411 MMA Smacktalk 07.09.07: 3, 2, 1, Draw!
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 07.09.2007
UFC 73: Stacked brought about some major results, but there is much more waiting in the wings.
Welcome to Smacktalk, the source for MMA news and rumors on 411mania.com on Mondays. I am Damian Sarcuni and unfortunately Jose Chavez could not be with me this week due to a can't-miss Necrophagia concert coming to town. While Jose thrashes around the mosh pit and bangs his head like he's having a seizure, I'm here to bring you the latest fallout from Saturday's UFC 73: Stacked event.
Despite Jose's absence, the format is always the same. They Say is the news item reported, You Say are comments and feedback from around the net, and We Say is our.. I mean MY personal opinion on each topic. Let's begin.
They say
In an absolutely dominating performance, Sean Sherk successfully defended his UFC lightweight title against Hermes Franca. More challenges await Sherk however, possibly in the form of BJ Penn as it has been rumored Penn will continue to compete in the 155lb weight division.
You say
The lightweight title fight was entertaining, comical with all the rinse-repeat action and dull. It seemed getting kneed and nearly guillotined repeatedly made Sherk use a defensive approach on the ground. I thought that Franca was worn out enough by the fourth round to where Sherk could have been more aggressive on the ground with punches and not worry about getting caught in a sub. I will give Sherk a lot of credit of passing Franca's guard effortlessly. Sherk's wrestling in MMA is great. - CompletePlayer, 411mania.com forums
Sherk is just a giant mass of muscle, huge for 155. BJ is the prodigy though. BJ would have to outstrike Sherk, and I don't know either fighter for being immense strikers. BJ's jiu-jitsu and submissions are universes better than Sherk's, but Sherk's take downs are so fierce that I don't know if BJ could stuff them or stop them from being implemented on will.. - caged_mma, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: The reason why Sherk was so dominating over Franca is because he knew Franca was a very orthodox ground fighter. Sherk was able to counter that beautifully, using unorthodox scrambling for positioning from start to finish, He never once gave up a position to attempt a finish, but that is the champion's advantage. Franca fought well for an orthodox fight, but was unable to adjust his timing or his technique for Sherk's constant attacks. I firmly think that BJ Penn can, and I think seeing this fight will light a fire that will make him want the lightweight belt all the more.
They say
In a similar fashion, Anderson Silva held onto his UFC middleweight title against Nathan Marquardt, stopping him with a TKO late in the first round. Like Sherk, Anderson already has another challenge lined up as he will likely defend against Rich Franklin in Cincinnati, Ohio this October.
You say
I like Rich quite a bit but I'll believe in him more when he finishes it on the ground (which I think is his only chance against Silva). - painstik, forums.mmanews.com
Rich's only chances against Silva are to take the fight to the ground and try and keep dominate position. Just like Sherk did to Franca. Constantly shoot in on Silva and try to keep him grounded and in bad positions. Too bad that won't happen though. Spider by TKO in the 2nd round. The only difference in this rematch is Rich makes it through the first round.. – ironone, forums.mmaweekly.com
We say
Damian: The fans have it dead on here. Franklin's forte is striking from the outside but so is Anderson Silva's. This one likely won't go to the ground at all and while Rich can probably survive standing with Silva without getting into a clinch, he'll still be playing right into Silva's hands. This fight will likely finish by stoppage in round 2.
They say
The anticlimactic draw result from Tito Ortiz VS Rashad Evans was capped off by a post fight media conference where the two men made excuses for the bout and continued to talk trash against each other, hyping a rematch.
You say
Didn't Tito say before the fight there were gonna be no excuses. But there he is complaining about his back, the Vaseline, and how he didn't have a good performance. - leelandk69, forums.mmanews.com
First Tito claims he had a back injury and then he accuses Evans of greasing up before the fight. The Tito/Evans feud is nothing more than manufactured drama to begin with. Now Tito is trying to sell a rematch. Tito's WWE act is old. I'm not interested in a rematch. - bunzo, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: I want to point out that Tito was cheating for a good portion of the match, constantly grabbing Evans' shorts and cup in an embarrassing display. Evans, meanwhile, was so absorbed with beating Tito in wrestling and slamming him that he gave up a wide array of chances to finish the fight in other ways. This was just disgraceful all around. If we do see a rematch I hope they put a different referee in there and I hope Rashad gets rid of his pride and does what he is supposed to do. None of this seems likely though.
They say
At the same press conference, Dana White announced that Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera had another rematch waiting for him after his victory over Heath Herring, this time against Mirko Crocop in October.
You say
If Nog had been able to make it to the finals of the OWGP and fought Mirko, he would already have a KO on his record. I've been saying it for a long time: Nog has become much slower and much more susceptible to damage as of late, and I believe if he fights a powerful striker the likes of Mirko or AA and gets hit with a big shot, he will go to sleep. I'm not saying because of last night he has no chance of beating strong strikers now, but if he gets hit on the button like that, especially against someone who knows how to finish a fight, he'll go out. – Bullitt68, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: I wonder if Crocop is honestly happy about this. He's come off a big loss and he might not feel ready to take on such a challenge, but if anyone can make it happen at this point Dana White can. It's sad that Herring looked so sloppy and was unable to finish a fight that was his for the taking, and this might be the last we see of him in the UFC. Hopefully this will serve as a wake up call because when he is training properly, Herring has the ability to take on almost anyone in the world. Also, kudos to Nog for admitting that the kick was devastating, instead of pretending to shrug it off.
They say
news10.net is reporting that a man fell to his death outside the ARCO arena during the UFC 73 event. Authorities say Eraldo Cano, age 26, jumped over a four foot wall outside the arena but misjudged the drop on the other side. He was taken to the hospital and died from his injuries a few hours later.
You say
Wow, that probably ruined the people's night that saw him fall. That really sucks, but if there is any liability it would be of the arena not the UFC. That is a very hard situation to handle. Should they have mentioned it during the PPV? RIP – The Sundance Kid, forums.mmanews.com
Too bad there wasn't a cage for him to grab onto on his way down. Tito can teach some survival clinics in the future. Seriously, though, that is unfortunate! I would guess that alcohol was involved. 8:30 PT would probably sync up with the Sherk fight.. maybe it was due to boredom? God, sorry, I'm effing terrible today.. - pillow, forums.mmanews.com
We say
Damian: I hate to say it but this is extra reflective of the fan's behavior last night. During periods of intense action fans all seemed to be booing and making a fuss, showing real disrespect who fighters that weren't just doing a good job at fighting, but were being entertaining as well. When greedy, drunken crowds aren't being entertained enough and boo like that, it's of little surprise when something like this happens. I am sorry for a tragedy like this, but it could have probably been avoided if a few more people had avoided that group mentality that hurts so many.
They say
In a recent online blog, former UFC champion Josh Barnett has stated that he is currently a free agent and he has spoken with both the UFC and BodogFight promotions..
You say
Hopefully that puts to rest the random Josh hates Dana posts. They really never made sense anyways. Either way hopefully we got to see him fighting again soon. – GSP in 2006, sherdog.net
It sounds like he wants to go to the UFC but hasn't been offered anything yet. The fact that he is dispelling rumours about going to Bodog would seem to suggest he doesn't want Dana to think he isn't available. - Dramacydal, sherdog.net
We say
Damian: I'm very surprised to hear that Barnett spoke with Dana White and that there is no bad blood between them. Barnett is a great commodity and is still considered by some to be the only man capable of beating Fedor Emelinenko. If the UFC has room for him, that's great. If not, then Bodog picks up a great fighter they can build a real division off of. Barnett will be picked up eventually though. It's only a matter of time.
That's it for me but Jose and I will be back this weekend for what should be live coverage of BodogFight's live event in Atlantic City, NJ! Stay tuned for that and much more this week in 411's MMA section. Thanks for reading.
