The Verbal Submission 06.24.08: Forrest, Nightmare, Sugar and Daddy

Posted by Chris Robinson on 06.24.2008

After a solid Ultimate Finale this past Saturday, I profile the winners from the first two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. These kings of the nickname are all at the top of the UFC food chain now, so let's see how they got there, and what their futures hold.


Welcome to the latest edition of "The Verbal Submission". In today's column, I'm going to take a look at the first two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter by talking about where the winners are in their careers now. First though, my opinion on the latest Ultimate Finale, and that opinion is awesome! The show put on by the UFC this past Saturday was fantastic even though most of the fights went to a decision. I'm a fan of the finish, but all the fights packed enough action to make for an exciting evening.

Let me throw out a hypothetical though. What if there were no more decisions? Think about it. What if every fight had to end in a KO, TKO, referee stoppage, or submission? If the fight went the full three or five rounds, the two participants would be stuck with a draw on their record. I think this would force a lot of fighters to really work for a win instead of trying to get by with a decision. I'm not saying that every fighter doesn't go out there ready to drop bombs or choke someone out. You'll notice that certain guys, if they know they're ahead on the cards after two rounds, will try to play it safe and do just enough to get a decision. This thought popped up on a recent edition of the Empire Hardcore Podcast, and again the other night after the split decision win for Kendall Grove. I was shocked one of the judges saw that fight for Evan Tanner, but after talking with a friend of mine, he thought a case could be made for Tanner scoring takedowns, controlling the clinch, and defending some big shots from Grove. Anyway, I'd love to hear some people's opinions on abolishing decisions.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 1
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WINNER: FORREST GRIFFIN
We'll start off with the man who will get his shot at the UFC 205lb Title at UFC 86, Forrest "Shrek" Griffin. (Seriously, Rampage should pick nicknames for everyone in the UFC) After an entertaining season of TUF, Forrest will get his shot at the gold against a man who some believe is unstoppable, Quinton "I Smelt It" Jackson. It's hard to believe it's been over three years since Griffin put the UFC on the map with his epic battle against Stephan Bonnar. It's also hard to believe Bonnar is barely a blip on the 205 radar right now. Some are questioning whether or not Forrest deserves this title shot though as he's 3-2 over his last five fights with notable wins over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and a second victory over Bonnar. He's been knocked out by Keith Jardine, and lost a close decision to Tito Ortiz. To me, the light heavyweight division is starting to look thin on main event talent, which could be why Anderson Silva is moving on up. With Tito Ortiz gone, Chuck Liddell battling age and injury, and Wanderlei Silva getting back on track, the only other young guns near the top are Rashad Evans and Forrest.

Here's a highlight reel of Griffin's fights in the UFC.


So what if Forrest wins the championship? The obvious choice for his first title defense will be against the winner of Liddell/Evans at UFC 88. If he loses, this might be his only shot. A rematch with Jardine would be intriguing considering his recent losses, but how about a possible match with "The Axe Murderer"? Could Forrest chop down another PRIDE veteran with legendary status? If he hadn't lost to Jardine at UFC 66, he might've been in line to face Chuck Liddell during his title reign. One thing is for sure, a match-up between Liddell and Griffin would be a stand-up war.

UFC 86 PREVIEW


Forrest has definitely fulfilled his potential since winning on The Ultimate Fighter. The show's main goal is to create new stars that will ascend up the ranks of their division and become title contenders. Forrest's journey has been a bit rocky, but he's at the top of the mountain now. (I was going to put a Shrek joke here, but I'll let you make-up your own) The same can't be said for Diego Sanchez.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 1
MIDDLEWEIGHT WINNER: DIEGO "NIGHTMARE" SANCHEZ
For me, Diego "Dirty" Sanchez was the guy on Season 1 that I was most impressed by. His no non-sense demeanor, and straight forward attacks in the octagon were intense and explosive. After winning the show, Diego dropped down to 170 and went on a tear by rattling off six straight wins before falling into a two fight losing streak. Granted, those losses were both by decision to two top welterweights in Josh Koshcheck and Jon Fitch. Probably helps that Kos fought Diego first then passed on his knowledge to teammate Fitch. (They're teammates! Don't ever forget that!) After those two losses, Diego fell out of of contention for the welterweight crown. In a perfect world, we might've had Diego Sanchez vs. GSP or Matt Hughes for the title. Diego has bounced back since those two losses and looks very improved. His TKO in the 3rd round of Luigi Fioravanti was the best he's looked since his knockout of Joe "Diesel" Riggs.

So what's next for Diego Sanchez? It looks like they'll continue to give him match-ups against top guys. Perhaps a rematch with Koscheck? Personally, I'd love to see Diego get in the cage with Thiago Alves. After not making weight due to injury, Alves needs one more fight to prove he's ready for the likes of GSP. Putting Alves in with Diego would either cement Alves as the top contender, or rocket Diego up to the #1 contender spot. Sherdog currently has Diego ranked ahead of Thiago in their 170 rankings, so this match-up seems logical to me. (Sherdog's rankings are accurate right? Fedor is still the top heavyweight right?) I doubt Matt Hughes would even accept a fight with Diego Sanchez at this point, although it would be an exciting fight. Both are great wrestlers with outstanding ground and pound, but Diego's stand-up game is probably a notch above Hughes'.

Here's a look at Diego's intense training.


Diego Sanchez is back on the road to the title, but it looks like it will take him a bit longer to reach the promised land. I kind of wish he had stayed at middleweight after winning the show, but I know that's not his natural weight class. Imagine a match-up between Diego and Rich Franklin or Anderson Silva? Diego was the first to switch weight classes after winning the show, but he definitely wouldn't be the last.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 2
WELTERWEIGHT WINNER: JOE "DADDY" STEVENSON
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson steamrolled through the competition during season two to win the title, but then dropped to 155. (Get it? He has kids, so he's a daddy! HA!) Stevenson had a definitive experience advantage after spending several years in smaller organizations like King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge. When the UFC decided to reinstate the 155 division, Stevenson jumped at the chance. He picked up four straight wins over top guys like Mishima, Yves Edwards, Kurt Pellegrino, and Melvin Guillard, with his only loss coming to Josh Neer by decision. When Sean Sherk was forced to relinquish his title, Stevenson was put in the cage with BJ Penn to determine the new champ. Unfortunately, Joe "Daddy" couldn't overcome the superior striking of BJ Penn, but the match itself was bloody and thrilling.

Here's a crazy metal highlight reel of Penn vs. Stevenson


The UFC had to be excited that yet another TUF winner had made it to a title fight. It proves that the show isn't just "reality TV", but a machine that produces the company's future stars. What if Joe Stevenson had defeated BJ Penn? A match-up with former champ Sean Sherk would've been next and my guess is that wrestling would've dominated that fight. For fans of the ground game, you would've been in for a treat. This match-up may happen someday, but it doesn't look like a title will be on the line. Up next for Joe "Father" will be Gleison Thibeau at UFC 86. Thibeau is a tough BJJ expert that likes to get guys on the ground and submit them. This fight won't see much stand-up. With a win, Joe "Daddy" will be back on track for a possible title shot, while a loss could put him close to losing his spot in the UFC.

While Joe "Daddy" looks for a second chance at UFC gold, season two heavyweight champ Rashad Evans is still gunning for his first taste of a championship.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 2
HEAVYWEIGHT WINNER: "SUGAR" RASHAD EVANS
"High Fructose Corn Syrup" Rashad Evans wasted no time in dropping to 205 after winning TUF season 2 at heavyweight. Since defeating Brad Imes for that title in 2005, Rashad has run through five more opponents, with only a draw to Tito Ortiz blemishing his record. Most people believe that fight would've ended in a loss for Rashad had the ref not taken a point from Tito for fence holding. (I'm shocked Dana White just hasn't removed all Tito Ortiz fights from everyone's records) Rashad also looked tentative in his recent win over Michael Bisping. The Rashad Evans that knocked out Jason Lambert and Sean Salmon was replaced by a more calculating Rashad Evans that couldn't find an opening for his heavy handed strikes. Well on September 6th, 2008, Evans better be ready to throw as he faces one of the most feared strikers in UFC history, Chuck Liddell.

Quick, yet low quality, look at Rashad's most famous KO.


Now this fight might not be for the title, but it might as well be. If Evans can't get past Liddell, the fall back down the ladder will be rather far. If he loses, there are possible match-ups with Keith Jardine, or the Griffin/Jackson loser. There's also possible match-ups with Wanderlei Silva, or Anderson Silva. Pick a Silva! If Evans defeats Liddell, then we're looking at the new number one contender at 205. I'm sure Dana White is salivating at a potential 205 title fight between two former TUF winners in Evans and Forrest Griffin. Put it on Spike!

So that's look at the first four winners from the first two seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. Next week, I'll profile Season 3 winners Michael "The Count" Bisping and Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove. (Rampage could come up with better nicknames for these guys)

MMA LIVE on ESPN.com
If you still haven't check out MMA LIVE on ESPN.com, what're you waiting for? This week's edition featured an interview with Dana White as he continued to push his new catch phrase, "It's a great time to be an MMA fan!".

Me: "Hey Dana, I'm unemployed, and have no medical insurance, but I really need to see a doctor about this lump on my leg."
Dana White: "It's a great time to be an MMA fan!"

Also, they reviewed the latest shows from EliteXC and Dream. Plus, the hosts had a phone interview with Josh Barnett. So check it out here in my column, and every Thursday the new episodes go up on ESPN.com. If we get some more eyeballs on this show on the web then it may end up on real TV sooner than later.


END OF THE THIRD ROUND
That wraps up the third edition of "The Verbal Submission". If you get a chance, check out the Empire Hardcore Podcast, which is up on Tuesdays and Saturdays at Podomatic.com and is also available on iTunes. Also, be sure to check out my web comedy antics on YouTube. And check out my blog at EmpireHardcore.com. Plus, my new Anomaly Media designed MySpace layout is up so take a look here. I'll be back next Tuesday to talk about the latest happenings in MMA. Enjoy your week!

Kick. Punch. It's all in the mind.

-CPR