The MMA News Report 05.02.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 05.02.2007
With no events to review/predictions to mangle, I share opinions on the UFC’s drug policy, WEC’s television debut, and whether or not the UFC needs a ranking system...
INTRODUCTION
So we finally have some real time off between major MMA events. With a summer chock-full of UFC events (PPVs, Ultimate Fight Nights, TUF Finales), the next couple weeks should allow us MMA columnists a chance to opine about other organizations (such as the UFC affiliate WEC), problems facing MMA (such as drug testing), and organizational issues (such as an actual top ten ranking system in the UFC). Wouldn't you know it, but that's exactly what we have on tap for this edition of the column. So in an opinion heavy column (I even come off like a sanctimonious Dan Shaughnessy at one point!), let's get right into things.
MAILBAG
It was a tough call on the mailbag this week, as I had several great exchanges with readers. I have to mention Jamie from New Hampshire, a former wrestler and current coach, who had some excellent thoughts on the concept of "team" in MMA. However, I'm pretty sure Jamie was lucky enough to get a questioned answered by Gabe Ruediger this week, so I'm saving the mailbag slot for a special entry. This is a first for the column, from "M4":
In regards to your statement: "I hope you guys (and gals, assuming we have any gals reading) enjoyed Saturday night as much as I did." Yes, UFC 70 was great, and you do have 'gals' reading your articles!
I'm a huge Arlovski fan, and even though that was not one of his more exciting fights to watch, it was nice to know that he was listening to his coaches and didn't get sucked into Werdum's taunt to take the fight to the ground. I can't wait to see Arlovski in a match against another good striker or kick boxer though, THAT will be an exciting match up!
I couldn't agree more M4. We all know that "styles make fights" and when AA is match-up with a striker we get exciting fights with explosive finishes. Against a highly skilled ground fighter (that all of us here at 411 thought might upset AA), Arlovski did the smart thing and kept the fight standing, didn't risk the takedown, and didn't get over aggressive. I think his next fight will end all the discussion as to whether AA forgot how to KO an opponent.
I'm glad we have some females reading the column. I think it's silly to assume that women aren't as into MMA as guys. I have no doubt that there are many women out there who are more knowledgeable about the sport than the average guy watching a PPV at Hooters. Also, good call on the pseudonym M4. I'll be sure to not forward your email address to the dumbfounded guys looking to meet an actual girl who enjoys the UFC.
NEWS
UFC Faces Criticism Over Drug Testing Policy
As the UFC makes a run at becoming one of the nation's biggest sporting organizations, it faces the same problems that plague Major League Baseball, the NFL, and Olympic sporting events. For the UFC to become credible in the eyes of the mainstream fan, they must deal with the issue of testing for steroids and recreational drugs. You would think that the UFC would do everything in its power to show that they have a strong anti-drug policy. Deciding not to test fighters at two consecutive UFC events is not the way to demonstrate such a policy.
According to the Houston Chronicle, fighters at both UFC 69 in Houston and UFC 70 in Manchester, England were not given drug tests. In both situations, mix-ups between the UFC and local regulatory authorities were cited as reasons for the lack of tests. In Houston there was confusion as to whether the UFC was the sanctioning body of the event (as opposed to a state commission), while in Manchester, a local drug testing commission simply did not exist. Neither excuse is particularly compelling.
Houston Chronicle reporter Steve Sievert spoke with UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner about the situation. Ratner mentioned the extenuating circumstances at each event and said, "When we went in there (Houston), we went strictly as the promoter. We can't be judge and jury. We would have no authority to discipline the fighters."
To a degree, Ratner is correct. The UFC should not be responsible for testing its own fighters. An independent third party should be in charge of such tests and deciding punishments. It is the UFC's responsibility to make sure such a group exists well before the event. I find it hard to believe that an organization that plans their events so meticulously would not have checked up on drug testing before the events.
The UFC has seen several notable fighters test positive for banned substances, albeit recreational ones. Diego Sanchez, Melvin Guillard, and former UFC competitor Nick Diaz have all failed recent drug tests. As the UFC looks to expand and hold events in new territories (Canada, Cincinnati, and New Jersey have all been mentioned) they must make sure that unified regulatory commissions will be on hand to test fighters following events. In the post-BALCO world, failure to enforce such a policy because of "confusion" is not tolerable.
In what would be great news for all those who watch the UFC on Spike TV, top heavyweight contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira could make his octagon debut on cable as opposed to PPV. Sherdog.com is reporting that "Big Nog" could appear either at Ultimate Fight Night 10 (which is set to feature a Spencer Fischer v. Sam Stout rematch) or the finale for The Ultimate Fighter 5 (headlined by the Jens Pulver v. BJ Penn rematch).
UFN 10 seems a logical choice for the debut of the ground ace. Nogueira would likely headline the event, and could showcase his skills to an audience largely unaware of his accomplishments. The TUF finale will already draw ratings with the likes of Penn, Pulver and whoever squares off for the contract (I'm obligated to say go Gabe Ruediger).
Justin McCully, fresh off an upset decision victory over Antoni Hardonk, is being slotted in as an opponent for Nogueira. While McCully dominated control of the match and deserved the win, he did not look like a fighter capable of troubling one of the division's elite. Commentator Joe Rogan repeatedly mentioned how easy it would be for a talented jiu jitsu fighter to submit McCully. In fact, Hardonk almost did, but couldn't secure an armbar. Nogueira will be expected to tap McCully in no time. Granted, this is the year of the upset, so I wouldn't be surprised if McCully somehow wins via KO. Lousy upsets ruining my predictions. Sigh.
A series of rumored fights have been reported as being in some stage of "definiteness." Here's a smattering;
-Jeff Joslin v. Chris Lytle. Both fighters are coming off losses to highly ranked opponents (Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes respectively). A win for either would cement their place in the UFC, while a loss might leave them lost in the shuffle.
-Joe Stevenson v. Kurt Pellegrino. The winner of this fight would likely be in line for a title shot sometime later this year. Stevenson has looked very impressive since moving down to 155, while Pellegrino has demonstrated all the skills of a black belt. If Pellegrino should win, it might set up a situation where he's either challenging teammate Hermes Franca for the title (thought he's said he wouldn't fight Franca) or attempting to avenge Franca's loss to champion Sean Sherk. Possibilities abound.
-Jake O'Brien v. Tom Murphy. Fresh off a surprisingly dominant victory over the favored Heath Herring, Jake O'Brien looks to be scheduled to face an opponent he will be expected to pound. TUF 2 alum Tom Murphy is no slouch, but O'Brien's superior wrestling skills set him apart from other heavyweights.
On a night where two titles could change hands, World Extreme Cagefighting will make its basic cable debut on the Versus network, best known for its coverage of bike riding, marathon running, and other niche sports events (like hockey). The June 3rd event is headlined by both a welterweight championship fight between Carlos Condit and Brock Larson, and a featherweight championship match between Urijah Faber and Chance Farrar.
WW champ Condit (who has wins over Frank Trigg and Renato Verissimo) faces a former UFC fighter in Larson. Larson was defeated by the ultra-talented Jon Fitch at UFN 2, the only loss that mars his 21 fight record. Featherweight champ Faber is probably best known to mainstream fans for his appearance on MSNBC's "Warrior Nation," which focused on several aspects of MMA. Faber also has only lost once (to UFC competitor Tyson Griffin) and is one of MMA's most interesting fighters. The UC Davis grad is well spoken, comes from a great background and knows how to market himself. He's the exact antithesis of all the misguided stereotypes that usually greet MMA fighters.
This show looks to be one of the strongest MMA cards to air on TV from a group other than Pride or the UFC. Granted, the UFC owns the WEC (TUF alum Alex Karalexis is also on the fight card), but it's still great to see a smaller organization make an entry into cable coverage. Hopefully, June 3rd will be a great night and MMA fans will have yet another outlet for the free MMA fix.
It seems like this is the first week in a while when there hasn't been an event to either preview or review. Instead, we'll take a look at an issue inspired by an interview with Josh Koscheck. The super quotable Koscheck took the time to answer questions submitted at the blog UFCJunkie, one of the best sources for breaking UFC news on the web, and a site I crib a lot of my material from. Koscheck touched on a lot of subjects - from the incident with Diego Sanchez prior to UFC 69 to his thoughts on Matt Hughes – and, as usual, didn't pull any punches in his criticism.
One fan asked about a possible title shot following Koscheck's victory over Sanchez. Here is part of Kos' answer (though be sure to read the full transcript at the above link):
I would never say anything bad about the UFC because it's my home, and I hope it's my home for a long time, but I'm kind of disappointed I didn't get a title shot. If you re-watch all of the interviews and things like that, basically they said the winner of the Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck fight would get a shot at the title. I'm just wondering why I've probably got to fight St. Pierre before my title fight. But that's OK because he's a champion. If I have to get through him to get to the title, it's only going to show how much I deserve it.
Koscheck raises an interesting point while delivering a largely political answer. Since almost everyone on the planet believed St-Pierre would defeat Matt Serra, a St-Pierre v. Matt Hughes rematch for the title looked inevitable. But one could argue that the winner of Koscheck v. Sanchez was more deserving of the #1 contender slot. Leading up the event, Dana White repeatedly made comments that could have been construed this way. Following the lackluster performance of Sanchez (which damaged the entertainment value of the fight), the UFC (through Joe Rogan and others) made reference to the fact that you wouldn't earn a title shot by playing it safe. If Koscheck feels he lost a chance at the title because Sanchez wouldn't fight him, it's no wonder that he may feel slighted.
I recognize that the point is largely moot; Matt Hughes is the most dominant fighter/champion in UFC history (in my opinion) and certainly deserves the chance to regain his title. Koscheck is still in control of his destiny, and a win over St-Pierre would prove that he is an elite UFC fighter. However, there is the larger question of how the UFC goes about deciding who earns a shot at a title.
We have all talked about fights as "contender run-offs." I previously mentioned the upcoming fight between Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino in this manner. Granted, that is merely speculation. Since the UFC doesn't have any official ranking system, we merely assume that the winner will be inline for a title shot. Accept in cases that specifically determine title shots (the finals of TUF 4, the St-Pierre v. Penn match), we're just guessing where fighters stand in-line for a title shot. Even in cases where the UFC has stated someone will earn a shot, the organization can always change its mind.
Would the UFC benefit from having an official ranking system, such as college football or basketball? They might. Having an official "Top Ten" would clear things up for fans as well as fighters. It would also increase interest in match-ups that feature two highly ranked opponents. Having a definitive battle for a #1 contender spot could be just as exciting (if not more) than an actual title fight. On the other hand, the current system allows the UFC greater freedom to set up fights that will be both entertaining and monetarily rewarding. While it's a shame that a talented fighter like Nate Marquardt has had to wait a long time for a title shot, having a conservative fighting style can be a death sentence for a fighter, no matter how many wins they have.
I (obviously) think it's an interesting question. If the UFC had a streamlined ranking system, I don't think that a fighter like Jon Fitch (widely considered a world Top Ten welterweight) would be continuously left on the undercard of events. Also, it might make a questionable title match-up (think Rich Franklin v. Nate Quarry) harder for the UFC to present to fans. On the other hand, upsets like Matt Serra over GSP and Randy Couture over Tim Sylvia (Randy probably wasn't considered the #1 contender prior to their match) wouldn't be given the chance to occur. Similarly, it would be harder for the UFC to give title shots to recently acquired fighters like Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson (both of whom deserve their shot).
So what do you think? Would the UFC benefit from making a change, or are things better with the current system. We all have our own rankings, to go along with the likes of MMA Weekly's or the LA Times'. Would an official system eliminate the friendly arguments and message board rants that the current system allows? Or would it turn into a situation similar to that of the BCS which, love it or hate it, generates tons of press each and every year.
CONCLUSION
That's it for this week. I'm thrilled that a number of you guys (and gals) seem to be checking in with our MMA coverage on a weekly basis. If you happen to like my column, be sure to check out my other contributions to 411, especially in the Music Zone. I should have a wrap-up of the recent Coachella Music Festival, as well as reviews of the likes of Bjork, Queens of the Stone Age, and Fiest up in the coming weeks. See you back here next Wednesday.
