The MMA News Report 04.23.08
Posted by Morgan Marx on 04.23.2008
News on Chuck Liddell, Din Thomas, and the WEC. Plus thoughts on UFC 83, including what it will take to beat GSP, how to remain moderate on Michael Bisping, and why Kalib Starnes is an idiot (and not for his fight game plan)...
MAILBAG/RANT TIME
The Reader's Question: Does Matt Serra have a future within the UFC outside of a grudge match with Matt Hughes? Does Serra have a chance against Hughes? Could he make a title run at 155?
NEWS LEG KICKS
Liddell Out of UFC 85, Main Event Up in the Air
First, Shogun Rua pulls out. Now, Chuck Liddell has been forced to withdraw from the main event of UFC 85. According to UFC.com, Liddell suffered a torn hamstring in training, leaving replacement fighter Rashad Evans without an opponent less than two months from the event.
In a statement on UFC.com, Dana White promised UK fans that the UFC would provide "an amazing card." While the televised portion of the UFC 85 card is sold (featuring Brandon Vera, Marcus Davis, and Nathan Marquardt), I'm not sure how the organization is going to shore up the main event.
Internet rumor mongering has focused on moving a fight from UFC 84 to 85 (likely the Wanderlei Silva .v Keith Jardine fight), canceling the Ortiz v. Machida fight at 84 and letting Ortiz face Evans in a rematch, or promoting someone like James Irvin on a quick turnaround.
I like the Silva v. Jardine idea the best, but that would dilute the appeal of UFC 84. I imagine that Irvin is being mentioned as an opponent for Evans, not a main event fill in. If people thought the Bisping v. Evans main event was week, I can't imagine the backlash for Evans v. Irvin.
One has to wonder what will happen with Liddell as well. One positive could be that Liddell and Shogun each get a chance to recover and that the UFC goes ahead with the original match up. Unfortunately, if that fight is deemed a #1 contender run off, it could mean that the winner of Rampage v. Griffin won't fight again till 2009. Injuries have done a number on the 205 division this year.
In news that really isn't that surprising, Dana White hinted at removing some of the larger weight classes in the WEC. In an interview with Yahoo News Canada, White stated that the UFC isn't interested in creating a 145-weight class, and that the upper tiers of the WEC will be moved into the UFC. The focus will remain on the lighter weights in the WEC.
I think that would be a great move for both organizations. The WEC doesn't have the depth at the upper levels to constantly produce championship contenders. At both 185 and 205 there aren't more than 3 or 4 fighters that would belong in the UFC. Hopefully, this move leads to a rejuvenated Paulo Filho making his UFC debut at 205 in the future, along with fighters like Chael Sonnen, Brain Stann, and Doug Marshall.
With the UFC cutting down on the number of fighters on their active roster, it didn't make sense to support weight divisions lacking credible challengers. Since the UFC has held firm to the notion that the WEC is not a feeder organization, fighters not-quite-UFC caliber haven't been shifted to the WEC.
This way, the WEC can continue to build stars like Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres. Neither man would really fit in (or stand out) within the UFC. Interestingly enough, this news broke almost at the same time as Din Thomas released word that he's moving down to 145. Assuming that Thomas is moving to the WEC, that's another marketable name that can be moved into contention against Faber.
The UFC announced Tuesday that Rich Clement will step in for an injured Rob Emerson at UFC 84. Clementi will face Terry Etim on an undercard bout. No information was given regarding Emerson's injury.
Clementi just defeated Sam Stout by split decision this past Saturday at UFC 83. The quick turnaround means Clementi will have a little over a month to prepare for the rangy Etim. It would be one thing if Clementi (like previously mentioned James Irvin) were coming off a flash eight-second KO. But for the Louisiana fighter to bounce back after 15 hard-fought minutes is something else entirely.
UFC 84 takes place May 24 in Las Vegas. BJ Penn will defend his lightweight title against former champion Sean Sherk in the main event.
1. All hail the king Georges St-Pierre is welterweight champion, and all is right with the world. While the outcome of Saturday's main event was something of a foregone conclusion, there were still some tense moments at the start of the fight. Even the biggest St-Pierre supporter had to worry that Matt Serra would catch lightening in a bottle twice. Granted, those worries passed as soon as St-Pierre secured his first takedown, dictating the pace of the fight. Randy Couture might be the ultimate game planner in MMA, but St-Pierre executes a tactical plan better than anyone else does.
St-Pierre has now dominated three straight opponents on the ground. All three are stronger on the ground than striking. That has to be a scary thought for any of St-Pierre's potential opponents. Jon Fitch has been on a tremendous run, but his skill set isn't the type to trouble GSP. Maybe that's why fighters fall back on questioning St-Pierre's toughness or mental state. If Saturday's performance was St-Pierre being "gun shy," I'm not sure I'd want to see him at 100%.
We do know that St-Pierre can be beat. I don't think the first loss to Matt Hughes will help an opponent prepare for GSP. The armbar submission had more to do with St-Pierre's inexperience and emotional state than any in-fight technique. The Serra loss is slightly more illuminating, but not in a big way. I don't think anyone's shocked by the fact that a heavy-handed punch placed behind the ear will hurt a fighter.
So St-Pierre is not invincible. But who stands a realistic chance? We haven't seen St-Pierre work off his back extensively. If a fighter can control St-Pierre on the ground, perhaps they'll reveal a weakness we haven't been privy to yet. But can anyone outwrestle St-Pierre? If Koscheck and Hughes have come up empty, I doubt someone like Fitch is going to take down St-Pierre, especially without a superior striking to set it up.
Perhaps someone needs to seriously test St-Pierre's chin? Marcus Davis certainly hits hard, and if the Maine native keeps winning, eventually he'll earn a title shot. But without a strong ground game, St-Pierre can implement the same plan of attack he used to ground Serra. Any fighter can land a strong punch to St-Pierre's jaw and score a knockout. But St-Pierre is smart enough to avoid situations that leave him exposed to strikes (you know, minus that first encounter with Serra).
One type of opponent we haven't seen St-Pierre face is someone really good off their back. As good as Serra's BJJ skills are, he doesn't submit anyone from his back, possibly due to his body type. I'd like to see St-Pierre face one of those lanky BJJ types with good guard work. St-Pierre easily passed Serra's guard over and over, but the Noo Yawker is a natural lightweight in height if not weight.
In the UFC, there are two names that immediately pop out when you think of dominant striking and great guard work. I don't want to see St-Pierre move up until he's effectively cleaned out the 170 ranks, so I'm not itching for a showdown with Anderson Silva. I'm very excited about a potential rematch with BJ Penn, assuming Penn feels he's proved all he can at 155. A motivated, in shape Penn presents a much different challenge than the fighter St-Pierre stole a decision from in their first go around.
Outside of the UFC, I'd be really intrigued by a St-Pierre v. Carlos Condit fight. Condit has dangerous, diverse striking. He's great off his back and has submitted larger, stronger opponents. I don't know if the WEC 170 champion could make things any more interesting than Fitch or maybe Thiago Alves, but I would be intrigued.
2. Why is it so hard to be accurate about Michael Bisping? Writers toss around the word "polarizing" a lot, but no fighter epitomizes the term more than the Brit. After his dominant win on Saturday night, people are either writing off Bisping's accomplishments ("McCarthy was no challenge") or elevating him too quickly ("A fight with Silva is inevitable"). As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Bisping answered some questions this weekend. He made the cut to 185 with ease and looked great. He retained his quickness and his ability to link strikes from multiple angles. He also escaped a dangerous submission attempt by staying calm and collected. That all bodes well for Bisping's future in the weight class.
However, we still have a ton more to learn before Bisping steps in against Anderson Silva, let alone Rich Franklin or Dan Henderson. All the problems Bisping exhibited at light heavyweight were on display again at 185. Bisping still doesn't have KO power, he still doesn't have great takedown defense, and there's still a chance that opening rounds like that will result in the Brit punching himself out.
To his credit, Bisping is really good when it comes to getting the fight back to the feet. He's not quite Chuck Liddell level when it comes to just standing up after a takedown, but he manages to minimize damage and regain his footing. But Franklin and Henderson (and Yushin Okami) would present serious problem with their strength and takedown skills). Remember that Rashad Evans is not a huge light heavyweight. I'm not sure that Bisping will be stronger than any of the top middleweights, even if he learns to cut better to maximize his size.
Either way, it was still a good performance. And something tells me it's difficult to KO a fighter that's just covering up for dear life. Hopefully, the UFC brings Bisping along somewhat slowly. I'd rather see Bisping take on someone like Patrick Cote in his next fight. Leave the top 3 for somewhere down the road.
3. Starnes continues to disappoint It looks as though all the conspiracy claims were for naught. Kalib Starnes fought defensively for 15 minutes due to nothing more than a broken foot, sustained early in his fight with Nate Quarry. So much for sticking it to the man over health insurance.
Since I'm not the one getting my thigh tenderized, I'm not going to question the legitimacy of Starnes' injuries. If Starnes truly felt that pressing forward would endanger his health, I'm not going to come off as some bloodthirsty fan requiring a sacrifice. As a fan, naturally gravitate towards fighters like Forrest Griffin who fight through injuries if there's the slightest chance at prevailing. Griffin has famously won a few fights with only one working arm. But not every fighter has that kind of fortitude.
However, I think I can comment on Starnes' post-fight attitude. Twice recently we've seen losing fighters get all up in arms after events and threaten violence. First it was Melvin Guillard threatening to hurt Rich Clementi outside of the arena, apparently unaware that the two were in a sanctioned, 15 minute fight in which he was free to do bodily harm to Clementi. Now, we have Starnes responding to Nate Quarry's antics with all kinds of expletives and homosexual slurs.
To come out and use a slur towards Quarry and his corner men is really disappointing. All the UFC profile pieces on Starnes focus on his intellectual interests and his unconventional attitudes. I believe Starnes sited Noam Chomsky as a hero in the blurb that has apparently been removed from UFC.com. If Starnes is as open minded as he claims to be, perhaps he should have chosen a better cuss word on Saturday night.
CONCLUSION
Take it easy. I'll be at Coachella this weekend. Hopefully, some of you will be as well.
I like the idea of putting Silva vs Jardine (which prior to the event being officially announced was a rumour for the show) on 85, though do agree it'll harm 84.
The Tito idea has its merits. There does seem to be a slight fear that he's going to do some stupid since it's his last fight for the company so sticking him on 85 where less people may be watching wouldn't be the stupidest thing you could do. Though I want to see the Machida match happen rather then Ortiz/Evans.
Tito is the perfect opponent for Lyoto. If Machida wins then it's a win over a big name which might give him some of the credibility he lacks, despite his recent victorys. But if he loses he's small fry enough that it's not going to be a big rub for Tito on the way out the door.
Posted By: Kiltman67 (Guest) on April 23, 2008 at 06:14 AM
they should just put Nog in the June ppv to defend his title against whoever (I don't care if there is no legitimate #1contender just book it), and put Irvin or Hendo against Evans
Posted By: guest guest (Guest) on April 23, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Bisping needs to fight a good gatekeeper. Somebody who'd make a top 10 or top 15 of UFC middleweights who has been around a bit. Jorge Rivera, Marvin Eastman, Terry Martin, Chris Leben, Jason McDonald, Jeremy Horn. All are good tests for a prospective top middleweight. The former three are lower end of the top 15 but the latter three are solid top 10 fighters that would represent a stiff test.
Regarding the WEC, if it's a trade off between WEC signing the absolute best of the best at 135 and 145 or seeing Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell, I think every WEC fan would say dump the higher weight divisions. My ideal would be to have 125-155 in the WEC and have UFC divisions starting at 170 lbs.
Posted By: Mike Farrow (Registered) on April 23, 2008 at 09:50 AM
why does a fighter need to clean out his weight class in order to move up? am i missing something? who cares about GSP vs. Fitch, Alves, Parisyan, marcus effing davis????????GSP vs. Silva is the fight...same can be said about Penn, he doesn't need to prove anything...your thought process is completely alien to me
Posted By: romano (Guest) on April 23, 2008 at 11:44 AM
I agree they need a good gatekeeper for Bisping, then give him a run of matches against a few more middleweights, then Silva.
I think there could be A LOT of money to be had in Bisping/Silva in London, but they can't hotshot it. Bisping needs to beat enough guys to seem like a contender and fully shake off the farce that was 75 last year.
Posted By: Kiltman67 (Guest) on April 23, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Kalib had us all fooled into thinking he was a fighter. Now, in his own words, he’s telling us that he’s not willing to take the risks associated with his chosen profession. I just don’t get it…
There are many other jobs out there in the wide world for people who are not interested in getting punched in the face. In fact, I’d bet that MOST employers would frown on such behavior. If avoidance of personal injury is truly a large priority for Kalib, why would he choose the pain business to begin with?
This guy demonstrates serious logic flaws.
If the pain and injury was so bad that a victory was unattainable, then why not just quit on the stool? UFC fans would have been much more forgiving of a stoppage due to injury than to the wasted 25 minutes of our time. Or, he could have gone down and stayed down from the punch that gave him the black eye. I mean, had he quit, there would have been extra time to show some of the highly entertaining Prelim fights.
Sure, these aren’t ideal solutions, but given the choice between the enormous humiliation of running away from Nate’s hilariously executed “One-Eyed Cyborg” attack, or going down early to injury, I’d have to go with the injury.
Then again, I guess that Kalib has already used that excuse… (With the questionable rib unjury vs. Kendal Grove)
Posted By: Scotty (Guest) on April 23, 2008 at 04:44 PM
