Punch Drunk Hangover 05.26.08: Scars and Stripes Forever!

Posted by Bren Oliver on 05.26.2008

Read ahead for Bren Oliver's thoughts on Wanderlei Silva potentially dropping to 185-pounds, a three-hour TUF 7 Finale, the ratings bonanza that is "Strikeforce on NBC", the return of Arizona State wrestling, the DREAM 4 Middleweight match-ups, and all the action from UFC 84. Those things and more, plus this week's super-sized "Memorial Day Morning Moment of Zen" featuring Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hughes, Machida vs. Rich Franklin, and a battle of jiujitsu masters named Penn/Gracie all just a click away!






"The brave die never, though they sleep in dust; Their courage nerves a thousand living men." ~Minot J. Savage


Good morning, afternoon, evening, or whatever in-between time it is that your eyes have found their way to the Memorial Day edition of the Punch Drunk Hangover! I hope everyone out there is enjoying a much-deserved day off, as is the American way, but for you poor schlubs stuck working, 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. This past weekend was the first leg of a MMA-rathon featuring seven noteable cards in three consecutive weeks. For the record, starting with UFC 84 on May 24th, you then have EliteXC's CBS debut (5/31), "WEC 34: Pulver vs. Faber" (6/1), UFC 85 (6/7), "World Victory Road: Third Battle" (6/8), "EliteXC: Noons vs. Edwards" with Nick Diaz and "Ninja" Rua (6/14), and DREAM 4 (6/15). Needless to say, it's a great time to be a lover of the seductress named Mixed Martial Arts. At the end of the stretch my fingers may be calloused and my keyboard in shambles from the overuse they're bound to receive during this twenty-day period, but my heart and soul will be full of jiujitsu joy!

It should be no surprise I'll be leading this week by offering my opinion on the greatness that was "UFC 84: Ill Will". Last week I posed the question, "Is the Penn mightier than the soured?" Clearly the answer was a resounding "yes". Before getting into the main event or other televised bouts, I thought I'd mention a few other things pertaining to UFC 84, including my pleasure at seeing the words "Bud Light" scrawled across the mat. Nothing against "Mickey's", because we've all been subject to an "Irish Hand Grenade" not named Marcus Davis, but it was about time a major beer sponsor took over as the official brew of the UFC. Even more beautiful were the nine fights making the broadcast thanks to a slew of first-round finishes! I was not a fan of the Vegas crowd, for while they were a raucous bunch and their noise was appreciated, I was disappointed in the chants of "steroids" during the Sherk vs. Penn fight and the unnecessary booing directed towards Lyoto Machida. I understand the bunch was primarily into Tito Ortiz, and Machida's elusive style is not viewer-friendly to the average American fan, but Lyoto turned in a top notch performance and deserved more respect in the shadow of his biggest UFC win to date. Also, on the subject of UFC 84, I encourage you to check out the post-event press conference (as posted on MMAWeekly), where you can enjoy some feedback from fighters, as well as the palpable tension between Tito Ortiz and Dana White. If you hadn't heard already, Ortiz claims the UFC attempted to prevent him from being part of the presser, while the UFC has stated they simply requested Tito entered with the involved fighters as a group instead of indidivually prior to the Q&A session taking place (as he had by showing up early for it).

One final note before getting into the actual fights, but as is typically the case with post-PPV Hangovers, this edition has its fair share of animated GIFs from the night's action, so your forgiveness for any delay in load-times is much-appreciated. I once tried to speed things up by filming interpretive dance versions of each UFC clash, but it proved to be much less successful and far more embarassing than the way I handle it now...


Shane Carwin def. Christian Wellisch - KO - RD1


Not much to say here. Shane Carwin is a beast while Wellisch is a gatekeeper at best. Carwin presents the UFC with a powerful, genuine 265-pound Heavyweight which is something the organization certainly needs in light of the exodus of talent from the big boy division. By the way, is it too much to ask for Las Vegas fans to show up for the first fight? I understand Sin City is full of distractions; that it's an individual's right to buy a $500 ticket and even light it on fire if he/she so chooses; that we Americans tend to arrive casually late to events. That being said, it was still embarassing to see how few people were there to see Carwin blast Wellisch into la-la land. I'm pretty sure I noticed Arianny Celeste taking a nap, Jenna Jameson getting a ring-side Botox injection, and even a tumbleweed blow across front of the Octagon (though it may have been Steve Mazagatti's moustache making a break for it).





Thiago Silva def. Antonio Mendes - TKO - RD 1


Thiago Silva is a MMA superstar in the making. He possesses the look and skillset to go a very long way in the sport and I expect he'll find himself in a LHW Championship fight before the end of 2009. Mendes opening kick was sharp and overall I was impressed with his striking. I feel he did enough to earn a spot on future undercards where I can see him giving a few more-established UFC fighters some trouble. However, I felt he ran out of energy (likely to an adrenaline dump) after the opening flurry, and likewise got the impression Mendes was finished before Silva had truly even rained down any damage. I'd like to see Thiago get a step up in competition, even if only a moderate one. Perhaps the original UFC 85 bout against Rashad Evans will still come to fruition, albeit at a different PPV, based on Evans' availability and Silva's apparently damage-free UFC 84 performance. A fight against fellow UFC 84 winner Sokoudjou would also be a good test to see where both men are truly at when it comes to contendership.


Goran Reljic def. Wilson Gouveia - TKO - RD 2


I was impressed by Reljic's striking and recovery after Gouveia landed a handful of solid punches. I expected more out of Gouveia given his past UFC performances and pre-fight verbal assault on Reljic. I wonder if perhaps Wilson overlooked Reljic, especially in the area of striking, simply based on the Croatian's lack of experience and history of submitting opponents. Reljic has a long way to go before being considered a contender, especially in a division as deep as Light Heavyweight, but I'm looking forward to how his UFC career pans out. Expect him to be fighting on an upcoming UK-based card, as the UFC so loves to stack them with Europeans. As far as Gouveia, this is a significant setback for him, and he's almost forced into a position where he needs to win his next fight in order to avoid being lost in the shuffle at 205-pounds.


Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Jon Koppenhaver - Submission - RD 1


I never felt Yoshida would find himself in trouble against Koppenhaver and apparently I was right in my pre-fight assessment. While he makes the grade from a personality/heart standpoint, I don't feel "War Machine" has the ability or experience to compete with veteran fighters. He is a perfect example of a young competitor who would benefit from refining his skills in a smaller promotion before again testing the UFC waters. Yoshiyuki Yoshida, on the other hand, is a well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist who has put together a nice win streak with finishes in eight of his last nine wins. His choke at UFC 84 was perfectly executed, especially in regards to Yoshida using wrapping up Koppenhaver's leg and intensifying the submission technique. Yoshiyuki's post-fight interview skills, however, were not quite so masterful. Major respect to Koppenhaver, by the way, for not tapping out and instead opting for nap time.


Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura - TKO - RD 1


I wasn't particularly impressed with Sokoudjou. He was tentative and technically won the fight due to Nakamura injuring himself on the knockdown. Rameau, who interestingly enough shares his first name with a Filipina American Idol contestant, clearly has power and decent kickboxing skills, but I'm not so sure he wouldn't end up on the wrong end of a knockout against someone with a better stand-up game than Nakamura. I am still not convinced his wins over Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona were more than right-place, right-time situations, as he's only seven fights into his professional MMA career and two of those have involved him being finished. I believe Nakamura is probably on his way out of the UFC. As far as "The African Assassin", I would like to see him take on a few more mid-tier opponents before venturing up into the land of Chuck Liddell and "Rampage" Jackson. I'd like to see "Soko" perhaps step into the eight-sided cage against Matt Hamill, Stephan Bonnar, or, as earlier mentioned, test his worth against fellow rising star Thiago Silva.

By the way, I would love to know of Sokoudjou donned the "Predator" mask during his entrance, so if any readers know, please shoot me an email or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.


Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry - Submission - RD 1


Palhares lived up to his ground-based reputation and looked superb in his handling of Ivan Salaverry. His transition into the armbar was as smooth as they come. "Toquinho" is certainly someone to watch in the Middleweight division. I'm not certain how he'd handle the striking assault so many of 185-pounders are able to dish out, but Palhares will be extremely difficult to beat if takes things to the mat. If Salaverry is indeed retiring from MMA, as he said he would be prior to UFC 84, then I wish him the best of luck in his endeavors. I envision he'll do very well as a full-time trainer in the Seattle area and on the West Coast in general.


Lyoto Machida def. Tito Ortiz - Judges' Decision


I believe the Gouveia/Reljic bout took home the honors, but I honestly felt Ortiz vs. Machida was the "Fight of the Night" and I hope Dana White's personal issues with Tito did not affect the decision to give Gouveia/Reljic upwards of $75,000 each for their UFC 84 performances. Sure, there were lulls in action based on Machida's strategic style of fighting, but there were close to three finishes in the bout. I also felt an increased sense of drama, which added to my enjoyment of the battle, based on the idea it was likely Tito Ortiz's last appearance inside the Octagon. I think he would be smart to stay in the UFC from a business standpoint, because Ortiz and White are both good for each other when it comes to making money, but I understand Tito's desire to go somewhere he feels more respected on a personal level. And, as final appearances go, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" looked pretty decent against the masterful Machida, though obviously not good enough to win no matter how close he was to sinking in a Triangle Choke as the third round came to a close.

Regarding Lyoto Machida, I was very impressed by his speed and was not at all bothered by his point-system of fighting. Machida's strikes were sharp, especially when it came to jabbing and leg-kicks, and it was fascinating to watch the Brazilian bob his head/fists around, almost doing a dance at times, in order to frustrate Ortiz and avoid most of Tito's attempted damage. I also enjoyed watching Machida turn it on at the end of the first round when he showed a bit of emotion in dragging Ortiz to the canvas. I say with 99% certainty that Tito would have been finished via TKO had there been thirty more seconds in the frame. Machida is clearly the "real deal" and I look forward to his continued ascension in the Light Heavyweight ranks. He definitely deserves to be considered a top contender with one more UFC win over a noteable opponent. Wanderlei Silva or Chuck Liddell would both make a lot of sense in terms of filling that role.

Here are a few bits o' glory from the highly entertaining bout:












Wanderlei Silva def. Keith Jardine - KO - RD 1


While I went a respectable 9-2 on 411Mania's UFC 84 Roundtable, I found myself feeling like a complete moron after going back and realizing I went with Jardine to beat Silva via decision. If I had any credibility to begin with, I'd say it's very possible I ruined it with that very pick. I was surprised Jardine decided to instantly engage, as I'd always felt "The Dean of Mean" benefitted from being an intelligent fighter with elusive stand-up abilities. However, the Jardine who showed up against Wanderlei Silva was the man who got flattened by Houston Alexander, not the cerebral Mixed Martial Artist who out-struck Chuck Liddell. Charging in and exchanging blows with Silva played to the Brazilian's strengths and resulted in Keith once again sprawled out on his back while being attended to by medical professionals. It's starting to make me wonder if maybe Jardine is a robot and his goatee is hiding an "On/Off" button or if his jaw is made out of Ming Dynasty porcelain.

Wandy looked like a reincarnated version of his PRIDE persona. He threw punches with intention to damage and did just that. With another high profile win, I wouldn't mind seeing him jump to the front of the line as far as Light Heavyweight contenders. He may not be fully deserving of the distinction, even with a potential victory over a top LHW, but involving Silva in a title-fight guarantees interest from the fans, an exciting eventual bout, and maybe even the opportunity for "Rampage" Jackson to avenge his losses to Silva when the two faced off in PRIDE.

I like to think of the following two pictures as "Before" and "After"...








BJ Penn def. Sean Sherk - TKO - RD 3


Like so many of you reading this probably were, I was amongst those shocked by Sean Sherk's decision to turn the main event into a boxing match. He attempted a single half-hearted shot and gave up on trying to take Penn down from that point forward. I can only assume "The Muscle Shark" felt he wasn't going to be able to take BJ down until the later rounds, if at all, and decided to test his stand-up against Penn (which was clearly a bad idea). My other thought is perhaps Sherk wanted to beat BJ up based on their personal problems with each other (again, a bad idea). Penn picked the Minnesotan apart with jabs, making sure to use his superior reach and height whenever it came to range on their feet or in the clinch, and the champ never seemed to legitimately be in any trouble. The final moments of the third round were glorious and Penn clearly proved himself to be amongst the top 2-3 Lightweights on this planet if not the very best of the bunch. Sherk will heal up and be back, ready to grind out decision victories over inferior competition until he makes his way back into the title hunt. As for Penn, it seems there are a few avenues he can take.

I dislike the idea of him fighting St. Pierre again at this juncture in their careers. Based on what I know of BJ Penn, his UFC 58 loss to GSP still bothers him to this day. He lost to Jens Pulver in 2002 and carried around a grudge for five-and-a-half years until he was able to avenge the loss last June. But, as is something I'll bring up later in the column pertaining to Brock Lesnar's future, the UFC is mistaken to let fighters start influencing future matches with anything other than their in-Octagon performances. I feel talk of Penn cleaning out the division, or Dana White saying there is only one interesting fight at 155-pounds for the current UFC Lightweight Champion, is short-sighted and doesn't take into account the depth of the weight-class or "anything can happen" aspect of MMA. And, honestly, even if BJ Penn were to wipe out Roger Huerta, Tyson Griffin, and Nate Diaz in similar dominating fashions, can someone tell me when it become a negative to have the world's best representing your brand as champion?!? It certainly makes it all the more interesting if someone like Penn or Anderson Silva eventually fall to defeat. People felt Georges St. Pierre would remain UFC Welterweight Champion for an extended period of time and then he dropped the strap in his first title defense. So again, my personal opinion is BJ Penn needs to stay at Lightweight and Dana White needs to encourage him to do so.

Also, what's with BJ licking his opponents' blood? Penn mentioned wanting to lap up Sean Sherk's crimson mask during the "UFC 84 Countdown" special, then, as he did against Joe Stevenson, BJ proceeded to tongue his gloves. It's a cool visual, but isn't there something inherently wrong with feasting on another man's viscera? I distinctly remember my mother frowning on cannibalism, even when done in a celebratory manner...








There's my three cents on things - now on to my spin on a handful of other subjects gracing the headlines this past week. I'd love to hear your thoughts 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 19th, 2008 and May 25th, 2008:


Spike TV has announced that the season finale for "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 7 will be a three hour special instead of the usual two hours. The show will air on June 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The event is headlined by the Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Championship bout, plus two fights featuring former TUF champs as Diego Sanchez steps into the cage against Luigi Fiorvanti and Kendall Grove takes on Evan Tanner.


Bravo to Spike TV for opening up another hour, allowing their cash cow to infringe upon prime time usually reserved for infinite "CSI" re-runs and the genius of "Pros vs. Joes". While the TUF VII Finale is not quite as deep a card as Fight Night XIII was, outside of the headlining bouts I'm excited to potentially see Drew McFedries face Marvin Eastman, as well as Burkman vs. Hazlelett, whereas neither of those would likely be shown had the broadcast remained at two hours. As far as the additional six minutes of airtime, I'm sure it's not related to the scheduled fight between infamous prodders Jeremy Horn and Dean Lister, but I don't doubt fifteen minutes of watching the MMA equivalent of grass-growing will feel like an hour of my life has slipped away.

For people wondering where all the Season 7 guys are, considering it's the TUF VII Finale, keep in mind a few things. The season hasn't concluded yet and any announced match-ups featuring its participants would semi-spoil the remaining episodes. Sure, it's unlikely Jeremy May is going to fill in for an injured quarter-final fighter, but the possibility remains so long as he hasn't been officially attached to a finale bout. Also, two other factors to consider are the UFC's recent roster cutdown, meaning the organization is not looking to sign as many new faces as they had in previous years, while taking into account also the guys on this season haven't necessarily shown they're ready for the UFC. Factor in the cast apparently being cut from milquetoast where personality is concerned and you've got a situation where it's likely only a handful of the fighters from Season 7 will end up actually stepping into the Octagon based on a lack of talent and/or marketability. I'm not saying every single man on the show isn't talented to some degree, and I have great respect for their skill, but making it in the UFC takes a special blend of world class ability, heart, dedication and the fans' emotional investment. The plain truth is, while its no knock on them individually, some fighters simply aren't suited for "The Show".


James Irvin, who was scheduled to replace Chuck Liddell in the fight with Rashad Evans at UFC 85 has unfortunately gone down with an injury. The Rashad Evans fight has now been taken off of the show.


Right about now Dana White is regretting his decision to tell some random, old gypsy woman to go f*ck herself, because UFC 85 is clearly cursed. *cue spooky music* I'm not sure UFC 85 is actually losing anything with Evans being removed from the card, as not only does it make way for a superior pairing of Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites to be bumped up to the televised portion of the event, but Rashad Evans is as likely to put the crowd to sleep as he is to send his opponent to dreamland. It also opens up the possibility of Ryo Chonan showing up on the broadcast, as well as perhaps the intriguing Middleweight bout between Jorge Rivera and a returning-from-injury Martin Kampmann.

As for "Sugar" 'Shad, a natural solution would be moving Evans to the UFC 86 card since it's headlined by the LHW Championship fight between Forrest Griffin and "Rampage" Jackson, and the show is lacking a genuine big fight outside of the main event. There are some nice match-ups (Almeida/Cote, Stevenson/Tibau, Griffin/Aurelio, Koscheck/Lytle), but adding Rashad Evans into the mix at the July 5th event would give UFC 86 an epic feel honoring the explosiveness of the previous day's national celebration. The most-logical opponent in my eyes is Wanderlei Silva. He took no damage at UFC 84 and I guarantee Evans would love an opportunity to avenge the brutal knockout loss best-friend Keith Jardine suffered at the hands of "The Axe Murderer".


The Japanese website "SportsNavi" is reporting that World Victory Road will be holding a single-day eight-man Lightweight tournament on August 23rd. The winner of the tournament will then face Takanori Gomi for the Sengoku Lightweight Title. Satoru Kitaoka and Eiji Mitsuoka have already been named as participants in the tournament.


It's good to be Gomi. He is so revered in Japan, while also being a damn fine Mixed Martial Artist, that he's given a bye to fight for a championship eight other men will risk incredible damage to obtain a chance at. The person who eventually faces "The Fireball Kid" will have competed three times on a single night at seemingly what will be the event prior to the title shot. To me, World Victory Road feels like the Japanese equivalent of EliteXC in comparison to DREAM being considered by many to be the region's superior MMA organization. WVR has a few big stars, but is more gimmick-based, while DREAM seems to be attempting to blend entertainment with genuinely good fights. Comparing the organizations' approach to their Lightweight belt only goes to affirm my belief DREAM is the suprior fight promotion. On one side you have Gomi getting a free pass to the title, while on the other you have a Grand Prix involving some of the world's best Lightweights facing each other for the distinction of being called the division's top dog.


The fifth episode of "Strikeforce on NBC", the first-ever weekly mixed martial arts cage fight program on one of the four major national television networks in the U.S, topped the average ratings of both ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," both of which air several hours earlier during weeknights, in the 18-34 year old male category of viewers during the week of May 5, 2008. The 0.5 rating drawn by "Strikeforce on NBC" in the 18-34 year old male category beat the ratings of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on four of the five weeknights that the ABC show airs and tied Kimmel's ratings on the fifth night. The Strikeforce program bested the ratings of "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on all five weeknights and tied the Thursday and Friday night ratings of CBS's "The Late Show With David Letterman" that week, in the same demographic group.

The overall viewership of "Strikeforce on NBC," which airs immediately following "Poker After Dark" every Saturday night (check your local listings for show time), has increased by an astronomical 197%, from 319,000 to 949,000, including a 58% jump between the two most recently reported weeks (949,000 from 602,000).


Here in Austin, at least with Time Warner cable, "Strikeforce on NBC" isn't available in its standard format, so I'm very impressed to hear the show has been doing so well because I imagine such is the case in other areas. I wonder, however, if these numbers also take into account the show's broadcast on Universal HD (which I do get), because it seems as though they may even have more viewers than they're aware of. I'm certain Gary Shaw, and a few executives at CBS, smiled when news broke that MMA has not only drawn an audience on network television, but is actually beating established programs shown at more viewer-friendly hours.


Marc Coleman has suffered a knee injury in training and is out of UFC 87. Brock Lesnar will still fight on the show with Heath Herring being named as Coleman's replacement.


The UFC's approach to Brock Lesnar completely baffles me. I'm not certain if they truly believe in his talent or are merely interested in making professional wrestling look bad...well, worse than it already is. I understand Lesnar's interest in challenging himself and would expect no less from a man with his heart, his desire to compete. I respect the fact he wants to take on MMA's best. However, the UFC does not have to oblige Brock's wishes, and setting him up to potentially be 0-2 in the Octagon is no way to build a star or get a return on the $250,000 per fight salary he's being paid. Hardcore fans can criticize EliteXC all they want for the tomato soup Kimbo Slice has been fed thus far, but it's absolutely the correct way for the company to market Slice as a legitimate threat and MMA superstar. There wouldn't be half the interest in his fight on May 31st had he been thrown to the jiujitsu wolves and ended up on a two-fight losing streak. Instead of trying to build up Lesnar's mystique by giving him a fairly beatable Heavyweight, the UFC is feeding him to Heath Herring who is a well-rounded MMA veteran who can strike, wrestle, and roll. Herring has also rededicated himself to training and was in tremendous shape against Cheick Kongo. I see their UFC 87 bout being similar to Lesnar's UFC 81 appearance against Frank Mir. He'll probably shoot in on Herring, and if he survives the likely knee strike awaiting him, he'll take "The Texas Crazyhorse Down" and end up getting submitted from the bottom.

As far as Coleman, I hope his injury rehabs well, and I wish him the best of luck on his future MMA endeavors. That being said, I am not at all disappointed to see him removed from this card, and I honestly would be fine with him never again stepping into the Octagon. I believe the sport has passed him by, especially when it comes to American MMA, and his date of birth certainly doesn't help things either. I have no interest in seeing Coleman offer his horrified, crying daughters up for a photo-op with a man who has just beaten daddy down, getting in a few sucker-jabs after losing a fight, or attempting another failed jump to the ropes...











MMAJunkie is reporting that Houston Alexander will be facing Eric Schafer at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 14 show on September 17th. Alexander last fought at UFC Fight Night 13 and lost to James Irvin via TKO in 8 seconds.


This is a "make or break" fight for both men, especially in light of the UFC deciding to streamline their divisions by (in most cases) letting go subpar competitors. Houston "The Assassin" Alexander and Eric "Red" Schafer are both coming off two-fight losing streaks inside the Octagon, though at least in Schafer's case he's tasted victory twice in 2008 thanks to dual "Gladiators Fighting Series" appearances. Alexander is still, as Joe Rogan would say, a "scary dude", but the aura of destruction he created after crushing Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara has faded rather quickly with back-to-back knockout losses. I expect Schafer to do his best to pull guard or attempting a quick takedown, as standing up against the heavy-handed Nebraskan would likely lead to meeting with unconsciousness, and "Red" also happens to excel on the ground - an area in which Alexander has yet to prove himself.


DREAM has announced the match-ups for the 2nd round of the promotions Middleweight Grand Prix tournament (which will take place at DREAM 4 on June 15th):

-Melvin Manhoef vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

-Gegard Mousasi vs. Dong Sik Yoon

-Zelg Galesic vs. Taiei Kin

-Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza


I'm a bit disappointed by the match-making and I wonder if DREAM honestly took into account the fans' voting. I can't imagine too many "Saku" fans, of which there are a great deal, wanted to see their hero face the potential decimation Melvin Manhoef delivers on a per-fight basis. In fact, I personally would have loved to see Sakuraba paired up against Jason Miller. "Mayhem" has stated Sakuraba is a childhood hero of his and given their mutual love of entertaining entrances, it's a shame fans will possibly be deprived of such a showdown ever occurring. Come to think of it, I actually favor Manhoef, Mousasi, Galesic, and "Jacare" Souza to move on in the Middleweight Grand Prix, so perhaps Miller and Sakuraba will turn out to be free for a match at a later DREAM event.


A few weeks back, Arizona State University announced that there were plans to discontinue its men's wrestling program along with men's tennis and men's swimming. However, wrestling boosters have raised over $8 million in donations to keep the program going which resulted in the university reinstating the program on Friday.

Arizona State's wrestling program is a hotbed for MMA talent. Current MMA stars such as C.B. Dollaway, Mark Munoz, Ryan Bader, and Aaron Simpson are all a combined 16-0 as professional MMA fighters. Veteran MMA fighters Dan Severn, Dan Henderson, and Don Frye also wrestled for Arizona State.


As little as I follow collegiate wrestling, which is to say as little experience as I have procreating with Brazillian supermodels, I was very happy to hear Arizona State opted to keep their legendary program intact. The situation first came to my attention a little over a week ago when ASU alum CB Dollaway wrote a terrific article on what being a Sun Devil meant to him and to MMA in general. In fact, Dollaway writes one of the better weekly "Ultimate Fighter Season 7" recaps available which you can find every Thursday on either MMAJunkie or in Yahoo's MMA Section. In fact, last week he discussed his self-reference to "CB Dollaway" during the episode, saying, "I wish I could sit here and somehow blame me talking in third person on the editing, but CB can't lie; CB pulled the 'douche-bag card' out on national TV." How can you not love a self-deprecating sense of humor from a guy who seems to be the early favorite to win the season's championship?

Back to Arizona State for a second, as I said earlier, I'm glad to hear their wrestling program isn't going the way of the Badminton Birdie. Amazing how eight million dollars can inspire folks to change their minds, isn't it? If the athletic department had a sharp thinker on board, I suspect they might also realize there's quite a bit of money to be made in a program that has produced iconic athletes in the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Why not blend in the wrestling team's MMA-related history to act as a draw for potentially interested students, athletes or otherwise? I'm certain there are more than a few young men out there in America who would consider directing their tuition money to a school for the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of greats like Dan Severn and Dan Henderson.


According to MMAJunkie, Ultimate Fighter Season 6 Champion Mac Danzig and Clay Guida will be facing off against each other at UFC 87. Guida is considered to be one of the UFC Lightweight Division's toughest fighters, while Danzig is coming off a win against Mark Bocek and will be looking for his second win as a UFC 155-pounder.


This should be a solid fight, perhaps with "Fight of the Year" possibilities, and it's also a great opportunity for Mac Danzig to further establish himself as a person of interest in the UFC's 155-pound class. Guida's motor runs faster than most folks' so Danzig will have his hands full to say the least. I expect this bout to go a full three rounds with about fourteen of the fifteen minutes offering tons of technique and oodles of entertainment. Guida and Danzig have comperable striking, wrestling, and jiujitsu, so I'm very excited about watching them lock up in Minnesota. UFC 87 is looking like a very nice event at the moment with St. Pierre vs. Fitch, Huerta vs. Florian, and Lesnar vs. Herring rounding out the rest of the likely televised card.


Jibber-Jabber:

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

In an interview with MMAWeekly, UFC President Dana White addresses the organization's recent roster cuts...

"It's nothing abnormal at all. At the end of the day, the UFC, like I say all the time, it's the place where all the best fighters in the world fight. And after you lose a few, or whatever, you have to go back down and get some wins and come back. The guys who are really dedicated to this sport, and they make the cut, they go and get more wins under their belt and end up coming back. I can't keep everybody under contract because the way that we do our contracts, depending if you're one of our big stars, we'll have you locked up for six or eight fights, or whatever it might be. They're under long-term contracts. Other guys that are trying to make their way up to be Sean Sherks or B.J.s, or whatever it is, they're under a three-fight deal, or a two-fight deal. Some of them are under one-fight deals. It depends."


It makes complete sense to me. As MMA continues to grow at an exponential rate, so too have the number of top notch fighters available and a company like the UFC can only offer up so many spots to mid-grade competitors who find themselves on a 2-3 fight slide. There have been numerous examples of individuals who have been released from UFC contract after dropping a few bouts and later returned to find some success inside the Octagon. By weeding out fightes who need more experience or a larger base of skills, the UFC is simply providing its fans with what they feel are the best Mixed Martial Artists available. And, while I may at times disagree with the UFC's assessment of their talent, I certainly appreciate what Dana's crew is attempting to do.

Another positive to cutting the organizational fat is the notion it frees up fighters to sign with other fight promotions. Instead of wallowing on a company's undercard, or being forced to wait an extended period of time to compete, a guy who hasn't found much success in the UFC gains an opportunity to make a name for himself and pay some bills along the way. And, if said individual does in fact string together a few wins, possibly even on network television, he's also increased his market value when it comes to any future contracts he signs. While the UFC's roster cuts initially seemed to be a dark cloud on the sport, I'm starting to only see the silver lining, and I think it will eventually be a win-win for both the UFC and the involved fighters given the number of MMA opportunities currently out there.


Gary Shaw, head of EliteXC, discusses his thoughts in a conference call on the promotion having a Heavyweight Champion...

"Right now, we're close to doing a Heavyweight title. We'll probably do the Heavyweight title in 2008. Kimbo's there, James Thompson's there, and obviously (Antonio) Junior Silva is right there at the top."


The EliteXC Heavyweight Championship is a subject Gary Shaw should never again discuss unless he's able to bring in fighters who are "free agents" to a certain extent. To say Kimbo Slice and James Thompson are to be considered actual contenders is a joke. Neither man has proven himself to be more than a flash in the pan, and while Slice has the marketability of a world champion, he does not have the credibility as a Mixed Martial Artist. Why not bring names like Pedro Rizzo, Jake O'Brien, Paul Buentello, Alistair Overeem, and Jeff Monson? All affordable Heavyweights with proven track records who would instantly give the title some legitimacy were two contenders to be established from the bunch, including Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, and given the honor of fighting for the inaugural EliteXC Heavyweight Championship.


Wanderlei Silva (to MMAWeekly) contemplates a drop to Middleweight...

"Maybe it's possible after this fight to fight at 185. The guys in my division are much tall, and it's hard. The guys are stronger, but I've fought in the division many times, many years. Here, the guys are much stronger. Maybe I'm going to fight next time at 185. I don't know. As long as they have good opponents for me at 185 too, maybe next time I go down. I don't know. It's hard to go down and fight the champion. I need to fight other guys first. I trained with [Anderson Silva] a long time ago. We are friends, but a job is a job and friends are friends. In the future maybe it's possible to fight with him."


As re-energizing as Silva's whalloping of Keith Jardine must have been to Wandy himself, I imagine it was equally as invigorating to fans of "The Axe Murderer". It felt like the old Silva was back, mainly thanks to a reckless approach by Keith Jardine and his bearded chin's durability. I personally feel there are a lot of interesting fights for Wanderlei at 205-pounds, but likewise I'd love to see what he'd do against the likes Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, and/or Anderson Silva were he to drop to Middleweight. I can't say I ever knew much about Wanderlei Silva during his time in PRIDE, other than of course what I saw inside the ring, but the more I'm learning about "Wand" as he transitions into the UFC, the more I'm realizing what a true champion he is. The guy seems to be humble, has a ton of heart, and genuinely loves the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The dude may look like a henchman from a James Bond movie, but I get the feeling Silva would be more comfortable playing "tea party" with his daughter than battling a bloodied Daniel Craig on the wing of a crashing airplane.


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That's about all she wrote for this week's Hangover. Till next time Punch Drunk buckaroos, here's your "Memorial Day Morning Moment(s) of Zen" - Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hughes in an ADCC submission-grappling match, Lyoto Machida showing the world Anderson Silva isn't the only Brazilian who can knock Rich Franklin out, and BJ Penn testing his jits skills against BJJ royalty in the form of Renzo Gracie:


How they fit both egos in the same room is beyond me...




You just got your "Ace" kicked!




You can find the following fight by looking up the definition of the word "jiujitsu"...






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