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Punch Drunk Hangover 3.24.08: Sweeter than a Sugar-Crusted Marshmallow Chicken
Posted by Bren Oliver on 03.24.2008
Read ahead for Bren Oliver's thoughts on the official announcement of EliteXC's debut on CBS, Frank Shamrock's allegations of Ken Shamrock's steroid use, Diego Sanchez headlining the TUF VII finale, the prospect of UFC 85 being shown for free on Spike TV, and Dana White putting up re-runs against a huge live Strikeforce event on Showtime. Those things and more, plus this week's "Monday Morning Moment of Zen" featuring BJ Penn vs. Takanori Gomi and Anderson Silva's first career victory , are all just a click away!
Good morning, afternoon, evening, or whatever in-between time it is that your eyes have found their way to the Punch Drunk Hangover! I'm here with another one-stop shop for catching up on last week's Mixed Martial Arts news. PDH - It's like TMZ, but with 14% less skinny whores who are famous for no particular reason. How are all my "Peeps" doing? I hope you all had fantastic Easters or just plain Sunday mornings if you're not into the whole fluffy-bunny-with-plastic-eggs thing. I often wonder what fighters do on holidays such as the one that just passed. I certainly imagine Nick Diaz enjoyed his share of the grass-filled Easter Basket.
As some may have noticed, while others are still wondering how they ended up here instead of browsing porn, I was an absentee columnist last week due to a wedding I was involved with in Dallas. Fortunately it was not my own, so I was able to enjoy the refreshments and catering without the whole "lifetime commitment" thing being involved. It was a blast, and my voice is still a little sore from a drunken rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" at the reception, but ultimately tiring and not very conducive to writing a lengthy column.
That being said, I have no more out-of-town excursions planned in the immediate future and thusly I'm back in action! You can actually get a double-dose of Oliver this week as I will be appearing alongside MMA agent-extrordinaire Ken Pavia in a "Fact or Fiction" feature. Pavia represents some of the top names in Mixed Martial Arts and can often be see alongside his clients, his friends even, at nearly every event across this great land of ours. He and I will be discussing points regarding Phil Baroni's performance against Kala Kolohe Hose, the potential rematch between Shinya Aoki and JZ Calvancante, Strikeforce's deal with NBC, and even a few other things to boot.
Moving on to this week's Punch Drunk Hangover, I want to start out by taking a minute by focusing on one of the biggest headlines from the previous seven days' news. The more steam EliteXC picks up, the more attention the UFC is going to pay to them because of the increased competition. When an organization finds two major outlets to show free live events (Showtime/CBS), it can no longer be dismissed by Dana White as a "wanna be" MMA promotion. EliteXC is doing groundbreaking things which will lay the table for years to come where Mixed Martial Arts is concerned. That being said, here's the following piece of news I want to highlight this week...
To counter the Elite XC Show on March 29th, which will feature Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le; SPIKE TV will be airing a marathon of the Ultimate Fighter Season 6 from 9am to midnight. This includes the finale, which will have the Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida and Jon Koppenhaver vs. Jared Rollins matches. Many people considered those two bouts match of the year candidates.
Huerta vs. Guida and Koppenhaver vs. Rollins helped end 2007 on as glass-shattering a note as could have been played. Each bout was extremely entertaining and I credit all four fighters for their performances that night. However, the EliteXC/Strikeforce event on March 29th is perhaps the best they've put on to date, and there is absolutely no way any real MMA fan with Showtime and Spike TV should opt for the TUF VI marathon/finale over this shootout at the SoCal corral.
While "Cyborg" Santos has pulled out of his fight against Joey Villasenor due to issues getting a Visa, there's still talk a replacement will be found against the Greg Jackson-trained fighter. Villasenor almost always delivers an exciting performance so I don't expect the card to take too much of a hit in terms of entertainment value simply because the frightening Santos is out of action. Beyond that, Nick Diaz is in action as are his Gracie Jiujitsu co-horts Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez. Shields' match-up against Drew Fickett for the EliteXC Welterweight Championship should be hotly contested, as both men are polished fighters, and while I think Jake Shields should take the gold home I won't be too shocked if Fickett pulls off an upset. I've always felt he was an underrated fighter. Then, of course, there's the main event featuring Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. There's some speculation as to whether or not the bout will go a championship-length five rounds or if no belt will be on the line, thus meaning only a three-round dance between the two Californians. No matter what, expect a very hot crowd since both men have passionate fans and Shamrock knows how to play to the audience, as well as two guys to lock up who genuinely dislike each other. Are fans really supposed to bite UFC's hook when it's baited with two tremendous fights we've already seen given the alternative?
And, if you don't have Showtime, might I suggest you call your cable operator and order it on Saturday night (then promptly call afterwards and cancel it)? I understand not wanting to add ten, or more, dollars to your cable bill, but break that down in terms of what it costs per day and you really have no excuse to not order the Strikeforce/EliteXC event. I promise you won't regret spending the greenback by the end of the night.
There's my three cents on the matter. I'd love to hear what you think. Check in on the comments section or shoot me an email with your opinion. Now on to my humble take on a variety of other subjects rearing their ugly heads over the past seven days...
The following medley of items were reported between March 17th, 2008 and March 23rd, 2008:
Strikeforce vice president Mike Afromowitz has confirmed that the company has signed Kazuo Misaki (411's #10 ranked Middleweight) to a two-fight deal. The deal would mean that Misaki would be exclusive to Strikeforce in North America, but would let him fight for other promotions in Japan. Misaki could make his Strikeforce debut this summer.
I like this signing and think "The Grabaka Hitman" is a great addition to the Strikeforce, and EliteXC, roster for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Misaki is a well-rounded, seasoned fighter who has claimed victory over the likes of Phil Baroni, Denis Kang, and Dan Henderson. He is also a Middleweight which seems to be a division Strikeforce/EliteXC are building up to be far deeper than the UFC's. With established fighters like Baroni, Misaki, Frank Shamrock, Le, Robbie Lawler, plus up-and-comers like Scott Smith, Jorge Santiago, and Kala Kolohe Hose, I think the non-UFC fellowship is definitely on their way to divisional superiority at 185-pounds. The final upside to inking Kazuo Misaki to a Strikeforce/EliteXC contract has to do with his reputation overseas. I believe he'll act as an international draw given his well-known reputation in the Far East, both fighting in Pancrase and PRIDE. It should also create interest amongst Korean and Japanese fans here in America, especially in California where Strikeforce is king. I would like to see EliteXC find a way to get Misaki on their upcoming CBS show, as it would not only create depth on the card but possibly pull in more viewers based on the demographic I mentioned earlier. There is a great sense of national pride when it comes to Asian fighters and I genuinely appreciate the respect they show for their countrymen.
Sherdog is reporting the deal is not finalized yet, and Misaki hasn't signed the dotted line, but all signs are indicating he will be signing with Strikeforce for State-side events while still competing in World Victory Road when fighting in Japan.
According to Sherdog.com, Spencer "King" Fisher is out of his UFC Fight Night bout April 2nd against Marcus Aurelio after injuring his shoulder. Jim Miller is rumored as the replacement for Fisher for the fight. Miller is 10-1 in MMA coming off two back-to-back wins over Chris Ligouri at Ring of Combat. His only loss in MMA has come to Frank Edgar.
I originally had mixed-feelings about this piece o' news. On one hand, it's always a shame when an injury sustained while training dismantles an exciting bout before it even gets started. On the other, I think Jim Miller has a bright future in Mixed Martial Arts and I'm interested in seeing him take a step up in competition. After watching him defeat Chris Ligouri in his last fight, and finding out his only loss came to Frank Edgar via Decision, I certianly found myself feeling like it was only a matter of time before Miller stepped into the Octagon or EliteXC cage. Unfortunately, as the week would later reveal, my "other" hand was chopped off by the UFC's announcement of Fisher's actual replacement against Aurelio, but at least it means Joe Silva has his eyes on the warrior from Sparta, New Jersey. No, he has never won a fight by kicking the other man into a deep pit...
Jess "Joker" Liaudin will be fighting on the UFC 85 London card taking on Paul Taylor. Liaudin is coming off a loss against Marcus Davis at UFC 80. Taylor has lost his last two bouts in the UFC to Marcus Davis and more recently Paul Kelly at UFC 80. This bout will be a rematch from a Cage Rage bout that Taylor won back in 2003.
It seems as though the UFC has a handful of guys they only use in the United Kingdom and none of them are overly spectacular. Jess Liaudin and Paul Taylor are two prime examples. I think it's insulting to British fans, as if they don't know a good fighter from a bad one simply because he flies the Union Jack or speaks with a local accent. European MMA fans are as knowledgeable as most Americans, and while they are great supporters of their fellow Brits, Scots, Frenchmen, and so on, more than anything they want to see a good fight between skilled opponents. I like Taylor to stay undefeated against "The Joker" even though his 1-2 record in the UFC doesn't exactly evoke a lot of confidence. However, he showed a ton of heart against Paul Kelly and Marcus Davis is one of the top fifteen Welterweights in Mixed Martial Arts. I have a hard time faulting him for either performance. Liaudin, on the other hand, talked a big game leading up to his fight against the aforementioned Davis and got knocked out in around a minute. France vs. England may it be, I'd rather see a competition with that label take place on the World Cup pitch.
Following Paulo Filho pulling out of his title fight with Chael Sonnen on March 26th, Bryan Baker has stepped in to replace Filho. Baker is 2-0 in the WEC and 6-0 in MMA overall coming off wins over Jesse Forbes and more recently Eric Schambari back in December.
The almost-champion, Chael Sonnen, will definitely be the highest caliber of opponent Baker has faced to date, but in the words of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "To be the man you've got to beat the man." What's true in most corners of the world is true in Mixed Martial Arts. To get somewhere in the sport you have to not only win, but do so in convincing fashion against highly skilled combatants. If Baker can beat Team Quest's Sonnen he will find himself at 7-0 and looking at a lot of good contract offers. He will show that he's ready for the next step up in competition. If he loses, he'll find himself stuck in a proverbial pool of wet cement where he'll have to struggle even more to make his way to the bright lights and big paychecks. It's a shame Sonnen is not going to get another chance at Paulo Filho, as he was winning the bulk of their first fight until Filho was able to lock in the armbar which finished him, but it's clear he's next in line for the WEC Middleweight Championship if he can get back on the winning track against Bryan Baker on March 26th.
The UFC has added two more welterweight bouts to its UFC 84 card for May 24th. "War Machine" Jon Koppenhaver will be fighting Yoshiyuki Yoshida coming off his war with Jared Rollins. Koppenhaver is 5-1 overall in MMA while Yoshida is on an eight fight win streak including wins over Dan Hardy and Akira Kikuchi in Cage Force. In another welterweight bout, Jason Tan will be taking on Korean fighter Dong Hyun Kim. Tan is 5-2 in MMA but 0-1 in the UFC losing to Marcus Davis. Kim is 9-1-1 in MMA and is coming off a draw against Hidehiko Hasegawa in DEEP back in October.
Let it first be said that Koppenhaver vs. Rollins was one of the best fights of last year and deserves its place amongst the greatest of all time. If you haven't seen it, open up a window right now on your web browser, go to YouTube or DailyMotion, and enjoy one of the biggest displays of heart you will ever see. "War Machine" has absolutely drawn a more difficult opponent in his second official UFC bout. The news piece says it all - Yoshida has won his last eight fights and beat Shooto legend Akira Kikuchi in the process. Yoshida's striking is superb, though I think Koppenhaver's size and strength will act as advantages if he enters the fight with a good gameplan. However, I think the TUF VI alumnus is more likely to try and brawl, so I won't be too surprised if he ends up seeing tweety-birds by the end of the first round.
Jason Tan's bout against newcomer Dong Hyun Kim should be a decent fight favoring the DEEP veteran, Kim, who hasn't lost in more than four years and shouldn't have trouble with Tan's submission game. The only difficulty either Asian fighter may experience is the transition into a new environment against someone who who already has UFC experience. Other than that, I see Kim and Yoshida both emerging victorious from UFC 84, and I sincerely wish Dana White would do some serious exploration into putting on a card in Tokyo. He's clearly got the fighters under contract to draw in a huge number of Japanese fans and turn a solid profit.
Bobby Lashley's management has been putting his name out to several MMA groups, including the UFC. UFC isn't that high on Lashley, even though Brock was a success as a draw. UFC doesn't want to repeat the same deal with Lashley. The thought is that if Lashley could earn a few small wins on the smaller circuits, then UFC might show interest. But with Brock Lesnar's success, Elite XC maybe interested in a match with he and Kimbo Slice. Lashley has trained for MMA, but not for many years. He is financially well off, so he doesn't have to jump into a commitment right away.
I can't blame the UFC for not wanting to offer Lashley a deal anywhere near the level of Brock Lesnar's (whose $200,000+ is still a ridiculous amount as far as I'm concerned). Bobby Lashley wasn't half the star in WWE that Brock Lesnar was, nor did he merit any mainstream attention for leaving the company as Lesnar did when he announced his intentions to play football. Lesnar also came into the UFC with NCAA accomplishments, whereas Lashley's amateur accolades came with the NAIA and in the armed forces. I think Lashley would merit some interest from professional wrestling fans, as well as though interested in the "freakshow" aspect to his participation in MMA, but he definitely needs to show he can fight before he'll receive any legitimate consideration from the UFC. It's hard to say exactly how well he'll do until everyone sees him take a punch or muscle out of a submission attempt. Also, people may not realize this, but Bobby Lashley turns 32 this July, so he's not exactly a guy who has a lot of time to learn the sport.
According to Sherdog.com, Diego Sanchez will be taking on Luigi Fioravanti as the main event to The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale on June 21st. According to the article, the bout has been verbally agreed to thuogh not officially signed off on yet.
I like the way the UFC appears to be building Diego Sanchez back up as a contender coming off his decision losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. "Nightmare" handled David Bielkheden with ease at UFC 82 and dispatched him in the first round. Fioravanti also won an even more impressive victory at the same event by defeating the always game Luke Cummo. He's an opponent whose name people will recognize, and while trained by some of the finest down at American Top Team, he's also an opponent who Diego Sanchez should be able to defeat with relative ease (if there is such a thing in MMA). I think a win over Fioravanti will lead to a rematch with Koscheck. There's still bad blood between he and Sanchez, plus it makes sense as Diego was suffering from a staph infection at UFC 69 in April of last year and clearly wasn't 100%. If Fioravanti can pull off the upset and beat Sanchez then be prepared to hear a ton of armchair Mixed Martial Artists talking about Diego's need to drop to Lightweight.
Jason Lambert will take on Luis Arthur Cane at UFC 85 in London. Lambert is coming off a KO loss to Wilson Gouveia at UFC 80. Cane made an inauspicious UFC debut at UFC 79 when he lost to James Irvin by DQ for kneeing Irvin in the face while he was on the ground.
Cane was 7-0 before kneeing Irvin in the face, so I doubt it was a matter of him wanting to break a rule so much as forgetting where he was competing. He's a striker by nature, having used knee strikes to finish opponents in the past, and I wonder if perhaps he started seeing red when in the mix with Irvin. I think Joe Silva did a nice job in pairing him up against Lambert at UFC 85. "The Punisher" won't be afraid to stand up against Cane, or exchange a little ground-and-pound, so I'm pretty certain one of them will be going to sleep before the conclusion of the third round.
CBS and ProElite, Inc. today announced that the first live primetime mixed martial arts event will be broadcast Saturday, May 31 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will put his title on the line against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith in a middleweight championship bout. EliteXC heavyweight phenom, Kimbo Slice, will also participate in the May 31 event along with other stars from mixed martial arts. Additional matchups will be announced at a later date.
There's also talk that Gina Carano will be fighting on this card, though I wonder how NBC will feel about that given her involvement in "American Gladiators". I could see lawyers getting involved at some point unless there is already a rock-solid clause in her contract allowing her to compete on a rival network. Regardless, Smith vs. Lawler will be a high-stakes war where a single punch from either could render the other man unconscious at any second. While a technical exchange between jiujitsu experts might equate to the finesse of the Colts vs. the Patriots, the EliteXC Middleweight Championship bout on May 31st is going to be akin to a smashmouth battle between the Steelers and one of their many rivals. Kimbo Slice should also deliver a few fireworks of his own regardless of who they put him up against. The goal of EliteXC will almost definitely be to make him look good to the mainstream audience as he is the closest thing the promotion has to a legitimate star. I'm not saying he's their best fighter, as Slice is far from it, but he is the one guy who your Average Joe would pick out of a line-up as someone he recognizes. As mentioned earlier, I'd love to see the newly signed Kazuo Misaki find his way onto the card, perhaps as a way to not only highlight a potential contender to the winner of the EliteXC Middleweight belt, but to also showcase the international appeal of Mixed Martial Arts.
Producers for "The Ultimate Fighter" recently announced that they are currently accepting applications for Lightweight and Heavyweight fighters for the eighth season of the hit show. The heavyweight's were last featured on the show back in Season 2, while the lightweight's were featured back in Season 5.
Lightweights and Heavyweights make for an interesting dynamic due to their being on the opposite ends of the weight-class spectrum. It's difficult to speculate on who the coaches will be. I would personally like to see an international version, where it's perhaps USA vs. The World, meaning they could bring in coaches like Michael Bisping, "Minotauro" Nogueira, "Shogun" Rua, Georges St. Pierre, and even Anderson Silva (with friend, translator, and Sinister-founder Ed Soares in tow) on one side and BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, Chuck Liddell, and Dan Henderson on the other. No Forrest Griffin or "Rampage" Jackson since they'll be fresh off filming Season VII. Each coach could spend a few weeks with the camps allowing them to focus on their specialized areas of Mixed Martial Arts. Ah, a fan can dream...can't he?
Don Frye has officially pulled out of the main event on the 4.11.08 Yamma debut PPV, where he was scheduled to face off with Oleg Taktarov. The replacement for Frye will be early UFC star Patrick Smith.
A card I wasn't going to watch before remains a card I still am not going to watch now. Sure, I'm interested in the mysterious surface that company head Bob Meyrowitz has promised fans - the YAMMA has he calls it - and I like the concept of having it set-up as a pit fight (i.e. a sunken ring). However, the card is a joke, and I don't find the tournament aspect to be exciting simply because of the people fighting in it. We're not exactly talking about a PRIDE Grand Prix here. I'm actually more interested in checking out the new YA-MAMMA promotion. From what I hear, it's stationed in a down-trodden section of Queens and features angry mothers squaring off inside a cage. As far as YAMMA....YA, I'M-MA going to pass on ordering it the broadcast.
The UFC has announced that UFC newcomer Ryan Roberts will take the place of the injured Spencer Fisher and face Marcus Aurelio at UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2nd. Roberts last fought on February 29th and defeated both Joe Doherty (via decision) and Zach Wolff (via TKO).
In the end this was probably a better move by the UFC than throwing Jim Miller into the mix against Marcus Aurelio. Aurelio is an extremely skilled MMA veteran who would have posed a legitimate threat to a prospect with Miller's potential. And, had Miller won, it would have damaged Aurelio's reputation in the sense most mainstream fans have no idea who Jim Miller is. While the same can be said for Ryan Roberts, I think he poses less of a danger to American Top Team's Aurelio and I believe a win over Roberts will allow the UFC to establish "Maximus" as one someone who may eventually contend for the Lightweight Championship.
Colt Toombs, the 18-year old son of pro wrestler Roddy Piper is looking to get into MMA. Piper was at a recent Valor Fighting show in California looking into it for his son.
Why is this even news? Ah...apparently 411Mania covers professional wrestling too! Who knew?
Rashad Evans has publicly stated that UFC 85 will be shown for free on Spike TV. The UFC has yet to confirm the story, but Evans has been quoted during recent interviews that UFC 85 will indeed be shown on Spike. The show will take place on June 14 in London, England and will feature a main event of Chuck Liddell battling Evans.
Showing UFC 85 for free two weeks after EliteXC debuts on CBS is a smart move on the part of Dana White and company if "Sugar" Shad's statements turn out to be true. I imagine there is some internal scrambling on the part of Zuffa due to EliteXC landing a prime-time network television slot before the UFC did. Charging UFC fans full price for a tape-delayed event, or one watched at 3:00 in the afternoon, may not be the wisest move after your competitor gives away a free live show featuring some of their biggest talent. I'm glad to see the UFC possibly recognizes this and isn't going to try and "bottom line" our wallets.
Jibber-Jabber:
The following soundbytes were delivered over the past week...
Chuck Liddell talks to Santanta Sports News about Kurt Angle's prospects in MMA...
"[Angle] talks about it all the time, but he hasn't made any movements towards doing it, to my knowledge he hasn't done any training or cross-training. If he's just gonna come in and wrestle, he's going to get beat, you can't just be a one-dimensional fighter in The UFC. I don't care how good you are, it's not gonna work."
I believe Liddell made this statement while locking in a Gogoplata after throwing a flying knee. Fine, fine...Chuck's a two-dimensional fighter. He has great striking and a great sprawl. How can he be so sure Angle doesn't have a skill beyond wrestling? Kurt clearly has the "ankle lock" down. Er...professional wrestling is real, right? Right?!?
"The Iceman" is correct though, as Angle is kidding himself if he thinks he has what it takes to be a force in Mixed Martial Arts. If I had one wish in MMA, besides being involved in a game of Twister with Gina Carano and Rachelle Leah, it would be for Kurt Angle to shut his mouth in reference to the sport. As soon as he starts legitimately training and signs a contract to actually fight then I will retract my ire at his gum-flapping. I've heard Angle is putting together a worked shoot-style fight in TNA Wrestling which I see as further embarassment when compared to his claims of respecting the athleticism and ability required to actually compete in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
Frank Shamrock, to MMAMadness, on his adopted-brother's use of performance enhancing drugs...
"My brother Ken did [steroids] his whole life. Why do you think that his mind is so fried? Why do you think he crumbles before the big fights? He's got no psyche. He let steroids give him a false sense of security and the moment that stuff is gone he's no longer superman. He's just a regular man. But without all the hard work and without all the belief in himself that a regular man would have if he got up to that point. He's the only guy that I'll tell on, because he's always in trouble anyway."
I was semi-floored by Frank Shamrock's comments regarding Ken's illegal drug use. It's not that I've never suspected "The World's Most Dangerous (Washed-Up) Man" of skipping the oranges and going straight for the juice, but to hear his adopted-brother speak out against him so, pardon the pun, frankly about using steroids was eye-opening to me. I know there is a rivalry between the two, and they have an eventual fight to sell, but making such a harsh public indictment of someone crosses the line from business into personal. Alleging the use of steroids is potentially more career-damaging than his pathetic display most recently against Robert "Buzz" Berry which is saying a lot if you've seen the footage. For that blow to be delivered by someone with whom there's a personal connection is sad and actually makes me pity them both to a certain extent.
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That's about all she wrote for this week's Hangover. Till next time, and since I missed doing one last week, here's a double-shot of your "Monday Morning MMA Moment of Zen" Punch Drunk buckaroos - the top two lightweights in the world, BJ Penn and Takanori Gomi, facing off at ROTR 4 in 2003 and Anderson Silva's second professional fight at a Meca Vale Tudo event in 2000. Keep in mind that "The Spider" lost his debut via decision two-and-a-half months earlier...
You're the best! Around! Nothin's ever gonna keep ya down! Nothin's ever gonna keep ya dow-ow-ow-ow-own!!!
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