The MMA News Report 04.18.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 04.18.2007
The sun will rise, the sun will set, and Fedor wins again. What else is new? Well, the UFC entering into another dramatic partnership is kinda new…
INTRODUCTION
Welcome back for another MMA News Report. We've got a lot to cover again this week, which is great because I had feared I wouldn't have enough to write about on a weekly basis. I hope you're all as excited about UFC 70 as I am, which features some great fighters and at least one great fight. Grab yourself a snack and let's get to the news.
MAILBAG
This week's mailbag slot goes to reader Mozz Manzoor. Do my readers have awesome names or what? Mozz shared his eloquent thoughts on Matt Serra's huge upset and my ignorant analysis of such:
"We all saw what an incredible coach Serra is on TUF. It is impossible not to see him with a certain respect reserved for teachers, or a sensei. I am sure this had a lot to do with what happened in this fight. He (St-Pierre) knew Serra was dangerous, and he might have looked up to him with this respect. And being a kid, that affects you. You will always be apprehensive when fighting someone you see as your teacher. There will always be that mental edge. Next time they fight the outcome might be different. But that night Serra aligned everything to a T. His mental, physical, and emotional game was as good as it gets."
Mozz went on to share some thoughts on a potential Matt Serra – Matt Hughes match-up. Last week I implied that Serra won more due to luck than skill. And I was wrong. After I got Mozz's email I went back and re-watched Serra v. St-Pierre a few times. What struck me most upon multiple viewings was the skill with which Serra finished the fight. A less savvy fighter might have rushed in and missed the opportunity to finish things after Serra wobbled St-Pierre with the initial punch behind his ear. Instead, Serra took his time, picked his shots, and delivered pinpoint punches that effectively ended the fight standing. By the time St-Pierre hit the mat twice, it was over.
Mozz's email centered on Serra the man. A lot of newer MMA fans might not have been as familiar with Matt Serra as the old guard is. Georges St-Pierre is a fan favorite, and any fighter may end up as the bad guy in the eyes of the fans when pitted against Rush. Against Matt Hughes, Matt Serra is going to be the underdog that everyone gets behind. By the time of the fight, Serra will have huge audience support.
Thanks for the email Mozz. As always, if you have any thoughts you want to share, criticism you want to make, or questions to ask, send them my way. If it's as well written as Mozz's, you'll probably find yourself leading off the column.
NEWS UFC Reaches Deal with HBO, UFC 72 to Air on Spike?
The ongoing talks between the UFC and Home Box Office Inc have apparently concluded with a deal. For some time it has been reported that HBO was interested in entering the MMA marketplace, with the UFC being a likely partner. HBO's interest in MMA was not surprising, as Showtime made waves with the debut of EliteXC, the first MMA show broadcast on premium cable. However , talks stalled for a variety of reasons. HBO, famous for its coverage of boxing, was reportedly wary of MMA, with HBO Sports president Ross Greenberg balking at airing any events. HBO's mood changed, but by then the UFC had issues with both the production and broadcast terms of the deal. Those issues have been smoothed over.
MMANews is reporting that a deal has been finalized, and the UFC will debut on HBO this summer. HBO will have production rights, but MMANews paraphrases Dana White as saying he wouldn't have agreed to a deal he wasn't comfortable with.
While a deal with HBO is great news for the UFC, it does call into question where UFC 72 will be broadcast. UFC.com had stated the event would air on Spike TV, probably on tape delay (much like this weekend's event). The show is to be headlined by Rich Franklin (fighting Martin Kampmann) and takes place in Belfast, Ireland. As of now, UFC.com does not list Spike as broadcasting the event. UFC 72 might be the show the UFC debuts with on HBO.
While the transfer of Pride ownership from DSE to the Fertitta brothers is imminent, it hasn't stopped DSE executive Nobuhiko Takada from announcing important news. The Pride Lightweight Grand Prix has been confirmed to begin July 16th. The event had been postponed, which called into question whether the UFC-run Pride would continue to hold tournament style events. Granted, isn't that what The Ultimate Fighter is at heart?
Rumors remain that several UFC fighters will take part in the event. The biggest names mentioned have been that of Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez. The official weight of the tourney has yet to be confirmed. It is unlikely that Matt Hughes would be able to cut down to 155.
Sanchez's participation might make sense following his loss to Josh Koscheck. Sanchez is in a sort of limbo right now, with no real match-up available (maybe Josh Burkman?). I doubt Matt Hughes would compete, what with a potential title shot against Matt Serra being discussed.
Bad Boy to get Another UFC Shot
Photo by Robert Terry/Ring of Fire
In news that won't come as a surprise to anyone who saw UFC 69, Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia has earned himself another appearance in the UFC following his war with Roger Huerta. The Houston Chronicle's Steve Sievert spoke with Garcia and confirmed that the Texan will be back. Garcia and Huerta went toe to toe for three straight rounds, with each fighter eating a ton of big shots. Garcia showed tremendous heart. By the end of the fight his face was a mess, yet he was still swinging for the fences.
Garcia periodically smiled throughout the fight, despite the amount of punishment he took. In his interview, Sievert quotes Garcia as saying: "The smiling was just basically to let Roger know when he watches this fight, as hard as he was hitting me, when he sees me smiling, he's going to have that doubt. He's definitely a fight I'm going to want to have again."
Even though the fight wasn't the dominant KO Huerta had predicted, it was a largely one-sided affair. Huerta displayed superior grappling and technique than that of the free-swinging Garcia, so a rematch won't occur for some time. Either way, Garcia is one to watch, whomever his next opponent may be.
The world's most dominant fighter, Emelianenko Fedor (is this an Ichiro situation? Which name actually comes first?), continued to prove his, well, dominance. Fedor took on a game, though outgunned, Matt Lindland over the weekend in the bodogFIGHT organization. Lindland came into the fight bulked up from his usual 185, though still significantly lighter than his heavyweight opponent did. Following the opening bell, Lindland threw a looping punch that caught Fedor and opened a cut. Gasp! He bleeds! He's not robotic! The fight went to the corner where Lindland, the Olympic quality wrestler, attempted to toss Fedor. Emelianenko grasped the ropes to prevent the throw. After being admonished by the ref, Fedor reversed the throw and ended up on top. From there it was old hat, as Fedor eventually secured a tight armbar that may have broken Lindland's arm.
Some commentators have praised Lindland's ability to control the fight in the early going. I'm slightly confused at that notion. The punch that opened the fight barely had an effect on Fedor. Something on Lindland's hand must have caught Fedor above the eye, because it opened a sizeable cut. But that was more luck than talent. That took approximately 6 seconds. The next 20 seconds saw Lindland get his grip around Fedor and look for the throw. Did Fedor grab the ropes? Yes. But it wasn't egregious, and if he hadn't the fight probably would have ended the same way. Once Lindland got the toss, Fedor easily shifted his weight to reverse the landing. From there, Fedor controlled everything on the ground, transitioning from guard positions, to mount, to a couple submission attempts with no resistance. At no point did Lindland have a chance.
Matt Lindland is a great fighter and he did his best. But he controlled the fight for approximately 27 seconds, landing one lucky punch. We have seen smaller men hold their own and sometimes dominate larger opponents (I'm thinking Dan Henderson here). Fedor is not going to be handled by anyone, regardless of weight class. It will be interesting to see where Fedor ends up, and what match-ups await him.
COMMENTARY
The events are coming fast and furious. This weekend we have another free UFC event on Spike TV. UFC 70 features some of the top fighters from around the world and is a must see for any MMA fan. Who would have thought we'd be watching Mirko Filipovic on free TV here in the States so soon? Here's a small preview of the main fights on the card. Check out our other coverage including our pre-event roundtable, in which I try to make up with my horrid UFC 69 showing. Seriously, who had Matt Serra in the main event? Anyone?
UFC 70: Main Event Mirko Filipovic v. Gabriel Gonzaga: The UFC obviously envisions Cro Cop as the face of the heavyweight division, a bigger Chuck Liddell. Gabriel Gonzaga is his next opponent, and while the UFC might not be counting on Gonzaga to lose, they're at least hoping for Gonzaga to eat a high kick. Gonzaga is an interesting pick for Cro Cop. If the UFC wanted to play it safe, they could have fed Mirko another can. Say Brad Imes, though I'm not sure Cro Cop could kick that high. Gonzaga has the ability to trouble Filipovic in a couple areas, most notably on the ground. Let's be honest here, Cro Cop is not invincible. He may be the world's most exciting heavyweight, but you can argue he's only third highest ranked. If Gonzaga can push the fight into a later round, test Cro Cop's cardio a bit, he definitely has a chance.
That being said, it probably won't happen. Cro Cop is being groomed to be the title holder and standard bearer. Will he ever be a super popular fight? Time will tell. While Cro Cop is not the most outspoken or charismatic fighter, neither is the aforementioned Liddell. And if Cro Cop makes an effort to be more personable (like by participating in media conference calls, like the one we covered here at 411Mania), maybe fans will embrace him as more than a left leg. Prediction: Filipovic by KO.
Undercard David Heath v. Lyoto Machida: Here's a confession: I have no idea what this guy's name actually is. Lyoto, Ryoto, I can't tell. And I don't really care. Like many MMA fans, I've heard all about the wins over Bonnar, Franklin, and Penn. But Machida looks like a suspect fighter to me, one that couldn't finish TUF alum Sam Hoger. David Heath will come right at Machida and force a fight out of him. Will Lyoto be ready to stand and trade? We'll see. Prediction: Heath by TKO.
Michael Bisping v. Elvis Sinosic: Elvis Sinosic has fans I don't want to upset. But the fact remains that he is 1-5 in the UFC with the 1 coming 6 years ago. Sinosic has faced quality caliber opponents, but he has never shown the ability to hurt any of them. Michael Bisping is the lead figure on the poster for UFC 70 and is meant to carry the show. Sinosic is merely there for Bisping to submit or pound. That way the fans go home happy. Prediction: Bisping by TKO.
Andrei Arlovski v. Fabricio Werdum: I am really surprised the UFC put this fight together. Werdum is a good heavyweight who will pose a real challenge for the UFC's golden boy. If Arlovski loses again, he falls far behind the likes of Couture, Cro Cop, and Nogueria. I really like Arlovski, but I'm worried about his chances versus a complete heavyweight with a ground game. I think we can safely say Arlovski has a suspect chin, and if Werdum tags him and takes things to the ground, it's anyone's fight. Prediction: Werdum by submission.
Assuerio Silva v. Chiek Kongo: I'm not as high on Kongo as some might be. Silva hung with the likes of Tim Sylvia for three tough rounds, which is still an accomplishment. Kongo won't be as tough to take to the ground, and Silva's experience should pay dividends. Prediction: Silva by submission
Other Fights
While there are a lot of unknowns on this card, I'm excited by a few of the undercard fighters. I think the Valimaki v. Sakara fight has the potential to end in highlight fashion. I'm intrigued by fighters like Terry Etim, David Lee, and Crocota. We saw how enjoyable UFC 69 was, even though some complained about the strength of the card. Same goes for UFC 70. Just because some of the fights look one sided or lack hype doesn't mean they won't be great to watch.
CONCLUSION
That's all for another edition of our Wednesday MMA coverage. Hope you're having a fine weekend. Everyone had better be tuning in UFC 70 on Saturday night. If you do, let me know what you think. I'll see you back here next week, probably with some UFC 70 review, possibly with some thoughts on this season of TUF.
