The MMA News Report 08.08.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 08.08.2007
A series of stories involving staph infections, Kenny Florian, and steroids. No, that does not mean Kenny Florian has come down with a steroid-induced staph infection. Elsewhere we take a look at the championship fights from the WEC card and I mortgage my MMA knowledge card by coming dangerously close to calling Paulo Filho “overrated.” Let the hate mail commence!
INTRODUCTION
So here we are, with two more weeks of down time before another one of those marathon sessions for MMA. The end of August marks the beginning to arguably the busiest time of the year for MMA. The UFC alone is promoting two PPV caliber cards in September, in addition to a Fight Night Live card and the debut of another season of The Ultimate Fighter. Toss in cards from such varied sources as EliteXC, the IFL, and Global Fighting Championship and we'll have plenty to discuss. Let's get to it.
MAILBAG/RANT TIME
I just had a few thoughts about the WEC's opening match this past Sunday, featuring former UFC vet Jamie Varner v. Sherron Leggett. As this will probably come as sounded ill informed and wrong, I figured Rant Time was the perfect place. Midway through a competitive first round two things occurred that caught my attention. The first answered a question I've long held: What would a Death Valley Driver look like if used in real life? Yes, Varner hoisted Leggett onto his shoulders and delivered a pretty good version of one of my favorite finishers from the N64 version of Wrestlemania 2000. Leggett was dropped dangerously on his shoulder/neck and easily could have separated something.
To Leggett's credit, he did not immediately submit, and the fight continued till the second interesting occurrence. Leggett eventually turtled, giving up his back and giving Varner the chance to end things. Unfortunately, one of the first strikes Varner landed was to the back of Leggett's head, and referee Steve Mazzagatti (one of the best MMA refs in my opinion) was forced to stop the fight and deduct a point from Varner.
In the context of the fight, this ended up not being a big deal. While Leggett had time to recover from the slam, he still looked dazed. Soon after the restart, the fight ended just as it looked like it would, with Varner taking Legget's back and landing numerous shots to his opponent. Stevie Mazz stepped in and mercifully called the fight.
So what's my problem? It's not the rule that prohibits strikes to the back of the head. I thought Frank Mir summed up the rule nicely, pointing out the dangers and potential damages that come with delivering a punch or elbow to the base of a fighter's skull. It's the position that happens when a flattened fighter gives up his back. When a fighter basically curls into a fetal position, covering his face and head on both sides with his hands, it seems very easy for the dominant fighter to slip up and a land a shot to the back of the skull. I'm sure Varner wasn't looking to break the rules, it's just, where else could he sneak a punch in?
Had the fight continued, the round likely would have been declared a 9-9 draw. As we saw in the recent Tito Ortiz v. Rashad Evans fight, a 9-9 round has the potential to muck up the entire fight. No one likes draws, except maybe the fighter who really lost two rounds. No one made a mistake here. Varner accepted the deduction properly, and Mazzagatti was totally right in his interpretation of the rules.
Again, so what's the problem? It just seems, in the paradigm of the UFC's rule model, a dominated fighter benefits from taking the position Leggett adopted. The winning fighter can't throw elbows or punches to the back of the head, the spine, or the kidneys. The winning fighter can't deliver knees or kicks to the head. Unless he can secure a rear naked choke or deliver enough shots to the sides of the fighter's head (prompting a ref stoppage), the winning fighter doesn't have many options. It's easy to see how a penalty like Varner's can occur.
There isn't an easy answer here. I support knees to the head (like in Pride), but I doubt the UFC (or US sanctioning bodies) will ever permit that. I think what has to happen is fighters must be aware that if they give up the back and are flattened out, if they're taking shot after shot even if the strikes aren't doing too much damage, the fight will be stopped sooner rather than later. While a fighter should always have the chance to work himself out of a dangerous position, there aren't too many places to go. Giving up your back like that should be a sign of submission. Think about how many strikes Matt Hughes delivered to the sides of Royce Gracie's head before the fight was stopped. Think about how many times we see a fighter ding the back of an opponents head by accident in that position. It's an interesting problem.
NEWS
Staph Infections Knock Out MFS Fighters
A virulent staph infection has succeeded where fighters Sam Stout and Jordan Radev could not. Both Spencer Fisher and Drew McFedries have contracted a form of the infection and will likely miss their next scheduled bouts. Fisher, set to fight lightweight contender Din Thomas in September, announced through his Myspace page that he has been forced to withdraw from the fight. Fisher revealed that McFedries has been hospitalized due to the infection, leaving his bout with Marvin Eastman scheduled for UFC 77 in doubt.
MFS fighter Tim Sylvia is also reported to have contracted the infection (I suppose that means the infection is on equal footing as Randy Couture). For Sylvia, the setback is just another in a long line of bumps in his road back to the octagon. For Fisher, the lay-off will disrupt the chance at securing a lightweight title bout with a win over Thomas.
Other UFC fighters like Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez have battled staph infections in recent times. It was rumored that Sanchez actually considered retirement due to the severity of his infection. Here's hopinh that each of the affected fighters will be safely back in action soon.
So who will step in to replace Spencer Fisher at UFC Fight Night on September 19th? As of now, reports suggest that former lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian is the man pegged to take Fisher's spot. Florian lost a 5 round unanimous decision to current (embattled) champion Sean Sherk, but has rebounded nicely with two wins by stoppage. Florian and Thomas would present an interesting match-up featuring two BJJ aces that poses explosive striking abilities.
If Florian is the replacement opponent, the fight may remain in the headlining spot. Florian is a proven commodity and a TUF veteran who could be used to promote the debut of the reality show's sixth season. If the UFC decides to change the order, either the Chris Leban v. Terry Martin match or the Mike Swick v. Jonathan Goulet fight could take its place.
Is Florian a good replacement? On paper, it makes sense. My only hang-up is whether Florian is deserving of another title shot before the likes of Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, or Roger Huerta. However, with Sean Sherk's suspension situation (I apologize for the gratuitous alliteration) dragging on, we really don't know where things stand in the lightweight division. Either way, the winner of Thomas v. Florian and the winner of Stevenson v. Pellegrino will likely stand as the two top contenders, either to face Sherk, or to face each other for the title should Sherk be stripped.
See what I'm doing, what with the stories flowing into one another? Anyway, the California State Athletic Commission met on Monday to hear cases presented by both mixed-martial artists and boxers that recently failed drug tests. Not surprisingly, the CSAC postponed the hearings for both UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk and EliteXC competitor Phil Baroni until October. Both Baroni and Sherk have maintained their innocence since testing positive for steroids. Should Sherk's appeal be successful, the timing would allow a rumored November fight with BJ Penn to go forward.
The interesting situation is that of Hermes Franca. I highly suggest you follow the link below to the LA Times recounting of the hearing. As you probably know, Franca made no attempt to hide his guilt in taking a banned substance. Franca issued a public apology and explained his actions in great detail. In appearing before the commission Franca sought to have his suspension reduced. You might think that Franca's willingness to take responsibility for his actions would work in his favor. Apparently, that wasn't so. While the commission commended his honesty after the fact, his suspension was upheld and Franca will be banned from competing for one full year.
Boxer James Toney saw his suspension reduced to 180 days. What superior tactic did Toney employ, seeing that Franca's honesty first policy failed? Toney angrily struck out at the commission, claiming a panel member "disrespected him," and using expletives to ram the point home that he was "set up." Toney failed to supply any evidence to his claims beyond vitriolic statements yet managed to sway the member of the commission. Franca, as you might suspect, was nonplussed:
[Toney] didn't prove nothing, and I come here to tell the truth, and now he's going to be fighting again in four months and I'm out for a year," Franca said. "I was so surprised. I didn't protest like him. I said what I did.
I have to agree with Franca. We constantly preach honesty and responsibility, yet when a man steps up and admits his mistake, he isn't rewarded in the least. And I'm not suggesting that Franca deserved to have his suspension reduced, but there definitely seems to be a double standard in place. It was suggested that Toney's lengthy history in the support earned him the benefit of the doubt. Well, Franca is a 24-fight veteran in a relatively new sport. He should have been granted the same treatment.
I would very much like to believe Sean Sherk's pleas of innocence, and I commend Dana White for taking a wait and see approach in Sherk's case. However, we've all grown weary of athletes who continue to deny wrongdoing in the face of overwhelming evidence. Why punish Franca further for facing his mistake head on, much the way he faces an opponent in the ring, with class and dignity? You know, minus the whole illegal steroid thing…
Sanchez Leaves Team Jackson Greg Jackson's MMA camp may have been hit with another stomach punch if reports are true that TUF champion Diego Sanchez has left the camp in order to relocate to California. As of now, the rumor is just that: unsubstantiated. Jackson fighters Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, Joey Villasenor and Nate Marquardt have all recently suffered upset losses or performed poorly in high profile fights. Sanchez is training to face the highly praised Jon Fitch in a match that will determine each fighter's position in the stacked welterweight division. Sources:UFC Junkie
MMA and Bunnies? Strikeforce is scheduled to hold an event at the famed Playboy Mansion in September. While the MMA card won't be shown on broadcast TV or PPV, Strikeforce has said that fans will be able to order a DVD of the event soon after it takes place. For all you Strikeforce fans who would love to purchase tickets to watch your favorite kickboxers (err…mixed –martial artists) fight in front of your favorite Playboy playmates, hold on. The event will be by invitation only, and will cater to celebrities. That's one way for a promotion to connect with its fan base. It sounds like Strikeforce is using the glitz of Playboy to sell a lackluster card. It will be interesting to see which celebrities show up to an event lacking the UFC's cache of Hollywood fans (Kevin James, Adam Sandler, and Mandy Moore improbably). And if you don't think I've already tried to weasel a press pass, well, you just don't know me at all. Sources:UFCJunkie
COMMENTARY
We're going to take a quick look back at the dual main events from this past Sunday's live WEC show which featured two title fights. See "Rant Time' for my thoughts on one of the opening bouts. On a whole, I would give the event a solid B-. The quality of fights wasn't quite up to the hype that preceded the event, though that is no fault of the WEC. There wasn't a Sam Stout v. Spencer Fisher war to elevate the overall card. But that's not to say that individual moments weren't exciting.
WEC Live Title Fights Carlos Condit (c) v. Brock Larson: Condit proved his mettle by submitting the slightly favored Larson in the first round. The opening stanza began much like people anticipated. Condit's crisp and varied striking easily outclassed Larson's, so Larson took things to the ground. Larson is a bull at 170 and anyone would have difficulty defending the takedown and getting out of the bottom position. However, the thing that marks Condit as a true champion (and sets the great fighters apart from the merely good ones) is his active guard. From the moment Condit's back hit the mat, he began looking for submission opportunities. No matter how many elbows he was eating, or how many times he missed a chance at a triangle, he kept working.
When Condit first grabbed a hold of Larson's arm, I figured Larson would power out of it. Larson's attempt to dislodge Condit by slamming him headfirst up against the cage actually made things worse; Larson found himself locked in an arm bar pressed tight against the cage with no chance to step over or swivel position. While many thought the difference in the fight would be Larson's strength (including me), Condit was the one nearly breaking his opponents arm. The fight was very similar to Condit's win over Frank Trigg. He can hang with talented wrestlers.
Where does Condit go from here? The kid is a true threat to any welterweight in the world. His mix of quality muay thai and an excellent submission game means he can match-up with any kind of fighter. Add in the fact that he is well spoken and carries himself with dignity, and he's the complete package as a champion. I don't know if we'll see Condit in the UFC anytime soon, but it would be great for fans. As of now, the WEC doesn't really have a fighter who can trouble Condit.
Paulo Filho v. Joe Doerksen: Count me as one of the last remaining skeptics about Paulo Filho. While Filho made good in his WC debut and answered questions about his striking game by KOing contender Joe Doerksen, I'm still not sold on Filho's ability to hang with the better middleweights the US (and the UFC) has to offer. While Doerksen is a solid fighter with a good background and excellent experience, he's no where near a top 10 middleweight. Yet Filho had real trouble securing the takedown and keeping the fight on the mat.
The biggest challenge Filho faced with Doerksen was his opponent's size. How would Filho, at just 5'8", compete against the massive middleweights like Rich Franklin? If Filho's vaunted BJJ wasn't capable of keeping Doerksen grounded (something even Jason MacDonald succeeded in), how would it hold up against a fighter 2 inches taller and 15lbs heavier?
That's not to say that Filho wasn't totally impressive. He landed some heavy shots on a guy not used to being knocked-out standing. While Filho's punches weren't technically great, it's good to see he's got a stand up game that can end a fight. He should dominate the WEC for some time to come. But I still think Rich Franklin would rather be staring down at Paulo Filho then looking straight into the eyes of Anderson Silva.
CONCLUSION
That's all for another edition. Next week we'll return with some a little more offbeat than the standard "card preview/review" that will surely dominate the next month or so. We've got two UFC PPV's coming up, one Spike supercard, and one Fight Night Live, so it we'll be a busy end of August/September here. Take care and keep reading.
