Farrow On MMA 08.07.07: Questions, Questions
Posted by Mike Farrow on 08.07.2007
This week, I pose a few questions to myself regarding Couture/Gonzaga, Carlos Condit, Bob Arum and the true champions of MMA.
Is Couture/Gonzaga just a bit too civil?
Often we see fights sold on the concept of grudges or sold by the sheer amount of trash talked. Would we have been so interested in Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz has they not become embroiled in a racial argument? Would a potential rematch between Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs be sold on what happened in the cage when they fought or what happened in the Emergency Room afterwards? However, the upcoming UFC Heavyweight title encounter between Randy "the Natural" Couture and Gabriel "Nepao" Gonzaga has none of the needle usually associated with a high-profile bout. Randy is not above some pre-fight mindgames, as we saw in his previous fight with Tim Sylvia. However, Couture and Gonzaga sat alongside each other for an interview on ESPNews, showing a lot of respect for each other. They seemed friendly, as Gonzaga spoke suprisingly eloquently in his ever-improving English. It just seemed all a little too civil.
If we're honest though, the needle doesn't need to be there to make this fight intriguing. Randy is back in the role which suits him best; the popular, ageless champ that shows the needs for brains alongside the brawn. He's fighting a man who has shown ability in all areas of MMA and, unlike Tim Sylvia, does not come into the cage with negative baggage. We have a guy who doesn't look like he'll be outmuscled by Randy and looks as dangerous from the top as any fighter you'll see. We've yet to see his bottom game tested in the way that Randy will test it. Nobody lays a five round beating down like Couture and Gonzaga will need to make sure the worst possible positions are planned for.
I guess I've become used to the normal UFC tactic of trying to sell fights based on who hates who and now when presented with a bout with none of this it seems strange. Ultimately, with just under three weeks to go, I'm looking forward to this bout. Hopefully you are too.
Is Carlos Condit ready for the big time?
It took far less for guys like Tyson Griffin and Clay Guida to get an undercard spot in the UFC but after his impressive victory over Brock Larson, is Carlos Condit ready for the UFC? Larson is not even the most impressive of the scalps taken by "the Natural Born Killer", with Frank Trigg and Renato "Charuto" Verissimo the biggest names amongst his 21 wins. While calls for him to fight the very top of the welterweight pile may be a little premature, it is surely not premature to see how Condit would do against a mid-level welterweight. The kid looks like a handful. If he can finish John Alessio, which UFC fighters Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez and Jonathan Goulet couldn't do, surely that tells us something. Bump him up, dagnamit.
Does Bob Arum engage his brain before speaking?
Bob Arum is a dickhead. After Paul Williams won a unanimous decision victory against his charge Antonio Margarito, he proclaimed that he thought Margarito won the bout. See, Williams spoiled the party and exposed the myth that anybody was ducking Margarito. Margarito was supposed to blow by Williams and set up a bout with Arum's other charge, the highly-protected Miguel Cotto. Now Cotto goes to fight "Sugar" Shane Mosley, the fighter with the maximum amount of name value, avoiding a fighter whose convincing victory he has sought to dampen. Williams is now frozen out due to spite.
Stop being a dick, Arum. Oh, and stop dicking Williams around because you have to protect you Puerto Rican meal ticket.
Who are the lineal champions of mixed martial arts?
I have been working on a little project for a few weeks, which involves finding the lineal champions of MMA. I was thinking that it would end up like a family tree, where you discover that a man in Australia is the rightful king of England. However, disappointingly, it became a touch predictable. Fedor is the guy who beat the guy at heavyweight but at lower weights I have questioned my criteria.
I've put them up here in my blog here on 411mania, as I'd like to see if I have made any mistakes.
Total MMA Podcast
My colleague and I over at Total MMA have revived our podcast, which has our views on the world of MMA with a distinctly British slant. Our next podcast features Lee Whitehead, UK correspondent of MMA Weekly and will be available at www.total-mma.com in the next few days.
Mike Farrow is a British-based mixed martial arts fan and writer. His work is also featured in the popular UK-based e-zine Total MMA and he co-hosts their podcast.
