411 MMA Smacktalk 06.11.07: New Jacked Swings
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 06.11.2007
We've got terminal diseases, drug addiction, and lots of fight predictions in this week's edition.
Welcome to Smacktalk, you're Monday source for MMA news, rumors, and an infinitely possible number of opinionated quotes. I am Damian Sarcuni and with me as always is Jose Chavez.
It was a slow news week in the MMA world, which means that Jose and I are allowed the luxury of something we absolutely love to do…speculate the outcomes of rumored upcoming fights.
Our format will remain the same, however. They say is the news item reported, you say are comments and message posts about the topic, and we say are our comments and take on each issue.
They say
Last Saturday, former boxing champion Tommy Morrison defeated John Stover in a fight that was long in jeopardy due to rumors of Morrison being HIV positive. Prior to the fight, mmaweekly.com reported that the fight would not include any wrestling or submissions. 30 minutes before the fight began, it was announced that there would be no knees or kicks in the bout either.
You say
It was a boxing match not an MMA fight numbnutts it proves nothing, that fat shit will get his ass kicked in a real fight. - AUSSIEMMAFAN, sherdog.net
I want to say a prayer for Tommy. "God please help Tommy's HIV along so we will never have to hear about him again." Thanks in advance. - lasertech, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Damian: The fight took place on reservation land so it fell out of the jurisdiction of any state appointed athletic commission. There were dozens of rumors about Morrison's HIV tests being falsified, and to top it all off the rules were changed from MMA to kickboxing to straight boxing. This wasn't a fight. This was a jack. I just hope it didn't count on Stover's pro record, and I sincerely doubt it did.
Jose: Well, the whole thing turned out to be an unprofessional joke. Having an MMA match with very little rules, turned into a boxing match with a half hours notice, is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Hopefully this incident is forgotten about quickly and we never see Tommy Morrison and MMA mentioned in the same sentence again. I do not know if he's HIV positive or not, but judging by the pictures, there's something very not right looking about the guy.
They say
KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico reported that Diego Sanchez face Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at UFC 74.
You say
I didn't hear of his signing -- and that would be big news. I'm assuming this is rumored to be in the octagon. Wow. R.I.P. Sanchez. - baba, forums.mmanews.com
As for the fight itself, I think Sanchez will take it. People here have short attention spans so they only remember his fight with Kos, and not those with Diaz, Karo, and Riggs (regardless if who you think won in the Karo fight, it was very very close). He's as tenacious as they come, and talented as well so I see Sanchez winning by UD much like Sakurai/Rodrigo fights. – blackthorne, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: Sanchez definitely picked the wrong man for a comeback. While I'm willing to admit the dirty nightmare is a legitimate threat in a fight, he's facing an even more dangerous fighter who excels at every aspect of the game. Diego is the UFC's golden boy and I can see why they would want him to shine against Mach, but the more I think about it the less I see that happening. The only thing I can think that might work against Sakurai here is lack of experience in the cage, but even then I'm not sure it'll be enough to let the results swing Diego's way. I give everyone involved credit for putting this fight together, but I have an itching sensation it'll blow up in their faces. Well, everyone except Sakurai's.
Jose: First off id like to say seeing all these pride fighter in the UFC is really pissing me off…otherwise, this is a fight to be excited about, the question remain on how affected Sakurai will be by fighting at 170 lbs…He was a top fighter at 160…Diego's a great fighter, but I don't know if he can deal with what Sakurai can bring to the table. Standing up he can be pretty relentless, and if he nails Diego with that right hand of his, its going to be a lot of trouble for Sanchez. Hayato can certainly hold his own on the ground as well…he's just a lot more well rounded than Diego, has more tools…But Diego is one hell of an overachiever, and of course anything can happen, especially lately Ill give the slight edge to Sakurai if he is unencumbered by moving up to 170
They say
On June 22nd, Phil Baroni will face Frank Shamrock for the Strikeforce middleweight title. The two fighters have had a long standing war of words prior to the fight, and Baroni has even claimed that UFC president Dana White offered him a shot at the UFC middleweight title should Baroni win.
You say
I have nothing but respect for both fighters skills and accomplishments. Sometimes they act like asses, but for what these guys do in the ring, and put on the line, no keyboard warrior can take that away from them. - Striker22, sherdog.net
I like Phil, dude's funny. And while he might be an ass, nobody ever called him a cheater (except for all the people who scream STEROIDS for every ripped cat in the UFC) and nobody ever called him boring. And he has what matters in this fight, wrestling and heavy hands. - ajl416az, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Damian: I'm an on/off Phil Baroni fan. Sometimes I appreciate his loveable antics, sometimes I feel he goes too far. In this case, both fighters are taking each other seriously but surprisingly it's been Shamrock who has been handing out the greater end of the public annoyance. Shamrock claims that he loves fighting Baroni because they can both sell a fight, but this isn't really so much selling yourself as it is bugging the living hell out of people until they can't wait to see you get knocked out. As for the fight itself, Baroni is the more active and more powerful of the two. It sounds like he is taking the fight seriously and for all intents and purposes its Baroni's fight to lose.
Jose: Its put up or shut up time for Frank. Beating one Gracie who never fought MMA before and then getting handled by Renzo Gracie doesn't really give me much confidence in his abilities right now. Baroni hasn't fought in a long time, but if he comes in shape he should be able to take this, especially if he gets off early. Both guys are arrogant sons of bitches, but I was particularly put off at how unsportsmanlike Frank Shamrock acted in the way the match with Renzo went down. Baroni has just been through a really tough divorce and it gets some sympathy from me, and while Frank has been talking all these years, Baroni has been actually fighting, so I am pulling for him to win…Plus he's from New York for god's sake…I am just hoping that the layoff hasn't messed his game too much, and that he doesn't choke like he has in the past.
They say
A recent message from Vernon "Tiger" White has been making the rounds on several MMA message boards. In it, White implies that Chuck Liddell had just gotten out of rehab for drug addiction prior to his loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
You say
Well, I don't like to talk about fighters this way, but Chuck is the only one I've heard about going out and popping pills and taking stuff up the nose, from several different sources too. This opens up a whole new side of things, now that Tiger has said what he did. – CTY, bloodyknux.com
He was slurring his words in the beginning of the Letterman interview a couple nights ago also, but maybe he was just nervous b/c he seemed normal after a few minutes. - Bullock[TTR], forums.mmanews.com
We say
Jose: When they fought they made a big deal about the fact that these two guys didn't like each other. There's really no need of him to air dirty laundry, true or not. Kind of a rotten thing to do, but in the end, I believe most people don't really give a damn what Vernon has to say anyway.
Damian: Ever since Liddell's stint on the Today Show where he was visibly not right, there's been light speculation behind Chuck and recreational drug use. Jose and I often joke that Liddell isn't called "the iceman" for nothing, but at the same time I find it hard to believe that a former champion who is constantly undergoing the latest NSAC drug testing has been using drugs all this time without anyone knowing. This is probably just sour grapes on Vernon White's part, but Chuck really needs to stay on the ball and make sure his public image stays right from now on.
They say
A Dutch MMA website is reporting that Mirko Crocop's opponent at UFC 75 will be famed kickboxer Cheik Kongo.
You say
Kongo = first victim of CC's comeback killing spree – HoldenMcGroin, sherdog.net
Mirko will be back strong. Every now and then Crocop needs a wake up call. Irony is that it always comes as something that puts him to sleep. - Venex, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Jose:I think this is a good comeback fight for Mirko, will be all standup, and Cheik, while not a top fighter, is will at least be able to do some damage if Mirko comes in there really gun-shy. It'll be interesting to see if Mirko can come back from a really bad KO loss, without being spoon-fed Japanese c- level fighters not even in his own weight class…
. Damian: This sounds kind of pre conceived to me. I think that in an attempt to win over the MMA fans that are newer to the sport, Crocop will wow the audience by actually showing off some ground game against the noted striker. Kongo probably won't see it coming, and neither will anyone else. That's right, you heard it here first: Mirko by submission.
They say
In a recent blog, Josh Koschek was heavily critical of Dana White, citing complaints about fighter pay and comparisons to famous boxers.
You say
I'm sure when KOS ends up with Fight Of the Night, or KO of the night, or Sub of the night and realizes there is more money involved that what is paid in contracted salary, maybe he will shift his perspective. Oh wait, they don't give out Snooze of the night, so maybe he will never know. – RudoBoxe, bloodyknux.com
Kos is making a bold move here. He's finally a place where he is considered a contender and is about to get a chance to go for the belt. I imagine in his mind he sees himself in the same position in a year or two and is trying to make a one man push to get paid more. The odds of this backfiring are huge though. - hash, bloodyknux.com
We say
Damian: We've heard similar comments of frustration from Nick Diaz, and I suspect they are somewhat understandable. The UFC doesn't exactly offer medical coverage and training/travel can turn out to be an expensive endeavor if a contract is improperly negotiated. It sounds to me like Kos needs a new agent now that he's beaten Diego.
Jose: I agree it's a bold move, especially as he's moving closer to the upper echelon.
That's all she wrote. As always stay tuned to the 411mania MMA section for the rest of the week for more rants about Tommy Morrison and several other news items. Thanks for reading and enjoy the week.
