The Fightin’ Stance News 07.11.08: None Shall Pass

Posted by  on 07.11.2008

What’s next for DREAM? Do the new unified rules of MMA really mean anything? Who’s Dana White talking about this week? What’s next for the UFC 86 fighters? Should you watch Affliction or Fight Night 14? You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers inside.



Here we go again with another edition of The Fightin' Stance News. As always I'm your host Adam Tool, and I've got plenty of stuff for you today. We'll discuss the changes to the unified rules, get some strong words from Dana White, and take a look back at UFC 86. I've also got a special commentary lined up where I'll tell you exactly why I plan to watch Fight Night 14 instead of Affliction next weekend. But first…



This Is What We DREAM About



Since we're a little more than a week away from DREAM 5, of course now is the perfect time for the promoters to start finalizing the card. In a press conference yesterday DREAM officials announced three more match-ups for the show, which will also feature the final two rounds of the lightweight grand prix.

First up in a lightweight grand prix reserve bout, two men that started the tournament get a chance at a second life. Joachim Hansen will take on Kultar Gill, and the winner will become an alternate in case one of the finalists is injured and can't go on. Hansen was knocked out of the tournament in a Fight of the Year candidate with Eddie Alvarez, while Gill came up short against Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Also rounding out the card is a middleweight showdown between Yoshirio Akiyama and Katsuyori Shibata. Akiyama was kept out of the middleweight grand prix due to an injured nose, and has not fought since his match-up with Kazuo Misaki at Yarrenoka's New Year's Eve event ended in a no contest. Shibata was last seen at DREAM 3, where he had little to offer against Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

In the welterweight division we'll see Motoki Miyazawa take on Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Miyazawa is undefeated in four fights and will be making his DREAM debut. Hironaka was last seen in the Fight of the Night at UFC 83, where he was defeated by Jonathan Goulet and subsequently let go from the organization.

DREAM officials also stated that Mark Hunt would be on the card, although no opponent has been named as of yet. Hunt has not competed in MMA since losing to Fedor Emelianenko at PRIDE Shockwave 2006, although he was a participant in K-1's World GP in April of this year where he lost to Semmy Schilt.

In addition to these fights DREAM 5 will also feature #2 ranked featherweight Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto taking on Joseph Benavidez. Yamamoto is currently on an amazing 14 fight win streak, with victories over Jeff Curran, Royler Gracie, Caol Uno and most recently, Rani Yahya. Benavidez is undefeated in seven pro fights.

Of course the main draw for DREAM 5 is the finals and semi-finals for the lightweight grand prix. Shinya Aoki will be matched up with Caol Uno while Eddie Alvarez takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri. The winners of these two bouts will then meet in the evening's main event to determine the first DREAM lightweight champion.

While this show does have potential, it would seem that it lost some luster with a few fights that won't be happening. The originally scheduled heavyweight match-up between Jerome LeBanner and Mirko Cro Cop has been delayed due to injuries, and while I personally favor the lighter weight classes, I'm sure the Japanese crowd is disappointed that Cro Cop won't be a part of the show.

Even more disappointing is the postponement of the first DREAM welterweight championship, which was going to be decided in a fight between Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Nick Diaz. This was easily one of the most exciting match-ups on the show, and it's too bad that it's been postponed just so Diaz can fight Thomas Denny on EliteXC's second primetime special.

Playing By The Rules…Or Not

By now you probably now about the changes made to the Unified Rules for Mixed-Martial Arts. The new rules were handed down by the Association of Boxing Commissions last week. Among the changes made were the addition of seven new weight classes (doubling the previous number), the prohibition of "smothering" (meaning it's illegal to cover your opponent's mouth to disrupt his breathing) and the allowance of downward elbow strikes (previous strikes with the elbow were required to be in an arcing motion).

(Quick side note: why is the Association of Boxing Commissions making the rules for mixed-martial arts? Shouldn't they add MMA to their title? They're two different forms of competition and there should be more distinctions made between the two.)

The rule changes have been met with a solid, "meh." UFC President Dana White has already stated that they have no intentions of adopting the new weight classes, even though White has long been a supporter of a unified rules set.

In addition several state athletic boards are not intending to adopt the new rules immediately. Nevada State Athletic Commission's Keith Kizer said the NSAC has no regulatory meetings planned, and the new rules would not be looked at until late 2008 or early 2009.

What I find most interesting is that the commission that drafted the new rules was made up of ABC president Timothy Leuckenhoff, ABC MMA chairman Dale Kliparchuk, New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Deputy Attorney Nick Lembo, California State Athletic Commission executive director Armando Garcia, and former referee "Big" John McCarthy. Multiple sources that were at the meeting said that a number of board members were seen wearing t-shirts with John McCarthy's picture on them, and they also requested autographs between sessions.

In any case so far the new rules and weight classes are not being welcomed with open arms by promoters or state athletic commissions, so time will tell if we ever see them adopted on a wide scale.

BREAKING NEWS: Dana White Talks Smack and Drops F-Bombs



The outspoken UFC president recently gave an interview with radio station Y101 (you can find the full clip here) and I've taken the liberty of transcribing some of the most interesting bits. (Note: since this interview took place on radio, the host had to bleep Dana's colorful language. I've gone ahead and left everything in, since I don't think too many kids read my column)

On Affliction:

"The thing that drives me crazy is that every time I turn around I gotta answer questions about T-shirt guy. This guy sells fucking T-shirts for a living! … I'm supposed to be worried about this?

Here's the reality…All over the world right now, tons of fights happen. We need these other leagues to exist. They're the grassroots, they're the minor leagues, the guys who eventually end up in the UFC. The problem is you get guys like T-shirt guy and these other organizations that could've lasted a lot longer but they come out and they say ‘Well, we're gonna take the UFC on! We're gonna take them out and beat the UFC!' No you fucking idiot, no you aren't. Think about this, it's like me saying ‘We're gonna beat NASCAR! We're gonna put on a race this weekend and go head-to-head with NASCAR!' NASCAR's been around for 50 years you fucking idiot. The UFC's been in business for 20 years. The first fight we ever did, was at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. We sold 3500 tickets, and did $118,000 at the gate. From there, we slowly built the business into what it is today. And you've got this idiot who sells T-shirts for a living, coming out saying ‘I'm gonna put on a show!' This guy's gonna lose 4 million dollars!"

On Tito Ortiz:

"Here's the Tito Ortiz story: Tito is a moron. He's a jackass. Tito's just a bad guy. He's just not a good guy, you know what I mean? And at the end of the day Tito Ortiz just does not want to be a fighter anymore. It's not what Tito wants to do. Tito will go out and talk a bunch of shit, pump things up, but he doesn't really want to fight."

On comparisons between Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar:

"Everybody asks me ‘Well, how come you rag on Kimbo but Brock can come in?' Brock was an NCAA wrestler. If you look at history any of the guys who have been really good and dominated mixed-martial arts came from collegiate or Olympic wrestling, and he had the background. The difference too is I told Brock Lesnar, ‘You wanna come into the UFC? You're not gonna get an easy road. We don't fight chumps here, we fight real guys.' Kimbo Slice fought this guy that got knocked out in his last fucking fight, before that he fought 50 year old Tank Abbott, and the guy he fought before that is terrible."

On the return of Jesse Taylor:

"Here's what happened…You saw at the end of the show I told him, ‘Listen you need to go get your life together and call me in a couple of months.' At the Finale I actually talked to him, and Dan Henderson was calling me and telling me about him and stuff. After he got kicked off he's been to AA meetings ever since, he's been training 2-3 days a week, so he really did turn his life around. This is the way I look at it…everybody makes mistakes. He made the biggest mistake of his life and he's already been punished. The thing is with me is we'll see what kind of a man he is now."

Wait, There Were Other Fights On Saturday?

By now I'm sure that you're a little tired of discussions on Forrest Griffin, Rampage Jackson, judge's scorecards, rematches and all of that. I already voiced my opinions on the main event in this week's Fact or Fiction, but I would like to quickly address the rest of UFC 86 and the future of the guys that aren't named Forrest or Rampage.



I have no doubt that Tyson Griffin should be one of the next guys in line for a lightweight title shot. However seeing as how the next shot has already been promised to the winner of Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta, I would say that Griffin will likely have to beat at least one more opponent to secure his opportunity. What's Sean Sherk up to in the next few months?



With all the controversy lately about premature stoppages and fighter safety, I have to say that I don't understand why referee Yves Lavigne did not even call a timeout to have Chris Lytle looked at. The amount of blood that he was losing on Saturday night was a serious health hazard, and I can't help but wonder where the ringside doctor was.



There are very few similarities between professional wrestling and MMA but I believe that Joe Stevenson should come up with a nickname for the guillotine choke, since that is officially his finishing move. It's just crazy how he can lock that thing in at pretty much anytime, and it usually spells the end of the fight.



We can all agree that the fight between Patrick Cote and Ricardo Almeida was pretty boring. Even Dana White said so. It was a case of both fighters being extra-cautious, since they knew that a title shot was on the line. While I can't blame Cote for not swinging for the fences at every opportunity, I'm a little puzzled by Ricardo Almeida's performance. To me he seemed over-confident in the early stages of the fight, and when he gassed in the second I had to wonder if he overlooked Cote. If Almeida is serious about getting back into the fight game he'll need to step up his training and make sure he comes prepared for every fight.

Melvin Guillard won.

Moving on.



I was a fan of Gabriel Gonzaga before his head-kick KO of Mirko Cro Cop, and so I'm glad to see him return to form against Justin McCully. Gonzaga will have a long road ahead if he wants to get back to title contention, but in the meantime he will be a scary opponent for anyone in the heavyweight division.



Once again one of the evening's best fights doesn't make it on to the main broadcast. Cole Miller and Jorge Gurgel waged war for almost the entire fifteen minutes, and would've almost certainly won fight of the night had Griffin and Jackson not had their tremendous showcase to close out the evening. Miller showed tremendous skill in all areas, and at this point it's easy to call the cast of "TUF" 5 (Diaz, Gamburyian, Maynard, Lauzon, Wiman, Miller) one of the best ever.



Speaking of "TUF" 5, it's been said before but once again it's worth pointing out the wealth of potential in Corey Hill. He owned Justin Bucholz for most of their fight with some aggressive and precise striking. Once he gets his ground game up to the level of his stand-up, he'll be a dangerous guy in the lightweight ranks. A ton of credit goes to Bucholz for standing up to all that punishment and waiting for his spot to get the submission.


Why I'll Be Watching Fight Night Instead of Affliction

Ask anyone that knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm very particular about my music.

I don't listen to much of the older stuff. My iPod has classic groups like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and King Crimson, as well as slightly more modern-day classics like Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and the Pixies. Yet most of this music goes unplayed, simply because I'm constantly seeking out new music. I'm always looking for the latest thing, and it's gotten to the point where I will regularly check out an album that I've never even heard of before in the hopes of uncovering that next great gem.

This way of thinking transfers to my other hobbies as well. I can appreciate classic movies, but I would rather be at the video store or the Best Buy on Tuesday to pick up the newest releases. I can occasionally pull out my Super Nintendo for some classic gaming goodness, but I spend more time waving around my Wii controller.

Of course, since this is an MMA column, you can probably figure out where I'm heading with this.

Mixed-martial arts, like pretty much any competitive sport, is a young man's game. Every once in a while someone like Randy Couture will show the world that a veteran can still get it done, but athletes like him are a rare breed. The more common scenario is that the older fighter will fall victim to a younger and faster man.

We've seen plenty of examples of this just in the last few months. Look at Evan Tanner taking a three round pounding from Kendall Grove. Go back and watch Melvin Manhoef destroy Kazushi Sakuraba. Let's not forget one of the most highly decorated fighters in history, Matt Hughes, being thoroughly dominated by Thiago Alves.

Next Saturday there are two major MMA cards taking place. On one hand you have Affliction, the clothing company turned fight promoter, running their very first event on PPV. On the other hand you have the UFC, the originators of American mixed-martial arts, who will be presenting an event for free on Spike.

Affliction's card boasts a "who's-who" of MMA talent. Four of the world's top ten heavyweights, Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski are all scheduled for the event. One of the best middleweight fighters the sport has ever seen, Matt Lindland, makes his return to active competition. The show also features past UFC and PRIDE stand-outs like Pedro Rizzo, Vitor Belfort and Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Sylvia, Barnett, Arlovski and Belfort are all former UFC champions, while Emelianenko was the last PRIDE heavyweight champion.

But there's a problem.

The problem is that word, former. Almost every fighter on the Affliction card has achieved greatness at some point. Fedor dominated the PRIDE heavyweight division for over three years. Sylvia wore the UFC heavyweight title on two occasions. Arlovski was, at one point, the most feared man in the sport. Barnett defeated Couture to win the UFC heavyweight championship. Lindland was a contender for the UFC middleweight title and has beaten some of the best fighters in the division. Rizzo and Babalu have also contended for UFC gold. Belfort won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament and later beat Couture for the light heavyweight belt.

Do you notice something in that last paragraph? When referring to the fighters I had to use the past-tense to talk about all their career highlights, because none of them have accomplished anything as of late. Fedor was the long-time PRIDE heavyweight champion, but he has floundered since the company folded. Sylvia lost the last two times he fought for the UFC title. Arlovski has turned in several mediocre performances in the last few years, only showing any kind of dominance when facing a vastly inferior opponent. Barnett didn't fight at all last year, and only recently began competing again. It's been over a year since we've seen Lindland fight, and his place in the middleweight rankings has slipped considerably. Since his last fight in the UFC back in November of 2003, Rizzo has gone 2-2. Belfort hasn't fought on U.S. soil since his positive steroid test following the loss to Dan Henderson at PRIDE 32. Babalu was arrested for misdemeanor battery and trespassing last year, and also got fined $25,000 for refusing to release a choke hold on David Heath in his last UFC appearance.

Furthermore, what are these guys fighting for next weekend? Sure the winner of Fedor and Sylvia will receive the WAMMA heavyweight belt, but right now that title has as much significance as World's Greatest Grandpa. Arlovski is facing Ben Rothwell, but where does the winner go from there? If Lindland wins what does he do next? Chances are he won't be fighting too much longer anyways, since he's currently running for the Oregon House of Representatives. If Barnett beats Rizzo and Fedor beats Sylvia, we'll finally get to settle an old grudge match that's been talked about since the days of PRIDE, but again what does the winner stand to gain? Since Affliction has no light heavyweight championship, what do Belfort, Babalu or their opponents Mike Whitehead and Terry Martin have to compete for?

The bottom line is that pretty much every fighter on Affliction's roster is looking to cash a paycheck. They are relying on their name value in order to cash in on a new promotion that needs all the drawing power it can get. When it comes right down to it a win or a loss means little to nothing for many of these fighters, as they are on the downside of their fighting careers. They have had their main-events, their moments in the sun, and are looking to make one last big payday before their age and their injuries catch up to them.

I'm no fool. I know that these guys fight for a living and of course they all want to get paid for their performance. But shouldn't a professional fighter also be fighting because they want to be the best? Isn't the main goal of your chosen profession to reach the top level of your field? Does Fedor really expect to do that by requesting $2 million per fight?

Now I‘d like to turn my attention to the competition, UFC Fight Night 14. Next Saturday if you tune into Spike you can see the man that most people (including 411mania) are calling the greatest fighter in the world.

At this point I should point out my undying love for Anderson Silva. He is without question my favorite fighter in the world, and it's hard to find an MMA fan that doesn't enjoy watching "The Spider" in action. My man-crush aside, at this moment Anderson Silva represents the pinnacle of the sport. He is the guy to beat. After dominating the UFC's middleweight division for the last two years he went to UFC President Dana White and said he wants to fight more. He knows that the window for greatness is short, and by moving up to light heavyweight he will be out to prove that no matter who he faces he will emerge victorious. The chance to see Anderson Silva fight is a chance to witness history in the making.

Also on the UFC's card next Saturday is someone that has been pegged for greatness but has not yet achieved it. Brandon Vera quickly got people's attention by starting out 8-0 in the heavyweight division. After a couple of tough losses he now moves to light heavyweight where he will, in all likelihood, finally live up to his full potential.

One of the most intriguing match-ups the UFC is presenting is the battle between Frank Edgar and Hermes Franca. Both men are looking to bounce back after heartbreaking defeats, and will be fighting to rise towards the top of one of the deepest divisions in the sport.

Then you have young fighters like Cain Velasquez, Anthony Johnson, Kevin Burns, and "Ultimate Fighter" alums CB Dollaway and Jesse Taylor. Velasquez is truly something special, as he already has the potential to be a dominant force in the UFC's diminished heavyweight ranks. Johnson and Burns are both coming off of star-making upsets, and the winner of this fight will see his profile rise considerably. Finally we have Dollaway and Taylor, and (personality deficiencies aside) both of these guys have a tremendous upside.

The Fight Night 14 card features a "who's that?" of talent. Outside of Silva and maybe Vera there are no "big name" guys. Instead the card is filled with young fighters out to prove that they belong on the biggest stage in the sport. Guys that are hungry for a shot at UFC gold, and the promise of bigger paydays. You may not know them now, but you will someday.

My point here is that by watching Affliction's show, you will be getting some of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen.

By watching the UFC you will be getting some of the greatest fighters the sport has yet to see, as well as the best fighter walking the Earth today.

I know which show I'd rather watch. Do you?



-In order to counter-program against EliteXC's second primetime show, Spike will be airing UFC 84: Ill Will at the same time as the CBS special. This was my pick for the best event of the year (so far) and while I'm tempted to watch it again, I can't pass up the EliteXC show.

-Before anyone starts talking about Anderson Silva as a potential contender for the light heavyweight championship, it's important to note that Silva has no intentions of sticking around in the division. In a recent interview Silva stated that, "I don't intend to fight for this belt, this belt belongs to Lyoto (Machida) and he already proved that. I'm going to fight because I like to fight and because I like challenges."

-In other Silva news, it's looking like he will defend the UFC middleweight championship against Yushin Okami at UFC 88 in September. The date won't be set until after Silva's fight with James Irvin next weekend.

-Speaking of next weekend, it's been announced that Fight Night 14 will run for three hours and feature six fights on the main broadcast. Most Fight Night broadcasts are two hours with four or five scheduled fights. The show starts at 9 pm ET on Spike.

-In addition to the second EliteXC show on CBS, there are more rumors circulating about more MMA on broadcast TV. Strikeforce has a show lined up for the Playboy Mansion in September, and it may be broadcast live on NBC. Additionally, UFC president Dana White recently said, "We're real close to a network. I'm going to say in three months."

-Speaking of "Saturday Night Fights," it has been announced that a women's match-up between Shayna Baszler and Christiane Cyborg has been added to the card. Baszler has won three in a row on ShoXC, and this will be her first bout on a full-fledged EliteXC card. Cyborg is the wife of Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and is undefeated in four pro fights. This will be her first fight outside of Brazil.

-UFC 86 was a big success, scoring 9,630 paid attendees for a live gate of $3.35 million. It is the sixth highest grossing event in the company's history.

-A lightweight showdown between U.K. native Paul Kelly and Sam Stout is in the works for UFC 89. Kelly is undefeated in seven pro fights, including a Fight of the Night win over Paul Taylor at UFC 80. Meanwhile Stout last dropped a split decision to Rich Clementi at UFC 83.

-WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres has dropped some hints that a superfight between himself and featherweight champ Urijah Faber could happen down the line. Torres said, "It's going to have to happen. The people would love to see it. I would love to do it. I know that he would too."

I Keep My Pimp Hand Strong

Sure I'm great, but why not check out some of our other fine writers?

The Jay Leno to my Conan O'Brien, Jeremy Lambert has your Cardio Freak News.
Dustin James has the thankless task of compiling the 411 Rankings. This week it's the Welterweights.
Reuel Mante throws the Spotlight on weight classes.
Luken Weaver delivers his thoughts on UFC 86 in Delayed Reactions.
Variety is the spice of life, and Chris Robinson has plenty of spice in this week's Verbal Submission.
Dustin James delivers the latest 411 Fighter Profile for Fedor Emelianenko.



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
Live on HDNet at 4 am ET (replay at 4 pm 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)



The next generation of blonde jokes



I don't listen to much hip-hop, but I do love this
Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"



That's all for this week. Hopefully you enjoyed my special commentary, and I would certainly encourage you to voice your own opinions here in the comments or via e-mail. Next weekend I'll be here to prepare you for the one of the biggest nights in mixed-martial arts history, as I'll have a full preview of both shows from Affliction and the UFC. We'll also look ahead to DREAM 5, which features the final two rounds of the lightweight grand prix. Of course we'll also cover any big news that breaks in the next seven days. Until then…


Sources: MMAJunkie.com, Sherdog.com, Fiveouncesofpain.com, MMAWeekly.com