MMA's 3R’s 12.17.09: Lashley To Strikeforce, The Greatness Of Frank Mir, BJ Penn Is Awesome, More

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.17.2009

From Bobby Lashley signing with Strikeforce and the greatness of Frank Mir to BJ Penn dominating at 155 and the return of Little Evil Jens Pulver, 411’s Larry Csonka breaks it all down in a very positive edition of the 3R’s of MMA!



* The Column Concept *
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. The column will look at events and or happenings in the world of MMA. They will be broken down into the three categories, the Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right will be the good and great fights or positive news items of the week. Perhaps even big fight announcements. The wRong will be bad fights, bad booking decisions and the like. Finally, the Ridiculous are the things that were just the worst of the world of MMA. They get grouped in their categories, and for a show, they will get a score from 1-10, based on the 411 ratings scale.


* And now, the 3R's of…MMA*

THE RIGHT:

Frank Mir Is A Great Man: If I had any doubt before last weekend, it is gone now, because my eyes have been opened and I see that Frank Mir is a GREAT MAN! It first started on the countdown special, which was back to its greatness for UFC 108. Going into the show I wanted to see Penn vs. YES and Caveman vs. Ken Flo, but after the countdown special was over, the fight I wanted to see the most was MIR vs. Seal, sorry, Kongo. Frank Mir just gets it, he gets how to sell a match, sell himself and also sell the next fight ahead of him. He sold me on the Kongo fight, he sold me on a third fight with Lesnar, and hell, I almost mailed him my wallet. And then, he goes into UFC 107 and just DISMANTLES Kongo. He drops him, and then chokes him out in under 90-seconds and IT RULED! He then wishes Brock well so that they can fight again, and all I can say is yes, yes sir, bring that fight on because that fight is MANY BUYS! Mir bulked up, destroyed Kongo and simply looked impressive, and I loved every minute of it. Rock on Frank Mir, rock on…

Ken Flo vs. Guida Delivers: As mentioned one of the fights I was really looking forward to at UFC 107 was Ken Flo vs. Clay Guida. First of all I wanted to see how Florian would rebound from the loss to BJ Penn, and secondly, I like Clay Guida. I know that seems to be an unpopular opinion, especially after our MMA Top 5 column last week, but I enjoy his fights and am entertained by them. I never said he was a great fighter or a contender, he is just fin to watch, in my opinion. Kenny Florian took the fight in a bloody affair, and actually finished Guida. While Guida may not have the best UFC win/loss record, he always puts up a good fight. He battled hard here, but it looks as if we have a new Kenny Florian on our hands. Now, let me say that Guida is not a great striker, but Florian just out classed him here and looked more motivated than ever. His striking is better, he wrestling is better and he looks to keep improving. I am curious to see if he can keep this up and work back towards a title shot. Florian is a good guy and works hard, and if he can adapt, the division is in trouble.

It's BJ Penn's World And We're Just Living In It: For as good as Kenny Florian looked, BJ Penn is on a completely different level right now. It's BJ Penn's world at 155, and he's just allowing us to live in it. Diego Sanchez was supposed to be his toughest challenge yet, and Penn rocked him early, almost finished him, and then proceeded to punish him for nearly four more rounds. Penn dismantled him, and Sanchez barely touched him for the rest of the fight. Now, let me say that Sanchez obviously got taken out of whatever game plan he had when he was almost finished, but the fact that he could not regroup and do anything showed how impressive Penn was. The man is simply the king of the 155 fighters right now, and I really do not think that there is any denying that. While Edgar and Maynard could end up with title shots soon, and I do not mean to downplay their ability, I just can't see either man beating Penn right now. Of course, on any given day, anyone could in theory beat anyone, and it could happen, but if Penn stays as motivated as he has been, he may actually clean out the division. And it should be illegal to do THIS to another man….



DAMN!

WEC AND UFC ON VERSUS?: Earlier in the week it was announced that WEC would be airing SEVEN events on Versus in 2010, and along with those shows, the UFC would be airing TWO shows on the network as well. First of all this makes me a happy panda, because I LOVE my free MMA. Secondly, I LOVE the WEC due to their track record of putting on quality MMA shows. And then you add to the equation that the UFC will be offering some product on the channel, and this is most excellent news. Many wondered how this was possible, but it was discovered that the UFC has the right to air four show on another network other than SPIKE. This was negotiated by the UFC so that they could look into shows on ESPN and or HBO, but that all fell through due to the UFC not wanting to give up their creative control on the shows. But this deal is a big deal for one reason. Comcast, who owns NBC Universal now and the Versus network has big plans. They want to take Versus and make it into their version of ESPN. That is why they have kept the WEC and added more shows and have added the UFC shows. Now not only is there a possibility that the UFC could air on other NBC Universal channels, but this could be HUGE for the UFC. If the UFC keeps their track record of delivering ratings, and if they help the profile of Versus, but when 2012 rolls around and they go to renegotiate with SPIKE TV, they will have a TON of power, and that is good for them and good for us as fans. I love this news.

PURGATORY:

Bobby Lashley Signs With Strikeforce: The news is that Strikeforce has been on a bit of a shopping spree, and along with the recent addition of Dan Henderson, which is great for them and bad for the UFC, they have also signed heavyweight prospect Bobby Lashley. For Strikeforce, this is a good move because they need to add to their divisions, Lashley shows promise, and he has a bit of a name from wrestling. Not a huge name like Brock Lesnar, but he has a bit of appeal. This is a good signing for Strikeforce, and obviously the biggest thing to happen for Lashley's MMA career. But that's the thing, I feel that now is the time that he needs to focus on his MMA career, and his MMA career alone. I was all for Lashley doing some pro wrestling when he was fighting for small MMA groups at the beginning of his career, but now he is in the big time. He is in the second biggest MMA group in the US, with what most call the greatest heavyweight MMA fighter of all time, Fedor. If Lashley wants to keep improving, he needs to focus only on MMA. Not only that, but while he may love wrestling, I also feel if he stays in TNA he will injure himself or someone else as he tries to be careful and stay safe for MMA. It doesn't work that way, and I think at this time it will be the best for all involved that he steps away from wrestling and gets serious about MMA. Good luck dude, and I hope that you make the right choice for yourself.

Jens Pulver to Fight in 2010: Jens Pulver will be making his return to the Octagon for the WEC in 2010 and I have mixed feelings on it. First and most importantly, if HE wants to fight and he feels that he is ready to come back and fight at his best, God bless Jens and I wish him the best of luck. Secondly, he is Jens FN Pulver, and no one has any right to tell him whether he can fight or not. I just want to make that clear. But as a fan of "Little Evil", I am concerned about his latest bid to return to the cage. That concern comes from the fact that in his last three fights, all loses in the first round, he has not looked competitive at all. A TKO loss to Garcia in just over a minute, a submission loss to Faber in 90 seconds, and then a submission loss to Grispi in 33 seconds. On top of that, he is 1-6 in his last seven fights. Little Evil was the shit, he was 21-6-1, and then it all came crashing down when Joe Lauzon knocked him out. He simply has not been the same fighter since. One time, one time against Faber in the five round classic he looked like the Little Evil we all knew and loved, but outside of that (I don't count he win over Cub Swanson, since he folds like a cheap chair when he faces serious competition) he has not looked good. I wish him the best, I hope that his extended camp is a mental and physical preparation for him, and I hope he stays safe. But I am just not sure that the comeback is the right thing to do. But that is his decision. Good luck Jens, and may the Little Evil we all know and love return, if even for one last time.

No UFC 107 Prelims On Spike TV: I will admit it, I have gotten very spoiled. When the night of UFC 107 came and I realized that there were to be NO prelims on SPIKE TV, I was an angry panda! HOW DARE THEY not have the prelims on TV I thought! What kind of bullshit was this! I wanted my prelims and I wanted them now! And then it hit me, and I should have known better. First of all, the SPIKE TV Video Game Awards were on that night. I should have remembered this, because I reported that Kimbo and Forrest would be there and that the new UFC Video Game would have a video debut that night. And then there was the fact that Dana White himself had stated that there wouldn't be prelims airing all of the time, that they would take it on a show-by-show basis. And that's a smart idea; I should have remembered that. So this purgatory has nothing to do with the UFC as much as it has to do with my addiction. Damn you Dana you dealer, you give me that free taste and expect me to pay! DAMN YOU! Thank God for two free shows this weekend, I need a free fix…

THE WRONG:

NONE

THE RIDICULOUS:

NONE


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KYRA says goodbye…