The MMA News Report 08.01.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 08.01.2007
This week, we’re taking an in depth look at this Sunday’s WEC card featuring Carlos Condit, Brock Larson, and Paulo Filho. Also, updates on Fight Night Live and The Ultimate Fighter. Who’s fighting, who’s coaching, and who’s the favorite to win another 6-figure contract.
INTRODUCTION
We're flying through the column this week, focusing on some of the smaller MMA shows to occur in the next few months. I wanted to put a spotlight on the WEC show that will be airing live on the Versus network this Sunday. I think the WEC has offered some of the best non-UFC MMA to air on free TV recently. Yes, that's not entirely accurate seeing that the UFC owns the WEC and that UFC vets populate the fight card. But the organization is making a name for itself in its own right. This Sunday's show, featuring two title fights and the debut of Paulo Filho will only further establish the WEC as a legitimate must-see event.
We also have some news about the next UFC Fight Night card and the season debut of TUF that follows. I, along with many MMA fans, feel that the show has begun to wane. This year's crop of fighter's doesn't inspire the same excitement of past versions, though watching Matt Hughes and Matt Serra go after each other should be entertaining.
So let's get to a barebones edition of the column, and you can thank my cinema professor for that. Damn German expressionists…
MAILBAG/RANT TIME
Mailbag/rant time will return next week, when there's something actually interesting to discuss. Unless you want to hear my ill-informed take on the Kevin Garnett trade. Email me!
NEWS
The Ultimate Fighter 6 Almost Officially Revealed
As we near the September 19th debut date for the 6th incarnation of TUF, more details about the show have emerged. While coaches Matt Hughes and welterweight champion Matt Serra have been identified for a while, now we also know which assistant coaches the two have chosen to accompany them. In past years, controversy has arisen over the types of assistant coaches featured on the show (most notably Ken Shamrock's decision to bring a nutritionist along for the ride). This year, the assistants' personalities may have more to do with conflict then a perceived lack of credentials.
Hughes has elected to bring Miletich teammate and ICON champion Robbie Lawler onto the show, in addition to boxing coach Matt Pena and wrestling instructor Marc Fiore. Serra will counter with former TUF 4 competitor Pete "Drago" Sell and longtime boxing coach Ray Longo. Might we see some fireworks between Sell and Lawler to match the bad blood between the two head coaches?
UFCJunkie has periodically revealed the names of the participants for the show (List can be seen here). The only name that really jumps out is that of veteran Mac Danzig, who holds a 16-4-1 MMA record having fought in organizations like KOTC and Pride. Danzig typically fights at 155, but with the recent successes of undersized TUF competitors, can be considered an early favorite to win the crown.
As for the rest of the cast…your guess is as good as mine. This season will rely heavily on the animosity between the two coaches. Both Serra and Hughes know how to perform for a camera and their feud (and eventual fight) should add drama to the show. The TUF 6 cast doesn't boast multiple known quantities like previous year's editions. Unless there is a diamond waiting to be discovered, this might be the weakest collection of unsigned fighters the UFC has presented yet.
To promote the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV will air another edition of UFC Fight Night immediately before the reality series. The night will be headlined with a bout between lightweights Spencer Fisher and Din Thomas. Originally seen as a fight between two potential title challengers, the match-up takes on added significance with the steroid troubles surrounding current lightweight champ Sean Sherk. The winner of the Thomas v. Fisher affair could potential wind up fighting for an interim title, or, should Sherk be striped of his belt, for the lightweight title itself.
Elsewhere on the card, former TUF fighters take center stage against a variety of challengers. Chris Leban will look to reverse a recent losing trend against middleweight challenger Terry Martin. Leban was at one point rumored to be facing Mike Swick. When the fight never materialized, a war of words erupted between the two centered around Leban's apparent unwillingness to take the tough fight against Swick. However, Terry Martin is arguably a higher ranked opponent then Swick, so we (ie, I) owe Leban an apology.
The aforementioned Mike Swick will face veteran Jonathan Goulet in Swick's first appearance at welterweight. TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz will return to the cage against Junior Assuncao, while Cole Miller will face off against the always-game Leonard Garcia. Gray Maynard, Pete Sell, and Nate Quarry round out the card, which will air September 19th at 9pm.
This week, we're going to take a look at this Sunday's upcoming WEC fight card, set to air on the Versus network at 9pm. Since being purchased by the UFC, the WEC has become something of a minor league affiliate for the largest MMA organization in the world. However, that description fails to capture the WEC as a whole. The WEC has a collection of fighters who are good enough to appear in the UFC, particularly at the lighter weight divisions. WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber is one of the top 145 competitors in the world. This Sunday, the focus will be on two of the top welterweights who fight outside the UFC's stacked decision as well as a debuting Pride veteran many consider to be better than his UFC counterparts.
The two title fights are the reasons you should tune in. Match-ups featuring UFC veterans Jeff Curran and Jamie Varner could also prove entertaining, but it's the chance to see Condit v. Larson and the US debut of Paulo Filho that will have hardcore MMA fans salivating. Here's a look at both fights.
WEC Live Title Fights Carlos Condit (c) v. Brock Larson: This fight is for the WEC welterweight championship. Condit was originally set to face Larson this past June, but an injury delayed the event. The champ won the belt in March by defeating John Alessio via rear naked choke. Condit has wins over Frank Trigg and Renato Verissimo on his record and a notable loss to Jake Shields by unanimous decision. Condit is tall for welterweight at 6'2", and employs a variety of strikes, including a devastating flying knee that he used to KO Verissimo.
Larson, on the other hand, is powerful wrestler. At 5'11" and heavily muscled he could easily fight at 185. Larson likes to take his opponent to the mat and break them down with a variety of submission attempts. Larson chose to compete on the June card that Condit was forced to pull out of, a decision that could have been costly. A loss could have scuffled his title shot. Instead, Larson blew through Kevin Knabjian in less than 30 seconds, winning by KO. Larson holds a professional record of 21-1, with his lone loss coming in the UFC by decision to Jon Fitch. I think Larson is already a top 10 welterweight, and a win over Condit would establish him as such.
The two are evenly matched with Condit holding a slight edge standing. Condit has strong submission skills, so the fight won't be over should Larson take it to the ground. However, I don't think Condit will be able to deal with Larson's power and grip. He can fully control an opponent on the ground, and effortlessly transitions from sub attempt to sub attempt. This should be a great fight, a real PPV quality affair. Prediction: Larson by sub.
Paulo Filho v. Joe Doerksen: This fight is for the WEC new middleweight title. Doerksen is a highly experienced veteran who has fought some of the biggest names in the division: Nate Marquardt, Matt Lindland, Jason MacDonald, Joe Riggs, Matt Hughes. Unfortunately, he's lost to them all. Still, Doerksen has between 27 and 39 wins to his name (will Sherdog ever get it right?) and will be a good first test for the new Brazilian sensation. Doerksen has beaten the likes of Ed Herman, Patrick Cote, and Denis Kang and would make for a decent champion.
Still, the spotlight is on Filho. At 14-0, he is seen by some as the future of the middleweight division. He beat Ninja Rua, Ryo Chonan, and Kazuo Misaki in Pride, and has claimed he would beat Rich Franklin (Filho is friends with Anderson Silva and a fight between the two is unlikely). However, Filho is not exactly a sure bet. For one, he stands only 5'8" meaning he'll be the smaller man in almost every middleweight championship fight. The second issue is Filho's inability to finish fights. Half of his victories have come by decision. Filho needs to improve in a few area's before he's ready for the elite middleweight that fight in the US
That doesn't mean he can't handle Doerksen. Filho is a beast physically and should be able to take things down, even with a 4-inch height disadvantage. The interesting part will be what happens on the ground. If Filho scores an early submission victory, maybe we will see him in the UFC sooner rather than later. However, if he grinds out a lackluster decision, I don't think Franklin will be quaking just yet. Prediction: Filho by Submission.
CONCLUSION
That's it for an abbreviated edition of the column (damn summer school!). Next week I'll offer some thoughts on how the WEC card played out, and hopefully there will be some interesting news to discuss. Once again, take care and keep reading.
