The Fightin’ Stance News 01.09.09: Look For The Nines

Posted by  on 01.09.2009

We’ve got the latest updates on Rampage’s legal troubles, a TON of fight announcements, and words of wisdom from “The Last Emperor.” All this, plus we’ll try to sort out the future of the UFC heavyweight division in this week’s Fightin’ Stance News!



Another week, another edition of The Fightin' Stance News. I'm Adam Tool and I'm enjoying the calm before the storm, as the next four weeks are packed with fights. But we've got some time to kill before all that, so…



Rampage Makes His Plea



The summer of ‘08 was not kind to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. First he lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Forrest Griffin. Following that, Jackson led police on a chase that involved several hit-and-runs, running red lights, and driving into oncoming traffic. In the wake of his legal troubles Jackson went through a public split with his trainer, Juanito Ibarra.

After UFC 92, and the brutal knockout of arch-enemy Wanderlei Silva, "Rampage" is now closer to getting his life back to normal. He's re-focused with a new training camp at Wolfslair, and as a result he's put himself in a position to regain his title sooner than later. Now he's taken the first steps to clearing up his legal issues.

On Thursday Jackson appeared in an Orange County courthouse where he entered a plea of guilty, as part of a plea bargain agreement. Following his arrest, Jackson was charged with one felony count of evading while driving recklessly, one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. Under the terms of the agreement, Jackson would only be charged for one misdemeanor count of reckless driving and one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic.

As a result his sentencing has now been deferred to January 7, 2010. Should Jackson satisfy the terms of the agreement, the felony charge will be dropped and he will only be sentenced for the misdemeanor. If he is unable to meet the terms he will be sentenced for both counts. Under the agreement, Jackson could still be charged and sentenced for up to six months in prison and probation.

Jackson's attorney, Carol Lavacot, issued a prepared statement on behalf of her client.

"Today, Quinton entered into a plea agreement that was fashioned to place more time between the instance and the resolution. The agreement is analogous to a deferred entry of judgment in that the plea to count two, evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, will be withdrawn and dismissed at the end of one year if Quinton's doctors are assured that he has maintained good physical and mental health and he has complied with the other terms of the agreement. He will be seeing his doctor's regularly with bimonthly reports provided to the district attorney. He will also perform 200 hours of community service, which will be designed to reach as many young people as possible."

"Quinton's decompensation on July 15, 2008, was precipitated by multiple factors interacting with one another. None of these factors included drugs or alcohol. It is the opinion of his doctor's that Quinton suffered a brief episode of delirium, which was reactive to situational and metabolic difficulties. He is learning to manage the stressors in his life and has been working with a nutritionist to maintain his physical as well as his mental health.

"Quinton, from the beginning, has wanted to take responsibility for his actions. He has learned a great deal about his physical body and about mental health. During this next year, Quinton has chosen to share his knowledge of how good nutrition, exercise, and sufficient sleep leads to success. He will be speaking to groups of young people in the hope that his unfortunate incident can be turned into something positive for others."

Assuming he can meet the terms of the agreement, Jackson will remain out of jail for at least another year.

This is good news for fight fans as we can look forward to "Rampage" competing in the octagon over the course of 2009. From what we can tell it looks like Jackson is ready to pay his debt to society, and move forward past this nasty lapse in judgment.

Before we move on, I guess I need to address the accusations that Jackson's actions caused a woman to suffer a miscarriage. I had thought the facts were already out there, but apparently I was wrong because there are still plenty of people out there who can't wait to scream "OMG RAMPAGE KILLED A BABY!"

Here's the simple truth, Jackson was not at fault for that woman's miscarriage. We know this because:

1. Had Jackson been at fault, he would have been charged for it. He wasn't.
2. The woman was in a Cadillac Escalade, not on foot as some people like to claim. Her car wasn't T-boned or hit head-on, she was sideswiped. Hardly a major accident.
3. The woman (Holli Griggs) was 38 years old and had been diagnosed by her OBGYN as a "high-risk pregnancy." The simple fact is that her fetus had little chance of survival no matter what.

So there you have it. Jackson has not been charged with any wrong-doing in the miscarriage, and Griggs has not filed any lawsuit in court. Had he been somehow responsible, don't you think something more would've been done about it?

The Week That Was In Fight Announcements

While there were no real big stories from the last seven days, we did get plenty of reports for fights that will be filling up the various UFC cards in the next few months. Here's a rundown of what we can expect:

Keith Jardine vs. Luis Cane (UFC 97) - Jardine had been rumored to be a part of UFC 96, but now it appears that he'll have a spot the following month where he'll meet surging light heavyweight Luis Cane. Jardine will be looking to keep his name amongst the elite at 205, while Cane will try to capitalize on the momentum he got after beating Sokoudjou at UFC 89. Reports indicate that the bout has been verbally agreed to, but not yet officially signed.

Kendall Grove vs. Jason Day (UFC 96) - The middleweight division is still looking for credible contenders, so this bout is a must-win for both guys if they have any hopes of fighting for the gold. While Grove has been written off by many following back-to-back losses against Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, his win over Evan Tanner showed that he still has a place in the UFC. Day will be looking to bounce back from his loss to Michael Bisping, and a win over Grove would certainly help people remember his name.

Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller (Fight Night 18) - Two guys that made their name on "The Ultimate Fighter," although that's pretty much where the similarities end. Junie is a powerful striker with little technical expertise, while Miller has a good ground game and some nice Muay Thai. Should be a fun one.

Jake Rosholt vs. Dan Miller (Fight Night 17) - Miller is taking the place of an injured Alessio Sakara, and will now have the task of welcoming Rosholt to the UFC. After competing in the IFL, Miller entered the UFC and has racked up wins over Rob Kimmons and Matt Horwich. Rosholt, a stand-out wrestler at Oklahoma State, made his WEC debut with a win over Nissen Osterneck at WEC 37.

Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller (UFC 96) - Speaking of the Miller brothers, I'm all kinds of excited about this one. Both fighters have been surging in the lightweight division as of late, with Maynard picking up wins over Frank Edgar and Rich Clementi. Miller turned a lot of heads at Fight Night 16, when he laid a three round beat down on Matt Wiman. The win was even more impressive considering the fact that Miller accepted the fight on only eight days notice.

Troy Mandaloniz vs. Paul Kelly (UFC 95) - It's the return of "Rude Boy!" Mandaloniz has not been seen in the octagon since his win over Richie Hightower at The Ultimate Finale 6, and it'll be interesting to see how he'll fare after more than a year off. Kelly will look to bounce back from his first career loss, suffered at the hands of Marcus Davis at UFC 89. This will be Kelly's third consecutive UFC show in his home country of England.

Ben Saunders vs. Dustin Hazelett (UFC 96) - Here we have two guys looking to make their name in the crowded welterweight division. Hazelett has picked up two "Submission of the Night" bonus checks following wins over Josh Burkman and Tamdan McCrory, and he'll no doubt be looking to make it three in a row. Saunders was a memorable part of "The Ultimate Fighter" season 6, and he is still unbeaten in seven professional fights. That includes a dominant win over Brandon Wolff at Fight Night 16.

Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham (UFC 95) - This is another fight that should help to organize things in the stacked ranks at welterweight. Markham was a stand-out in the IFL before making his UFC debut with a memorable head-kick KO of Brodie Farber. Hardy will be competing once again in his home country of England, and will look to improve his win streak to five after beating Akihiro Gono at UFC 89.

Matt Riddle vs. Steve Bruno (Fight Night 17) - As usual, the Fight Night card is quickly filling up with "TUF" alumni. Riddle is a graduate of season seven, and will be competing in just his second professional fight (it will also be his debut at welterweight). Bruno picked up his first UFC win with a submission victory over Johnny Rees at Fight Night 16.

He Talks, You Listen



Flashy. Loud-mouthed. Charismatic.

None of these words can be used to describe the #1 heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. While the famed Russian holds notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tim Sylvia, and Mirko Cro Cop, he could face his toughest challenge yet when he faces Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day Of Reckoning in two weeks. Before the fight, Fedor took time to give an interview where he discussed Arlovski, Dana White, and whether or not he'd ever go to the UFC.

At a recent press conference, Arlovski stated that while Emelianenko claims to have taken his recent Sambo loss in stride, Andrei believes that it has deeply affected Fedor. He claimed that Emelianenko was not "100 percent sure of himself." Fedor responded,

"Maybe Andrei is trying to convince himself that I have been weakened in some way. But it [doesn't] matter [as] we are not fighting Sambo with Andrei. The only thing I am 100 percent sure about is that I will be 100 percent ready to fight MMA against Andrei. And that is the only thing I care about right now."

Also making his own statements about Fedor was Arlovski's boxing coach, Freddie Roach. Roach claimed that he has spotted holes in Fedor's striking, and Arlovski will be able to capitalize. In regards to that, Emelianenko replied,

"The beauty about MMA is that every fighter has his own unique style and preferences. But it's not a beauty contest. We fight to see which fighter's approach prevails. But again, we are not boxing and we are not fighting Sambo. We fight MMA. Sometimes it is a trainer's job to point out weaknesses in his fighter's opponents. And sometimes it is a trainer's job to convince his fighter that his opponent has weaknesses. We will see."

Fedor also responded to Dana White's recent remarks where the UFC President attempted to discredit Emelianenko's win over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia.

"I think if Dana White says something negative about his [former] champions then he is only saying something negative about his own organization. I have victories over many of the UFC's champions. If he says something bad about them or me then he only makes his organization look weak. I do not pay too much attention to what Dana White says in the media. He is trying to sell one thing as good and make you not buy another thing by saying it is bad. I just want to fight the best fighters in the world. I am lucky that the best heavyweight fighters in the world right now are with M-1 Global and Affliction. If the situation is right and there is someone really good in the UFC that will fight me, then I would be fine fighting [for] them."

Fedor also stated that his management team is not to be blamed for the fact that he was not signed to the UFC, and he elaborated on he works with his managers.

"It depends on the decisions. I am not a specialist in some thing. Sometimes I make the decisions and sometimes we make them together. If I stop fighting tomorrow, I stop. If I want to fight Sambo, I fight. If I need to finish my training camp and miss a press conference, I need to. But I am lucky to have good management with my team, M-1 Global. I am part of M-1 Global so it is easy to make decisions together."

Finally, when asked if Dana White would consider him the greatest heavyweight fighter should he sign with the UFC, Fedor responded,

"(Laughs) I think if I fought for the UFC, he would try to sell me as the greatest MMA fighter that ever lived."

At this point it's all but impossible to say one mean thing about Fedor. While he is an imposing figure in the MMA world, he's always presented himself with humility and class. I still have to wonder who was making the decisions when he decided not to go to the UFC, but if he's happy with where he's at then I don't think anyone will be able to change his mind.


Ranking The UFC Heavyweight Contenders

I did a similar feature a few months ago where I attempted to sort out the contenders in the middleweight division. Now, with the heavyweight "mini-tournament" to crown an undisputed champion nearing completion, it seemed like a good time to try and sort out who may be getting their shot at the gold in 2009.

Please keep in mind that this is merely a ranking of the UFC heavyweights and how close they are to getting a championship opportunity. This is not meant to be a complete listing of the heavyweight division.

1. Cheick Kongo - While he may not be a definitive contender yet, Kongo has shown flashes of brilliance in his recent fights. The loss to Herring slowed him down a bit but with an impressive win over any of the "big-name" heavyweights, the Frenchman could find himself in a position to fight for UFC gold.

2. Brock Lesnar/Frank Mir - Okay I'm cheating a bit here, as I'm figuring that the loser of the upcoming title unification bout should remain towards the top of the list of contenders. Regardless of who loses their belt in the coming months, both Lesnar and Mir have scored impressive wins over the greatest fighters of all time. Don't be surprised if the loser of this rematch finds himself back in title contention within the year.

3. Gabriel Gonzaga - While he's faltered a bit with the losses to Couture and Werdum, Gonzaga has been nothing short of dominant in all of his other appearances in the octagon. He's got a big fight coming up with Shane Carwin, and a victory there would likely put the Brazilian within a win or two of his second title shot.

4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Let's face it: "Minotauro" looked bad at UFC 92. He seemed to bit a little out of shape, and more than a little out of step. Some have claimed that this is the beginning of the end for "Big Nog," but we won't really know where he stands until we see him fight again. A return to form could easily put him right back in the thick of things at the top of the heavyweight ranks.

5. Randy Couture - After sitting on the sidelines for over a year, the UFC Hall of Famer came ready to compete at UFC 91. While he came up short against Lesnar, a fighter like "The Natural" is always going to be a threat when he steps inside the cage. His future is uncertain at the moment, and a return to light heavyweight could be in order. Should he decide to stay at heavyweight, it won't take more than a win or two to put him right back into a title fight.

6. Shane Carwin - He's got the fight with Gonzaga in a few months, so the outcome of that bout will no doubt have a huge impact on Carwin's potential in the UFC. So far though, he's been an unstoppable force, devastating anyone that stands across the octagon from him. Is his undefeated record simply a product of inferior competition, or does he have the ability to dominate for years to come? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm very curious to find out.

7. Heath Herring - Before Frank Mir became the first man to stop Nogueira, Herring nearly pulled off that feat at UFC 73. Since then he's gotten a win over Kongo, but also a loss to Lesnar. As a result, he'll need to put together a string of impressive wins before he can be considered a top contender.

8. Junior dos Santos - His UFC debut was the stuff that dreams are made of. Coming in as an unknown against top-ranked Fabricio Werdum, dos Santos made everyone stand up and take notice with a devastating knockout win. If he can follow up that star-making performance with another big victory, he could find himself on a fast-track to title contention.

9. Cain Velasquez - Let me be clear here: I don't think it's a question of if Velasquez can be a contender, it's simply a matter of when. In his brief career so far, the Arizona State wrestler has not even broken a sweat. He's racked up four TKO wins, all in the first round. Assuming he can repeat this success next month against Dennis Stojnic at Fight Night 17, he can likely expect a step-up in competition sooner than later.

10. Antoni Hardonk - To be honest, I'd be very surprised to see the Dutchman fighting for UFC gold anytime soon. That being said, Hardonk has looked impressive in his last three fights. It's entirely possible that he is just now starting to hit his peak performance, and a high-profile win could put him amongst the elite at heavyweight.



-In a recent ESPN interview, Dana White stated that Chuck Liddell will likely face either Wanderlei Silva or Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in April.

-At this point it seems all but certain that UFC 95 will be airing on tape delay on Spike. The show will be taking place just three weeks after UFC 94, and two weeks before UFC 96 (both of those shows will be on PPV). Plus I don't really think that Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson was going to draw a huge buyrate.

-The WEC is set to expand their commitment to the lighter weight classes with the addition of a flyweight division. The new weight class would feature 125 pound fighters, and it could debut as early as March.

-Despite his arrest on New Year's Eve, Josh Neer is still slated to face Mac Danzig at Fight Night 17 next month. The news comes from Neer's management team, while the UFC has yet to make an official statement on the matter.

-In other Fedor news, at the weigh-ins for Affliction: Day of Reckoning, Emelianenko will be presented with a championship ring from WAMMA. He is currently recognized as the WAMMA Heavyweight Champion.

-David Loiseau has agreed to a new contract with the UFC, and he could make his return at UFC 97 against Ed Herman. The bout would likely take place in Loiseau's home town of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

-Following his KO win over Yoshiyuki Yoshida last month, Josh Koscheck will head right back into the octagon to welcome UFC newcomer Paulo Thiago at UFC 95.



1/14 - UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Penn Part 1
On Spike at 10:30 pm ET

1/17 - UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson
On PPV at 10 pm ET

1/21 - UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Penn Part 2
On Spike at 10 pm ET

1/24 - Affliction: Day Of Reckoning
Live on PPV at 9 pm ET

1/24 - UFC 91 Re-broadcast
On Spike at 9 pm ET

1/25 - WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone
Live on Versus at 9:30 ET

1/31 - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET

2/7 - UFC Fight Night 17
Live on Spike at 9 pm ET

2/21 - UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson
On Spike at 9 pm ET

3/7 - UFC 96
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET

That will do it for this week. Come back in seven days when I'll have a full preview of UFC 93: The One Without GSP vs. BJ. I'll also fill you in on any news you need to know, so until then…


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