Punch Drunk Hangover 07.14.08: 'Affliction: Banned' Access Granted

Posted by Bren Oliver on 07.14.2008

He's baaaaack! Read ahead for Bren Oliver's thoughts on Patrick Cote as a title contender, "Shogun" Rua's eventual return to action, next weekend's trio of MMA events, problems with BJ Penn vs. the UFC's Welterweight Champion, and Brock Lesnar's response to critics. Those things and more, plus this week's "Monday Morning Moment of Zen" featuring a Sumo showdown between Bob Sapp and Butterbean , 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 most Mondays, 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!!!





After a weekend off in order to fully enjoy a coastal trip with my family for the 4th of July, I'm happy to be back and riding a non-chemical high thanks to recent news pertaining to this upcoming Saturday/Sunday. I'll get to that in a bit, but first I thought I'd start this week's column off by discussing an original topic upon which there's been very little debate - the judges' decision in the Griffin vs. Jackson title-fight from UFC 86. However, prior to doing so, I need to take my trusty baseball bat and lay a few whacks into Barbaro's rotting corpse.

While I did feel "Rampage" deserved the win against Griffin, I reckon readers are as sick of hearing about it as I am, so rest assured you will find no rant on the topic in this edition of the Hangover. You have your opinions. I have mine. Neither of us will change the other's mind. What I think we will all agree on in relation to the UFC 86 Light Heavyweight Championship bout was that it was fun to watch and a future rematch between both likeable 205-pounders should be a forgone conclusion. My only hopes are that it will be made immediately as Griffin's first title defense and it lives up to their first showdown. As far as the other fights on the UFC 86 card, Forrest's XTreme Couture teammate Tyson Griffin needs to learn to avoid the judges' scorecards if he hopes to be considered for a championship fight. He looked good, and Aurelio is no slouch, but fans of MMA generally want to see finishes and Dana White considers himself amongst that group of individuals. Koscheck looked sharp, as did his elbows, in his gruesome win over Chris Lytle. The Indiana firefighter is as tough as they come, and I'm certain a high number of Mixed Martial Artists would have turtled-up after spilling enough blood to leave the Octagon looking more like a murder scene than a ring for competition. I do not understand the fans' collective hate of "Kos" and felt he deserved a bit more respect from the crowd in attendance. As I don't think people will change their opinions about him anytime soon, I would suggest Koscheck embraces the hate and uses it to his advantage. Fans tend to be interested in paying as much to see a fighter they despise risk getting his teeth kicked in as they are in forking out cash to see their favorite competitor. I was happy for Joe Stevenson based on his performance against Gleison Tibau, especially given that his oldest son was in attendance and watching "Daddy" fight for the first time. It's good the MMA Gods protected Stevenson from sending his first born to the same therapist Mark Coleman's daughters may have visited after his last fight against Fedor Emelianenko and being exposed to a hamburger-faced papa.

Fortunately for my fingers, there were no MMA events to discuss from this past weekend other than a Cage Rage card highlighted by Phil Baroni's successful debut at Welterweight and a post-fight melee that ensued thanks to some jackass in opponent Scott Jansen's camp. It was cowardly at best and I hope all respectable MMA organizations ban this clown from ringside. For someone associated with a camp to attack a professional fighter outside of a sanctioned bout is inexcusible. Karl Noons Sr. would undoubtedly be proud. I happen to be disgusted. Essentially, Baroni was checking on the KO'd Jansen when the following occurred:





While the past few days may have been devoid of any blockbuster action, the lull in MMA will certainly be made up for come next weekend with "Fight Night 14" and "Affliction: Banned" scheduled for Saturday, July 19th, and the conclusion to the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix will take place two days later. All three events are huge in their own right no matter how much marketing or mainstream attention they receive. "DREAM 5" will have a huge impact on the Grand Prix Champion's career, as standing at the top of the heap of fighters involved in the tournament may solidify a guy as being the second-best Lightweight to BJ Penn. If Aoki wins, I assume there will even be a few people who think he deserves to leapfrog Penn as the #1 Lightweight in the world. The results from "Fight Night 14" will either further Anderson Silva's claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world or damage the mystique he's created for himself by demolishing the UFC Middleweight Division's best. I know a loss could partially be dismissed as being the result of Silva going up in weightclass, but he certainly wouldn't seem so invincible if left staring up at the lights with glossed-over eyes. It will also be an important night in terms of Brandon Vera's career, as a dominating performance at Light Heavyweight could convince him to stick with 205-pounds and lead to some excellent fights against the division's brightest.

And, of course, you have Affliction's first PPV event featuring a collection of the world's top Heavyweights and frosting-on-the-cake in the form of the involvement of Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mike Whitehead, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, and other respected fighters. Being on the cusp of the card reminds me of when the star-studded event was nothing more than a rumor - a twinkle in the eye of hardcore fans. The whispers on the internet eventually turned into official statements and had the show taking place in Dallas; a mere three hours from my residence in Austin. I remember the disappointment I felt when things shifted from DFW to Anaheim, California. And then, a funny thing happened - I got an application for a media credential.

I knew it couldn't hurt to enter my name into the Goblet of Skull-n-Wings Garb so I promptly filled it out and thanked them for the opportunity. When news broke that over 250 outlets had applied for access to the show I doubted our little ol' MMA Zone would get much love from the powers that be. As it turns out, not only was my application approved, but 411Mania's Morgan Marx will also be attending the show and flying our Zone's banner as well! As someone who has always professed to being a fan first and a "journalist" second, I can't accurately express my excitement about seeing the card live and having access to the post-event press conference other than to say I had to change three pairs of underwear after getting the news late last week. I will definitely be taking notes and bringing back observations from the live PPV experience. I also happen to be staying in the "host" hotel, so rest assured I will deliver the dirt if I see anything of note such as Fedor Emelianenko plugging himself into a socket and recharging his cyborg-batteries. Though I doubt anyone reading these words isn't familiar with the event, here's a thirty-second preview just in case...





There's my three cents on next weekend and why I'll have a silly grin on my face for at least the next seven days - now on to my spin on a handful of other subjects gracing the headlines this past week. I'd love to hear your thoughts on things 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 July 7th, 2008 and July 13th, 2008:


UFC President Dana White confirmed during the post-fight UFC 86 press conference that Patrick Cote, who defeated Ricardo Almeida at UFC 86, will indeed get a title shot against current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in the near future.


At the risk of being pelted with Labatt's Blue bottles, I have to be honest on this matter and I hope my Canadian readers will forgive me when I say their countryman is not yet deserving of a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship. I certainly give him credit for racking up wins over a few nice names during his current five-fight streak, and I don't feel the young Canuck is that far away from the limelight of being a #1 Contender, but "The Predator" has yet to defeat anything close to an upper-tier opponent during his entire career other than perhaps Almeida (and let's face it - that fight was one ugly motherfu*ker). I've yet to see anything from Patrick that shows me he would last a minute against Anderson Silva. If Cote can soundly beat some combination of Nate Marquardt, Thales Leites, Martin Kampmann, Dan Henderson, Yushin Okami, Michael Bisping, or Rich Franklin then I will reconsider my stance. Fortunately for those of you who agree with me, Silva is currently occupied with dipping his toes in 205-pound waters this Saturday night and then likely defending his championship against Okami in October/November, meaning Cote will probably have to win at least one more time before solidifying himself as being an undisputed contender to the Middleweight crown.


The UFC has made Jesse Taylor vs. CB Dollaway official for "Fight Night 14" on July 19th.


Two inexperienced fighters with foundations in wrestling - how can Dollaway vs. Taylor not be exciting? In fact, just to honor the pairing, I may douse my bed in water on July 18th and sleep under a wet blanket!

Snarkiness aside, it's still a very important bout in terms of the fledgling careers of both UFC competitors. A loss for Dollaway would put him at 0-2 inside the Octagon and create legitimate doubts about his immediate future in the UFC. It pains me to say that, as I felt CB was a lock to win TUF 7 and stated so from the day he was announced as being a cast member, but I acknowledge that an inability to beat fighters the level of Sadollah and Taylor does not bode well in terms of how he'd fare against the UFC's moderately deep Middleweight division. "JT Money", on the other hand, needs to prove himself in a different way. He has to work on dimming the public's collective memory of pee-soaked shorts; to focus on high kicks instead of those aimed at tinted windows. I have no problem with the UFC allowing Taylor back less than a month removed from his ousting as long as he's genuinely cleaned up his act. He was held accountable for his actions, and the opportunity he lost via removal from the TUF 7 Championship bout, plus the childish behavior he will be associated with for a long time to come, have been punishment enough for the young man. I would rather commend him for recognizing his problem with alcohol, seeking help, and making it back to the UFC than obssess on the broken road he travelled to get there.


Juanito Ibarra, Quinton Jackson's manager, plans to protest the Saturday night UFC 86 fight to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He said in an interview with Sherdog.com that Jackson should have won round one 10-8 and won the fight 47-46. He said that Jackson should have also been awarded rounds three and four 10-9 and that Griffn won round two 10-8 and round five 10-9.


Ibarra has drawn criticism for his plans to protest the result, and it's commonly accepted that it will ultimately have no bearing on the fight's result, but I happen to think it's the right thing to do in terms of Jackson's best interests. It shows his fierce loyalty to the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and provides a documented case of him taking a stand. And, to be quite honest, I think Ibarra has a point in regards to the way two judges scored the first round for Griffin. I'm certain is hat occurred before, but I cannot personally recall a time a Mixed Martial Artist was awarded a round after being knocked down without returning the favor at least once. I have been to MMA events where officials were paying more attention to the scantily clad ring girls than the action inside the cage, or seemed to be somewhat intoxicated, so I wouldn't doubt the possibility when it comes to some of the folks who are scoring UFC fights. When you have 10-10 rounds, like in Lytle vs Koscheck, or a judge giving Evan Tanner the decision-win after being dominated by Kendall Grove, there's clearly something wrong with the system. I might also mention a certain fight between a certain British Ultimate Fighter and a certain PB&J-loving deaf wrestler, but I'd prefer not to be chased by pitchfork-wielding MMA fans who are sick of hearing about the travesty involved in that bout's result.


According to an article on Yahoo.com, Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat"), has been suspected of staging more than one fake MMA show in Arkansas in the past month. The staged fights are rumored to be for Cohen's upcoming "Bruno" movie. According to the article a character named "Straight Dave" would pick a planted audience member to fight him. The two men would then wrestle, tear each other's clothes off, and share a romantic kiss.


All in favor of Cohen's prank say "acht ja" and those opposed say "nicht nicht"! "Bruno" is my least favorite of his primary trio of characters, the other two being "Ali G" and "Borat", but I still expect the film to be extremely entertaining in some parts and cringe-inducing in others as was "Cultural Learnings of America to Make Great Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". I have no problem with Cohen poking fun at MMA. The fact this stunt took place in Arkansas only gives it more potential to result in the movie-watching audience's laughter. We MMA fans have long-heard ignorant opinions on it being homoerotic (a word I never thought I'd use in a column) in nature based on the grappling aspect of the sport, so I think it's rather funny that "Bruno" is taking it a step further in the name of humor by delivering two males facing off inside a cage...and then making out. The British actor likely isn't intending to make Mixed Martial Arts look bad so much as he's trying to expose the public's hang-ups with sexuality in general.


UFC President Dana White recently mentioned that BJ Penn would face the winner of Georges St. Pierre/Jon Fitch in late December. He also mentioned that Penn recently came to Las Vegas and asked him to cancel the GSP/Fitch fight so Penn could have a crack at GSP. Even though the Roger Huerta/Kenny Florian fight is being billed as a #1 Contender fight, Penn will not be fighting at Lightweight until he gets a shot at the Welterweight title.


BJ Penn is a phenomenal Mixed Martial Artist, and likely one of the best in the history of the sport, but his obsessive desire to avenge losses is no secret. This is the same guy who literally held a personal grudge against Jens Pulver for years simply because "Little Evil" didn't want to fight against him a second time. He went out of his way to ask the UFC President to cancel a headlining bout in order to further his own personal agenda. So, while the original clash between these two pound-for-pound giants was a fight to remember (and Fitch vs. Penn would be solid too), I dislike how the UFC is putting BJ Penn's personal demands in front of what may be best for long-term business. Sure, "The Prodigy" competing for the UFC's Welterweight Championship should be a blast to watch, but it creates a bad situation in terms of putting two of five company titles in the hands of one individual while disregarding worthwhile opponents in both divisions and creating a slew of other problems. I'm certain I'm not the only fan who likes to see UFC titles defended more than once or twice a year, yet anything more than that would be a physical impossibility for Penn were he to take home the 170-pound gold. I also think it sets a bad precedent to let a fighter whine his way into a title-bout no matter how talented he is. What's to stop other big dogs in the UFC from doing the same thing now that Baby Jay got his way? And, if the UFC doesn't comply with their demands, won't that likely plant some seeds of resentment in said individual? Additionally, let's not forget that Penn lost his last two Welterweight fights before dropping down to compete at a lower weight. That means a guy on a two-fight losing streak in the division, regardless of his reputation, is being placed at the front of the line because he beat three 155-pound competitors. It's simply a line of thinking I can't subscribe to no matter how wonderful Penn has looked thus far at Lightweight.


MMAWeekly.com is reporting that DREAM has removed Denis Kang from it's DREAM 5 card on July 21. As of right now, the reasons are unclear as to why DREAM has made this decision. Even Kang himself said he has "no idea".


There is still a week before DREAM 5 takes place, so in recognizing the standard operations of Japanese MMA organizations, I suppose it's still possible for Denis to end up fighting on the card since there are more than twenty-four hours left before it starts. However, it seems unlikely, which is a real shame given the overall talent Kang possesses and his need for a win after losing three of his last four fights. I can't imagine the frustration involved in being told you were scheduled to compete on a certain day, and receive a paycheck for doing so, only to be informed two weeks out you've been removed from the card and won't be given a reason as to why. It may have simply been a matter of difficulty in finding the talented American Top Team Middleweight a suitable opponent, but I have a hard time buying that given the plethora of fighters who would love the opportunity to perform on a DREAM card and the amount of time the company had to put the event together. In fact, this announcement makes me question whether or not Kang will continued to be involved with DREAM if he isn't booked to fight at DREAM 6. It might be a rocky road for Kang to travel in order to avoid a three-fight losing streak, but I'm certain he'd jump at the opportunity to avenge a 2003 loss to fellow DREAM Middleweight Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and I'm equally sure fans of every variety would enjoy the match-up due to the skill of both men. I know I would. Another option might be "Punk" Minowa, though I don't see that as being nearly as competitive as "Mayhem" vs. Kang would likely be.


During a recent interview with Tatame.com, the UFC's Mauricio "Shogun" Rua filled everybody in on when he is expected to return to the Octagon:

"I will train hard to face anyone. I had a defeat on my debut and I can't choose my opponent. It is not settled yet, but I expect to return in December, it's better for me."

It's looking like Shogun could fight on the UFC's New Year's Eve show, a show that is currently rumored to be headlined by GSP/Jon Fitch vs. BJ Penn.


There are a number of questions currently surrounding "Shogun" and the less time involved before he returns to action to answer them, the better. Can he stay healthy? Was the loss to Forrest Griffin a result of an injured knee and how the bum joint affected his training? Will he find success in America and away from stomps and soccer-kicks? My gut tells me at least two of the three can be answered in a positive manner, but it's very possible the Rua fans came to love in PRIDE no longer exists and will never again find himself collectively atop the 205-pound rankings. He's coming off three major surgeries and will have experienced a fifteen-month layoff between New Year's 2008 and his UFC 76 bout against the current Light Heavyweight champion (Griffin). I think the smartest thing to do from an organizational standpoint would be putting "Shogun" up against a mid-tier LHW like Stephan Bonnar, Jason Lambert, or Wilson Gouveia. It would allow Rua to re-acclimate himself to competitive MMA against an opponent of seemingly lesser ability while also maintaining a dose of "name value" in helping draw fans' interest. Bonnar would be a particularly interesting choice due to his friendship, and career-association, with Forrest Griffin, as would Keith Jardine who I could see beating Rua depending on whether or not the "dean" who beat Chuck Liddell and Griffin, or the "dunce" who got knocked out cold against Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander, shows up to fight.


UFC welterweight Marcus Davis will be trying to rebound from his loss to Mike Swick at UFC 85, when he faces Paul Kelly (7-0) at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England in October.


This bout makes a lot of sense. Davis has been a staple of the UFC's ventures into the UK and Kelly is a native Englander who also trains with, and idolizes, another British fighter on the UFC 89 card - Michael Bisping. My initial reaction is Kelly has bitten off a little more meat-pie than he can chew. Marcus Davis will be the highest level opponent the young Brit has faced to date. He is very seasoned, is a solid grappler, and has quick, powerful hands. Kelly came off as more of a scrapper than a polished technician in his UFC debut against Paul Taylor and I'm not sure his immense heart will be enough to defeat someone with Davis' skillset. Prior to his UFC 85 loss to Swick, "The Irish Hand Grenade" was on a win streak exceeding Kelly's total professional fights by four bouts. The only way I see Kelly winning their October showdown is via cut stoppage, as the skin on Davis' face appears to be thinner than Amy Winehouse on a diet. The tissue seems to be more "Kleenex" than "scar".


MMAJunkie.com is reporting that Ultimate Fighter Season 7 contestant Matt Brown has been offered a fight against the 10-0 Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88 on September 6 in Atlanta, Georgia. The bout is expected to be finalized this week. Regarding a few other Ultimate Fighter 7 alums, the Tim Credeur/Cale Yarbrough fight that was suppose to happen on The Ultimate Fighter finale, but was scratched due to Credeur testing postitive for the prescription drug "Adderall", is back on for UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19.


Yarbrough vs. Credeur doesn't have my tastebuds watering, though I think Brown vs. Kim should be an intense battle and I look forward to checking it out in September. While I was impressed by Brown's second round TKO of Matt Arroyo at the Season 7 Finale, the guy is 7-6 as a pro and seems a bit vanilla compared to Dong Hyun Kim. He's got a nice wrestling base, good submission defense, and enough power to have rendered six of his last seven opponents victims of unconsciousness. Kim will also have the backing of an entire nation, as his UFC debut merited so much attention in his homeland of South Korea that it was treated with great reverence and multiple showings on national television.

It would also seem this rumored fight confirms the chaw-lover will stick with Welterweight, a more-natural division for the Ohio product based on his frame and fights previous to competing on TUF as a Middleweight. With Amir Sadollah preparing to do the same thing in regards to competing at 170, it furthers my appreciation for their accomplishments on Season 7 given that they were apparently fighting against bigger individuals.


Jibber-Jabber:

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


Brock Lesnar talks to the Baltimore Sun about backlash he's received due to being so new to MMA while being involved in a headlining fight and receiving six-figure paydays...

"Tough sh*t, buddy. Get in line. That's just the way it is. This is a business and it's a sport, it's entertainment and it's all three of those words wrapped into one. Dana White and the Fertitta brothers didn't buy this company to say, ‘Hey let's see if we can run this thing into the ground and not make a dime.' They bought it to make millions and make it what it is, and that's what they are doing. I'm just trying to have fun and get a little piece of the pie. I really enjoy it. I'm proud and honored to be a part of it. And it's not like I didn't pay any dues either. I wrestled amateur when I was 5 years old and put more miles in airplanes and working out. I'm 31 this year and I've paid dues. If [other fighters] want to be mad I think they should focus on how they can become a big contributor. They are mad because they aren't making any money."


I whole-heartedly agree with Lesnar. If detractors were able to think outside the box, they might realize he has worked his ass off to get where he's at today. His amateur accomplishments speak for themselves. As far as his time in WWE, Lesnar submitted to the demands of a grueling travel schedule and the wear-and-tear of professional wrestling in order to build a name for himself in the mainstream public. Lesnar's UFC debut drew an above-average viewership and even 10,000 more buys than normal equates to around half a million dollars in revenue for the event. As it was reported, UFC 81was close to 200,000 more buys than the typical UFC PPV. Do the math and tell me UFC's investment wasn't worth it. And, on top of the interest he's created or what he's done in the past, Lesnar deserves the upmost respect for subjecting himself to two veterans like Frank Mir and Heath Herring instead of complaining his way to a padded record or asking to be treated like someone who is a relative virgin to MMA.

I can understand why fighters like Tim Sylvia, who verbalized his issues with Lesnar's contract in recent weeks, have a problem with the six-figure payday Brock receives. It can't be easy to watch a newcomer make more than double your salary when you've dedicated your life to the venture and have more proven success in that particular arena of expertise. However, Mixed Martial Arts is as much about entertainment as it is about the actual combat. Athletes with personality will always get preferential treatment from the leagues in which they play and the fans who follow the sport. Take Phil Baroni. He has one less loss than win in his career, yet he is one of the more-popular fighters outside of the UFC due to his antics and ability to sell a bout verbally. As a result, the "New York Bad Ass" commands a payday above what his record reflects he deserves. Take Forrest Griffin. He has as many fans, if not more, due to his goofy smile and sense of humor as he does for what he does inside of the Octagon. His popularity was as crucial to him receiving a title-shot against "Rampage" Jackson as his win over "Shogun" Rua was.

The importance of marketability and popularity cannot be discounted in their relationship to the push, or salary, a fighter receives. The sooner Mixed Martial Artists realize that, the sooner they'll notice an increase in their bank accounts.


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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" - Eric "Butterbean" Esch vs. Bob Sapp...Sumo-style!

The Beast vs. The Bean!






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