The MMA News Report 6.06.07
Posted by Morgan Marx on 06.06.2007
Rich Franklin on ducking, Sean Salmon on losing, and Morgan Marx on the WEC. At least 2 of those 3 are credible sources.
INTRODUCTION
So what MMA did you watch this weekend? Did you go for the faux-celebrities, strange ceremonies, and one-sided fights of the K-1 show? Or did you did you catch the quality match-ups of the WEC? I'll get to my choice later in the column. We've got more UFC signings to talk about, a potential fight that just won't happen, and one fighter's honest evaluation of a disappointing loss. Thanks for stopping by.
MAILBAG
I was a little surprised at a couple of the responses I received from last week's column. Here's friend of the column Maranda "M4":
[W]ith Rampage clearly beating Liddell twice now, I don't think Liddell is deserving of an immediate re-match. Even if it had gone the other way and Liddell had won, I think it would still make more sense to give them both at least one or two fights against different opponents before fighting each other again.
And here's Jamie from New Hampshire:
[N]ot sure if I agree on comparing Rampage-Liddell 3 to Couture-Liddell 3. The big difference is Liddell and Couture SPLIT, whereas Rampage is up 2-0. Same goes for Liddell-Ortiz 3. I personally think that this is a case where a "tune-up" match is what Chuck needs before a rematch.
I am definitely impressed with the astuteness of our readers here at 411. I think both opinions come from intelligent, informed fight fans as opposed to UFC newcomers (and if you think I'm just sucking up to my readers, well, you're right). You're both right; the Rampage/Liddell situation is different than the other rematches the UFC has hyped. There isn't a split involved.
However, if I were going to argue for a rematch, I'd focus on two points. First, it's not like Rampage and Liddell traded fights in the UFC and Liddell lost twice. I think Liddell's first loss comes under special circumstances. Fighting in Japan, fighting in a Pride ring, and fighting with an injury all contributed to that loss. While not taking anything away from Rampage (I'm a huge Rampage fan), I think Liddell gets a slight pass. And while Rampage's 2cnd victory was decisive, it didn't answer all our questions. A quick KO can happen to anyone. We still haven't settled things between the two men with a war.
My bigger issue is the fact that Liddell deserves a rematch due to his reign as champion, not his record against Rampage. We're talking about the most dominant UFC champion this side of Matt Hughes. If a 7 fight win streak and 4 title defenses isn't worth an immediate rematch, I don't know what is.
Either way, we're not seeing a rematch. But I'm very impressed by the outlook of UFC fans, or at least the ones we have here at 411. Since Liddell was arguably the face of the UFC, I figured many more fans would be clamoring for an immediate rematch. Instead, logic seems to prevail, and people seem excited for matches like Jackson v. Henderson and Liddell v. Silva. Just don't come to me if one or both of these men lose before we see a 3rd fight.
Thanks for writing guys. And remember, if you want to see you name in the column, exchange witty emails with yours truly, and potentially have me stalking you from afar, don't hesitate to write in.
NEWS
Franklin Didn't Duck Filho, UFC 72 Card Finalized
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, former middleweight champion Rich Franklin discussed his upcoming bout with Yushin Okami and how it came to be. Franklin, scheduled to headline the UFC's first event to take place in Northern Ireland, was originally set to face Danish striker Martin Kampmann. When Kampmann withdrew due to injury, the UFC quickly presented Franklin with options on a replacement. Says Franklin:
It took a couple of days before they came back with a name for me. Actually, they had thrown Paulo Filho and Yushin Okami. And so Monte and I were discussing the whole scenario, and I told Monte [Cox] to just let me know who the UFC decides to come back with.
Asked whether it was his choice, Franklin stated that ultimately, the decision was the UFC's alone. And with that, let us end all the silly talk that Franklin was "ducking Filho."
In the past, Rich Franklin has proven to be a fighter willing to take on all comers. Anyone who makes his UFC debut against Evan Tanner and wins shouldn't have their pride questioned. While Paulo Filho is a dangerous fighter, it's a stretch to say that Franklin would be afraid to step in the octagon with him.
For starters, it's not like Franklin's other matches are gimmies. Kampmann, though not a huge name, is 15-2 overall, 2-0 in the UFC, and is currently riding an 8 fight win streak. His replacement, Okami, might be even more dangerous. With a 20-3 record and wins in the UFC over the likes of Alan Belcher, Okami present a potentially more difficult match-up for Franklin. We've all heard about Okami's ridiculous strength at middleweight. His mix of defensive grappling and ground and pound can make the most explosive fighter look bad (ask Mike Swick).
While Paulo Filho is undefeated and dangerous, he may not match-up well against Franklin. Filho is only 5'8". He's never fought in the octagon. And while he's 14-0, seven of those wins have come by decision. With reports suggesting that Filho is headed to the WEC, we may see the Brazilian Top Team fighter in the octagon yet.
Franklin and Okami will battle June 16th on PPV. The televised card is rounded out with fights like Forrest Griffin v. Hector Ramirez, Rory Singer v. Jason MacDonald, and Clay Guida v. Tyson Griffin.
Frank Mir v. Tim Sylvia Never Official Rejected, Still Not Happening
A match-up between former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia just made sense. Both fighters need to get their careers back in order. Both fighters have unfinished business with each other. Both fighters have lost a little bit of that luster from the time they held the belts. At this point, both fighters will have to wait for such a chance.
It was originally reported by the likes of Sam Caplan (who covers MMA on his blog and for CBS Sports) that the Nevada State Athletic Commission rejected a proposed Mir v. Sylvia fight for UFC 74. However, after being contacted by UFCjunkie, NSAC executive director Keith Kizer denied being presented such a fight. Caplan issued a retraction, although I don't think he really needed to. Kizer went on to state that had he been presented with such a fight, he would "have had a hard time approving the fight unless I see a quality win from Mr. Mir first." So while the NSAC didn't reject the fight, they certainly would have.
On top of that, it's still unclear whether Sylvia would even be fit in time for such a fight. I, for one, would like to see a rematch between the two men. Hopefully, they both get their respective issues in order and get things squared away.
When the popular MMA blog UFCjunkie entered into a sponsorship deal with UFC newcomer Sean Salmon, I'm sure they had visions of hitching their wagon to a rising star. Instead, readers were presented with a first hand account of what it's like to fall short of your dream. In what may be his last correspondence on the blog for a while, Salmon has revealed that he's tabling the last fight on his UFC contract and will leave the organization for a while. This is surely not the end the decorated collegiate wrestler anticipated.
While Salmon is probably best known for the highlight reel KO he suffered at the shin of Rashad Evans, the blogs he submitted on UFCjunkie were always insightful looks into the life of a UFC fighter. To see the optimism he had before his fights with Evans and Alan Belcher dashed can be heartbreaking. Salmon never shied away from responsibility, and was honest about his shortcomings in the octagon.
While Salmon's departure from the UFC seems like a step backwards, the fighter views it as the first step in a new beginning. Says Salmon:
I'm becoming myself again — not the person that you guys know, but the one who needs to fight, the one who needs to perform, needs a crowd, needs the win.
I don't know if Salmon will be able to find himself outside of the UFC and make another run at becoming a top-flight competitor. But even if he doesn't, he should be commended for bringing readers along for the ride, as he attempted what most of us will never get a shot at. Fulfilling our dreams. (Boy, was that sappy enough for you?)
The acquisitions just keep piling up. As previously mentioned, reports are that Pride veteran Paulo Filho will be signing with the Zuffa owned WEC soon. The 29-year-old BTT fighter holds wins over the likes of Murilo Rua, Kazuo Misaki, and Ryo Chonan. Though only 5'8", Filho fights regular at 185 and walks around closer to 205.
Elsewhere, the UFC has signed Pride lightweight Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio to a 4-fight deal. Aurelio sports a 14-4 MMA record, and is best known for a stunning submission victory over Takanori Gomi at the height of Gomi's most unbeatableness. No, that's not a word. Yes, I'm using it anyway. The two would have a rematch, which Aurelio lost via split decision. Aurelio is a brash jiu jitsu ace who could end up facing Roger Huerta later this year.
Finally, former UFC champion Evan Tanner will be making his return to the organization, possibly in September. According to the official Chute Boxe USA message board, Tanner is currently training and eyeing a title fight versus Anderson Silva. By the time Tanner is ready for a title shot, he may be facing Rich Franklin for a 3rd time, looking for an elusive first victory.
* The Inevitable Marlon Sims v. Noah Thomas Thoughts I know, I know, you've heard every grumpy commentator talk about how "hypocritical the UFC is" for profiting off the supposed street fight controversy. And they're right, it is slightly hypocritical for Dana White to make a big show about punishing the men involved for "embarrassing the sport" only to reward them with a match at the TUF finale.
However, isn't this exactly what TUF is designed for? Isn't the whole point of locking 16 young, testosterone-ridden men in an alcohol stocked house to instigate drama? Hasn't the UFC profited off situations like Chris Leban's breakdown, and Nate Diaz's tantrum in the past? Why is anyone shocked at this?
Reality television thrives on the kind of drama Sims and Thomas provided. The UFC allowed the fight to happen (I didn't see any of the production crew breaking things up) and then decided to air the footage on Spike. I think it would have been more hypocritical for the UFC to come down hard on the two men after splashing their fight all over cable TV.
We're talking about an organization that sold Heath Herring's debut with ‘The Kiss Heard Round the World" or whatever. While the UFC is a legitimate sporting organization, it's not a bastion of good taste. And we don't even know if the Sims v. Thomas fight will air. The press release merely states that it's on the events "undercard." So let's all cool our finger waving for a minute and remember, we're the ones who watched the street fight in the first place.
* Why Did We Spend So Much Time on K-1, and So Little on the WEC? I want to semi-apologize for 411's stumping of the K-1, EliteXC Dynamite!!! whatever card. For all the words we wasted on fights like Sakuraba v. Gracie, we could have been promoting this past Sunday's live debut of World Extreme Cagefighting on the Versus network (or VS or whatever it is). I'm sure you've heard all the conflicting reports on the K-1 show by now. It was either an unmitigated disaster masked with free ticket give aways, or it was a solid debut worth PPV money. I don't know, I didn't order it. (I recommend Steve Sievert's wrap up Here) And I won't be ordering their next show, either. However, I will be tuning in to the WEC's next live card Sunday, August 5th on Versus. And if you like MMA, I highly recommend you do as well.
The debut show wasn't perfect, but it ranked right up there as far as free MMA goes. The show came off like a slightly higher quality version of the UFC's Ultimate Fight Night Live events. While not all the fighters carried big names, there were enough recognizable competitors to keep things interesting. And the action was always exciting, and at times thrilling.
Brian Stann got the show started. Stann is best known for being an active member of the US Marine Corp. Stann is a decorated veteran who looks every bit the part of his nickname, "All American." On Sunday, he proved that he's more than just a back-story. He was quick and aggressive in his dismantling of Craig Zellner, finishing things by strikes in the first round. Stann has a bright MMA future ahead of him. He's eminently marketable and seems talented as well.
TUF alum Alex Karalexis dropped down to 155 and took a decision victory over Josh Smith. Karalexis still carries heavy hands at lightweight, but needs to work on finishing fights. The two battled back and forth, with Smith looking for a submission and Karalexis looking to KO his opponent. Mark Hominick was one of the recognizable names of the card, but he left with another loss on his record. 22-year-old Rani Yahya put on a BJJ clinic and won via rear naked choke in a little over a minute. In his post fight interview Yahya was adamant that he blacked out after Hominick's opening punch and had no recollection of his win. Now that's impressive.
UFC veteran Brock Larson continued his warpath through the middleweight division by blowing through Kevin Knabjian. After dropping Knabjian with a punch, Larson just exploded through a tackle Koscheck-style and, after a choke attempt, finished off the overwhelmed Knabjian with punches. Of all the fighters on the card, Larson looks tailor made for a UFC call-up.
The show was headlined by Urijah Faber, arguably the best 145er on the planet. Faber and challenger Chance Farrar exchange a variety of positions, slams, and submission attempts before Faber locked in a rear naked choke. Unless Dana White changes his mind and adds another weight class, we won't be seeing Faber in the UFC anytime soon. But having a joint promotion where Faber defends his WEC title on a UFC card might be a great way to build attention for the WEC. Rumors have Jens Pulver dropping to 145 and joining the WEC after his TUF finale against BJ Penn. If that happens, the WEC would definitely take a step up in the eyes of MMA fans.
All in all, it was a great show. The production was crisp, Frank Mir offered quality commentary, and we didn't have to sit through any freak-show events. I highly recommend catching a replay if they offer one. And for the next event in August, I'll definitely provide more of a preview.
CONCLUSION
Next week I'll do a quick preview of UFC 72. I'm not in love with the card, nor am I loving the noon start time for us West Coast PPV viewers. It's nice that the UFC is offering free replays throughout the day, but I don't think UFC 72 will be pulling in the big buyrate. We'll also cover whatever other news pops up along the way. Thanks for reading!
