Five Ounces of Pain 12.21.06: 2007 Fights

Posted by Sam Caplan on 12.26.2006

In this week's edition of Five Ounces of Pain, 411Mania.com's Sam Caplan takes a look at MMA matchups we're likely to see in 2007 as well as some fights that we won't see.

This past year was huge in the world of mixed martial arts and it's still not over with Liddell vs. Ortiz II on tap for December 30 and PRIDE's Shockwave card scheduled for New Year's Eve. But as big as 2006 was, 2007 appears to be a lock to surpass it in terms of overall business as well as quality fights.

The UFC appears poised to offer fight fans Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes III at some point this year. Long awaited rematches between Chuck Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as well as Jens Pulver vs. B.J. Penn appear likely. Other possible matchups on the horizon include Tim Sylvia vs. Brandon Vera (if Vera's contract situation gets ironed out) and Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin II (if Franklin can get back on the winning track).

Assuming PRIDE doesn't fall off the face of the Earth then we'll probably see Paulo Filho vs. Denis Kang; a rematch between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua; Ricardo Arona vs. Wanderlei Silva III; and maybe even Mark Hunt vs. Fedor.

Even the smaller shows stand to offer some notable matchups. Strikeforce is trying to navigate through Frank Shamrock's seemingly endless web of bullshit in order to deliver the long-awaited grudge match between him and Phil Baroni (check out the news and notes section for the full 411). I've been reading numerous posts on message boards with people taking a dump on the possible fight but I bet a lot of those same people will pay to see it if it ever comes to fruition. Count me as one of them.

The Shamrock vs. Baroni match is once again in a state of flux because of a separate anticipated matchup between Shamrock and Renzo Gracie scheduled for the February 3rd EliteXC debut card on Showtime. Some will know better than to believe Gracie has any shot to win the fight but come February there will be many new Showtime subscribers who are marks for a marquis that reads "Gracie vs. Shamrock."

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention a likely rematch between Frank Trigg and Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the Icon Sport Middleweight Title.

Those are the matches that have a chance to happen but what about the matchups that aren't likely to happen, but should?

Here are my top seven fights that should happen in 2007 but won't:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar

Fedor is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the World. No arguments there but c'mon -- Mark Coleman and now Jeff Monson? I'm sorry, but if Fedor wants to continue to retain the title of best pound-for-pound in 2007 then he needs to step up and improve his recent fight resume. Simply put, a lone fight in '06 against Coleman and an upcoming layup victory against Monson in a Bodog Fight PPV that most of us will see on YouTube just doesn't cut it.

We'd all love to see Cro Cop vs. Fedor II but that's a long shot to happen with both fighters' futures up in the air. It would be great to see PRIDE step up and re-sign Fedor and then bring in some fresh meat. PRIDE has the best heavyweight division in MMA but the problem is that he's beaten most of those guys at least once, and in some cases twice.

Enter Lesnar.

Lesnar is currently signed to fight for K-1's Hero's but is only contracted for one fight, according to reports. With a win, he'll become the hottest free agent property on the market and is a perfect fit for PRIDE, as he has the association with professional wrestling that Dream Stage Entertainment craves. The Japanese audience is already familiar with Lesnar since he's not only a former WWE Heavyweight Champion but has also held New Japan's IWGP Heavyweight Title. Best of all, he's never fought Fedor.

Whether a potential Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup would make a ton of yen isn't even a question. However, whether the fight would be competitive, is. Personally, I think it would be. If you read last week's Five Ounces of Pain you know what Pat Miletich told me. What you don't know is that Miletich also called him a "Matt Hughes at 285 pounds." I somehow forgot to mention that little caveat (doh!). If the former NCAA Heavyweight Champion could somehow take Fedor down then things would get pretty interesting.


Anderson Silva vs. Cung Le

Cung Le has a tremendous following based on his roots as a San Shou fighter. Having trained in Kung Fu, I can't help but get behind a fighter with a traditional martial arts background because it allows me to tell myself I didn't waste years of my life. I think that's why a lot of other people support Le. Oh, that and the fact that he's an exciting fighter.

Le is not ready for someone like Silva, as he's still fighting B-level competition on Strikeforce shows (but could debut for PRIDE on Feb. 24 in Vegas). However, I don't care who wins or loses because it would be an awesome fight between two deadly strikers.


Dana White vs. Pat Miletich

First, let me issue a full disclosure and let everyone know that I train at a school that's affiliated with Miletich Fighting Systems. So if it sounds like I'm swinging off of Pat Miletich's nuts, you know why…

Forget about a stupid boxing match between Tito Ortiz and Dana White that nobody will get to see. The two of them kissed and made up so long ago that the match might as well not even happen. Now, an MMA match between Dana White and Pat Miletich is something I'd pay an obscene amount of money to watch.

Miletich, a former UFC Welterweight champion and one of the premier MMA fight trainers in the World, has tremendous heat with White. A large rift was created after White announced Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock as the coaches for the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The problem is that just a few days earlier he had told Miletich that both Miletich and Carlos Newton would be handling coaching duties.

White later became caustic upon hearing that Miletich was going to work with the upstart International Fight League. Since then the two have traded barbs via newspapers and web sites. Enough with the talk, let's just settle things inside of the ring or in an Octagon and let bygones be bygones.

Before you e-mail me to tell say this match will never happen remember that the premise of this article is the top seven fights that should happen in 2007 but won't.

And yes, I know Miletich would destroy White.


Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz

Ortiz isn't the fighter he once was and if he wants to continue to remain a drawing card then he's going to have to rely on the appeal of his opponent. People will tune into to see Tito fight Rashad Evans on Spike TV but chances are they wouldn't pay to see it on PPV.

I'm inclined to say Shamrock isn't the fighter he once was but I can't make that statement with all certainty considering he's only fought twice since 2003. He's still only 34, so inactivity and not physical decline is the only reason to doubt Shamrock.

By May of this year both men will be at a crossroads. People either still remember Frank Shamrock or have read a lot about him on message boards. And there are still people willing to pay money to see Tito either win or lose against a noteworthy opponent. A Shamrock vs. Ortiz matchup would certainly be noteworthy with all the bad blood stemming from Shamrock's win waaay back at UFC 22. The tension built through trash talking between Frank and Tito would put the one-sided trilogy between Tito and Ken Shamrock to shame.

Speaking of Ken Shamrock…


Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock

Mixed martial arts are all the rage and everyone and their mother will try to cash in on its growing popularity in the upcoming year. Whether you like UFC President Dana White or not there is some validity to his claims that many people getting into the MMA business have no clue about it. All these wannbes think they can make a quick buck and you know what -- they're right! But most of them won't because they'll fail to offer potential customers a product that is worth seeing.

Instead of trying to compete with the UFC and PRIDE someone should try and carve out a niche within the industry. If I was a multi-millionaire looking to get into the business I'd hold the first-ever "Legends of MMA" pay-per-view.

Nobody wants to pay to see their favorite fighter from back in the day come out of retirement and get wrecked by a guy in the prime of his career. Wait, they did pay to see it at UFC 60. Well, if people paid to see a legend fight in a one-sided affair then they'd easily pay to see them in a more competitive environment. Guys like Gracie and Shamrock can't hang with today's stars but they're still ready, willing, and able (on a slightly lesser stage) to fight.


Chuck Zito vs. Kimbo

Neither Zito or Kimbo have anything to do with MMA but this would be a street fight for the ages!

Last week I talked crap about Calvin Ayre and against my better judgment I'm going to take Chuck Zito to task this week. I hope I earn some brownie points from all of you for risking my life.

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Zito but I'm getting a little tired of hearing him talk about how he could take out some of the top names in MMA. Zito, a former member of the Hell's Angels, is a certified bad ass but he'd have trouble even with a B-level fighter.

He said on a recent edition of "Chuck Zito's View" on the Howard Stern channel that he plans to start doing some formal mixed martial arts training, which is great. But he's going to find out that MMA is even harder than it looks and that he doesn't need to call out UFC fighters in order to maintain his image as a bad ass.

As for Kimbo, some of you know who he is and some of you don't. There is also a lot of you who know him but don't know it. Kimbo is the massive African American dude with the shaved head and unkempt beard who wrecks chumps in street fights that somehow keep making their way onto YouTube.

There's no need to debate whether this proposed bout should be held in a cage or a ring. Let's just schedule it for the West side branch of Score's Gentleman's Club, where Zito has destroyed the likes of Jean-Claude Van Dam and A.J. Benza. Ronnie "the limo driver" from the "Howard Stern Show" can be the referee.


Kurt Angle vs. Daniel Puder

Angle said a few weeks ago on the "Bubba the Love Sponge Show" that he'll be making his MMA debut sometime in 2007. Riiight. However, if he's going to fight then it should be against Puder, who nearly tapped out Angle during a segment that went awry on WWE's "Smackdown!" a few years back.

Puder was competing against seven other contestants in the WWE's "$1,000,000 Tough Enough" with hopes of winning a contract to wrestle for the company. During the taping the wannbes were called down to ringside where Angle was waiting. He ran them down on the microphone and then challenged them to a legitimate freestyle wrestling match.

Angle had his way with one of the contestants before Puder, who had been training in MMA, decided to answer the call. According to eyewitness accounts, he nearly tapped out Angle before officials broke up the altercation. An edited version would later air on television.

Puder ended up winning the competition but wasn't with the company long enough to collect the full amount. Since Puder's release from the WWE the two have smack talked each other on various radio shows. Puder even went so far as to make an "I hurt Kurt" t-shirt.

This match will never happen but if by some chance it does I hope someone teaches Angle how to break out of a key lock.


News & Notes:

• According to Monte Cox, the longtime manager of Matt Hughes, Hughes would like to take a fight in between his inevitable rematch with Welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

"After discussing the future with Matt, it was agreed that it would be in his best interests to take a fight in between a rematch with St. Pierre," said Cox. "This way, he would have more time to train specific skills that would give him a better chance at winning back the title."

Rumor has it that St. Pierre will fight Diego Sanchez in April for theWelterweight title (assuming he successfully defends against Matt Serra in February) while Hughes' next opponent will be Karo Parisyan.

• Randy Couture took time out of his schedule this week to deny rumors he's coming out of retirement to fight Wanderlei Silva on the February 24 PRIDE card scheduled for Las Vegas.

"Not that I know of," Couture responded during an exclusive interview with InsideFight.com when asked if the rumors were true. "I've heard that rumor from a couple of different people now, but I think it's just coming from someone with a wild imagination"

Couture also told the site he's still retired but stopped short of ruling out a return to the ring.

• The fifth installment of "The Ultimate Fighter" is slated to premiere on April 5 with a UFC Fight Night scheduled as a lead-in. MMAWeekly.com recently broke the official news that B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver will serve as the coaches for the show and the season will culminate with the two fighting on the live TUF 5 season finale.

• Unconfirmed rumors continue to circulate that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will make his UFC debut at UFC 67, which is scheduled for February 3.

• Bill Goldberg and Mario Lopez will be two of the announcers for EliteXC's February 10 debut on Showtime. Lopez played a freestyle wrestler on "Saved by the Bell" while Goldberg played a pro wrestler for WCW and WWE. Goldberg was an announcer for the WFA's sole pay-per-view broadcast earlier this year while Lopez's MMA broadcast qualifications include "Pet Star" on Animal Planet. Whoops, being the host of "Pet Star" doesn't qualify you to be a mixed martial arts broadcaster does it? No word if EliteXC plans to hire a true play-by-play announcer but if they do, I'm sure Screech is on the short list.

• The main event for the EliteXC card on February 10 is scheduled to be Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie. However, the match is in question as we alluded to earlier. According to Shamrock, his contract with EliteXC doesn't violate a previous agreement to fight Phil Baroni on a Strikeforce card scheduled for April. However, Strikeforce representatives believe there is a conflict. Don't be surprised if a settlement is reached and Shamrock vs. Baroni somehow ends up on Showtime PPV.

• It's interesting to note that the UFC's current television deal with Spike TV is scheduled to expire midway through 2008. An extension is not a given as Zuffa might want to explore all of their options. This is pure conjecture on my part but it wouldn't surprise me if the idea of televising the UFC has crossed the minds of ESPN television executives.

• PRIDE has announced two more bouts for its New Year's Eve card at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. Both of the new fights are rematches, with Josh Barnett set to battle Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Akihoro Gono scheduled to fight Yuki Kondo.

Next Week: I'll expand on my "Legends of MMA" concept with my ideal dream card.


Sam Caplan is a Philadelphia-based sports talk show host and freelance sportswriter. He's also an amateur mixed martial artist (and we do mean amateur) who trains out of the Mixed Martial Arts Academy of Philadelphia. Sam can be reached via e-mail at [e-mail] or you can check out his blog at: caplnamma.blogspot.com