The Fightin’ Stance News 07.04.08: Red, White, Black & Blue
Posted by Adam Tool on 07.04.2008
The holiday weekend kicks off with a bang in the latest edition of The Fightin’ Stance News! We’ve got a full preview of UFC 86, news on another MMA event you can see for free, an update on BJ Penn’s future, and more hype for the debut of Affliction! All of this, plus another batch of MMA Separated at Birth!
I'll start off by wishing everyone a happy Independence Day (for our non-American friends, happy Friday)! It's a very special day when we commemorate President Bill Pullman and Sergeant Fresh Prince leading the nation's forces against the alien menace that threatened all our lives.
Regardless, we've got mixed-martial arts to talk about. We're less than 24 hours from the next big UFC event and I've got your full preview on the way. We'll also get some words from the VP of Affliction, see what BJ's got in store, and look at another round of MMA Separated at Birth. But first…
More Free MMA?
Last week I reported that a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben would be on the card for UFC 89, which is scheduled for October 18th at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. This week the fight was confirmed by the U.K. branch of the UFC, and it was announced that Bisping and Leben would be headlining the show.
While this fight is intriguing for a lot of reasons, it certainly doesn't stand up as a PPV main event. It would seem the UFC realized this as well as it now appears the show will be shown via tape delay on Spike TV. This would be the first major event broadcast on the network since UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion last September. There are also reports that the UFC could be scheduling another event for the following week, likely headlined by Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami. If that's the case then UFC 89 would serve as a way to promote that event.
In related news it looks like Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez will meet in the co-main event of UFC 89, and it's a fight that I myself suggested last week. Clearly UFC matchmaker Joe Silva reads my column. Clearly.
Anyways this is a very exciting match-up, as both men are trying to prove they belong in the elite ranks of the welterweight division. If Alves can win (and make weight) he would certainly be next in line for a title shot (unless someone else gets it first, more on that in a minute). If Sanchez wins he'll prove that he's returned to the dominant form that he had before dropping two in a row last year. Ironically both men's last loss in the octagon was against current #1 contender Jon Fitch.
Bisping vs. Leben is a huge match-up as well. Michael Bisping has looked like an animal in his two fights since dropping to 185 lbs. Chris Leben is an explosive striker with one of the toughest chins in the business. It's clear that the UFC wants to make fights that will be exciting, and this one has the potential for big time fireworks.
Baby Jay Wants Things His Way
On August 9th UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his title against current #1 contender Jon Fitch. On the same show Roger Huerta and Kenny Florian will battle to determine the next top contender for the lightweight championship. Both fights should be exciting, and there's one man that will be watching very closely; current lightweight champ BJ Penn. Obviously he'll be meeting the winner of Huerta/Florian sometime in the future, but he's already got something else in mind.
In an interview with Fighters Club TV Penn dropped this nugget of info:
"Right now we're trying to set up a welterweight fight with me and maybe the winner of Fitch and St. Pierre, maybe at the News Year's show end of December, early January. We'll see what those guys are doing, how banged up they are."
Since winning his last fight with Sean Sherk, Penn has made it very clear that he wants a rematch with St. Pierre. The two met back at UFC 58 where GSP won a close decision. If the fight happens before Penn's next defense of the lightweight title, he could become the first man in UFC history to hold the title in two weight classes at the same time.
I'm not sure how to feel about this news. On one hand there's a big part of me that would love to see St. Pierre and Penn mix it up again, especially now with both guys reaching the pinnacle of their careers. On the other hand I don't think Penn should be abandoning the lightweights, since it's one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. I also feel it's somewhat disrespectful to the welterweights if Penn gets to leapfrog ahead of the pack and get the next shot at the belt. Yes, he's one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but he hasn't won a fight at welterweight since beating Duane Ludwig back in 2004.
In any case this is strictly a rumor right now, and we should know more after UFC 87 next month.
Getting Amped For Affliction
Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio held a conference call earlier this week to help promote the organization's debut show "Banned" in two weeks on July 19th. There were a few interesting bits of information, so we'll hit them one by one. My thoughts are in bold.
On the UFC running Fight Night 14 against their show:
"It's flattering. Obviously, it means they're paying attention to us. And it obviously means we're a threat of some sort to them."
Clearly Dana White is no fool, as he knows that Affliction's card is pretty deep. However I don't think he views Affliction as a real threat to the UFC, yet. This is the company's first show and I think White would rather cut them off before they really get started. There are a bunch of organizations trying to take a chunk of the UFC's pie, and unless they all band together and tackle Zuffa head-on, I don't see anyone else becoming #1 anytime soon.
On whether or not Fight Night 14 will hurt the show's buyrate:
"People who weren't going to watch our fight now have something to do."
Basically Atencio believes that the fans that were going to order the show won't be swayed by the UFC's free event. I would tend to agree, although I think there may be at least a few people that were planning to get the PPV when they first heard about it, but since then have changed their mind due to a lack of finances. I also think that UFC 86 could impact Affliction's business, since most MMA fans can only afford one PPV per month (if that).
On the stacked card for "Banned":
"Every one of our fights could be a main event. It's just an unbelievable card, and people want to see it. There's very, very few people out there that are even criticizing the card."
This is true. It‘s hard to find people criticizing the event. Of course, outside of the internet it‘s hard to find people that even know about the event. The hardcore MMA fans are wetting themselves in anticipation, but the casual fan probably doesn't even know this show exists.
On who will be fighting at the next event, tentatively scheduled for November 1st:
"We are going to use the winners (of Fedor/Sylvia and Barnett/Rizzo) for the next show."
Fedor vs. Barnett is a fight that longtime fans of the sport have been waiting to see for years. Sylvia vs. Rizzo…not so much. Personally I would rather see Fedor mix it up with Andrei Arlovski, as I think it would be a better match of styles.
MMA Separated At Birth part 2: Electric Boogaloo
I did this back in the April 19th edition of this report and people seemed to like it, so I thought I might as well bring it back. Ready? Here we go…
Anderson Silva and… The Haitian from Heroes
Michael Bisping and…
Detroit Lions QB Jon Kitna
Dana White and… Lex Luthor
Gina Carano and… Kristin Davis
Jeff Monson and… Matt Pinfield
Georges St. Pierre and…
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jeff Garcia
The Facts:
-This will be Jackson's second defense of the light heavyweight championship.
-Jackson is on a six fight win streak, and is undefeated in the UFC.
-Jackson's last loss was against the man Griffin beat to earn his title shot, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
-Although he's primarily a stand-up fighter, Griffin has seven wins by submission.
The Pick: It's one of the biggest main events of the year, and it also happens to be one of the hardest fights to pick. When it comes to the striking Rampage packs a bigger punch but Forrest uses a bit more variety, mixing in the kicks with his fists. In wrestling the edge would likely go to Griffin, although Jackson showed a great sprawl and big takedowns in his battle with Dan Henderson. Forrest also has a slight edge in jiu-jitsu, but neither man has world-class submissions. Both guys have rock-hard chins and tremendous heart, but as always in this sport one perfect punch can put anybody down. I'm a big fan of both fighters, and although my head says Rampage my heart is saying Forrest wins by decision.
Patrick "The Predator" Cote vs. Ricardo "Cachorrao" Almeida
The Facts:
-The ads for this card have stated that these two will be fighting for a middleweight title shot.
-Cote is on a four fight win streak, including wins over Scott Smith, Kendall Grove, and Drew McFedries.
-Almeida is on a seven fight win streak, although only one of those fights was in the last five years.
-Both men won their last fight in under two minutes.
The Pick: Here again it's come down to a highly touted striker facing a world class grappler. Cote has been on a tear lately, knocking out opponents left and right. Almeida took an extended leave of absence from the sport, but he came back and didn't miss a step by submitting Rob Yundt in just over a minute at UFC 81. Cote has been caught by submissions before, and will look to do everything he can to keep this one standing. Almeida will likely have his chin tested each time he shoots in to get Cote on the ground, and I think he's going to get caught so I'll take Cote via TKO in round 2.
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
The Facts:
-Stevenson is coming off a loss to BJ Penn for the lightweight title at UFC 80.
-Tibau is coming off a loss to Tyson Griffin at UFC 81.
-Stevenson has won 12 of his fights by submission, while Tibau has never been submitted.
The Pick: Before Griffin got his title shot, Stevenson had a chance to be the first true "Ultimate Fighter" champion to win UFC gold. He came up short against BJ Penn earlier this year, and now must begin the long climb back to contention. He'll have a definitive advantage in the striking and wrestling, but I'm not sure if he'll want to take a BJJ expert like Tibau down to the mat. I think Stevenson will come out ultra-aggressive and look to finish quickly so I'm taking Stevenson by TKO in round 1.
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris "Lights Out" Lytle
The Facts:
-Koscheck is coming off a win over Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82.
-Lytle is coming off a win over Kyle Bradley at UFC 81.
-Koscheck is 6-1 in the last two years, with his only loss against Georges St. Pierre.
-Of Lytle's 25 wins, 17 have come via submission.
The Pick: This one isn't hard to pick, because it's pretty clear that we have two guys at completely different levels within the welterweight division. Koscheck came up short against GSP, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Lytle, on the other hand, has been beaten every time he steps up in competition. While Koscheck is known primarily for his world-class wrestling, he also has made big strides in his striking since his stint on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Lytle will be game, but in the end I‘ve got to pick Koscheck via TKO in round 3.
Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio vs. Tyson Griffin
The Facts:
-Griffin is on a three fight win streak, with victories over Clay Guida, Thiago Tavares, and Gleison Tibau.
-Aurelio is on a two fight win streak, including his 16 second armbar submission of Ryan Roberts at Fight Night 13.
-Griffin is the only man to beat current WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber.
-Aurelio holds a submission win over Takanori Gomi.
The Pick: There's no question that Griffin is making a run for contendership in the lightweight division. He's got some impressive wins on his record, although he has shown difficulties in finishing his opponents. Aurelio has had a bit less trouble when it comes to getting the finish, as his jiu-jitsu skills have ended many a fighter's night. Should Griffin look for the takedown he'll have to work diligently to avoid submissions, as Aurelio will likely be relentless in his attempts. In the end though I think Griffin's power and cardio will prevail, so I'm taking Griffin via decision.
The Undercard: Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole "Magrino" Miller Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard vs. Dennis Siver Justin Bucholz vs. Corey Hill
The Facts:
-Gonzaga is coming off of back-to-back losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum.
-McCully is on a four fight win streak.
-This will be McCully's first fight in 15 months.
-Gurgel is coming off a decision win over John Halverson at UFC 82.
-Miller is coming off a loss to Jeremy Stephens at Fight Night 12.
-Guillard has lost his last two fights in the UFC.
-Siver is coming off a loss to Gray Maynard at Fight Night 12.
-Hill is undefeated in two pro fights.
-Bucholz is coming off a loss to Matt Wiman at Fight Night 12.
The Picks: Gabriel Gonzaga, submission, round 1 Cole Miller, decision Dennis Siver, submission, round 2 Corey Hill, TKO, round 1
-It's being reported that Rich Franklin will compete at light heavyweight for the first time in three years when he faces Matt Hamill at UFC 88. I have one question though: if Franklin and Henderson are both being scheduled for UFC 88, why aren't they fighting each other?
-Another fight has been added to the televised portion of Fight Night 14 on July 19th, and it will be a showdown that most people assumed we'd see at the Ultimate Fighter Finale a few weeks ago. It's been confirmed that ousted "TUF" finalist Jesse Taylor will get his second chance in the octagon when he meets tournament runner-up CB Dollaway.
-Speaking of "Ultimate Fighter" runner-ups, Manny Gamburyian is still clamoring for a rematch with Nate Diaz. Earlier this week Gamburyian said, "Fighting Nate Diaz is my first goal. I'm down. Whenever, wherever." The two met in the finals of "TUF" 5, where Gamburyian won the first round before a shoulder injury forced him to give up early in the second. Currently Diaz is rumored to be facing Josh Neer at Fight Night 15 in September.
-Top-ranked middleweight Matt Lindland had some strong words for his former employers this week. Lindland stated, "The UFC contracts are illegal. Based on the Muhammad Ali (Safety) Act, you cannot be the promoter and the manager at the same time. If they are telling you who and when you are going to fight, they are the manager as well as the promoter." Lindland also said that he believes this is the approach Randy Couture will be taking in his upcoming court battle over his UFC contract.
I Keep My Pimp Hand Strong
Sure I'm great, but why not check out some of our other fine writers?
7/5 - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
7/19 - Affliction: Banned
Live on PPV at 9pm ET
7/19 - UFC: Silva vs. Irvin
Live on Spike at 9 pm ET
7/21 - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Finals
On HDNet at 4 am ET
7/26 - EliteXC: Unfinished Business
Live on CBS at 9 pm ET
8/3 - WEC 35
Live on Versus at 9 pm ET
8/9 - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
9/6 - Adrenaline MMA II
Live on HDNet (time TBA)
9/6 - UFC 88: Breakthrough
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
9/10 - WEC: Filho vs. Sonnen II
Live on Versus (time TBA)
9/17 - UFC Fight Night 15
Live on Spike (time TBA)
Today and tomorrow I'll be checking out the 80-35 Festival here in Des Moines,
so here's some videos from the bands I'll be seeing:
The Flaming Lips - "Fight Test"
Headlights - "TV"
Rock Plaza Central - "Anthem For The Already Defeated"
That's all I've got for you. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, and please remember to be safe. I need all the readers I can get. Next week we'll have a full preview of…wait…actually next weekend it looks like there won't a be an MMA event to preview. It's a rare thing these days. I'm not sure what we'll be talking about then, but come back anyways. Until then…
Posted By: Dustin James (Registered) on July 04, 2008 at 02:33 PM
and now so much for bipsing dropping to 185, if he wants to continue in the lh division he'll have to put on weight as the light heavys are now 205-to 225 as the abc rules of mma were recently changed and another rule that was clarified was illegal elbows and had thers rules been in affect for brock's first fight it would've affectted the outcome as he probably would not have gotten a warning
Posted By: coby preimesberger (Guest) on July 05, 2008 at 08:26 PM
you know your stuff when it comes to MMA, but you have the worst taste in music ever.. imo
*good call on the griffin/jackson fight
Posted By: Buddha (Guest) on July 06, 2008 at 07:08 AM
