Cardio Freak MMA News Report 11.20.08: The Pain - He Came. He Saw. He Conquered!

Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 11.20.2008

Cardio Freak is back with a review of UFC 91. Just how good is Brock Lesnar? Where does Randy Couture go now? How impressive was Kenny Florian? Plus news on Anderson Silva, Jon Fitch, and Fedor. All that and the latest news from the MMA world. It's greater than Dustin Hazelett's beard, it's Cardio Freak on 411.



Welcome back to Cardio Freak everyone. I am your trainer Jeremy ‘Just Killin Time In Between Fights' Lambert.

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UFC 91: "Pain Arrived" Review

If you didn't see him after UFC 87, I'm sure you see him now. Then again how could miss that gigantic man in the first place?

Brock Lesnar caused the MMInternet to collapse just after midnight Saturday when he knocked down former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and then pounded him out to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.

The talk after the weigh ins was that Lesnar was nervous and possibly hiding an injury. He wasn't his usual cocky self and something just seemed a little off. Even during his walk in he didn't look to have any type of fire in his eyes. I'm usually the first person to read into these types of things and while I thought something may have been off with Lesnar, I put that doubt away the moment he was smiling and jumping around during the introduction. He worked us. Maybe he was hurt, maybe he wasn't. But Lesnar showed everyone that you shouldn't put too much stock into what you see at the weigh ins and walk ins. At least with him anyway.

As I said last week, nothing that happened was going to shock me in this fight. I wasn't shocked when Randy bullied Brock into the fence, I wasn't shocked when Brock put Randy on his back, and I wasn't shocked when Brock dropped Randy. I was a little shocked that it took the ref seemingly forever to stop the fight but at the same time everyone would have been up in arms if Mario Yamasaki jumped in early. Then again, everyone is up in arms that a former WWE Superstar is the UFC Heavyweight Champion. That doesn't shock me either.

Brock Lesnar is now the current king of the UFC Heavyweight division. Like it or not, learn to accept it. That could change when he faces Antontio Nogueira or Frank Mir but until that time, Lesnar is recognized as the true and linear champion. The scary thing about this man is that he can only improve. He's still relatively young and he's got size and speed that can't be taught. He's also in a big fight every time he steps into the Octagon, which is very similar to Randy Couture. In fact, Lesnar might just be a better version of Randy Couture when Couture first started his career. Now that's scary.

As for Couture, he gave a hell of a fight. He made no excuses for the loss and was the class act we all know and love. He just got caught right on the temple and when you get hit there, you go down. He put up a better fight than any other 45 year old man on the planet would have and up until he was dropped, you always believed he had a chance at winning. I don't know what's next for Couture. He said that he feels the best he's ever felt and that he's still improving you have to wonder how long he can hang with the young guys like Lesnar, Cain, and Carwin. I'd love to see Couture vs. Liddell 4 (and maybe 5) but that's a selfish line of thinking and maybe not something everyone involved would be interested in. I have to believe that Couture has another fight or two left in him and if that's the case, UFC has to book him smartly. I think UFC should look more at super fights than ranking fights. Couture vs. Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, or Cheick Kongo aren't really great business fights and the risk is too much for the reward. Fights against Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, or Forrest Griffin (put the training partners aspect aside, you don't think Griffin would love to be the last person to ever fight Couture and you don't think Couture would love to "pass the torch" to his start pupil? Thought so) are all good business fighters where there's really no loser.

Also, add "God bless you…..God" to my list of worthy things to say in a post-fight interview.

Although Lesnar turned in an impressive performance, Kenny Florian turned in the most impressive performance of the night. I thought this would be Florian's toughest fight to date but he rolled through Joe Stevenson and proved that he's ready for BJ Penn. It always gets said but it always rings true, Kenny Florian improves with every fight. He looks like Ben Stiller, his ribs badly want to escape his body, he should probably be a lawyer, and he has a dyslexic nickname. Yet he keeps on winning. Has there ever been someone who didn't look like they should be doing what their doing yet they succeed at the highest level? The first person that jumps to my mind is Kate Winslet, who I don't find very attractive but recognize that she's a really good actress.

I'm now more excited to see Kenny Florian vs. BJ Penn then I am for Penn vs. St. Pierre. Obviously I think St. Pierre vs. Penn will be a great fight and one that interests me but there's that sour taste in my mouth that feels like Penn is only getting this fight because he MUST avenge this loss before his career is over and instead of defending a belt that he's only defended once, he's getting a shot at another belt. Say what you will about Florian's chances of winning the fight against Penn, you can't deny the fact that he's won six straight fights, finishing five, since losing to Sean Sherk and he looks even more impressive every time out. I don't know if he'll, "kill the master" but I think he'll be a tough test for the master.

Is everyone on my Dustin Hazelett bandwagon now? Don't worry, there's plenty of room. I've been singing the praises of this kid all year and he came through for me again. Not only did he grow an epic beard that I could only dream of growing but he finished with another sweet armbar that I could only dream of doing. He looked rocked early by Tamdan McCrory but he survived, started looking good on his feet, got the fight to the ground, and ended it. He's still a number of wins away from a title shot but the kid is only 22 and he looks more impressive with every outing. My only concern about Hazelett is that he trains with Gurgel, which means he may always be a bridesmaid and never a bride. Right, Rich Franklin?

Gabriel Gonzaga continued to get back on track with a win over Josh Hendricks. Gonzaga looked impressive in a fight he should have looked impressive in. Good for him. There's still the question about his heart and that won't get answered until he takes a step up in competition. No knock on Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks but just because you training with Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture, doesn't mean you're Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. Gonzaga is still a threat in the Heavyweight division because he's got power on and in his feet and he's really good on the ground but I have a feeling that if Brock Lesnar bullied him around for a round, Gonzaga would wilt. Until he proves he can survive an onslaught, my lasting memory of Gabriel Gonzaga is still, "I can't see."

Shame on those of you who doubted Demian Maia. I've been saying for a couple of fights now that this man has the skills to take out Anderson Silva and he proved me right with his performance against Nate Quarry. His striking is still good enough to get by, he gets it to the ground by any means, and he's second to none on the ground. Maia suggested fighting Michael Bisping after his win and I for one support that fight. The only reason I would be against it is if it leads to Maia coaching against Bisping on TUF 9: US vs. UK. I don't think UFC is dumb enough to have a Brazilian coach a US team but it seems like they didn't plan this season too well (Dana White ripping the concept, the timing of the Henderson/Franklin fight and the lack of interest from Franklin and Henderson in coaching on the season) so maybe we will see Maia coach a team of Americans.

Quick Thoughts on the Preliminary Fights:

*Was this the first time ever all of the prelim fights were shown on PPV? I believe so.
*Matt Brown learned submissions. I'm starting to come around to ol' Matt Brown although he's got to lose that, "The Immortal" nickname.
*Bocek is better than Robinson.
*Stephens has a hell of an uppercut.
*Gurgel continues to put on good fights in a losing effort. Was anyone shocked when they saw that fight and the way it ended?

UFC 91 was hyped as the biggest fight of the year. Instead it turned out to be the best event of the year. There was no fight of the year candidate but we were treated to some outstanding fights, some outstanding submissions, an outstanding knockout, and an outstanding main event. Plus 50 Cent was there and proved he knows more about MMA than half the people watching as he picked Brock Lesnar over Randy Couture. Ok, we all know that's not true but I am a fan of 50 Cent (don't shoot me….nine times) so I enjoyed his presence.

It's a stacked December for Zuffa with one WEC event, two UFC on Spike events, and a finale that features Evans vs. Griffin, Nogueira vs. Mir, and Silva vs. Jackson. What more could you ask for as a MMA fan?

Playing to Your Strengths

UFC 95 will take place in London on February 21, 2009. Although it's not confirmed at this time, the rumored main event is Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell

I hate to say this as the biggest Chuck Liddell fan on 411Mania but…I'm scared for my boy if this fight does indeed happen. Liddell's chin has proven to be cracked, his power and timing isn't what it used to be, and he's 39 going on 55. Unless another Dance, Dance Revolution tournament breaks out, I think we're going to see Liddell looking up at the lights again. At this point in their careers I already don't like the chances of Liddell but considering Anderson Silva is in a bad mood after his performance of Cote and wants to make an example of his next opponent, I really don't like the chances of Chuck Liddell. Then again, maybe Liddell will take this as serious as he's taken any fight in his career and he'll come with a different gameplan (a.k.a. he'll use his wrestling) and he'll shock everyone.

This is a smart fight by UFC. Liddell is in the same boat as Couture at this point in his career, where every fight should be a superfight. There's no need in doing meaningless fights between Liddell vs. and someone like Thiago Silva (who I think is a future champion) because it doesn't look like Liddell is going to be the Light Heavyweight Champion again and you don't want to use Liddell as a stepping stone for guys that may or may not make it. Liddell should only fight guys where a win is great for the careers of either man and a loss won't hurt either man. I think I'm the only person on the planet that wants to see Liddell vs. Couture 4 but that's actually possible, more so than the pipe dream that is Couture vs. Fedor.

Paulo Filho has been released from his Zuffa contract

It's amazing what one lackluster performance can do to a top Middleweight. I still maintain my idea that we need to get Filho on Celebrity Rehab. In reality though, Zuffa should have never released him. They should have kept him under contract and got him the help he needed. Releasing him just gives him more reason to go back to drugs and alcohol, especially if another organization doesn't pick him up.

The downfall of Filho is one of the sad MMA stories this year. He was the consensus #2 Middleweight behind Anderson Silva and everyone thought he was robbed when Zuffa put him in WEC and not UFC. He defeated Chael Sonnen and because Sonnen disputed his words, he got a rematch. And then it was all downhill from there. The rematch was pushed back numerous times for one reason or another and when the fight was finally cemented, Filho just didn't seem to care. He, the champion, showed up seven pounds overweight the day before the fight and showed up with a blank stare at the fight. He then proceeded to throw no punches, lay on his back, and look for Jesus during the fight. Now he's unemployed and I have a feeling that worse news could come out in the coming months. I hope I'm wrong.

Jon Fitch will return at UFC 94 to face Akihiro Gono

This fight was supposed to take place at UFC 82 but Gono pulled out, Chris Wilson filled in, Fitch won, and then entered a fight with Georges St. Pierre with a win over Chris Wilson.

I said after UFC 87 that I would look forward to the return of Jon Fitch because of his effort against GSP. Gono is coming off a split decision loss to Dan Hardy so neither man can afford two straight losses. I think Jon Fitch will come into this fight hungry to get another title shot. Gono still seems a bit uncomfortable in the Octagon as he wasn't fairing so well against Tandam McCrory before catching him with an armbar and he dropped the fight to Hardy. Fitch showed improved stand up against St. Pierre, his wrestling is still top notch, and his ground game is solid. The thing I love most about this fight is that it should be on the PPV main card (I can't imagine why it wouldn't be) which means the UFC casuals will get their first taste of DJ Gozma. That alone already makes this a great fight.

**UPDATE** It appears that if Jon Fitch has been released by UFC for refusing to sign exclusive video game rights to his name and likeness. Details on this appear to be sketchy and things may change in the coming days but for now, it looks as if Fitch is gone. My belief is that UFC and Fitch will come to some type of agreement in the coming days and Fitch will indeed face Gono at UFC 94. I just can't imagine them releasing him for not signing off on a video game. If he won't sign off, just don't include him in the game. I think that would be more his loss than UFC's.

Studying Tape



Brock Lesnar's only charismatic WWE moment

Sparring Session

Fedor Emelianenko issued a grandstand challenge to Brock Lesnar

My favorite line of the challenge was Fedor's promoter saying, "UFC claims to be the number one promotion in the world but they don't have the number one fighter in the world" and them getting angry at UFC for calling Anderson Silva the best Pound 4 Pound fighter.

Don't be fooled people, the chances of this fight happening are about the same as Fedor vs. Couture happening. That means zero. Lesnar isn't leaving UFC anytime soon and UFC isn't signing Fedor to a one-fight deal or some type of co-promotion deal. Lesnar is the hot topic now and Affliction tickets went on sale yesterday. You do the business math. Affliction has to drum up interest in their card and they're using UFC to do it. It makes them look a bit second rate but at least at the end of the Affliction show we won't see Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Josh Barnett jump Fedor and send him packing to UFC. Affliction also has to sway from the controversy that has started thanks to Todd Beard. I appreciate the effort of Affliction but we all know that this is falling on deaf Zuffa ears.

Also, Fedor just lost (in a Sambo tournament). Why would Lesnar want to fight a guy coming off a loss? He wouldn't.

WWE.com mentioned the title win of Brock Lesnar over the weekend. The article was highlighted by the following comment:

"Critics have noted that many of the fights on the UFC pay-per-view ended in the first round, leaving UFC producers scrambling to fill the three-hour event with content. The dearth of hearty competition left many viewers to watch less prestigious under-card fights and only served to bolster claims that UFC pay-per-view events can often be a "crap shoot" in regards to filling the full three hours"

The article has since been pulled

I'm not going to use this opportunity to bash WWE because they accomplish that every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Instead I'm going to tell the story of a young boy who expressed the same concerns that WWE is expressing.

You see, this young boy saw a preview for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie and decided that it looked to be the most epic fight ever. The problem was, this young boy didn't want to spend 40 dollars on one fight that could end in 30 seconds. So he skipped the PPV and found the results later. This young boy's first UFC PPV ended up being UFC 61: Bitter Rivals. And what a crappy show that was. It's amazing the young boy didn't give up on MMA completely. His fears were answered by the show. He paid $40 for Ortiz vs. Shamrock and saw one minute of "action" with an arguable stoppage. He also saw Frank Mir's gut and two guys standing still for 25 minutes. Welcome to MMA. The young boy found his $40 wasted because not only did the one fight he paid for not deliver but the card as a whole didn't deliver.

The young boy soon after realized that sometimes it just works out like that. He didn't give up on UFC PPVs and now, when he's not broke, he still orders the big fights. Even if that fight doesn't quite live up to the hype, show as a whole is usually worth the money.

That young boy was not me. In fact, I just made up that entire story because I have nothing better to do. It was good though, right?

My main point is that some people do have the fear of spending $40 on one fight that could end in 30 seconds. It's a valid fear. I think it's called quickmainphobia. UFC does a great job filling the 3 hours though. They filled 3 hours of UFC 91 by showing all nine fights. Sometimes all the main card fights take up the three hours. It is a "crap shoot" in the sense that the three hours may not be entertaining but isn't it like that with most things you pay for? It's the same "crap shoot" for wrestling PPVs and if you paid for the Super Bowl it would be a "crap shoot" as well. If you don't want to pay for the PPV, go watch it at a bar with people who don't know what's going on.

Underwater Ice Bath

Strikeforce: Destruction is this Friday on HDNet. Here is the card:

-Scott Smith vs. Terry Martin
-Yves Edwards vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Bobby Southworth
-Joe Riggs vs. Luke Stewart
-Kim Couture vs. Lina Kvokov

Strikeforce normally delivers a good card even though they don't get the promotion that EXC got or that Affliction gets. They've found their home in San Jose, they have a good crop of fighters, and they turn a profit. That's more than you can say about most MMA companies.

This card looks to be really good with Smith vs. Martin and Ludwig vs. Edwards likely banging it out, Sobral hopefully schooling Southworth, and Kim Couture likely showing heart again. Smith looks to bounce back from the loss to Robbie Lawler and I believe that Martin is the perfect opponent for him. Martin will stand and trade with him and if we know one thing about Terry Martin, it's that he's a highlight reel waiting to happen. I've already talked about Ludwig vs. Edwards but on the feet, both guys are a threat to knock the other one out and on the ground Edwards should have his way with Ludwig. I'm actually pulling for Edwards to win because I really want to see Edwards vs. Thomson 2. For the love of God, Renato Sobral needs to defeat Bobby Southworth. He should have little trouble with the TUF alum but this is MMA and you never know. I love Strikeforce but I just can't take the company serious when Bobby Southworth is your Light Heavyweight Champion, he's defended the belt twice since winning it almost two years ago, and he lost a fight in that time. Not really a fan of Joe Riggs but I don't expect him to have too much of a problem with Luke Stewart. I'm looking forward to Kim Couture fighting just because she showed a lot of heart in her last fight. She could have quit after the first punch broke her jaw but she battled for three rounds before dropping a decision. I know nothing about Lina Kvokov, which means Kim should win but I'm not so sure that Kim is even that great, she's just married to Randy and trains with Gina Carano and Wanderlei Silva.

Check out the show if you have HDNet. If not, I'm sure you'll watch the fights online the next day.

Taking Time Off

Jack Bauer returns this Sunday. That is all.

AND IT'S ALL OVER~!

That does it for me folks. I'll be back next week to celebrate THANKSGIVING~! Check out the Cardio Freak Blog. Take care everyone.

Cardio Freak Sources: Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer, Bryan Alvarez and Figure Four Weekly, MMAWeekly, and MMAMania