Punch Drunk Hangover 06.30.08: Melendez Gets Punk'd

Posted by Bren Oliver on 06.30.2008

Read ahead for Bren Oliver's thoughts on the first half of 2008, the superb SoCal showdown between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez, Michael Bisping headlining UFC 89, Kazuo Misaki in Strikeforce, and Quinton Jackson's ho-hum feelings about Forrest Griffin's win over "Shogun" Rua. Those things and more, plus this week's "Monday Morning Moment of Zen" featuring Kim Couture's tattered mandible, 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 is the case every week, I'm here with another one-stop shop for catching up on Mixed Martial Arts news, hoping as always to help you escape from the doldroms of an average Monday by 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!!!





As it turns out, for the first week in quite some time, there isn't either an assorted issue lodged firmly in the side of my brain like a Sharon Stone icepick or a significant MMA event from which to pluck highlights and discuss each bout in detailed fashion. Sure, the Strikeforce card boasted a few decent names and was crowned by a teriffic Lightweight title-bout between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson, but the show was a bit lackluster outside of its main event and took a hit when Joe Riggs was forced to withdraw. So, instead of starting with a particular news item or event from the past seven days, I thought I'd focus on the first half of 2008 as we're officially six months into the year. If my column feels a bit top heavy this week, it's due to the fact I likely won't be submitting an article next week as I have plans to head to the beach for 4th of July Weekend (and a few days preceding it). I'm a bit worried I may not get to take in UFC 86 live due to the beach town I'll be staying in, but I plan on doing my damndest to find it on a television set come the 7/5 even if it means I have to swim a mile in the Gulf of Mexico and latch onto an oil rig.

In the words of Frank Sinatra, 2008 as been "a very good year". The first week brought a few interesting tidbits to the forefront. Matt Serra announced he would be fighting Georges St. Pierre in Montreal, Lyoto Machida confirmed he had accepted an offer to fight Tito Ortiz, and the world got its first bitter taste of YAMMA Pit Fighting when former UFC-owner Bob Meyrowitz stated he would be introducing fans to a revolutionary new Mixed Martial Arts promotion. It also happened to be the last time Fedor Emelianenko fought, and as fate would hate it, Tim Sylvia happened to make the following comment to a website - "I think [Emelianenko] is being a pussy. I think Fedor is very good, but you have to fight the top level competitors all the time to keep that status, and he is just not doing that." Funny how six months ago it seemed unlikely we would ever see Tim-meh fight Fedor, especially outside of the UFC, and yet in a few weeks Sylvia and the half-Forrest Gump, half-Russian Cyborg will step into the ring against each other.

A few weeks later and BJ Penn was UFC Lightweight Champion thanks to Sean Sherk's drug use and a dominating performance against Joe Stevenson, creating a miniature geyser on the former TUF Champ's forehead in the process. Penn would go on to destroy stripped-champion Sherk, never once appearing to be in danger, and has now created a scenario where many pundits of the sport feel he's unbeatable at 155-pounds given the UFC's current crop of Lightweights. For the first time in history, a father-son combo made its debut on a MMA card when Ken and Ryan Shamrock both announced their involvement in a "Cage Rage" event. Neither was successful, but carnies everywhere celebrated their brethren nonetheless. And, in standard Dana White fashion, the UFC President announced Fabricio Werdum would be considered the top contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship after he beat Gabriel Gonzaga...yet before he defeated Brandon Vera and prior to the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 which will give an undeserving Frank Mir a shot at Nogueira's title. January closed out with "Fight Night 12" where Nate Diaz took Alvin Robinson out in the first round and a possibly forgotten bout between Kurt Pellegrino and Alberto Crane kepts fans on the ends of their seats. After all, MMA seems to often be a "flavor of the month" sport, does it not? It was also the final week of existence for one-time primary UFC sponor Xyience, a situation that deteriorated from bankruptcy into a major lawsuit with millions of dollars at stake, and sadly cost viewers addtional opportunities to see commercials featuring a fit, booty-shorted female dancer frolicking in the rain and making out with an aluminum can. Excuse me while I pour out a little energy drink for the loss and re-compose myself before continuing on...

February saw Frank Mir earn a title-shot by catching a 1-0 fighter in a submission after being beaten on for 90% of the fight and Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira be "Big Nog" against Tim Sylva (a.k.a. take a beating, counter-punch, and show some BJJ wizardry). Fans also first caught wind of two ultimately doomed bouts - Chuck Liddell vs. "Shogun" Rua at UFC 85 in London and Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett for the EliteXC Welterweight Championship. However, bigger than any EliteXC or UFC going-on, was the announcement that FEG was creating a new fight promotion called "DREAM". I would say without hesitation that DREAM has been successful at filling the void left by UFC's purchase of PRIDE and has overshadowed rival company World Victory Road in terms of popularity with fans and general buzz in the media. It has gone on to deliver fights featuring exquisite displays of heart and technique (Alvarez/Hansen, Miller/Souza, Calvancante/Aoki, etc.), showcased legendary fighters (Sakuraba, Tamura, Minowa, etc.), brought in world-class talent (Ishida, Kang, Kawajiri, "Cro Cop", etc.) and provided numerous highlights along the way (the Aokiplata, Miller's showmanship against Shibata, Manhoef's destruction of "Saku", etc.). It should also be said Kimbo Slice knocked out "Tank" Abbott and directly afterwards I made mention of the possibility of James Thompson as a likely future opponent for him even though "Colossus" had been knocked out earlier in the night by Brett Rogers. However, I never would have predicted he would expose Slice so badly, or show up with alien spawn gestating in his ear.

There was a "Spring Break" from major MMA news in March outside of a hotly contested championship fight between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson. It was one of the rare times where the top two fighters in a weightclass faced off to determine the clear #1 and "The Spider" did just that by finishing "Hendo" inside of two rounds. A few other minor sidenotes include the first inkling that UFC 85 was cursed, as "Shogun" Rua announced he was out of the event with a torn ligament, Tim Sylvia stating he'd parted ways with the UFC, and Fedor Emelianenko was granted his freedom from M-1 to eventually sign with Affliction and face the aforementioned "Meh-niac". Oh yeah, and there was this little thing called a partnership between EliteXC and CBS that got announced, but it's not as if MMA on network television was a big deal...right? Anyone? What's with these crickets chirping?!?

Apil gave us an excellent "Fight Night 13" where the legend of Houston Alexander was silenced courtesy of James Irvin and Thiago Alves gave notice to the Welterweight division by leaving Karo Parisyan in la-la land. The first hint of Sylvia vs. Emelianenko being legitimate came to light, though at the time I'm not sure many people would have guessed so many other elite Heavyweights would be joining the two "Top 10" fighters on the card. Taking an alternative approach to Affliction where quality is concerned, YAMMA Pit Fighting made its first, and hopefully last, appearance on the MMA scene with an event receiving less positive reviews than Mike Myers' "The Love Guru". It's also important to point out that with April came UFC's first modern venture into Canada when Georges St. Pierre riddum'd his way past Matt Serra to claim the undisputed UFC Welterweight Championship. The crowd was great, as were most of the fights, and even Kalib Starnes' backwards-marathon performance at the event was overshadowed by Nate Quarry's mockery of the questionable strategy in the closing minutes of the third round.

I imagine May and June of this year are still somewhat etched in the minds of most readers so I'll save you all the breakdown and quickly transition into news pertaining to the final week of June 2008. However, by the wealth of material filling up the above paragraphs, as well as the items I omitted, I think it's safe to say the whole of Mixed Martial Arts has never been more exciting than it is at this very moment. The next six months appear to be as bright as the previous six with "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin kicking things off at UFC 86 next weekend (not to mention the other great match-ups on the card like Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau, Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida, Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio, and Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle). The following Saturday/Sunday will allow MMA fans to catch their collective breaths before diving into "Affliction: Banned", DREAM 5, and "Fight Night 14" where Anderson Silva and Brandon Vera will test the waters at Light Heavyweight a weekend later. It's a wonderful time to be a fan of MMA, and sincerely, I appreciate you all for reading my column and am proud to share this golden age in the sport with the PDH readership. To show how much I care, as a few of you requested, here are some GIFs of Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva from the creepy Japanese shaving commercial featured in last week's "Monday Morning Moment of Zen".








There's my three cents on the matter - 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. Have an extremely safe, extremely fun Fourth of July!!!


The following medley of items were reported between June 23rd, 2008 and June 29th, 2008:


Dave Meltzer is reporting that Jake Shields will defend his EliteXC Welterweight Championship against Nick Thompson at the upcoming EliteXC CBS show on July 26th. Thompson is currently 36-9-1 as a pro and just beat Michael Costa at Sengoku 3 on June 8th via kimura. He is currently on a twelve-fight win streak with his last loss coming at the hands of Karo Parisyan back at UFC 59 in April of 2006.


I was disappointed when I found out Shields' original opponent, Drew Fickett, had been released from his EliteXC contract due to participating in a June 7th "Rage in the Cage" bout (that ultimately could have jeopardized a title-fight against Jake Shields scheduled for a week later). Not only was I upset by the cancellation of a match between two highly skilled, well-rounded Mixed Martial Artists, but equally disheartened by the underrated Fickett blowing a huge opportunity in his career for little more than an extra paycheck. Everyone has bills to pay, and I understand MMA is not the most lucrative endeavor for lesser known fighters, but it's important to think about a long term future instead of only the immediate obstacles. A win over Jake Shields on live network/cable television would be a career-defining moment for the 28-year old out of Arizona. Instead, it is an opportunity he will likely never have due to his short-sighted view on the matter.

I applaud not only EliteXC for making lemonade out of Drew Fickett's actions, but Jake Shields for taking a fight on short notice against someone of Thompson's ability, as well as his role in selecting "The Goat" as someone who deserved the title-shot. A lesser fighter would have either backed out of the bout or at least attempted to influence the selection of an opponent who wasn't coming off a dozen wins in a row. Instead, Jake Shields not only mentioned Nick Thompson as someone he wanted to face but did so with a smile on his face.

Both Shields and Thompson are amongst the "Top 15" Welterweights in the world, though like so many fighter who haven't attached themselves to the UFC, neither is particularly well-known outside of the MMA-centric community. In fact, it's likely newer fans to the sport are more familiar with men Shields and Thompson have beaten before, such as Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Josh Neer, and Eddie Alvarez, than they are either man competing on EliteXC's July 26th card. I'm happy they will be getting a chance to showcase their polished talents on the national stage. This is a bout for every fan who complained the first "Saturday Night Fights" card was set up like a glorified "Tough Man" contest due to the number of strikers being featured on the show. Shields and Thompson are both masterful wrestlers and talented jiujitsu practitioners, yet each also possesses decent stand-up and enough power to leave an opponent separated from conciousness. The EliteXC Welterweight Championship fight may not provide the visceral satisfaction of the evening's main event between brawlers Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler, but rest assured it will be a technical battle between two of MMA's finest 170-pound fighters where every scramble and shift in leverage is as likely to end the bout as an uppercut or overhand right.


Sherdog.com is reporting that Nick Diaz will be meeting Thomas Denny at EliteXC's next CBS special on July 26th in Diaz's home town of Stockton, California. As of yesterday there were rumors going around that EliteXC was considering a Nick Diaz/KJ Noons EliteXC Lightweight Championship fight to headline the card, but instead have opted to put Denny in as Diaz's opponent. Denny is 26-16 as a pro and 1-0 in EliteXC/ShoXC. His last fight was against Malaipet Team Diamond, which Denny won via DQ back in March.


It seemed a given the Nick Diaz would be facing KJ Noons once his removal from DREAM 5 (against "Mach" Sakurai) was announced; that the mean-mugged Gracie Fighter would once again do his best to prove Karl Jr. was more "cheese" than "burger". I'm unsure as to whether or not the somewhat suprising scheduling of Thomas Denny as an opponent for the July 26th CBS show is a move to continue the build between Noons and Diaz or to force Nick to win at 160-pounds before putting him in a title-fight at that weight on national television. It could be a little of both I suppose. I suppose its possible Noons' camp could have influenced the decision, but I honestly get the feeling KJ Noons isn't afraid to fight anyone at anytime. He may be a posterboy for EliteXC, but he's also Hawaiin, and the warrior spirit is as embedded in their culture as hula dancing and leis. He grew up the son of a beet-faced former kickboxer who isn't afraid to lock a professional Mixed Martial Artist in a Muay Thai Plumb. No matter the smack talked or hype involved, I guarantee KJ Noons isn't afraid of Nick Diaz.

Thomas "Wildman" Denny provides a very interested opponent for Diaz. He's not necessarily the most talented fighter, but lives up to his nickname by approaching every bout he's in with a "nothing to lose" attitude. He actually has twice as many wins by submission than T(KO), meaning he'll be comfortable if Nick Diaz wants to roll on the mat, but also won't be afraid to stand and exchange strikes if need be. However, based on his impressive record of losing to superior competition, with defeats attributed to Georges St. Pierre, Joe Stevenson, Duane Ludwig, John Alessio, and Yves Edwards, I think Denny will probably drop a fight to Nick Diaz as well with his best chance for win coming via cut. Remember, Diaz will be coming off a bloody scrap against Muhsin Corbbrey six weeks prior to the EliteXC/CBS event, and his Achilles' Heel has always been his love to stand toe-to-toe while suffering from scar-borne facial tissue at times seeming to be more Kleenex than skin. Then again, how can you ever bet against a guy who took this class picture in second grade?





Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson were both tested "out of competition" by the Nevada State Athletic Commission last week. Both men tested clean for steroids and drugs of abuse. BJ Penn, Sean Sherk and Tito Ortiz were also previously tested out of competition and passed.


Go figure that "Sin City" is leading the charge in cleaning up athletic competition?!? I commend Keith Kizer and crew in developing this testing as part of the athletic commission's regulations, and while the policy in still in its infancy, I like that fighting in Vegas seems to require fighters to remain clean throughout the entire period leading up to competition instead of simply the week beforehand. The proof in the pudding will be when an athlete tests positive, even if for a recreational drug instead of something performance enhancing, and how the NSAC and UFC (or whichever promotion is involved) handles the situation. A number of people will feel certain substances should be overlooked if being used months in advance, while those who desire MMA is held to as high, if not a higher standard, than other major sports will rant about how every fighter should test clean at all times for not only the perception drug use creates, but to avoid a situation like in professional wrestling where athletes start dropping dead in their 40s. I'm glad Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin both passed so the debate can remain shelved. I'm pretty sure "Rampage" and Forrest have nothing to worry about until "aloofness" becomes a substance athletic commissions test for.


UFC 89 has been confirmed for Birmingham at the National Indoor Arena. Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben is set for the show.


Regardless of how popular Michael Bisping is in England, I'm confident Joe Silva and Dana White will put together a co-headlining bout to balance out the British contingent of fans and those who call for at least one elite fighter on every card. Since UFC 89 will likely take place in October, and a UFC Middleweight bout between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami has been rumored for such a time, I won't be too surprised if it acts as the "yin" to the Bisping/Leben "yang". It would also make sense as Leben and Bisping are both contenders in the 185-pound division and a resounding win for "The Count" could even thrust him into immediate contendership for the Middleweight strap. I expect Bisping's bout against "The Crippler" to be very entertaining, as both men are great at selling matches to the public and neither is afraid to back up his words inside the cage. I'm going to guess jiujitsu fanatics will be disappointed when it comes to UFC 89's standard UK-based Michael Bisping fight, because there's as much a chance he or Leben will be administering a gogoplata as there is in a Beatles reunion. I expect both fighters to strike for 95% of the time, with 3% saved for exhaustion-based resting and equal-parts 1% for both smiles after being punched and immediate unconsciousness. It's hard to say who will emerge victorious. I see the winner of their UFC 89 war as a coin-flip at best, with perhaps a slight edge to Bisping in overall technique and a hint of favoritism towards Leben when it comes to knockout power.


Sherdog.com is reporting that Antonio Silva has verbally agreed to face Sergei Kharitonov for the EliteXC heavyweight championship at EliteXC's next CBS primetime show on July 26th. The fight is currently awaiting approval from the California State Athletic Commission. Kharitonov has a very impressive MMA record of 15-3 with wins over Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Murilo Rua, & Pedro Rizzo.


Take it for what it's worth, but EliteXC's K-Fed clone (Jared Shaw) stated to Five Ounces of Pain the Kharitonov vs. Silva fight is "100 % not happening". It's a shame, as Sergei would have been an incredible addition to the July 26th card in both what he represents as a fighter and from the iconic imagery his presence would have provided. The public loves to sum up an individual in a picture or soundbyte and there is still a fond place for the Cold War struggle between the United States and Russia in the hearts of many Americans. How could EliteXC or CBS lose by potentially having a Russian air ranger who comes to the ring decked out in combat fatigues as their Heavyweight Champion (who also happens to be a 27-year old bad ass Mixed Martial Artist)? It's a perfect situation from a marketing standpoint. Fortunately, Shaw also said the organization is still interested in working with Kharitonov, but that he simply won't be debuting in the organizatoin against Antonio Silva for the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship.


Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the rumored Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares fight for UFC 88 on September 6th in Atlanta, Georgia has been upgraded from "possible" to "most likely". This is a huge fight for Henderson as a loss would be his third straight loss in the UFC and with such a high priced contract, he could be released from the UFC.


Rousimar Palhares is certainly an intriguing match-up for Dan Henderson assuming this turns out to be true. "Toquinho" does not have the reputation of Henderson's other two UFC opponents (champs Anderson Silva and "Rampage" Jackson), but he is a very talented fighter with an incredibly slick BJJ arsenal. I think "Hendo" is likely too strong for Palhares and I like him to out-decision the Brazilian if not finish him with ground-and-pound. However, if Rousimar is able to submit Henderson or earns the judges' favor, it would create a situation where I think the Team Quest godfather might have to do a bit of soul-searching in his career, but I highly doubt the UFC would release someone as popular as Henderson who has also stepped up to the plate and competed against a duo of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA in 2/3 of his fights. On top of that, he took "Rampage" through a tough twenty-five minutes and had Anderson Silva beat for a full round before ultimately making a mistake and ending up on the wrong end of a submission (with seconds left in the round), so it's not as if he's stunk the joint up in his Octagon appearances.


PRIDE and Pancrase veteran Kazuo Misaki will be making his Strikeforce debut on September 19th at Strikeforce's 2nd Playboy Mansion show. An opponent has yet to be named but there are rumors that he could end up facing Frank Shamrock, Joe Riggs, or Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le.


Frank Shamrock and Cung Le would be the two men I'd prefer to see Misaki fight, mainly because I feel Riggs needs a warm-up fight or two (due to his layoff) before facing some on Misaki's level, and Shamrock/Le are the more-marketable, more-talented fighters at this very moment in time. I could also see Joey Villasenor or "Ninja" Rua stepping in to fill the spot opposite Misaki and feel each would be a very suitable opponent for the "Grabaka Hitman". Regardless, I'm glad to hear a semi-official announcement of Misaki's debut in Strikeforce, as I do recall him signing a few months back and I feel he's a fighter who will gain some popularity in America with increased exposure. He's well-rounded, has crisp, powerful striking, is one of the better Middleweights in MMA, and will draw Asian viewers to CBS and the EliteXC product.


From Strikeforce: Thomson vs. Melendez...


I missed the first few fights on the card thanks to some alluring Tex Mex and appropriate accompanying beverages, but from what I understand the event started out on the right note with a number of quick finishes leading up to the night's primary action. I'll certainly be seeking the replay on HDNet, as the fights I was able to take in were for the most part plodding with only brief moments of legitimate jaw-dropping action (other than of course the superb title-fight). It's for this reason I'm only going to discuss a few of the bouts in more detail other than to say the Southworth/Ruiz fight reminded me of Jason Thacker's urine-soaked bed on the first Ultimate Fighter and, as I saw it, Nam Phan should have earned the split decision over Billy Evangelista instead of the other way around.


Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels - Submission - RD 2


Not even the power of Chuck Norris could save Raymond Daniels in his MMA debut. It was a horribly disappoint performance given the hype surrounding the man dubbed as the sport's "next Cung Le" due to his creative style of striking. It was poor matchmaking on the part of Strikeforce in that Metcalf is a seasoned veteran who is very strong on the mat. Assuming the organization was interested in creating some momentum for the young fighter, both as a professional Mixed Martial Artist and amongst fans, he should have been paired up against a stand-up fighter with less pro experience. As it was, Metcalf took him down at will, pounded on him for a bit while improving his position, and eventually applied choked Daniels out a minute into the second round. It was a harsh introduction to MMA for Daniels and hopefully one the tae kwon do phenom learns from in hopes of faring better when he fights a second time.


Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell - Judges' Decision


I expected more from Maxwell after having recently watched her 2006 fight in Strikeforce against a young lady named Gina Carano. While she did drop a unanimous decision to Carano, she looked good and at times seemed close to delivering "Conviction" her first MMA loss. Miesha Tate dominated her for the bulk of the fight, appearing to have both superior conditioning and technique, and used her wrestling ability to control probably eight of the fight's nine minutes. Tate looked good and with another win under her belt I definitely see her getting a shot in EliteXC. If nothing else, at least she can finally move on from this little dandy at the hands foot of Kaitlyn Young...





Josh Thomson def. Gilbert Melendez - Judges' Decision


Thomson showed up with a beautiful gameplan, enacted it to near-perfection, and, as much as I personally like "El Nino" as a fighter, I'm happy for the new Strikeforce Lightweight Champion who certainly deserved the decision victory he earned on Saturday night. I also appreciate what the win must mean to "Punk" on a personal level, as he's recently endured a string of bad luck stemming from injuries and the loss of his father, so it's extremely nice to see his hard-work and endurance rewarded with a prize so sweet. Thomson reminded me a bit of Lyoto Machida in his performance against Melendez, as he was evasive without running away and used his kicks to set up jabs and other punch-variations. The strategy seemed to frustrate Gilbert, possibly affecting the crispness of Melendez's shots, shoot-attempts, and overall ability to adjust and execute. Thomson's sprawl looked Liddell-like and took away Melendez's biggest offensive weapon (wrestling) outside of his usually amazing conditioning. I think a rematch between both friends is a must, as Strikeforce is a small pond and they are both big fishes, plus I have a hard time using the word "dominated" as so many people have done in regards to Thomson's win over Melendez. I think he of blonde bangs and a matching ducktail certainly earned the Strikeforce title hoisted over his shoulder, but I never felt he was close to finish Melendez or did more than slightly edge out Melendez for each of the five rounds.


Jibber-Jabber:

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


Quinton "Rampage" Jackson discusses future opponent Forrest Griffin's career-defining win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a UFC 86 conference call...

"I wasn't really impressed. You could see 'Shogun' wasn't the same guy who fought in PRIDE. It looked like 'Shogun' got tired in the first round and Forrest got tired in the second round. If 'Shogun' was the same guy I fought, and Forrest beat him, I would've been more impressed."


Unfortunately for "Rampage", and for fans, Rua will likely never again be the same individual who knocked him out cold less than five minutes into their 2005 PRIDE encounter. He has undergone multiple surgical procedures and will have been out of action for more than a year by the time he steps back into the cage. On top of that, the Octagon has proven itself to be quite different than PRIDE's ring and Rua is now fighting without the ability to soccer-kick or stomp his opponents. "Shogun" may not have been his typical self in the bout against Griffin, but I think Jackson is out of line by dismissing Forrest's win, as the victory was hard fought and well-deserved. Griffin achieved something only one other individual can lay claim to and that's finishing Mauricio Rua. For "Rampage" to say such a feat isn't impressive is either A.) Dishonest, B.) An attempt at getting under Forrest's skin, C.) Understatement of the year, or D.) All of the above. I'm going with "B", as I think Quinton is a smart fighter who has to, at least on some level, be impressed with Griffin's ability to choke out an individual who made a highlight reel out of him.


Matt Serra, to MMAWeekly, on a few of Matt Hughes' statements after UFC 85....

"I heard that… ‘My wife wants that fight, my kids want that fight,'...dude, wow, relax over there at the Hughes' household. My wife heard that. She watched the fight. She's like, ‘What do you expect? That's somebody who's married to Matt Hughes.'

You know what's funny about that though? I mean first of all, why don't you go put a steak on your eye before you start calling people out dude? Relax. You get your ass kicked and all of a sudden, 'Matt Serra better come up with a game plan'. Hey dude, go tend to your eye."


He may rub some people the wrong way, but I honestly enjoy Matt Serra's straight-forward approach to situations and the entertaining remarks often resulting from it. If you didn't crack a smile at Serra's quip about the Hughes' household, which he has a point about, you're either sporting a mullet or Matt's twin brother Mark. Their fight, which I suspect will take place in November or December, should be as much fun for the build as it is once the two men actually lock up inside the Octagon. I don't give the Jersey native a huge chance against Hughes based on strength and both fighters' ground-based style, though in Serra's favor, I feel the former UFC Welterweight Champion's ego will cause him to try and stand against "The Terror" and I like the Gracie Fighter's punching power in comparison to Hughes'. It will be an important fight for each man, as Hughes has stated he is close to retiring and losing to Serra could push him over the edge, while I believe the volume of people calling for Serra to drop back to 155-pounds will increase if he drops a second straight fight at Welterweight.


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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 Moment of Zen" - Kim Couture's jaw-dropping (literally), though unsuccessful, performance a few weeks back against Kim Rose.


Apparently, every rose DOES have its thorn...








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