Intelligently Defending 9.27.07 Where do the UFC 76 Fighters Go From Here?

Posted by Ken Kobel on 09.27.2007

Another UFC PPV is in the books. As always, Intelligently Defendng is here to figure out in which direction the careers of the fighters are now heading.

Welcome to another edition of Intelligently Defending.

It is a Thursday after a UFC pay-per view so you know how we do it around here. Let's take a look at the main card fights and more importantly figure out where the fighter's careers will go from here.

Let's get it on!

Tyson Griffin vs. Thiago Tavares

Result: Tyson Griffin via Unanimous Decision

This was not quite on the level of Griffin/Guida or Huerta/Garcia – but it was damn good. It was a ground war to open up the show, with Griffin once again narrowly scoring a victory.

What is next for Thiago Tavares?: The Brazilian up-and-comer is no longer undefeated. This fight gave him an opportunity to show his skills on a big stage against a highly regarded opponent. This will be big for him in the long run. The 22-year olds BJJ skills are something to be feared -- Griffin was defending submission after submission. The UFC should be very pleased with Tavares' performance in this fight. The crowd was cheering much of the ground work and Thiago was always looking to finish. Tavares could very well find himself on the main card for his next bout. There are several intriguing match-ups for him in the stacked lightweight division. Two possible opponents in particular are Marcus Aurelio and Kurt Pellegrino. Both of these fighters are coming off of losses and have great ground skills. A match-up with Tavares could lead to a grappling war that would fit well into a Fight Night Live main card.

What is next for Tyson Griffin?: Griffin has scored his second straight decision victory. In the fight, he showed competent stand-up and very good wrestling -- as evident by being able to stay in a dominant position for most of this fight. His last three fights have all been mentioned as ‘fight of the year' candidates and the UFC must be pleased with the excitement he brings to the octagon. While putting on great fights will get you in the good graces of the higher-ups, a decisive win in his next bout would benefit his career much more at this point. Tyson does not want to get the reputation of a fighter who is not able to finish off his opponents – which is something a few fans have been whispering after his bout on Saturday. Griffin ended his first seven fights by TKO or submission before joining the UFC. If he can rediscover his killer instinct and decisively end things against a big name he will have to be considered near the top of the ladder in the lightweight division. The problem is finding this big name opponent. It looks like Huerta/Guida, Fisher/Edgar, and Penn/Stevenson are all scheduled to take place. This leaves Kenny Florian as a logical choice for Griffin's next opponent. It would be a great fight and could probably be a semi-main event for a PPV card.

Lyoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura

Result: Lyoto Machida via Unanimous Decision

This fight was all about Machida outclassing Nakamura. Kazuhiro could not answer anything. It was an easy call for the judges.

What is next for Kazuhiro Nakamura?: Another Pride veteran bites the dust in their octagon debut. Nakamura could not find any kind of rhythm and when it became apparent that his judo was not going to work he had little else to offer. Kazuhiro looked small next to Machida which means he may be able to drop to the middleweight division, which would benefit his career. In the light-heavyweight division Nakamura is about 12th on the list of title contenders, possibly even further down after his performance last Saturday. A move to the 185-pound class would put him in the UFC's thinnest division talent-wise and also give him a chance to fight against opponents closer to his size. With his resume Nakamura could quickly make a name for himself as a middleweight if he is able to come back from this loss and string together some wins. No matter what division he fights in next, expect it to be shown on a prelim.

What is next for Lyoto Machida?: Machida's climb keeps moving steady after this performance. Machida brings a unique style to his fights with his combination of kicks, nifty clinch work, and solid BJJ skills. He is a bad match-up for anyone in the light-heavyweight division with the patient, counterpunching approach he employs. While this approach has been effective it is not endearing himself to the fans. Despite being 3-0 and completely dominant in the UFC thus far, he has yet to finish a fight. This tendency will make the UFC hesitant to trust him in a big spot. To Machida's credit he was attempting to finish Kazuhiro throughout their contest. He was not able to do so, but he was much more aggressive than he was against David Heath. This is a step in the right direction. Still, he needs to score a decisive finish pronto. With the 205-pound division in disarray his next opponent is anybody's guess. It will no doubt be on a main card and against a big name. Dan Henderson would be a good choice. Dan needs to get back to his winning ways and Machida needs to show that he can compete against a superior wrestler.

Diego Sanchez vs. Jon Fitch

Result: Jon Fitch via Split Decision

When Sanchez stormed out of his corner like a man possessed it became clear that the ‘old' Diego was back. Unfortunately for him, the man he was charging at had no intentions of backing down. The scoring of this fight goes back to the debate over how much submission attempts should be worth. Kudos to Joe Rogan for not towing the company line and throughout the night bringing up the inherent flaws contained in the UFC's current 10 point must scoring system.

What is next for Diego Sanchez?: In a few months Diego Sanchez has gone from a possible number one contender to out of the title picture altogether. The loss to Koscheck was atrocious on every level, but this latest defeat was not horrible. He left everything he had in the octagon, but was beaten by a better man. It is clear that he needs to get back on the winning track. Sanchez has hinted at a possible drop to the lightweight division. This would be a premature move. His last two losses have come against two of the better fighters in the division. In his first defeat, he was obviously not himself and gave in the worst performance of his career. We can give him a mulligan on that one. In the second loss, he bounced back and lost a very close decision to a man that many consider the best fighter in the division. His frame is more suited for 170-pounds. If here were to incorporate more power lifting into his training he would be able to become a bigger welterweight, instead of losing pounds and moving to 155-pounds. In the end, Diego will stay in the welterweight division. A fight against Marcus Davis would be a solid addition to any card. It would give Davis a chance to fight someone on the next level and it would give Diego a chance to get a solid win under his belt.

What's next for Jon Fitch?: He did not make much noise in doing it, but Jon Fitch is now knocking at the door for a welterweight title shot. He is now 7-0 in the UFC, arguably the best wrestler in the division after Koscheck, and has shown solid stand-up. The problem for him is getting his title shot. Serra/Hughes does not take place until December and after that GSP gets his shot. So despite deserving a chance at the gold, it looks like Fitch will need to win at least one more bout before he gets to fight the champion. Since he is a teammate of Josh Koscheck it is not likely we will see those two square off. This leaves only one more logical choice – Karo Parisyan. Karo will probably fight at UFC 78 against judo expert Hector Lombard. If Karo comes out victorious he will be on about the same level as Fitch in the welterweight standings. A fight between the two to decide who gets the next crack at the champion after GSP is fair – and it will bring the house down if it takes place.

Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

Result: Mauricio Rua via brutal first round KO

Or at least that would have been the result if they fought based on message board hype, instead of in the octagon.

What is next for Mauricio Rua?: This loss is going to sting for the former Pride prodigy. No other Pride fighter has come into the UFC with the hype that Shogun has and he fell flat on his face by getting defeated by a reality star. It was apparent that Rua was not himself when midway through the second round he was sucking wind. He never was able to work an effective clinch and Forrest had an answer for everything on the ground. This was supposed to be an easy win to showcase Shogun's ability and afterwards he would get his title shot. These plans will have to wait. There is no way the UFC is going to let Rua drop two in a row. A second straight loss would suck out all of his credibility in the eyes of the American audience. Even though there are a number of intriguing match-ups for his next bout, the UFC will find a lesser name for Shogun to fight. Jason Lambert would be a qualified candidate since he has a win over Babalu and is respected by fans. Whoever it is though, be sure that Dana will be praying on his hands and knees every night that Shogun scores an impressive KO and blossoms into the machine he was advertised as.

What is next for Forrest Griffin?: Aside from the giant gash on his forehead, Forrest looks pretty good for a guy who was supposed to die on Saturday. This victory was the defining night in Griffin's career to this point. The Ortiz fight showed that he could hang with the top names -- this fight showed that he can win. It was a great moment for a guy whose career has come full circle. This was not the brawler who swung wildly with Stephan Bonnar for three rounds at TUF1 finale. This was a well-rounded, patient fighter who came into this bout with a great game plan. After the fight with Jardine, it looked like Forrest would never crack the top-ten. Now after two straight victories he is being mentioned as possibly the next challenger to Rampage's belt. This will not be the case though. The light-heavyweight contenders are too close on the ladder to pick a clear-cut deserving challenger. It may be too soon for Jardine/Griffin 2 even though it would be a logical number one contender's fight. Another possibility is the winner of Rashad/Tito 2. If it is Tito it would be a rematch of a great fight and if it is Rashad it would be the first time two TUF winners squared off. No matter whom it is, Forrest is one win away from earning a title shot.

Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine

Result: Keith Jardine via Unanimous Decision

Jardine was willing to stand and trade with the Iceman. He made mince meat out of Chuck's core. This was not as one sided as Nakamura/Machida, but it was another easy one for the judge's.

What's next for Chuck Liddell?: There was no excuse for this performance. Jardine is no slouch and losing to him is not the end of the world, but it was Liddell's effort that was alarming. The fire was gone from his eyes. Either that or his stand-up was not as lethal as we all thought and not fighting wrestlers has proved this. No matter what the case, his future is in serious jeopardy. At age 37, he does not have many fights left. He is no longer in the title picture and it will be at least three straight wins before his is considered again. The fight with Wanderlei was going to be a big payday for all involved, but it does not look like it was meant to be. This fight may have been the end of Chuck Liddell. He has nothing else left gain or prove. He had a run of about four years as the top dog in American MMA and any more losses are going to do nothing but tarnish his legacy.

What's next for Keith Jardine?: It looks as if that loss to Houston Alexander is not going to matter much for Jardine. After all, he did just defeat Chuck freaking Liddell. Jardine has some nasty leg/body kicks in his arsenal and he used them to their full potential Saturday. Now just like Forrest, Keith is right there in terms of title contention. He is at least one big win away from getting Rampage. Again, Jardine/Griffin 2 seems too soon. A better match-up would be Jardine taking on Wanderlei Silva in December. It was supposed to be Chuck, so they might as well now make it Keith. While it does not have the dream match qualities of ‘the Iceman vs. the Axe Murderer', it would still be a stand-up war.

That is all for this week. Send any emails to [e-mail]