they like watching live sports and your reaction might be even better. Ask people on the street if they enjoy documentaries and, well, your response might not be so positive. So what makes those running the UFC show think that people will stop watching EliteXC’s live Saturday Night Fights on CBS to learn about the life of an injured former light-heavyweight champion on Spike TV?

Read the full story

The UFC’s heavyweight division at the present time is running low in talent, but that won’t stop them from generating excitement. DreamFighters has stated that Antonio Nogueira will be defending his UFC title at UFC 87. This could set up a few different scenarios for the division. Nog is 31-4-1 in his career, fighting mostly in the Pride organization. In his last fight he completed an exciting come from behind submission over Tim Sylvia. In his previous 2 fights Nog has been rocked and almost finished, but has shown amazing heart and won both.

The first possible scenario for Nog’s opponent could be Frank Mir. Mir’s rejuvenated career started with a win over WWE sensation Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 by submission. In that fight Lesnar seemed to be in control, and looked to win by knockout but Mir’s Ju Jitsu experience took over and led to a quick submission.

Read the full story

My fighter profiles have been getting a lot of positive feedback from people, so I appreciate it, and I’ll continue to put them together, but I felt like this series on BJ Penn and Sean Sherk (and, yes, Sherk’s will be out shortly) is one that has to be done, because no two fighters have really danced around each other for so long while remaining so close in level of competition.

There was a time when BJ Penn was considered the most dangerous fighter in the world, pound-for-pound the most frustrating man that you could have standing across the cage.

Even before BJ came into MMA, his skills as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner were well documented. He was a prodigy in jiu-jitsu and he didn’t come across the name by accident. Penn is a world class submission fighter, and has one of the most incredible, innate abilities for learning the martial arts. Fighters as legendary as Frank Shamrock, who coached him when Penn first turned to MMA, have always been impressed with his ability to learn techniques and put them into practice.

Read the full story

At UFC 84 we will see a battle of lightweight monsters. In one corner we will see one of the best American Jiu Jitsu practitioners ever in B.J. Penn and in the other we will see one of the best conditioned fighters in the organization. As we get closer and closer to the bout, many are asking does Sean Sherk really deserve to be fighting for the title?

Sean Sherk is a physical specimen in the 155 pound weight division. He is the never get tired and top conditioned athlete that many strive to be like. If the UFC was a body building contest he would not have many competitors. However it is not, and in this game of fighting certain things are illegal.

After his last fight, Sherk tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone Metabolite. Other notable athletes that have also tested positive for Nandrolone are Roger Clemens (not confirmed yet), Sean Merriman, and Kurt Angle. This anabolic steroid naturally appears in the body and it’s one of the most abused steroids taken by athletes and other users. Nandrolone accelerates muscle growth, strength, aggressiveness, and recovery.

Read the full story

People get fired from their jobs for many different reasons each year. If I was to tell you that a fighter could lose to Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin in consecutive fights, and get cut because of it, you would think I was lying. In what I feel is a surprising turn of events for this TUF 4 winner, he is cut from the UFC. Travis Lutter no longer can call the octagon his home.

In a recent blog post, Lutter confirmed the news.

Lutter’s record does not really tell his story. He is 1-2 since the UTF 4 finale and his only recent win came against Patrick Cote in that fight at the finale. Since then he has fought 2 of the best fighters at 185 in the world. In both of these fights he at one point seemed to have the upper hand.

Read the full story

The decisive win by Georges St. Pierre was not the only highlight of the evening, but there’s something to be said for a fight that creates that amount of hype. Still, as a result of St. Pierre’s win (which I’m as happy about as anybody), we are almost garunteed a fight between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra and, in the vent that Serra wins, a rubber match between the New Yorker and the Canadian.

As far as Joe Silva’s options for a title contender, the welterweight division is not seriously promising, but I think that we are more or less garunteed a fight between St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. While this fight isn’t particularly interesting to me, I do think that it will give Fitch some credibility to see him step in with a big name like Georges. Those are my simplified thoughts on the future of the welterweight division with its new, expected champion.

Mac Danzig is quickly establishing himself as a force in the division. He was one of the rare anomalies on TUF not to win because of a decision or freak injury (I throw that last part in to take out Nate Diaz, because I have a hard time calling that win legitimate). I like Danzig, and I’ve followed his small circuit career a little bit (mostly because I wanted to scout him when he was signed by Pride).

Read the full story

The crowd in Montreal had just welcomed another Canadian in the cage and was eagerly awaiting a showdown. Instead, three rounds of potential fighting turned into a 15 minute stall tactic riddled with boos from the crowd and taunts in the cage. British Columbian fighter Kalib Starnes tried to do everything but engage with his opponent, Nate Quarry, during their UFC 83 bout. In the final minute of the fight, an extremely frustrated Quarry began taunting Starnes with his rendition of the running man and started blindly punching the air as he covered his face as if he were Screech from Saved by the Bell. As the final bell did ring, name calling between fighters and their opposing corners rounded out what was to be an unforgettable night for many at the Bell Center in Montreal. So what went wrong?

Let’s take a look at some of the possible scenarios.

Read the full story

I know that there is plenty going on for the Ultimate Fighting Championship right now, but I think that it’s about time we look ahead (besides, there will be plenty of articles written on Serra vs. St. Pierre, and I’ll talk about the aftermath soon).

Still, I’m willing to look past the Serra vs. St. Pierre matchup because I want to aware that the best matchup the UFC has promised this year is coming, and while there’s been some talk, it’s not getting the credibility it deserves, and part of that is political, and all of it is crap.

If you’re still not aware of which fight I’m talking about, I’m talking about UFC 84’s main event: Sean Sherk vs. BJ Penn. It’s going to be a war, and everybody knows that this is going to a challenge for both fighters, because of how perfectly their skill sets match up.

Read the full story

Being the what the rest of the world would call a dumb American, I assumed that Montreal was much farther away from the United States than what Google maps just showed me. The predominently French Canadian city, on the eastern side of Canada, is less than 50 miles away from the upstate New York and Vermont borders. So while the Montreal crowd will obviously be predominantly Canadian, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a few outspoken Serra supporters mixed in the crowd and ready to support their fighter…and fight against the hometown crowd. It’s New York versus Montreal at UFC 83.

Canada is known for beer, cold weather, and hockey - and the fights that come with the sport. And for the first time, the UFC will be bringing the fighting to Canada in another sport which is quickly gaining mainstream attention by the Canadian press these days. It’s a move that many hardcore fans have been talking about ever since Georges St. Pierre made Matt Hughes verbally tap out during UFC 79. It’s also a move that will make the UFC a lot of money through the nearly-instant gate sellout along with the potential Pay-Per-View numbers which may rival some of the UFC’s other big PPV events if both Canadians and U.S. fans decide to watch the event live on television. And after Matt Serra decided to call out St. Pierre as “Frenchy” last May, you just might see the most eclectic UFC crowd on television ever.

But there’s more than hometown crowds, beer, and PPV numbers when it comes down to fighting. Let’s take a look at the televised matchups, including two of the five middleweight bouts, for UFC 83. (Note to UFC: Just hold a middleweight tournament and left the winner fight Anderson Silva.)

Read the full story

Got a few extra bucks to spend this weekend? Bodog and BetUS are both showing odds for UFC 83 that just might make you want to drop a few bucks on Matt Serra, Travis Lutter, or even Mark Bocek.

After watching Matt Serra dismantle Georges St. Pierre during UFC 69 last April along with St. Pierre’s domination of Matt Hughes, this fight could easily go either way. Bodog is showing lines of -500 for St. Pierre and +300 for Serra while BetUS has Serra up at +350. You could make $350 for every $100 if Serra pulls off another “upset.” It’s only an upset if Serra wins because it’s one of those fights where many are thinking St. Pierre will come away with the victory, but there’s some uncertainty. Remember the last time this happened? It was Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson and although a great fight ensued, the upset just wasn’t there. Things may change this time around if Serra doesn’t let the Montreal crowd get to him.

Read the full story

There’s gotten to be alot more anticipation and anxiety over the matchups that we use to just see as glorified ass-whuppings, advancing the UFC’s top stars to the top. If nothing else, 2007 changed the way that we view the stepping stone matchup forever. We learned the hard way that sometimes stepping stones step back.

It’s not easy to say, simply, that this fight is going to go one way or the other. People will say that Franklin has a clear edge. He’s a multiple time UFC champion and a serious warrior in terms of his ability to stand and trade. There’s no dispute that Franklin is the favorite in this fight, but there’s something about this fight that makes it more than just a promising, starching knockout and the physical dominance that we have seen from Franklin in many of his highlight worthy performances.

Read the full story

After watching Kenny Florian dismantle Joe Lauzon it should be clear that this guy means business. Having tracked Kenny from his TUF days and even getting to train with him at one point, I have been able to watch his evolution from a frail looking and one dimensional fighter to a true well rounded fighter.

Kenny Florian’s grappling needs no discussion, it has always been crisp and dangerous, but his hard work in the Muay Thai field is what deserves the most attention. He knew that his MMA game had too many holes and weaknesses and that he needed some serious work in his stand up game. He also knew that if he wanted to get difficult training with the best results he had to go to the source, which is Thailand.

The fruits of all his hard work could be seen in all his fights after and up to this point. Kenny Florian has become a true MMA fighter and is again a serious contender for the gold, but has a tall order with his next fight looking to be against Roger Huerta. Even though Huerta will put on a tremendous show of heart I just can’t see him overcoming the new and well rounded Ken-Flo.

Kenny Florian has went from the kid who was lucky to have cut Chris Leben to someone who is legitimately feared in the Lightweight division, with the only real flaw in his game being his wrestling. He must also address this issue if wishes to not be taken down and controlled by such phenomenal wrestlers such as Sean Sherk, but with someone as diligent as Florian it shouldn’t take long to see him also patch up this last flaw.

…and why everyone’s so eager for it to get here.

When the UFC arrives in Canada, they will hear a chant that has become so popular that even some of the New Yorkers there may join in. And while the yell of “G-S-P, G-S-P” (even more familiar to me than “U-S-A”) may be punctuated by the occasional “eh” it won’t diminish the fact that the man they are screaming for is an icon, not just for Canadian MMA, but for everyone.

There’s something about Georges St. Pierre that people love. Maybe it’s his struggle to speak coherent English, maybe it’s getting to watch him develop on the world stage, maybe it’s just that great combination of exciting performances in the cage and amiable modesty outside of it. Frankly, even though I don’t know why, I like the guy.

Read the full story

UFC 83 will be one spectacular event as Matt “The Terror” Serra will look to prove all of the doubters wrong and have his hand raised yet again. Inside the cage spectators and fans will see the same grueling battles that are expected, however on the color commentary will sound a bit different. Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian will step in for the always colorful Joe Rogan. On the same night, Joe Rogan will be hosting his own live comedy show on Showtime and the conflicting schedules will allow Florian to step in and showcase his play by play skills.

Ken-Flo told MMAWeekly:

“I’ll be commentating actually, start to finish, my first, my debut as the co-commentator,” said Florian on MMAWeekly Radio Friday night. “I’ll be there with Goldie. Goldie will be leading the way; he’ll be the quarterback. I’ll be the kind of back up.”

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s not only going to be a tremendous night of fights, but it will be a great experience for me to get in there and commentate and watch these amazing fights real up close and do what I normally do on the couch, and yell and scream, except do it on TV,” Florian stated.

This is the ideal time for Florian to showcase his play by play talent. It is anticipated that this event will have the biggest live audience ever to attend a UFC event. Combine that with the amount of PPV buys and Florian will get an insane amount of exposure. The fight card isn’t too bad either. It will feature the return of Matt Serra as he tries to prove that he isn’t a one hit wonder, Rich Franklin will be trying to stay on his feet and KO Travis Lutter, and Michael Bisping will make his 185 debut.

Things are looking up for Kenny Florian. He is on a four fight win streak in the cage in which he has finished every single opponent before the final bell. His most recent win was against rising star Joe Lauzon in April 2^nd’s UFC Fight Night. Florian is on his way to the top and could be 1 fight out of a title shot. Florian has great jui jitsu and has deadly elbows that could propel him straight to the top of the 155 division.

There was a very positive response to my pieces on Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson, so I figured that leading up to the fight between Serra and St. Pierre I would run a piece covering the greatest welterweight in the world and the greatest underdog the sport has ever seen. I figured that, sense Serra needs a bit more of an explanation, I’d start with him.

Matt Serra is not the most dominant fighter in the world, he is not the most dangerous fighter in the world, and he is not the most feared fighter in the world. If anything, he is the cinderella of MMA, and so many fans seem to be watching the clock like school kids at the brink of summer, waiting for it to strike midnight.

Read the full story

8 second knockouts, ground and pound referee stoppages, impressive Jiu-Jitsu, and it was all free; what else could a MMA fan ask for? UFC Fight Night 13 delivered the goods at a great price tonight on Spike TV at 7PM EST. Although the program was a little long, which was expected, there were a few extra boring segments which made me pause my DVR and take a walk before returning to some MMA action. Spike TV doesn’t offer anything in HD as far as I know, but the surround sound did a decent job of making up for the poor visuals as I could hear the crowd everywhere in the room. Let’s get to the good stuff - here are some overall thoughts on UFC Fight Night 13.

The opening fight was a slugfest - all eight seconds of it. Both men walked in the cage looking pretty ripped and ready to throw down. But, unfortunately for the fans, Houston Alexander got dropped by James Irivin in the opening seconds of the first round. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but Alexander was dazed and he couldn’t protect himself fast enough before the fight was stopped. He was not happy with the results and called the stoppage “crap.” I couldn’t disagree more - he was done.

Read the full story

Brock Lesnar is the new car in the garage. The plastic is still on the seats; it still has the dealer tags, and still has that new car smell. Like a new car, many fans feel that Brock Lesnar is far better than he really is. I enjoy going on the different MMA forums and blog sites and reading how he is the savior of the heavyweight division, how he could beat Fedor, or how great he is. I have nothing against Lesnar at all, but I am not on his large bandwagon.

Lesnar has had an interesting life. He has done much more than the average person and he has a great athletic ability. In 2000 he was crowned the NCAA Heavyweight Champion and the year prior he finished second. After college he moved on to another type of wrestling, professional wrestling. His recent venture takes him into the sport of MMA.

In his first fight in the UFC and second fight in MMA ever, he was paid $250,000; more than anyone else on the fight card that night. It is no question why he was paid this much - Lesnar has a drawing power that other fighters just don’t have. The UFC is banking on Lesner to have a huge following from his pro wrestling days and I believe it is an outrageous paycheck for a guy that was 1-1 in MMA and his first fight in the UFC.

I do not have a problem with Lesnar, and I feel that in the future he could do very well. This however is not a given, as many of the fans want to believe. Although there is a huge upside to Lesnar, there is also a huge downside. Brock Lesnar is similar to Kimbo Slice in the fact that they are not great all around fighters. Brock Lesnar has a great wrestling backgroung, but in my opinion this is his only strong suit. This alone can not propel you to be a champ; Josh Koscheck is the most prolific college wrestler in the UFC, yet he isn’t a champ or even top 3.

The downside of Lesnar starts with his inexperience in the cage. He has 1 fight and lost. Some fans have said that his experience from pro wrestling and being in front of people will transfer into the cage. I feel that this is a stretch. Pro wrestling has nothing to do with getting punched in the face or completely choked out. Lesnar had tons of experience in front of people, but I promise you he was nervous!

Brock Lesnar at this point in his career has many question marks regarding his overall MMA game. First of all we do not know if he has a solid chin or a glass jaw. He also has little ground game. Look at Houston Alexander. You can be very dominant on your feet, but when you go to the ground you have to be able to stop submissions and get back to your feet. It was once said that 95% of all fights end up on the ground. He proved against Mir (an overrated past his prime Mir) that a superior submission artist will give him problems. His standup hasn’t been tested yet. He hasn’t had the chance to show that he can stand and bag with the big guys in the division. If he has boxing training he is keeping it a secret. Another aspect of his game, which is one of the most important, that hasn’t been tested is his heart and conditioning. In his pro MMA career he has only fought for 2:39 combined. He hasn’t proved how he fights when he is severely fatigued. He also hasn’t show whether he has the conditioning to go a full fight (yea I watched the All Access too, he has to prove it in the cage).

The UFC is a business. Part of this business is putting fans in the seats. At this time Brock is an exciting addition to a weak division, especially with the apparent loss of Tim Sylvia and the inability to sign Fedor. If the UFC is smart (and they are), they will feed Brock formidable but beatable opponents. They should avoid scheduling him fights with BJJ black belts, submission artists, or guys that are bad matchups. They need Lesnar to win to keep drawing in the fans. Once Lesnar’s overall game comes together, he could be a force and challenge for the title. Brock has good ground and pound, and is a monster of a man. He has a huge upside and should (I repeat SHOULD) be well worth the money the UFC is paying for him just by his fan following. Many feel that Lesnar could be up for a title fight in 2 or 3 more fights. Lesnar has a huge upside, but then again has tons to prove. It will be interesting as we all watch him mature in the cage, and possibly blossom into the fighter Dana thinks he is. As of right now Brock Lesnar is not that fighter. Right now he can’t beat Nog for the title. Many fans need to be reminded that he is new to MMA. Stop anticipating that he is the next heavyweight force to dominate the UFC, and enjoy his growth in the sport. If he has unreal expectation, he will almost certainly fail.

UFC Fight Night 13, one of the most anticipated Fight Night events in UFC’s history, can not come soon enough! From elite strikers, grapplers, brawlers, to ground & pound and jiu jitsu experts, the explosions are guaranteed to go off throughout the night. Stacked with top talent, this fight card may very well be bigger than many of UFC’s Saturday night Pay Per View events. With this exciting night just a few days away, I caught up with one of UFC’s intense seasoned grapplers Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino (17-3) as he prepares to face off against the recent Ultimate Fighter series winner Nate Diaz (8-2) on Wed. April 2 Live on Spike TV.

Read the full story