The MMA News Report 04.04.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 04.04.2007
UFC 69 preview, Chuck Liddell's next challenger (you know, after his next challenger), and Brock Lesnar's MMA debut. All that and more. How much more? You'll have to click to find out.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome again. We're back for a second week of MMA news and previews. A lot is going on out there, and we at 411 have ample coverage. I recommend all of my fellow MMA writers (of course), but would like to pay special attention to Mike Farrow, Matt McEwen, and Michael Huckaby. Farrow writes in much more depth that I could ever hope to achieve about the Cage Rage organization. It's a great look at a non-UFC/Pride MMA show. McEwen and Huckaby are detailing the history of MMA with retro-rants about the UFC and Pride respectively. If you're a newer MMA fan (like myself) these are great looks at events and fighters you might not be familiar with. If you want to know why names like Rickson Gracie and Gerard Goudreau are infamous, these guys have the info you need. I'm looking forward to future work from each of these authors.
In today's report we've got more UFC/Pride news, some possible upcoming matches, and details on former WWE champ Brock Lesnar. We've also got a preview for Saturday's UFC 69, one of about 7 we're sure to carry this week at 411Mania. Imagine I'm about to say something like ‘Let's get it on!" but far less corny…
NEWS Dana White Discusses Pride Role
So, this is the second edition of the column, and I'm already contradicting last week. In the wake of the Fertitta brothers' purchase of the Pride Fighting Championship, it was widely reported that the UFC and Pride would be run as separate entities. This is true. However, according to a media conference call conducted by UFC President Dana White, the line between the two organizations will be slightly less concrete that originally assumed. As reported by various news sites (including the Houston Chronicle's Steve Sievert), White clarified his role in the situation in his typically humble way. After reaffirming that wholesale changes would not occur within Pride, White was asked about his role in the organization. "I run everything."
You can't get much clearer than that, folks. While White was probably exaggerating his control over Pride, it still looks as though he will have a hands-on role with the organization. Long term fans of Pride are probably aghast at the thought that White will be the man in charge. Certainly, White has been somewhat less than complimentary towards Pride over the years. However, love him or hate him, White has proven to have the business acumen and tenacity necessary to elevate the UFC from fringe sideshow to legitimate sport. While his abrasive manner rubs some people the wrong way, he could do great things with Pride. Sources:Brawl Sports
Rua to get UFC Title Shot?
A few other noteworthy comments made their way into the same conference call. White mentioned that he was looking at Pride star Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as a possible title contender. Rua would face off against the winner of the upcoming Chuck Liddell v. Quinton Jackson light heavyweight championship fight. Rua, at just 25 years of age, is a huge talent. The Chute Boxe fighter carries an impressive 16-2 record, with wins over Ricardo Arona, Akihiro Gono, and Kevin Randleman. He also holds a first round KO over Rampage from 2005. Even before the sale of Pride was announced, rumors circulated that Rua would split time between the two organizations. If the fight goes ahead, Rua could become the first big crossover star.
The proposed fight also has ramifications for Liddell. Before the merger, Liddell was running out of title challengers. Assuming he gets by Jackson (and I, for one, assume that he will), there is a big drop-off to the next level of light heavyweight contenders. My fellow 411 MMA peer Zach Marcus ran down the contenders in his recent "Welcome To The UFC" column. Zack identified fighters Liddell has already beat several times (Jackson, Tito Ortiz), rising fighters on the cusp (Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine) and TUF competitors not yet ready for title consideration (Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping). The only legitimate contender is Ryoto Machida, and even he comes with a big question mark and no US exposure. It's no wonder that talk has center about Liddell possibly moving up to heavyweight to challenge Mirko Filipovic.
Rua would be an immediate challenger for the UFC light heavyweight title, and would allow Liddell to keep fighting at his best weight for a time to come. If Liddell is still champ a year from now, he could either face a serious TUF contender (Evans, if he still hasn't lost) or risk life and limb versus Cro Cop.
Pride Adds To Lackluster Card
Pride announced two more fights for the last PPV card to be produced by Dream Stage Entertainment. Grizzled veteran Don Frye will "fight" Brit James Thompson, while relative unknowns Yoshihiro Nakao and Edson Drago will square off. Neither fight elevates a truly disappointing card. We're less than 5 days away from Pride's live USA debut, and there isn't a single major fight on this card. The biggest stars are exciting submission expert Shinya Aoki and Brazilian Top Team fighter Ricardo Arona. While Aoki can tie a man into truly unique positions and Arona is a solid fighter, neither man has any sort of reputation in the states. Why would a new MMA fan purchase this card? The only true star linked to it is Wanderlei Silva, and we still don't know whether he will be medically cleared to fight or who his opponent might be. Oh, and he was destroyed by a much smaller man last fight out and appears over the hill.
At what point do we start assuming DSE is intentionally driving down the value of Pride before handing over the reigns to the UFC?
Lesnar To Make MMA Debut In June
In news that might interest any of you WWE fans who might have wandered over to the MMA section for a change, Brock Lesnar should be making his shoot-fighting debut in LA this June. The LA Times reported the details of the show, which is being run by MMA and kickboxing promoters K1. The show, which will also feature Royce Gracie and onetime NFL receiver Johnnie Morton, stands in partner with some of the UFC's MMA competitors, such as EliteXC and Bodog Fight.
I'm not sure that there is room for multiple mainstream MMA organizations. Much like baseball and soccer, I think the system works better with one or two major organizations per country. I'm reasonably sure that these smaller MMA shows won't benefit by featuring former legends, former pro wrestlers, and former pro football players.
Lesnar is scheduled to face a 7 ft tall, 350lb fighter nicknamed the "Techno Goliath," which is either the best or worst nickname I've heard. I can't tell. Hong Man Choi isn't actually a bad choice for Lesnar's first fight. The man's size will make Lesnar look like a beast (assuming he can take the big man down), and Choi's inexperience means Lesnar should be able to win with his amateur wrestling ability alone. Choi has one fight on his resume, a win in K1, and that might be less legitimate than some of Lesnar's title wins. This is probably coming several years too late, but I always thought Lesnar made a bold move by deciding to leave the WWE to try and accomplish some of his other dreams. He was honest about his reasons for signing with the WWE (the money) and his reasons for leaving (the travel). I wish him the best of luck in this endeavor, though I doubt we're looking at a future star.
Kurt Angle, on the other hand, would be completely insane to even think about stepping in an MMA arena. It needs to be said.
It is time for another UFC PPV and we here at 411 have you covered at all angles. Check out our roundtable preview to be posted this week, as well as our fight night coverage and recaps. Why should you read this preview as well as all the others? Well, because it's what I get (not) paid to do.
UFC 69 has taken a lot of flack on various message boards for a lack of star power, an over abundance of TUF competitors, and for not being as good as UFC 70, which will air for free later this month. And to that I say: you're right. UFC 69 suffers from a main event that shouldn't be carrying a PPV. However, there are still reasons to set aside you're $35 for this card. First of all, Georges St-Pierre is one of those rare, Michael Jordan like athletes and should be appreciated any time he graces the octagon with his presence. Secondly, just because a fighter appeared on TUF does not mean he's not PPV quality. Some of the fighters we'll cover below could be the stars of the future. And finally, just because a card has less heralded fighters on it, doesn't mean the fights themselves will be boring. I think all of us have paid for big time fights only to be let down (hello Sylvia-Arlovski 3). While some of Saturday's fights might not have the hype of an Ortiz-Shamrock or Couture-Liddell, they might end up being ten times as entertaining. Now, on to the fights.
Main Event Georges St-Pierre(c) v. Matt Serra: For his first welterweight title defense, St-Pierre draws TUF4 winner Matt Serra. Right now, the betting odds on St-Pierre are at –1000. Now, I have no idea what that means, but I think it says Serra has no chance at winning. I honestly think this is a bigger mismatch than the recent Randy Couture v. Tim Sylvia fight was. Had this column existed a few weeks ago, I might not have predicted a Couture victory, but I'm sure I would have said something along the lines of "You can never count out Couture, and Sylvia is a slow fighter with no heart." You could see Couture scoring the upset even if you never would have predicted it. Saturday night I literally see no way for Serra to win, baring some sort of injury or freak accident.
In every aspect of the game St-Pierre holds a dominant edge over Serra, except maybe in jiu jitsu skills. Even there, I'd call things a push. Serra is a tiny welterweight. In truth, he's a small lightweight who would probably have trouble with Sean Sherk. Meanwhile, St-Pierre is an absolute monster at 170lb. Serra couldn't effectively control Chris Lytle in their disappointing match at the TUF4 finale. Meanwhile, St-Pierre had no problem avoiding the takedown attempts of Matt Hughes. St-Pierre is capable of things in the octagon that other fighters can't even imagine (the back leg shuffle sweep of Hughes being an example). Serra utilizes foot stomps.
To be more positive, Serra seems like a standup guy who loves the sport and gives his all every time out. Serra has only been stopped once in his career, and that was with a one in a million spinning backfist. He's got tremendous heart, and has taken talented fighters like BJ Penn and Karo Parisyan the distance. This fight won't go 25 minutes. The only way for Serra to have a legitimate chance at victory would be for St-Pierre to come in injured or out of shape. I don't think either of those scenarios will play out.
Still, the fight should be exciting. St-Pierre will likely show us something unique, and Serra won't give up without a fight. This might not have the buildup of the inevitable St-Pierre v. Hughes rematch, but don't skip it out of prejudice. Prediction: St-Pierre by TKO.
Undercard Diego Sanchez v. Josh Koscheck: This is the most anticipated match of the night. Sanchez is one of the most polarizing fighters in the UFC. No one seems to be ambivalent about him; his fans defend him to the death, everyone else desperately want's to see him lose. Everyone has heard the expression that no MMA fighter is perfect. It's just too easy to lose a fight to a flash knockout or an unexpected cut. The most dominant fighters in the world (Fedor, Liddell) have losses. Sanchez is best known for having a perfect 17-0 record (well, for that and for being batshit crazy). Koscheck is being billed as his toughest opponent to date, and has publicly stated (again and again) his desire to end Sanchez's streak.
Sanchez is an interesting fighter. Unlike the two champions I mentioned earlier, Sanchez isn't truly dominant in any area of MMA. His most admirable qualities are intangibles rather than an overhand right or unparalleled strength. His perfect record is a byproduct of his world class cardio, outrageous confidence, and his desire. He literally wills himself to victory over opponents. When I fist watched the Sanchez v. Parisyan fight, I thought Karo inflicted more damage and won by decision. Seeing it multiple times, I was more impressed by Sanchez's ability to pour on the pressure late into the third round. Might Parisyan have outpointed Sanchez early on? Certainly. Did he look like a victorious fighter after round three? Not at all.
So put me in the camp that wants to see Diego loose. I cheered for Diaz, Parisyan, and Riggs, but at the end of the night I had to commend Sanchez. I don't believe Josh Koscheck is the biggest challenge Sanchez has faced (I'm a big fan of both Diaz and Karo). But he might be the toughest match-up. Everyone knows how great a wrestler Koscheck is. If this were a grappling contest, Koscheck would easily dismantle Diego. But this is the UFC, and things like cardio, heart and desire matter a tremendous amount.
Can I see Koscheck driving Sanchez into the fence, getting him to the ground, and then laying on him for 15 minutes? Absolutely. That's not an indictment of Koscheck, I don't subscribe to the belief that he's a lay and pray athlete. Simply holding Sanchez on the mat would be an accomplishment. But I just can't bet against Sanchez at this point. The man simply finds the will to win. Koscheck is an excellent challenger, but he hasn't faced anyone the caliber of a Diaz or a Karo. Everyone forgets that as dominant as Koscheck can appear at times, Jeff Joslin put up a good fight at Fight Night 7.
Either way, these two really don't like each other. There's a real rivalry here, with real bad blood. This could be a great fight, a real back and forth way. Or it could end in 45 seconds after a Sanchez barely legal knee. Prediction: Sanchez by Split Decision.
Yushin Okami v. Mike Swick: What do we make about Mike Swick? The likable TUF alum seems to have been lost in the middleweight shuffle. At one point he looked to be in line for a title shot, now he's at least three fights away (after Marquardt, Franklin, and a rematch). Swick has lost a little luster without loosing a fight. The problem is his two biggest wins have come against opponents who have really fallen off the map. Last years, wins over David Loiseau and Joe Riggs meant something. Now, it's just two victories over guys who don't really seem to be that interested in fighting. Take away those two wins, and Swick's record isn't nearly as impressive. You're left with some TUF competitors and some aging veterans. Yushin Okami will be a real step up for Swick. What's worse, it's a bad match-up of styles. Swick is a guy who likes to stand and trade. Okami probably won't let that happen much. Expect Okami to take things to the ground and grind out a decision or submission. Prediction: Okami by Decision.
Alan Belcher v. Kendall Grove: I really like Kendall Grove. Along with Michael Bisping, he is one of the more charismatic characters that have passed through the TUF doors. He is also a really interesting middleweight. His height makes him a unique match-up. Does anyone else think about Street Fighter legend Sagat when they watch Grove? Anyone? All right then. Anyway, Grove can prove a lot by defeating Belcher. This fight took a somewhat odd turn when Belcher decided to screw sportsmanship and openly talk trash about Grove. Belcher took some shots at the TUF series, and described this fight as the perfect match-up. It will be interesting to see if he can back up those words. Prediction: Grove by TKO (Strikes).
Other Fights
Check in with the Roundtable to see predictions about some of the other fights on the card…Hopefully, Roger Huerta's fight with Leonard Garcia ends in less controversy than his last bout…I haven't written off Heath Herring yet and expect a dominant victory over former offensive lineman Brad Imes…Between Sell, Davis, and Cummo there could be several exciting finishes on the undercard. If the St-Pierre fight is short, we should get to see some of them.
CONCLUSION
That's it for this edition of the MMA News Report. Again, I can't encourage you enough, any feedback is always appreciated. If we could generate enough material for a mailbag, that would be great. The discourse between writer/reader is one of the best parts of this gig. Check back next week for a full recap of the weekends action, detailed reports on both UFC events, a less detail report of the Pride PPV, a preview of the upcoming Fedor v. Matt Lindland slaughter, err, match, and anything else that makes the news. Take care, guys and gals.
