The MMA News Report 05.14.08
Posted by Morgan Marx on 05.14.2008
News on Nick Diaz, The Ultimate Fighter, and the possibility of an American women’s MMA title. Plus, thoughts on Gina Carano and E:60, and whether the UFC can survive another Sean Sherk lightweight title run.
INTRODUCTION
How are you? Ready for an extended run of MMA events? UFC, Elite XC, WEC, Affliction, DREAM…the list goes on. With all the upcoming shows and events, the MMA section here at 411Mania.com isn't starving for material. We're all the beneficiaries of the glut of MMA programming that will be available this summer. So let's get to the news and opinion that actually has material to comment on. What a novel idea!
MAILBAG/RANT TIME
I caught the ESPN E:60 piece on Gina Carano Tuesday evening. For those of us familiar with Carano's err…body of work, there wasn't much to be gleaned from the story. It was interesting to see fighters like Tara Larosa interviewed on an ESPN show while UFC fighters receive relatively little exposure from mainstream media outlets. So far, ESPN has spent considerable time profiling two Elite XC stars (Carano and Kimbo Slice). Remember when we would get excited when fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell would be interviewed in fluff pieces on ESPN News?
For Carano, one has to wonder what her ultimate goal remains. Jeremy Schapp pulled no punches in declaring that Hollywood is the dream result for Carano. Does time spent on Amercian Gladiators really portend a Tinseltown career for Carano? How many successful athletes really crossover into TV and film?
I could definitely see Carano making the circuit of reality shows like Dancing With The Stars but I don't know what else she could excel at. And even that is contingent on Carano making an extended run as the face of women's MMA. Carano has finally faced a step up in competition (including her upcoming opponent, Kaitlin Young). But fighters like Larosa, Shayna Baszler, Amanda Buckner, and Roxanne Modeffari still dominate talk of potential opponents for Carano in the future.
I don't believe that Carano should be criticized for the way Elite XC has hyped her. Her UFC counterpart is probably Roger Huerta, another good-looking fighter with crossover appeal that has been fast tracked for success. So long as Carano meets her end of the bargain and keeps winning (like Huerta), her success will be well deserved.
The Reader's Question: Can Gina Carano legitimize female MMA in the eyes of mainstream fans? Do fighters like Tara Larosa interest you at all?
NEWS LEG KICKS
Diaz to Fight for DREAM Welterweight Title
Nick Diaz has confirmed that his next bout under the DREAM banner will be against Hayato "Mach" Sakurai for the organization's welterweight championship. After battering Katsuya Inoue en route to a first round stoppage victory, Diaz told MMAWeekly.com that his next fight in Japan would take place July 21 at DREAM 5.
For Diaz, the announcement caps a tumultuous period that saw his fight with Inoue canceled several times before receiving the final go ahead. Sakurai, a former UFC and PRIDE competitor that holds wins over Mac Danzig and Shinya Aoki, will provide a stern test for Diaz. But the Stockton, CA fighter will first have to deal with Muhsin Corbbrey at Elite XC's June 14 card, scheduled to take place in Hawaii.
Those counting at home will note that Diaz plans to fight three times in a little over three months, a tough task for any athlete. Diaz lived up to expectations and emerged healthy from his fight with Inoue, but he did take some shots along the way. Oddly enough, DREAM officials will now have to wait nervously and hope that Diaz can escape the fight with Corbbrey with a clean bill of health. The situation is a reversal of events that nearly lead to Elite XC officials canceling Diaz's inaugural DREAM performance.
Corbbrey, at 8-2 with six submission victories, should not be overlooked as a legitimate challenge for Diaz. Though Sakurai did drop a surprising submission loss to David Baron at this month's Shooto event, it was only recently that the Japanese fighter was being courted by the UFC. Should Diaz emerge victorious from al three fights, both his popularity in Japan and his top ten ranking should increase dramatically. Now, if we could only figure out which weight class to slot him in.
After numerous rumors (including the world's worst non-denial from Frank Mir), the UFC has confirmed that current heavyweight champion Antonio Minotauro Nogueira and title contender Frank Mir will serve as coaches on the eighth iteration of The Ultimate Fighter. The season will feature both lightweights and light heavyweights, according to UFC.com.
Additionally, the press release confirms that the two fighters will face off following the completion of the show, scheduled to debut September 17 on Spike TV. Nogueira, the first man to hold both the UFC and PRIDE heavyweight championships, is 2-0 in the UFC, with wins over Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia. Mir, the former UFC heavyweight champion, recently submitted Brock Lesnar is a back-and-forth fight at UFC 81.
So far, the move has drawn mixed reviews across the web. Let's ignore complaints about the show's format for now; the UFC is committed to the TUF concept and probably won't be changing it up until ratings severely bottom out. The two big complaints about the choice of coaches center on the time between title defenses for Nogueira and whether Mir is a credible challenger.
Nogueira won the "interim" heavyweight title in February by defeating Tim Sylvia via submission. It looks like Big Nog won't make his first title defense until early 2009. The situation is a repeat of Matt Serra's run as coach on TUF. Serra's TV tenure (coupled with a post-show injury) tied up the welterweight title for over a year before Georges St-Pierre recently recaptured his belt in Montreal.
While it's not a good thing for a UFC title to be on the shelf for a considerable time, the heavyweight division isn't exactly overflowing with title contenders. Beyond the winner of Brandon Vera v. Fabricio Werdum, the UFC boasts several up-and-coming heavyweights, but no ready-made challengers. Nogueira's TV sabbatical will allow the UFC to build new threats to his title and possibly sort out the muddled Randy Couture situation (so we can get rid of the interim tag).
Most importantly, it will allow Nogueira to expose his personality to an American public that still doesn't know the Brazilian champion. In his book A Fighter's Heart, Sam Sheridan repeatedly mentioned Nogueira's good-hearted nature, and the ability he has to win people over. If just an iota of that personality can cross the language barrier, the UFC will develop a new star.
As for Mir, he may not be ready to face Nogueira in the cage, but he'll play perfectly on TV. Mir's commenting work for the WEC has transformed the fighter into a capable TV persona. Mir is fairly eloquent, extremely knowledgeable about the sport and grappling, and should fit the role of teacher nicely. Personally, I think that Tito Ortiz has done the best "job" so far as part of the reality show and Mir can be just as effective.
I'm a big Mir fan, but even I'm not certain whether the fighter of old will ever fully recover from his motorcycle accident. The more pessimistic fan might wonder whether the Mir of old was really that good to begin with. Perhaps Nogueira will dismantle Mir standing, before outclassing him on the ground. Or perhaps fans are in store for the most technical heavyweight title fight in UFC history.
Gary Shaw has stated that Elite XC is considering both a women's championship and an all-women MMA show to air in 2009, according to MMAWeekly.com. Said Shaw:
That's something that I'd like to present to the public, a night of women's fights. I think that would be a major milestone. I think it would be good for the sport, and good for women.
Shaw went on to indicate the title might sit at 140lbs, with more divisions to come at a later date. Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young are set to fight on May 31 on the debut CBS/Elite XC broadcast. Shaw tabbed the winner of that fight as a possible title challenger.
Whether or not you support the idea of women's MMA, you have to be impressed by the commitment shown by Elite XC to develop the sport. The big question remains whether a female division would be viable without a crossover star like Carano topping the rankings. Will a less heralded fighter like Young or 15-1 Tara Larosa be able to captivate an audience?
It will be interesting to see how a mainstream audience receives the Carano v. Young fight. Part of me hopes that Young scores a knockout over "Crush." The more rational side of me knows that a dominant win for Carano could mean big things for both Elite XC and women in MMA.
Does Sean Sherk Have a Future as the UFC Lightweight Champion?
Who would have guessed that a Tito Ortiz fight would not feature the best smack talk of a UFC PPV? While Ortiz has taken every pre-fight promotional opportunity to bash the UFC, Dana White, and anyone else that has ever treated him like a "slave," the war of words between Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and challenger Sean Sherk has become even more personal.
Penn has repeatedly brought up Sherk's steroid suspension and has vowed to finish Sherk as quickly as possible. The former champion has questioned Penn's heart and conditioning, and has promised to drag the Hawaiian into deep waters. The hype has elevated an intriguing championship bout to a must-see battle between heated rivals.
Penn is entering the fight as the favorite and rightly so. A Penn victory would elevate the pound-for-pound top ten fighter atop the lightweight rankings, and could potentially lead to major fights against Roger Huerta, Tyson Griffin, and possibly Georges St-Pierre down the road. But what happens if Sean Sherk wins?
While I'll likely tout Penn as the winner, Sherk absolutely has a chance to recapture his belt. I'll go as far to say that a Sherk victory isn't dependent on Penn coming into the fight out of shape. Sherk's strength, wrestling ability and never-say-die attitude has broken talented submission based fighters like Hermes Franca, Nick Diaz, and Kenny Florian. While a victory over Penn would be surprising, it wouldn't be the biggest upset in recent history.
Will a Sherk victory be good for the UFC? Whether he likes it or not, fans have not been quick to forgive the Minnesota based fighter following his suspension. Even a dominant victory over Penn, one of the faces of the UFC, might not win fans back to Sherk's side. Sherk is a champion with a tainted past, a lackluster personality, and a somniferous fighting style.
In the past, I've identified myself as a Sherk fan. I think complaints about his propensity for decisioning fights is a little harsh. A vast majority of Sherk's UFC fights have been against top ranked competitors. It's hard to finish fighters like Florian and Franca. But when coupled with the other negative factors surrounding Sherk, I'm not sure if the lightweight division can survive a lengthy Sherk title reign.
When Sherk won the title in the newly reformed lightweight division, he could be marketed as a paragon of hard work and dedication. His training regimen and his in fight cardio set Sherk apart from other UFC fighters. Though he lacked KO power or slick submissions, Sherk had a unique style that could be commended. Unfortunately, Sherk lost the moral high ground with the positive test, whether it was due to malice or ignorance. Similarly, Sherk's behavior in recent months (the incessant complaints about the CSAC, his attitude toward Penn) has been at best boorish, at worst annoying and alienating.
If Sherk wins on May 24, what's in his future? The promising match-ups that await Penn somewhat vanish. We've already seen Sherk and Florian duel for five rounds. Fights against the likes of Griffin, Frankie Edgar, and Gray Maynard could all end up as boring "wrestler v. wrestler" standoffs. A fight with Roger Huerta could draw well in Minnesota, but how awful would it be if Sherk held down the UFC's goldenboy at 155 for 25 minutes?
Ten months ago, I was hailing Sherk as the future of his division and a top three lightweight. Now, I'm wondering if it isn't in the UFC's best interest for Sherk to lose in dramatic fashion. Sherk seems to have a solid relationship with the UFC brass. I don't think there's a chance that he gets cut if he has a downer of a performance at UFC 84. But unless he makes major changes in his public persona (or suddenly regains the ability to finish fights) he could be in trouble.
One scenario that might play out for Sherk is if he embraces his inner heel and becomes the lightweight version of Matt Hughes. Perhaps Sherk just needs to develop his arrogant bully side, calling out the UFC's top lightweight contenders as he's done with Penn. If fans rally behind whoever is chasing Sherk's title, maybe a Sherk win won't be the end of the world. If not, the UFC had better hope that BJ is ready to deliver the beat down.
CONCLUSION
Next week we'll take a look at UFC 84 and all the intriguing fights. Take care, good luck with your finals (or whatever else is going on in your worlds) and thanks for reading.
Can Gina Carano legitimize female MMA in the eyes of mainstream fans? Do fighters like Tara Larosa interest you at all?
I had never seen a female MMA match until Carano's debut on EliteXC. Since then I have caught women's matches whenever possible. So for that reason I say yes she can. Provided she is put in matches that will be competetive, and exciting. That said, I don't see anybody handing Carano a KO loss. If she loses it will be to an opponent versed in the ground game.
Posted By: Toddo (Guest) on May 14, 2008 at 12:51 PM
, the former UFC heavyweight champion, recently submitted Brock Lesnar is a back-and-forth fight at UFC 81.
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only back and forth battle was between Brock and the Ref who saved Mir fron an early stoppage !
Posted By: steve0 (Guest) on May 14, 2008 at 02:08 PM
right on steveO. I don't think this guy watched the fight! great article otherwise.
Posted By: guest guest (Guest) on May 14, 2008 at 03:19 PM
I think the term "back and forth battle" is politically correct for "got lucky against a an inexperienced guy who made a rookie mistake." As for the old Frank Mir, I never really thought he was that good and this Frank Mir has been awful. I really wish the UFC had resigned Andrei Arlovski, because a dramatic first round KO of Mir (which, mark my words, would be a given) would have reinvigorated his career and possibly brought back the old, lethal, explosive Pitbull. Ah well, there's always the hope that Vera will pan out, or Forest will move up a weight class. He could bulk up no problem and he's already beaten former challenger Jeff Monson.
Posted By: TempusFugit (Guest) on May 14, 2008 at 06:04 PM
