The Tuesday Takedown 10.30.07
Posted by Adam Morgan on 10.30.2007
In this edition of the Tuesday Takedown, we'll take a look at the issues behind Randy Couture's departure, Dana White's pointless conference call, how Wanderlei and Chuck are ready to throw down at UFC 79, my thoughts on K-1 HERO's, who Fedor's first opponent might be, and much more!
Thoughts on Randy Couture, Dana White, and the dueling press conferences
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you're aware that Randy Couture held a press conference last Thursday to discuss his resignation from the UFC. On that very same day, Dana White had a quasi-UFC 79/Brock Lesnar/Spike TV conference call. It was a real amalgamation of crap that Dana hastily put together to compete with Randy's presser. We now know this conference call as "The Biggest Waste of Time Ever." Seriously, this conference call was worse than sitting through an advanced chemistry class.
Anyways, while Couture was coming off as a complete professional and winning over even more fans to his side of the argument, Dana White was dropping F bombs and telling everyone how much "Fedor sucks." Dana could learn a thing or two from Randy's presser, specifically on how to act when addressing the media.
Randy's message is this, plain and simple: Pay me what I'm worth. It's not about living like a rockstar and having lots of money. In professional sports, the best athletes get the most money. In the professional sports game, money is equivalent to respect. Is that how it should be? Probably not, but in today's society, it is what it is. The rules have been set for us. Is Couture not one of the best athletes in MMA right now? Is he not the face of the sport across America as MMA grows more and more mainstream? Yes he is, so why would you pay the fighters coming over from PRIDE more than him? Because of their perceived value on the market? They have been destroyed in the cage, except for Rampage Jackson and he wasn't a true PRIDE acquisition, as they acquired his contract through the purchase of the WFA.
Either way, what did you expect to happen when those guys were making more money than the heavyweight champion of the world and arguably the best heavyweight fighter in the world?
Respect your best athletes and they will reap rewards for you on the playing field, whether it be a cage, a ring, a baseball diamond, or a football gridiron. So while yes, the physical object of money is at the root of this issue, it's the perceived value and worth of said money that is the real issue.
I believe Randy Couture will be back in the UFC and sooner than you may think. Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White are holding a press conference today to discuss Randy's recent comments. Let's hope the mudslinging ends and that we can start to hear some resolution to this issue instead of the pissing match this seems to be turning into.
Enough about Randy Couture, money, and all that other crap, let's get to some real MMA news...
UFC Quips and Quotes
Wanderlei Silva v. Chuck Liddell is finally on for UFC 79
Dana White made the big announcement on Spike TV's Scream Awards last week. All I can say is that it's about damn time. If they really had these two guys under the same promotion and never put them into the cage together, it'd be a damn crying shame. A year ago I would have taken Liddell in this fight all day. Now I'm leaning towards Wanderlei. Either way, they're finally putting on the matchup that hardcore MMA fans have been waiting on for years. Does it mean as much now as it used to? No, but it still has its place in MMA history.
Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping for a title shot?
There are reports swirling that the winner of this fight will get an immediate title shot. This is some kind of bad joke, right? How are these two even close to title contention? First and foremost, Bisping was beaten by Matt Hamill no matter what the judges say, and Rashad has unfinished business with Tito Ortiz. Technically these two shouldn't even be fighting one another, they should be gearing up for rematches. It is what it is, however, and apparently it's for title shot. What about Keith Jardine? Forrest Griffin? Lyoto Machida? All of these guys are better opponents for Quinton Jackson.
Is it that they want to try and legitimize TUF and have it produce another champion? If so, they're sorely mistaken. First, Rashad will wipe the floor with Bisping. Rampage will then wipe the floor with Rashad.
If Wanderlei Silva beats Chuck Liddell at UFC 79, don't expect either Rashad or Bisping to get a title shot. Wanderlei + Rampage + PRIDE video library = $$$$.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum at UFC 80
GracieMag.com is reporting that these two heavyweights will clash for the second time in their careers at UFC 80. Werdum came out on the winning end of things the first time, knocking Gonzaga out in the middle of the third round in an organization by the name of Jungle Fight. It was a pretty damn good fight so I am excited to see these two back in the cage together. They are both phenomenal at BJJ, so should the fight hit the ground, expect to see some slick grappling.
The one that that annoys me about the booking of Werdum, however, is his last UFC fight was a snoozer against Andrei Arlovski. Dana White has basically not booked Arlovski because of his contract situation and because his fight with Werdum was boring. See the hypocrisy? I understand Arlovski only has one fight left on his contract and I'm sure he'd love to get back in there. Booking Werdum while Arlovski sits on the sidelines is somewhat of a slap in the face to Arlovski.
Matt Lindland wants to fight Anderson Silva
In a recent interview with MMA Weekly, Lindland stated he would like to fight Anderson Silva. I'd like for Lindland to fight Silva, too. If there's one weakness that I think Silva has, it's his wrestling game. Lindland is a phenomenal wrestler and has excelled in MMA by using his wrestling prowess. Being an Olympic silver medalist, he brings the skill set to the cage that I think would give Anderson Silva the most trouble. If Dan Henderson doesn't drop down, I'd love to see Lindland come in and take on Silva. While Lindland may be labeled as boring, he is a master of his craft. Word on the street is he doesn't shower the week before his fights, either, which gives him a clear olfactory advantage.
What else is happening in the world of MMA?
K-1 HERO'S Korea Thoughts
Denis Kang just got KTFO. Period. It happens to the best MMA fighters in the world. Not much offense to begin the fight, more feeling each other out than anything. Kang landed some nice leg kicks and some decent jabs. About halfway through the first round, though, Akiyama landed a straight right that appeared to have broken Kang's nose. The fight's momentum swung in Akiyama's favor. Kang didn't shoot in for possible fear of more punishment to his nose and continued to eat punches and jabs until Akiyama eventually landed a huge uppercut that buckled Kang's knees and crumpled him in the corner. As he was going down, Akiyama hit him again and his mouthpiece flew out. The look on his face reminded me of the look on Rich Franklin's face right after Anderson Silva made his nose disappear in their first fight.
Akiyama is legit. People who don't know any better are saying Kang got KO'd by a nobody. That's not the entire truth. Akiyama may not have the best technique in the middleweight division, but his punching power will keep him around in fights. This was the biggest victory of his career, no doubt, but to say he's a nobody is going a bit too far. I will say, however, that I wish they did piss tests in Korea. I'd like to see Akiyama's results.
Welcome to MMA, Marcelo. World class BJJ black belt Marcelo Garcia made his much awaited MMA debut and BJJ fanboys across the world (myself included) were geeked to see this guy fight. I wasn't, however, geeked to see that he was fighting at 180, nearly 20 lbs. heavier than where he should be fighting when it comes to MMA. These pure grappling guys who are making the transition to MMA will need to learn a thing or two about cutting weight before they are able to dominate.
Marcelo dominated the first round. Even though his takedowns were sloppy, he did get the fight where he wanted it: the floor. He was unable to lock in an armbar or a rear naked and the round ended. With that round also went Garcia's hopes of winning the fight. Dae Won Kim landed some serious bombs early in the second round and Marcelo looked literally scared running around the ring. He went in for a takedown and caught a knee on his forehead that opened up a nasty cut, forcing the doctor to stop the fight.
Marcelo will have his wins and losses, but it was very clear that he has some things to work on before he puts the four ounce gloves on again.
Other K-1 HERO's Results:
Heo Min Seok defeated Katsuyori Shibata, Win via KO
Shungo Oyama defeated Carlos Newton, Win via submission
Lee Tae Hyun defeated Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Win via TKO
Kim Min-Soo defeated Ikuhisa Minowa, Win via TKO
Poai Suganuma defeated Bernard Ackah, Win via submission
Yoon Dong Sik defeated Fabio Silva, Win via submission
Zelg Galesic defeated Kin Tai Ei, Win via TKO
Shayna Baszler could be next for Gina Carano
Shayna Baszler made short work of Jennifer Tate last Friday night, taking her to the ground, mounting her, and submitting her with a slick armbar in the opening moments of the first round. After the fight Gary Shaw said Baszler may have earned a shot at Gina Carano, the "face of women's MMA." Baszler is a real deal women's mixed martial artist. No nonsense, all business inside the cage. This would, by far, be the toughest fight of Gina Carano's career. I would pick Baszler in this one just due to the experience and level of competition she's faced. Women's MMA is on the rise, especially in EliteXC. Give these ladies their due on a Showtime card down the line. Could be one hell of a fight.
Fedor Emelianenko's first fight could be against Jeff Monson
This fight was rumored a while back when Fedor fought in Bodog. Prior to fighting Matt Lindland, the opponent was supposed to be Monson but that fight never came to fruition. While this may not be the most high profile matchup, it's at least someone who is known amongst MMA fans and is legitimate. Monson could give Fedor trouble with his wrestling, but with his recent performances in MMA, I think Fedor would most likely defeat him rather easily. It's not an exciting fight and it means nothing to the heavyweight landscape. M-1 needs to put on entertaining fights. You think Fedor vs. Monson is going to get PPV buys? Highly doubtful.
