Punch Drunk Hangover 05.12.08: Its Gotta Be the Shoes, Caol!

Posted by Bren Oliver on 05.12.2008

Read ahead for Bren Oliver's thoughts on the partnership between DREAM and ProElite, "JZ" Calvancante's torn ACL, Chris Leben's month-plus jail term, the IFL's newest plea for attention, as well as the spectacular DREAM 3 event with Caol Uno's even-more spectacular footwear. Those things and more, plus this week's "Monday Morning Moment of Zen" featuring Wanderlei Silva's professional debut 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! As always, my goal is to help you escape from the doldroms of an average Monday, giving you a good grab in the nether-regions to wake you up and make your day that much more exciting! Have no fear...the technique is Bas Rutten approved!!!





I'm here with another one-stop shop for catching up on Mixed Martial Arts news, hoping as always to deliver consumers a delectable mixture of insight and humor. Since I opted to stay up until 6:00 AM to watch things unfold live, I felt DREAM 3 merited the lead spot in this week's PDH. The show certainly provided enough entertainment to keep my attention and prevent me from being literally lost in dream instead of lost in the DREAM promotion. The production of the show was top notch though I'd like to know why HDNet decided to show a wide angle of the arena while the video packages for fights were visibly rolling on big screens. Granted, I don't speak Japanese, but it wouldn't have been impossible to involve subtitles since there was plenty of time to prepare for the event's broadcast. I thought the giant 3D diamond DREAM used was extremely cool, as well as the entrance ramp that went up and down. I really feel the UFC could benefit from implementing more in-arena production and turning every show into a full-fledged event instead of a simply a MMA show. The graphics DREAM used for every fighter's entrance were beautifully done and added an extra layer of entertainment to the show. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten did a nice job on commentary. I'm positive I was not the only one who had flashbacks of Rutten offering his unique Basisms on PRIDE broadcasts. And now, whoopity bippity boop, the actual fights...


Jason Miller def. Katsuyori Shibata, RD 1, TKO


The superiority of Miller's skills in comparison to Shibata's was no secret and things went as expected when the two finally faced off. "Mayhem" dominated Shibata from the opening bell, even electing to risk showboating instead of taking his opponent seriously from start to finish. Miller toyed with Shibata for the first few minutes of the fight, then decided to go into full-attack mode once the Japanese Professional Wrestler landed a strike or two, and eventually rained down enough punches and knees to cause the referee to stop the fight. It's hard to critique Miller's performance in the ring since Shibata was vastly less experienced or technically proficient, so I'll instead focus on his gear and entrance.

I was actually a bit disappointed with his selection in both realms. First, if a fighter is going to opt for flashy tights ("zebra" was Jason's pattern of choice), he should go full out instead of wearing shorts over the spandex. Secondly, his decision to come out and bust a move alongside some Japanese breakdancers was good in concept but poorly executed. His moves seemed forced and the entire thing was a bit sloppy. And would it have been too much to ask "Mayhem" to take a page from Gono's book o' Gozma and choreograph a few steps? Sure, it might have been difficult to top his luchadore-inspired entrance at "HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon", but there's no better place to try than Japan and Miller let me down in that regard.

Here are a few highlights from the fight:








Melvin Manhoef def. Dae Won Kim, RD 1, TKO


Jason Miller could have taken some notes from Melvin Manhoef when it came to the fighters' entrances. The intimidating Manhoef wore a spiked dog collar and was walked down to the ring by one of his trainers who was holding the leash. Like Bas Rutten mentioned, it would have been even cooler if Melvin had been pulling on the chain some to give the impression he was a rabid animal about to be unleashed on his opponent. Moving forward to the actual bout, Manhoef was lucky to get out of this fight alive. I have serious questions about his chin after watching Kim stun him a few times. He's an exciting fighter, and his gladitor trunks are definitely sweet, but I don't see Manhoef ever amounting to much more than a Dutch version of Houston Alexander. Also, it should be said the knee he landed to Kim's head which set up the finishing flurry of hammerfists was clearly to the back of Kim's head and was quite illegal (unless I don't understand the rules correctly).





Nick Diaz def. Katsuya Inoue, RD 1, TKO (Towel Thrown In)


This match had an aura about it like the two tough kids at school putting on their gloves and stepping behind the convenience store next door to prove who was the #1 bad ass. Neither Diaz and Inoue backed down at any point, immediately engaging and exchanging punches, kicks, and knees. It was clear each fighter landed solid strikes at more than one point, yet neither man seemed willing to give in and hit the mat. I have a great deal of respect for Inoue after watching him stay on his feet while Diaz rocked him again and again. Katsuya was the definition of "punch drunk" when his corner threw in the towel. By the way, I was impressed by the fact Diaz's face took a good amount of damage without showing the usual signs of abuse. His skin used to have the toughness of Kleenex thanks to the large amount of scar tissue on it. As Randy Harrison pointed out in 411's live play-by-play of the event, the lack of cuts on Diaz's face at DREAM 3 tells me the cosmetic surgery he recently had to fix that problem was a success.


Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Luis Firmino, Judges' Decision


Firmino is a talented young fighter, but Kawajiri is one of the best Lightweights out there and he showed why against the Brazilian. He controlled the bout for the entire fifteen minute duration and nearly finished Firmino once or twice in the fight. I enjoyed his performance, but probably not as much as the fans in attendance who devoured every punch he delivered with great delight.


Eddie Alvarez def. Joachim Hansen, Judges' Decision


If you did not happen to see the entire show I implore you to find a copy of this fight! Alvarez vs. Hansen was one of the best fights of 2008, if not the cream of the crop thus far, and possibly one of the greatest MMA bouts I've ever witnessed. There was everything a fan could've hoped for and more. There was intense striking where both men landed flush shots, the better of which left Hansen on his butt more than one time, there were more than a few tablespoons of blood involved, and Hansen and Alvarez also fought a technically sound fight when things went to the ground. Alvarez's escape from Hansen's clutches was a thing of beauty, as were the multiple instances where Joachim recovered from Eddie's powerful punches and dug down deep enough to make it back to his feet. Additionally, the show of respect between the two men after things wrapped up was enough to give me goosebumps. The fact "Hellboy" Hansen called the fresh-faced Eddie Alvarez his toughest opponent to date says it all. Truly a great, great fight between top competitors.























Caol Uno def. Mitsuhiro Ishida, RD 2, Submission


Consider me amongst the group who felt Caol Uno was going to get destroyed by the singular-minded, talented, strong Mitsuhiro Ishida. All signs pointed in the direction of T-Blood's Ishida smothering Uno, a fighter who hadn't competed in nearly eight months after recovering from a broken jaw. Instead, Uno, sporting swank white-and-orange shoes, played a "Wild Card" and changed things up in the opening moments of the fight by dropping Ishida with a well-timed right hook. I give Ishida credit for recovering well and turning up the heat on Caol afterwards but momentum was clearly Uno's from that moment forward. Ishida seemed physically smaller than usual, and was sporting tape on his back, so I wonder if perhaps he wasn't able to train at full speed in the weeks leading up to the match on Saturday night.

If I hadn't seen it happen live on television, I might still have a hard time believing Caol Uno choked out Mitsuhiro Ishida, but it happened and as unbelieveable as it seems, Uno is now in the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals. I assume he'll be facing Ishida's T-Blood teammate Tatsuya Kawajiri based on interest the match-up creates as well as the intense moment between Uno and Kawajiri at the end of the show (which the HDNet production crew whiffed on by having Kenny and Bas wrap things up over it). If you didn't see it, Kawajiri took the microphone and said something to Uno which I've since read was a challenge. The DREAM official in the ring had to actually put his arm in front of Tatsuya to keep him from getting any closer to Uno. That would leave Eddie Alvarez to face Shinya Ao-...er...the winner between Shinya Aoki and Katsuhiko Nagata. Sounds like two damn fine fights to me!

That's my three cents on the show. And now on to my spin on a handful of other subjects gracing the headlines this past week. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any and all matters so feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.


The following medley of items were reported between May 5th, 2008 and May 11th, 2008:


The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the UFC has released Din Thomas, Tommy Speer, & Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Thomas last fought at UFC Fight Night 13 where he lost via decision to Josh Neer and he is now contemplating retirement. Speer's was the runner-up to Mac Danzig on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 6. He also fought at Fight Night 13 losing to Anthony Johnson via TKO. Hironaka last fought at UFC 83 where he lost via TKO to Jonathan Goulet.


Though my locks aren't golden, and I've never eaten porridge or slept in a bear's bed, I find this trio of cuts to be surprising, somewhat expected, and "just right". Din Thomas is, at minimum, a capable fighter able to act in a "gatekeeper" role. He has shown a great deal of ability in both the Octagon and when it comes to verbally selling a bout. I'd like to believe Thomas is contemplating a drop to Featherweight, perhaps even signing with the WEC in the process, as otherwise I feel the UFC made a fairly large mistake in letting the likeable "Dinyero" go. Hironaka's release was not surprising at all. He dropped three of his four UFC fights, though in fairness two of his losses came against Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves. If Dana White gave two Hershey-squirts about the Eastern market, I think Hironaka would have been an asset, but I haven't seen anything from the UFC showing their interest in Japan went beyond dismantling PRIDE. For that reason, coupled with his struggles against top competition, Hironaka's upside was very limited and necessitated the termination of his contract. And, as far as "just right", I think Speer's release was the right move to make for a young fighter with a lot of a potential who isn't quite ready for the UFC's Welterweights. After a cringe-worthy knockout loss to Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, it seems possible Matt Hughes' pet-project would have fallen in defeat at least a few more times over his next couple of Octagon outings. That sort of slide could've ruined Speer, especially if the fights went as poorly as his Fight Night appearance, as the seeds of doubt might flourish and affect him mentally. Letting Speer go allows him to continue building up experience against lesser-skilled opponents while also giving him an opportunity to make a bigger name for himself in the sport. Word has since broken he's re-signed with the WEC, UFC Jr. to an extent, which I think is a great move for both the organization and the 23-year old farm boy from Elgin, Minnesota.


Sean Sherk has officially cleared all drug tests in the state of Nevada. Sherk and his opponent at UFC 84, BJ Penn, were both tested last week as part of the new out-of-competition procedure. Penn's test results also came back negative. Tito Ortiz was also tested as well and he returned negative results. NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer mentioned that they plan on testing Ortiz's opponent at UFC 84, Lyoto Machida.


In related news, Britney Spears was spotted wearing a pair of underwear today. Actually, in honor of Sean Sherk's clearance I am going to celebrate with a big glass of juice...er, for the inherent healthy nature of fruit's delicious nectar!

I'm glad to hear there are no roadblocks preventing Sherk and BJ Penn from locking up at UFC 84 as I believe their fight should be an excellent one. I like the NSAC's policy to test athletes "out-of-competition". While it is intrusive to a certian extent, I think keeping MMA clean is crucial to the mainstream's eventual acceptance of it as a legitimate sport deserving a place alongside professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey.

On a side note, am I the only one interested in seeing if Sherk looks physically different at the weigh-ins for UFC 84? I'm wondering how he approached his training for the fight against Penn coming off of a suspension. I imagine there must have been minor level of paranoia on his part simply because, assuming his claims of innocence are true, "The Muscle Shark" still tested positive for steroids against Hermes Franca while supposedly preparing in a legitimate manner. If he doesn't know specifically why the results came back in such a way then he would have had to change his routine to ensure it doesn't happen again. Will it affect his physique, or conditioning, come UFC 84? I'll get back to you on that in two weeks.


Mirko Cro Cop recently released a statement stating that he has suffered a minor leg injury forcing him to postpone his June 14th fight with Jerome LeBanner. The fight will now happen on July 20th.


"Cro Cop" with a bum wheel reminds me of a Rolls-Royce rollin' on rimless doughnuts. An ability to effectively kick is the singular crucial element of Mirko's striking game. And, facing a world class kickboxer like LeBanner, Filipovic's legs are even more-important in terms of defense and stand-up exchanges. I'm glad to hear the injury is only reported as being minor. A month doesn't seem like too long to wait for one of the world's top Heavyweights to compete in front of a very appreciative Japanese audience.


Gamespot.com is reporting that THQ has announced that the upcoming UFC video game will be released in the spring of 2009.


As both owner of an XBOX 360 and an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts, it goes without saying that I am greatly anticipating this game eventually coming out (and I imagine many of my readers are in the same boat). I was under the impression the game wouldn't be too far behind the trailer featuring Chuck Liddell and "Rampage" Jackson that THQ put out nearly a year ago. Clearly I was wrong. Go figure - the one thing the UFC can't seem to release is the thing people want most. Needless to say, when this game does drop, I hope to see you all on XBOX Live where you'll be able to take out your frustrations on my mindless ramblings by knocking out a digitally rendered Bren Oliver!

By the way, you can currently find me on there as "punchdrunkMMA" for those of you interested in throwing down inside the proverbial cages known as "Call of Duty 4" or "Grand Theft Auto". I'm talking to you, Jens "Little Evil" Pulver!


Jonathan Goulet recently confirmed to MMA Weekly that he was forced to withdraw his name from his upcoming fight against Paul Kelly at UFC 85 due to health reasons. Goulet just fought at UFC 83 and defeated Kuniyoshi Hironaka in the "fight of the night". However, he made no mention of what kind of injury he is suffering from.


Rumor has it Goulet is suffering from a chronic case of the disease "Scalpofruitus Pebblitis", more commonly known to you and I as "bad hair day". On a serious note, I thought Kelly vs. Goulet actually had quite a bit of potential as neither man is afraid to engage and throw hands until someone ends up asleep. I am hopeful the UFC finds a new opponent for 7-0 Kelly, as he's a talented young British fighter who will no doubt be aiming to please his fellow Brits and in particular Michael Bisping - his hero, friend, and fellow UFC 85 competitor. As of now it appears Kelly's fight has been scrapped, at least according to the UFC.com breakdown of the card, which is unfortunate given the kid's gutsy performance in his UFC debut in January of this year.


The IFL has announced that they will debut a new six-sided ring that will be used in all of the promotion's future plans. The IFL plans to debut the new ring at the promotion's August 15th event in New Jersey.


My understanding is the IFL has branded it "The Hex" which I suppose is their answer to the UFC's "Octagon". Personally I don't see the need to label your structure as long as the fights inside are of a competitive, entertaining nature. In the great words of Bill "The Bard" Shakespeare, let us ask ourselves, does a ring by any other name not smell as sweaty? To me, the IFL is throwing gimmicks at a wall in hopes one will stick. They've changed the team format, introduced championships, switched the colors of the mat/ropes, had Grand Prix-style events, brought Bas Rutten into the front office, and are now redesigning the actual ring. How far away are we from Roy Nelson fighting a grizzly bear or Vlad Matyushenko defending his Light Heavyweight title over a pit of rabid piranhas?


Today Chris Leben was sentenced to 35-days in jail due to a parole violation, which he turned himself in for. He will be released on May 27th, as he is being given credit for days served, but that will not allow him the proper time to train for the June 7th fight with Michael Bisping in London. UFC's Joe Silva did have a back up plan in case Leben wasn't able to do the fight.


While not condoning the behavior ultimately landing him there, I find it unfortunate Chris Leben is being incarcerated for more than a month after doing the right thing and turning himself in to authorities. It's too bad Leben didn't get nailed for his criminal offense in Los Angeles. There, you can drive drunk with your child in the car (like Richie Sambora) or carry cocaine into a detention center (a la Lindsay Lohan), and never serve more than a night in jail. I've also heard that not only is clubbing baby seals with a spiked bat legal there, but you actually are given a small ribbon for every freshly cleaned skull you bring in to the Los Angeles district attorney's office.

It has since been reported Jason "Dooms" Day, fresh off an upset win over Alan Belcher at UFC 83, will be stepping in to act as a replacement for Leben. His name isn't quite as "sexy" as Leben's, mainly due to the fact most UFC fans never saw Day's debut against Belcher and he wasn't on too many radar screens prior to the bout. However, Day has been on a hot streak as of late with the UFC 83 win in addition to four straight prior to it with two of them coming over Octagon veterans Jonathan Goulet and David Louiseau. He's shown the ability to both on his feet and the ground as indicated by sixteen of his seventeen wins divided equally at eight between TKOs and submissions. This could be a dangerous fight as, frankly, if Bisping overlooks Day, which I imagine many fans will, "The Count" could end up out for the count.


Branden Lee Hinkle is out of the May 16th IFL Heavyweight Title Match due to injury. Roy Nelson will now be defending the title against 11-4 Brad Imes. Also, the Fabricio Camoes vs. Jim Miller match has been cancelled due to a Camoes injured. Frank Latina vs. John Franchi has been added to the show.


I would like to see both Brad Imes and Jim Miller make their way into the UFC (or back to it in Imes' case). It's unfortunate Miller is unable to showcase his talents on another event but I'm positive he'll be back soon. Remember, this is a guy whose only career loss came via decision to Frank Edgar and who also just outworked the skilled Bart Palaszewski for three rounds close to a month ago. I'll be pulling for Imes against Nelson, a fight I see as possibly resembling more of a brawl in a Wild West Saloon than a full-on Mixed Martial Arts demonstration. After all, from a nickname standpoint you're looking at "Big Country" vs. "The Hillbilly Heartthrob". It doesn't get much more sasparilla, shootouts, and showgirls than that, does it? I expect it to be a slugfest with Imes having a clear advantage on the ground. Nelson just doesn't strike me as someone who can pull off Gogoplata and Imes won two consecutive fights using that very manner. Also, I'm excited to say Brad Imes will be a special guest on the May 21st edition "Fact or Fiction" so it's quite possible we could have our first CHAMPIONSHIP edition of the weekly feature!


Gesias "JZ" Calvancante recently appeared on the Savage Dog Radio Show on Sherdog where he confirmed that he is suffering from a torn ACL. JZ said the knee was scoped before his fight last week against Shinya Aoki at DREAM 2, however after the fight he was examined again and was diagnosed with a completely torn ACL. He will go in for surgery on May 16th, which will be followed by 4 months of rehab. He is expected to miss the rest of the year.


I wasn't surprised at all to hear this, especially after our report on May 5th detailing the role Calvancante's knee played in his inability to fill the injured Aoki's spot at DREAM 3. I'm no math-a-magician but if "JZ" is going in for surgery on May 16th, and repairing his torn ACL requires four months of rehabilitation, shouldn't he be ready to fight sometime in late Fall or early Winter? It seems very likely DREAM will have a New Year's Eve show. That would appear to be plenty of time for the young Brazilian to heal and strengthen his knee, plus get back in shape from a cardio standpoint, as well as typically an amazing event to feature the world's top talent on. After their previous duo of hotly contested fights, and the controversial moments in each match where either appeared to deserve the victory, who wouldn't love to see Aoki vs. Calvancante III in front of 20,000+ on NYE?


The most recognizable face in women's mixed martial arts, the incredibly popular and talented Gina "Conviction'' Carano, of Las Vegas, will be profiled on "E:60" this Tuesday, May 13, on ESPN. Tuesday's segment will include comments from Gina's parents -- her father, Glenn, is a former NFL quarterback -- world-class women fighters Shayna Baszler and Tara LaRosa, the story behind Gina getting involved in MMA and why she stopped going to college - 18 credits short of getting her degree - and the impact of her sudden stardom.


I'm actually interested to learn what's behind Gina's pretty smile and not just because it will help making her fall in love with me that much easier! Um, did I say that out loud? Please scratch the previous statement from the record. I wonder if Carano will be donning any low-cut tops or tight clothing on the show? That, and I can hardly wait to see what his daughter is wearing too.

Uh...let me just stop while I'm ahead and finish this segment off by thanking Csonka for giving me another excuse to post pictures of the lovely and talented Ms. Carano...as if I needed one! I went "traditionally hot" last week so this week I'm going with something on the opposite end of the spectrum, though equal in terms of sexiness as far as I'm concerned.





USA Today has released the new card for the upcoming Affliction promotion's debut show on July 19th, most likely at The Pond in Anaheim, California:

-Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia

-Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo

-Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead

-Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Nascimento

Also rumored for the card is Ben Rothwell, plus a Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko fight.


On one hand I love this card and on the other I fear for Affliction's future because of it. It will be extremely difficult for their company to continually provide events featuring the level of starpower listed as participating on July 19th. Names like Barnett, Rothwell, Emelianenko, Sylvia, Sobral, Lindland, and so on come with hefty pricetags attached to them. If the show does not draw a huge live gate as well as a decent PPV viewership then Affliction's long term future will suffer as a result of their miscalculation. The key to any promotion's success is mixing in talented young fighters who you can build into cornerstones of your company. That being said, they've definitely got my money on the way, for as bitter as I still am that this event was supposed to be three hours from my house instead of twenty-five, there's no way I'm going to miss a card with arguably four or five of the "Top 10" Heavyweights in MMA as well as "Babalu", the world-class Gollum lookalike Matt Lindland, and well-rounded veterans Paul Buentello and Pedro Rizzo. It's bound to be an excellent show. However, I'm not sure it will appeal to the mainstream so much as it will hardcore fans, so it will be important to monitor the show's financial success in regards to Affliction's operations in the second half of 2008 and beyond.

And, in case you missed it, there will also be live music at the show according to company Vice President Tom Atencio. If I was to guess I'd say it's possible Korn could be the act given the band's association with the clothing company and fact their music is built for MMA.


At today's press conference for DREAM 3, officials from DREAM & Pro Elite Inc. announced that the two have formed a partnership that will include the two promotions swapping fighters & referees, as well as co-promoting shows.


This is wonderful news for DREAM, ProElite, and all fans of Mixed Martial Arts! The notion of cross-promotion between what is emerging as the biggest MMA show in Japan and the fellowship of companies forming ProElite causes me to give the Chesire Cat's grin a run for its money. Off the top of my head I can come up with a number of pairings I think would make for entertaining, rankings-establishing fights. To name but a few are Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki, Kimbo Slice vs. Mirko Filipovic, and Cung Le vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Speaking of the slick Brazilian jiujitsu specialist, I found this GIF of his crocodile crawl and thought a few of you out there might appreciate it...





World Victory Road has announced that Jorge Santiago will be facing Yuki Sasaki at the upcoming "Sengoku II" show on May 18th in Tokyo, Japan. The two were suppose to fight in Strikeforce's middleweight tournament last November, however Sasaki was pulled from the fight after failing to get medical clearance. Santiago has mentioned that if he's victorious over Sasaki, he would love to face Cung Le in the near future.


It's good to hear Santiago's name in the news again. I was wondering when the ATT product would fight again, as he's coming off a fairly impressive streak with wins over Jeremy Horn at "Art of War III" and double-duty victories at a four-man Strikeforce tournament against vets Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley. Sasaki has thirty-five professional fights under his belt, and comes from the talented Grabaka dojo in Japan, but he seems to struggle against middle-to-upper level opponents. I don't think Santiago will have trouble handling him and adding a fifth win to his current streak.


The UFC has announced that they have signed 25 year old British welterweight fighter Dan Hardy to a 4-fight deal. Hardy is currently 19-6 as a pro. He is currently riding a 3 fight win streak that started on December 8, 2007. His last loss came days earlier at the hands of another new UFC fighter, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, back on December 1, 2007. Hardy may make his UFC debut in August.


Hardy's loss to Yoshida is deceptive in that it was a result of a low-blow induced disqualification many would label as being controversial. He had won his five previous fights and three since, one of which came a week after the afore-mentioned loss. "The Outlaw" should add another layer to the already deep UFC Welterweight Division and, like he fellow British countrymen, I imagine Hardy will be primarily featured on cards taking place in the UK.


Jibber-Jabber:

The following soundbytes were delivered over the past week...

From Tito Ortiz, to MMAWeekly, on his contract negotiations with the UFC...

"At this point it's pretty much stopped. I gave them my first offer. They came back at me with some totally… I thought was ridiculous (offer). I held out, and I held out, and I held out until they gave me something else, which was a six-fight contract, and I don't want to be held down for six fights with them.

I want to go to a company that they've got respect, that's the biggest thing. It's not about the money, people got to understand, the money's going to be there no matter what. It's about a fair cut and being respected as a champ, as the fighter I am. I really think it's time for me to move on. I'd love to finish my career with the UFC, but the way they treat me, it's just… it's really, really bad. It really hurts me. It's really disrespectful towards me. I've given them 11 years of my life, blood, sweat and tears in that Octagon, putting my heart on the line, putting my life on the line, and they give me no respect for it because I'm outspoken."


It's hard for me to choose sides on this issue. I certainly agree with Ortiz in the sense Dana White does seem to let personal grudges interfere with business and has generally treated Tito in an unprofessional manner. On the flipside of the equation, Ortiz has been less-than impressive in a the bulk of his recent fights. He has not finished an opponent other than Ken Shamrock since Elvis Sinosic at UFC 32 in June 2001! Yes, it's been approximately seven years! For a long time "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" was the face of the UFC, and for carrying the promotion on his shoulders he deserves his due, but he is no longer a dominant fighter and his ground-and-pound style doesn't play as well on the current MMA scene as it did five or more years ago.


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That's about all she wrote for this week's Hangover. Till next time Punch Drunk buckaroos, here's your "Monday Morning MMA Moment of Zen" - Wanderlei Silva's professional MMA debut against Dilso Filho...

Daaaaa Silva...




Have a great week and remember, if you're starting to stress out about something in life, you've got to take control....connnntrrrrollll....





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