The Verbal Submission 11.25.08: Strikeforce, Fitch Re-Signs, Fedor Declines, and the Brock/Kimbo Comparison

Posted by Chris Robinson on 11.25.2008

Today's Verbal Submission is packed with news, views, and interviews. I've got my thoughts on the latest offering from Strikeforce, a voice of reason for Jon Fitch, plus thoughts on possible future opponents for Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell. I wrote this column while in great cranial pain. Some will say it's my best work. Others will say it's mediocre. I won't judge you.

After an awful headache sidelined my usual writing schedule, get ready for a jam packed, slightly shortened version of the Verbal Submission. With no shows to look forward to or review, this column is jelly packed with some fresh thoughts on the latest news. We got Jon Fitch's contractual merry-go-round, Chuck Liddell getting a new opponent every other day, Fedor being Fedor, and a little Brock/Kimbo comparison. If you like Ariel Helwani interviews, you'll love this column. How does this guy get all this talk time with top fighters? Who is he sleeping with? Can I sleep with the same people? For instant gratification, scroll down to the Urijah Faber pictures. That guy is MY hero. Random intros work for you? Here we go!

She'll take your picture. He'll take your soul.


FITCHIN' AND MOANIN': JUST SIGN YOUR LIFE AWAY!
The big story from this past week is the Jon Fitch debacle in UFC land. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, which means you didn't visit any MMA site in the last week, Jon Fitch was briefly released from the UFC after he refused to sign a deal to use his likeness in UFC video games FOREVER. Fitch eventually reconciled with UFC head honcho Lorenzo Fertitta, but not before Dana White went on a Canadian radio show (figures) and bashed Fitch, American Kickboxing Academy, and Zinkin Entertainment. Not only was Dana White hopping mad at Fitch, but at other AKA fighters who were also on the brink of being jobless.

I want to know how this story ever leaked into the "MMA media". It's almost a non-news story. Fitch and his management balked at a lifetime likeness rights contract for video games. Dana White got pissed. Lorenzo steps in and smooths it all out. Who cares? Of course the UFC haters out there utilized this new info-nugget to bash Dana White, call him a hot head, and make some rude comments about his mother. Uncalled for! Personally, and as a fan, I don't see the problem with the lifetime contract situation if it was solely focused on likeness within a video game. Do you really think there's going to be another competitor to the UFC that has a video game out anytime soon? In Fitch's case, are you that worried that your family won't get a small amount of cash from video game kickbacks in the event of your untimely demise? Seriously? Fitch is a top welterweight and probably will be for some time even though his attempt to capture the championship fell short. Why would you sacrifice a top spot in the number one company in the sport on the off chance you end up with Affliction or Strikeforce and they manage to fellatio their way into a video game deal? It doesn't make sense.

At least their was one voice of reason in this whole fiasco and that man is Mike Swick. Even though he had a lucrative offer to appear in Swick the Hedgehog, Mike Swick stuck with the UFC and personally called Dana White to inform him that he'll sign anything. If the UFC needs Mike Swick to sign away his likeness for UFC coffee mugs, UFC Pez dispensers, or UFC teeth whitening strips, he's totally down. Seriously though, before people start screaming "unionize the fighters!", they need to look at the unions in boxing and pro wrestling. Wait. There are none! In the future, I hope stories like this don't leak out to the gossip hungry MMA journalists out there because they're silly. Look at what happened to the last guy that wouldn't sign something the UFC wanted him to. He got his face caved in by Brock Lesnar.

Ariel "Not the Little Mermaid" Helwani gets the scoop!


ANDERSON SILVA, CHUCK LIDDELL, RANDY COUTURE: WHO'S FIGHTING WHO?
The weekend rumor mill was milling this weekend and a good chunk of it came from a British newspaper. Then BloodyElbow.com claimed they had the story first. Really? I would hope so because how are British newspapers getting all the choice UFC rumors and we get Jon Fitch complaining about Wii related issues. The constantly changing "Who's fighting Chuck?" rumors have shifted from Anderson Silva to former heavyweight champion and 3-time Liddell opponent, Randy Couture. The event could headline the first UFC event from Germany. Say what?

I've got a pretty good idea what Randy vs. Chuck IV will look like.


Now I don't know who wants to see this fight, but I sure as hell don't. The story also has the fight happening at heavyweight with the winner getting a shot at the heavyweight title. So if Chuck beats Randy again (and why wouldn't he), are we setting up Chuck Liddell for a run at the UFC heavyweight title? Is Brock Lesnar just going to be force fed UFC hall of famers until he's obliterated all the past top draws? I'd be much more inclined to see the previously rumored Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell match-up due to the superb striking abilities of both men. If anyone can knock out Anderson Silva, it's Chuck Liddell. I think Chuck might also be able to nullify Anderson's ability in the clinch, but I'm sure most will disagree with that.

The new rumor for the Spider is that he will face one of four men at 205: Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, or Wanderlei Silva. Basically, he'll face whoever loses at Ultimate 2008, but still comes out of their fight without being annihilated. Frankly, I'm not excited for any of those fights. I don't see the Spider having a problem with Evans or Griffin. A fight with Rampage would probably end up on the ground. A Silva vs. Silva fight would be intriguing, but I think Anderson's speed and precision would nullify Wanderlei's striking style. The thought process behind any future Anderson Silva match-up is going to focus on if that fight will garner the most PPV buys. Despite Silva being touted as the #1 fighter in the world, he still doesn't grab the cash in the PPV market. Why would he? No one thought Patrick Cote stood a chance in their fight. His fight with James Irvin was on free TV before that. If they really want to maximize the amount of eye balls on the Spider, a fight with Chuck Liddell would do the trick. Two of the most feared strikers in history going toe to toe and seeing whose chin is better. If Liddell loses, he's pretty much done so it's a win-win!

STRIKEFORCE: COUTURE WINS! COUTURE WINS! (it's just not the same)
Kim Couture saw her MMA record even out at 1-1 after her first round win at StrikeForce: Destruction this weekend. Couture dominated some Russian broad whose name is irrelevant after her Starnes-ish tactics in the cage. Watching that fight it's like no one told her she might get hit in the head and/or face. For Couture, I'm sure she's happy just to walk out of the cage with her facial features intact, but the win is nice too. Women's MMA can always use another superstar and Kim Couture is already halfway there thanks to her last name. She really is the Anna Nicole Smith of MMA. Too soon?

I love her. I can't remember her name at this moment, but I love her. Where are we?


The Strikeforce event also saw Scott Smith introduce Terry Martin's face to the canvas with a brutal first round KO. Every time I see Terry Martin he's getting knocked out in dramatic fashion. He should put together a DVD compilation of his losses because that thing would sell. I hope Smith continues to find success with Strikeforce because I doubt he'll ever be back in the UFC unless he puts together a string of really impressive victories. As for Terry Martin, can't wait to see your next stunning loss! The only problem with Smith's success in Strikeforce is that current middleweight champ Cung Le is off doing movies and doesn't seem entirely interested in returning to fighting soon. So if Smith does manage to pick up a few more wins, the biggest fight he can hope for is a match-up with Frank Shamrock. Nobody wants that! Also, former EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler could always end up in Strikeforce, but I doubt anyone wants to see Lawler/Smith III.

Mort Goldberg's 2nd Most Important Jew, Ariel Helwani, gets a sweet post fight interview with Scott Smith.


The other big news from the event, besides "Big" Jon McCarthy returning to refereeing, is Renato "Babalu" Sobral's championship victory over Bobby Southworth. I've gone on record before in saying that championships shouldn't change hands if a fight goes the full five rounds, but I know that'll never happen. However, I truly believe a championship should never, EVER change hands on a cut. Southworth wasn't knocked out and he didn't submit. He basically had his championship taken away because his face opened up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. (Obligatory holiday reference! Yeah!) Why not just give Babalu the win and build some drama for the rematch? You already know that Southworth is going to get a rematch because how many top 205'ers does Strikeforce have anyway?I looked at their roster. I couldn't find any. With the win, Babalu did what any new champion would do, he called out Tito Ortiz. Too bad Tito would ask for a billion dollars and stock in NBC to fight for Strikeforce, but hey, that's Tito!

Tito may be having twins, but Urijah is having TWINS! Ok, they're not twins, but DAMN!


JAKE SHIELDS: I WANNA FIGHT THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST
According to former EliteXC welterweight champ Jake Shields, Jake Shields is a free man. Whether or not California state law agrees with him remains to be seen, but let's hope he's correct. Jake Shields is widely considered one of the top ten welterweights in the world, and even during his tenure with EliteXC he would mention his hopes of facing UFC fighters. Shields is currently riding an 11 fight win streak, and the rest of his resume reads fairly impressive. According to this official website, Jake holds victories over Jon Fitch and Diego Sanchez in submission/grappling tournaments, which of course are not technically MMA. If the UFC does snatch up Jake Shields, there is plenty of competition for him and he'll probably debut against a top guy. Having Jake Shields fight a guy not near the top of the mix at 170 would be silly.

Ideally I would love to see Shields debut against Diego Sanchez and some of the message boards I frequent agree. Diego has been on the verge of greatness at 170 for quite a while, but something always seems to deter his success. His recent rib injury forced him out of a #1 contender fight with Thiago Alves, which would have been an explosive stand-up war. The added bonus to a potential Sanchez vs. Shields fight is revenge factor that I'm sure Diego would have considering Shields lists Diego as a defeated opponent. I've read that people think stylistically this wouldn't be the best fight because Shields' stand-up game is questionable, so he would try to take the fight to the ground. I've never seen Sanchez have too much trouble on the ground, and I believe his striking is superior to Shields. Either way, this fight could headline a UFC Fight Night and have no problem garnering a nice rating.

Another possibility for Shields is heading to the WEC to clash with their #1 welterweight, Carlos Condit. Condit dropped a fight to Shields in 2006 by unanimous decision, and I'm sure he would want to avenge that loss. Plus, people are constantly questioning the validity of the welterweight division in the WEC and crying for Carlos to shift over to the UFC. This fight would be better from a style standpoint because both guys like to take fights to the ground and work submissions, so fans of that type of fight would rejoice. If a Condit/Shields fight was set up so the winner glides into the UFC, I think both guys would sign the dotted line right away.

Other possible match-ups for Shields include Josh Koscheck, Karo "Horrible" Paryisan, or even Jon Fitch. Shields needs to make an impact as soon as he enters the Octagon to validate his dominance in EliteXC. I'm not saying Jake Shields is going to walk into the UFC and dominate at 170, but it's always nice to see where a guy like this stacks up against the world's best. At least Dana won't make him go on the Ultimate Fighter first! (fingers crossed)

Jake Shields doesn't have any wacky pictures from UFC after parties yet. But Mike Goldberg does!


FEDOR'S SAMBONER
It's hilarious to me that the people that manage Fedor (Monte Cox) allow him to compete in martial arts tournaments where he could possibly injure himself and ruin his chance to cement himself as the world's best fighter. How does fighting sambo benefit Fedor in any way, especially when he openly states he just does it for fun? His recent loss stirred up a thimble full of controversy at best, which is good because that loss means squat. People blamed it on his recent movie work cutting into his Sambo training time.

It seems to me though that he may not be taking his upcoming fight with Andre Arlovski too seriously. Risky sambo tournaments for giggles. Movie roles. This is a guy who clearly doesn't have a very strong passion for fighting anymore. He's more worried about his hobbies than defending the big gold belt around his waist. He's more concerned with rolling out a reality show to find someone for him to personally train then slaughter. I hope he is taking Andre Arlovski seriously because he looked great during his last fight on CBS, and may be the man to finally smash the Fedor myth.

The best part of the week in Fedoria came in the form of his public calling out of new UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. What a plan this is! Let's call out the guy that just bashed Randy's skull in so Fedor looks like a hard ass, and the UFC looks like a bunch of meanies protecting their new top guy. Ego feed much? Everyone knows this fight will never happen! So to recap, Fedor is more concerned with sambo, movie roles, his reality show, and Brock Lesnar, then he is with Andre Arlovski. Maybe the "Day of Reckoning" title for Affliction's next show is more fitting than we realized?

Watch Fedor lose in amazingly low quality!!!


BROCK vs. KIMBO: WHO IS LEAST DESERVING?
So several message boards I lurk around were debating the meteoric rises of Brock Lesnar and Kimbo Slice. I agree that both Brock and Kimbo had similar ascensions to the top of the ladder, but Brock's amateur wrestling background trumps Kimbo's backyard brawls any day. In this severely fictional comparison, I'll attempt to figure out what else these superstar fighters have in common, or what differentiates them from each other. It's going to be a hoot.

BIG WINS

Brock: With victories over Randy Couture, Heath Herring, and an abnormally large Korean, Brock is CLEARLY the top heavyweight in mixed martial arts today. If he continues at this pace, he'll have wins over Frank Mir, Mark Coleman, and the Great Khali by the end of 2009.

Dropping down to 205 to face Shogun. Dropping down to about 125 for a piece of that A........


Kimbo: With victories over James Thompson, Tank Abbott, and Bo Cantrell, Kimbo Slice has CLEARLY had at least three professional fights. If he continues that pace, (which is virtually impossible without a contract with an existing promotion) he'll probably end up fighting on YouTube Live within six months.

BIG LOSSES

Brock: Brock's lone loss came via submission to Frank "Got 'em Right Where I Want 'em" Mir in his first UFC fight. Brock dominated the majority of the fight before an errant shot to the back of the head caused a pause in the action. Most MMA pundits agree that if Brock had trained just five minutes in leg submission defense, he could've avoided that loss. Just five minutes.

Kimbo: Kimbo's lone loss came via hilarious irony in just 14 seconds to Seth "Have you forgotten me yet?" Petruzelli. Here's some other things that can happen in 14 seconds: an embarrassingly short conclusion to love making, chugging a Pabst Blue Ribbon, or getting knocked out by James Irvin. If you can accomplish all three in one evening, you've impressed me.

FIGHTING BACKGROUND

Brock: Brock was NCAA heavyweight division champion in wrestling back in 2000. He then went on to be the WWE wrestling champion in 2002. In 2008, Brock became UFC heavyweight champion. So to be clear, a combination of amateur wrestling ability, defeating the Rock, having large penis-esque swords on your chest, and having a hot 40 something wife will ALWAYS lead to a successful MMA career.

Kimbo: Kimbo became famous and/or infamous for his knockouts in backyard fights on YouTube. The millions of people who watched him on the web followed him to CBS for his MMA coming out party. Those millions of people were then witness to Kimbo losing his first MMA fight, and in turn, taking away jobs from dozens of other fighters. Well at least Scott Smith found work. Poor Kimbo.

A fan til death...which shouldn't be far off for this guy.


END OF THE THIRD ROUND
That ends another loved or hated edition of "The Verbal Submission". Thanks to Sherdog.com, MMAJunkie.com, CagePotato.com and CombatLifestyles.com. The lovely lady that takes the pictures at that site has the sweetest job ever! This is why I need to move to Vegas!

One last note, it appears Amir Sadollah and Nick Catone will get to fight each other after all during the Ultimate Fight Night 17 and the guy on the left is PSYCHED. (run Amir. RUN)


The Empire Hardcore Podcast was back for one week, and you can listen at Podomatic.com and on iTunes. Be sure to check out my lame video comedy on YouTube. Also, my collection of celebrity panties is here. I'll be back next Tuesday to preview the upcoming WEC show, go over the new list of potential Liddell opponents, and discuss the ramifications of increased waffle production on Belgian economy. See ya!

Kick. Punch. It's all in the mind.

-CPR