411 MMA Fact or Fiction 12.31.08: Rampage the Contender, Rashad the Best, Crazy Japanese MMA, and More!

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.31.2008

After his 1st round destruction of Wanderlei Silva, does Quinton "Rampage" Jackson deserve a shot at the Light Heavyweight Title? Considering that he is undefeated, is coming off of a KO of Chuck Liddell and title victory over Forrest Griffin, is Rashad Evans the #1 Light Heavyweight in all of MMA? 411’s Larry Csonka and Dustin James debate these topics and more in the latest edition of 411’s Fact or Fiction: MMA Edition!

Welcome back to another week of 411 Fact or Fiction: MMA Edition! This week we have TWO men stepping up to the challenge as Larry Csonka and Dustin James step into the 411 Arena to do battle in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction: MMA!

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LET'S GET IT ON!

1. Considering that he is undefeated, is coming off of a KO of Chuck Liddell and title victory over Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans is the #1 Light Heavyweight in all of MMA.

Larry Csonka: FACT. I had discussed this before the fight took place. I said that is Rashad defeated Forrest, not a questionable win, but if he had a dominating victory that he should be #1, and I stand by that now. I know that a lot of people don't like Rashad Evans, but I feel that he is a very underrated guy. He isn't wild like Forrest, he doesn't howl like Rampage, he is a guy that dances around, takes some shots and has been finding ways to win fights, big fights against big names. People are saying that he hasn't fought anyone, but I do think the record speaks well of him. He beat Bonnar, he beat Lambert, he killed Salmon, and he drew Ortiz, decision over Bisping. That is GOOD stuff, not great, but it is GOOD. He hadn't lost, and then the fight with Chuck comes. He knocks Chuck the FUCK out, but Rashad doesn't get the credit, Rashad isn't good, Chuck is just declining in skills. I hate when MMA fans do that. But he gets the title shot against Forrest, and he gets a great win there. He beat the shit out of the man, he holds the title, he now is the man in the UFC, and I think that it is about time Rashad Evans gets some credit. As of right now, he is #1 with me. But he does have Machida and Rampage in his future, which may not bode well for him. Maybe if he beats one of those men then he will gain a bit more respect.

Dustin James : FICTION. Truth is, you can rate Rashad Evans the #1 light heavyweight in the world, and I wouldn't have a problem with it. However, he isn't #1 in my book just yet. There is still somebody he needs to beat in order to take that title...and that man is Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Jackson has been my #1 light heavyweight for over a year (I didn't knock off any points for that "loss" against Forrest Griffin) and I'm not about to change things. Right now I would rank them Jackson, Evans, and then Lyoto Machida. I'm not knocking Evans at all, it's just I truly believe that Jackson is the top LHW in the world at this minute.

Score: 0 for 1!


2. Akihito Tanaka will be wearing a mask and will be portraying an anime character named "Kinniku Mantaro" during his fight with Bob Sapp at the Dynamite!! show on New Year's Eve. This just reeks of pro wrestling and is embarrassing to the sport of MMA.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. I do know this is something Dustin and I agree on. This fight is taking place in Japan. MMA fans should all know by now that Japan is the home of the freak show fight as far as MMA goes, hell even in their wrestling they love the freak show matches. Sup Akebono. It is a difference in the culture, the lifestyle, it is what they do. Wacky Japanese fights are Wacky, it is different and fun. I have no issue with Akihito Tanaka wearing a mask and portraying an anima character. I wasn't going to take the fight seriously s soon as I heard that Bob Sapp was going to be in it.

Dustin James : FICTION. If this fight was happening in the United States and in the UFC then I might answer with a very loud "FACT". However, this fight is happening over in Japan.....a place that is known for freak fights in MMA. The MMA haters who reside in the United States will never even know it went down. The only way I can see this fight damaging MMA in anyway shape or form is if "Kinniku Mantaro" spat a fireball at Sapp...and I just don't see that happening.

Score: 1 for 2!


3. With his 1st round destruction of Wanderlei Silva, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson deserves a shot at the Light Heavyweight Title.

Larry Csonka: FACT. Damn straight fact. Actually, if it wasn't for his brief moment of insanity, I felt that Rampage deserved an immediate rematch because of how close the last fight with Forrest was. But Quinton's brief insanity may have been a blessing in disguise. He completely changed up everything. He dropped his old team and went overseas to join the Wolfslair Academy. He got Hatton's old boxing coach, for the first time he got a nutritionist and what we saw Saturday night was one scary motherfucker. While I do feel that Rashad should be called the #1 Light Heavyweight in MMA, the fight with Jackson will be for two titles; UFC Light Heavyweight Champion as well as the title of the Best Light Heavyweight in all of MMA. Rampage is back, and that's a great thing.

Dustin James : FACT. This is "FACT" a million times over. "Rampage" was the #1 contender to the Light Heavyweight Title the minute he lost it in my mind. The Griffin/Rampage fight was too close to call and I personally believe they should have awarded the fight to Rampage, but that's all in the past now. Jackson went off the deep end, got a little crazy, and changed training camps and now looks scarier than ever. As much as I would love to see Griffin/Jackson II, that will have to wait. We are about to see Jackson vs. Evans in a fight that will determine who the #1 light heavyweight in the world is. You have to be crazy to think Jackson doesn't deserve a shot at the title after knocking Wanderlei Silva's jaw into the 3rd round of the MGM Grand.

Score: 2 for 3!


---SWITCH~!---


4. If Mirko Cro Cop is unable to beat Hong Man Choi in impressive fashion at the Dynamite!! show, his time is officially up as a relevant fighter in the heavyweight division.

Dustin James : FACT. Fact a million times over. Cro Cop's legacy has suffered the past two years tremendously. He came into the UFC with a ton of hype, and we all saw what happened with that. Cheick Kongo and Gabriel Gonzaga beat him right out of Zuffa-land and sent him back to Japan. Since his return to Japan, it doesn't look like he has improved all that much. He beat a tomato can earlier this year and then fought Alistair Overeem to a "No contest" after Overeem tried to prevent Cro Cop from ever having kids. Tons of people wanted to see the Cro Cop/Overeem rematch at the Dynamite!! 2008 show, yet it was announced that Cro Cop would now be facing the 7'0 Hong Man Choi. I'm sorry, but if Cro Cop can't beat Choi in impressive fashion then his time as a relevant fighter is up in MMA. He will then be looked at as one of those guys who is only booked on a card just for name value.

Larry Csonka: FACT. Unfortunately I say fact and agree with about everything James says. Mirko Cro Cop in the UFC was not the same guy he was in PRIDE. Maybe it was the cage, maybe it was the drug testing, or maybe he just wasn't as good as most thought he was. But the disastrous UFC run hurt him, and since going back to Japan, he hasn't done anything to repair that. Unless you call beating a job guy and having your balls kneed into your stomach a career accomplishment. He needs to destroy Cream of Hong Man Choi to gain a bit of credibility back, and then he needs to accept the rematch with Overeem. How the mighty have fallen…

Score: 3 for 4!


5. Despite his dominating victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir shouldn't be considered a top heavyweight.

Dustin James : FICTION. Are you kidding me? Of course Frank Mir is considered a top heavyweight now. The dude just did what nobody before him has done, finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The big question now is, does Big Nog still have it? He hasn't exactly looked like the fighter he was in PRIDE since joining the UFC. Ya, he captured the Interim Heavyweight Title, but let's be honest here.....who isn't beating Tim Sylvia these days? Mir came out and dominated Nog in the stand-up game and humbled everybody that said he had no chance in the fight. I was one of those guys, and Mir humbled me. Even after the fight Mir himself said "Even I didn't think I could beat Nogueira". That's how shocking this upset really was. As for where Mir lands in the heavyweight rankings now? I wouldn't object to anybody throwing him in the top 5. Right now, 411's top 5 is Fedor, Nog, Arlovski, Barnett, and Lesnar. Looking at that list, Mir has defeated two of those guys in the previous year. That mean's he's top 5 now.....right????

Larry Csonka: FICTION. And this goes back to something I said about Rashad Evans. I am SO SICK of hearing that "Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira just isn't what he was once upon a time, Mir's win wasn't impressive at all." BULLSHIT. Mir dissected him in round one and knocked him down twice, winning a 10-8 round. He followed that up by FINISHING Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Yes, Frank Mir was the first man to finish Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Listen, I love Nogueira. He's a big, cuddly, Brazilian teddy bear. I wanted to give that man a hug after he lost. And yes I will agree that the Nogueira we have seen in the UFC is NOT the old Nogueira. He still fought hard and overcame adversity, but at the end of the day Frank Mir was the better man. Nogueira, at the age of 32, has been in wars and it has caught up to him, but we cannot take away the fact that Mir destroyed him. Add onto that, as Dustin said that he beat Lesnar, even though there was controversy, Mir has an awesome 2008. This is a tremendous comeback story, we get the huge rematch, which will be MANY BUYS, and it is nice to say that Frank Mir IS BACK as a top heavyweight in the world of MMA.

Score: 4 for 5!


6. Whoever walks away the winner in the Eddie Alvarez/Shinya Aoki fight should be considered the new #1 lightweight fighter in MMA.

Dustin James : FICTION. Just like the question above regarding Rashad being the #1 LHW in the world....I would have no problem if you ranked Eddie Alvarez or Shinya Aoki the #1 lightweight in the world, yet my #1 lightweight is currently the UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn. In my opinion, Penn would give either Aoki or Alvarez fits in the cage. We may never see Penn fight either one of those guys, so basically you have to do a little "dream fight" in your head, and whenever I do that....Penn always walks away the victor. If Alvarez can defeat Aoki at the Dynamite!! show on New Year's Even, then he very well may be considered the Fighter of the Year for 2008, but #1 lightweight in the world? Not yet!

Larry Csonka: FACT. I am actually going to go fact here. Right now I feel that Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki are the cream of the crop for lightweights. While BJ Penn is a great fighter, and I agree with James that he would likely give both of these men fits, I question BJ's commitment to fighting at lightweight. He seems to do it because the UFC wants him too, and I personally think that Alvarez is a better fighter. Unfortunately we'll likely not get the match between he and Penn to really settle the score.

Score: 4 for 6!

Come on back next week for more of 411 Fact or Fiction: MMA Edition!