What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. This couldn't be more true in the case of UFC 79. Last week the UFC found itself on the receiving end of a knockout punch. Matt Serra had been forced to pull out of the main event at UFC 79 due to a back injury he suffered in training.
The end of the year pay-per-view events have been the UFC's bread and butter. It is usually a show stacked with great fights and big name fighters and is meant to cap off another year and kick off the next. UFC 79 already featured the superfight between the UFC's former 205 pound champion Chuck Liddell and PRIDE's former 205 pound champion Wanderlei Silva. This fight was considered by many, including myself, to be the best fight on the card.
However, the main event featuring Matt Serra vs Matt Hughes for the welterweight title had so much hype behind it that it, alone, could have powered the UFC 79 money making machine. Hughes and Serra have been seen for the last few months duking it out in a war of words and blogs on the Ultimate Fighter reality show. The millions who watch the show would watch UFC 79 just to see a season's worth of bickering come to a head in one hell of a grudge match.
But you hear this time and time again: "In MMA, anything can happen."
And for the umpteenth time this year, it has.
So the UFC found itself scrambling to get back to its feet after being knocked on its ass. The found themselves with countless questions. What do we do now? Do we headline UFC 79 with Liddell vs Silva? Does Hughes stay on the card? If so, who does he fight? Do we create an interim title? Those questions and more are what had the UFC begging for mercy. The UFC frantically called on a number of its welterweights to step up, but none would heed the call.
But thankfully, we Canadians are a crazy bunch of bastards.
Enter Georges St. Pierre.
After receiving news that Hughes needed an opponent at UFC 79, Georges St. Pierre made the call and demanded the fight. The UFC relayed the message to Hughes, Hughes made the decision and a new main event, stronger than the first, was made.
Hughes vs. St. Pierre III for the interim welterweight title!!
The UFC officials now carry around a smile from ear to ear as UFC 79 has gone from good to bad to simply amazing in just a few short days. UFC 79 is now possibly, at least on paper, the best UFC event this year. On top of the Liddell-Silva fight, a fight I've been waiting to see for years now, I also get to see my favourite fight in St. Pierre take on the man he won the title from for the interim title.
This also means that, if St. Pierre wins, he will most likely defend the title instead of fighting for it in Montreal. If this happens, then watch out UFC - Canadian fans are insane! We love our hockey and we love our MMA! If St. Pierre headlines an event in Montreal to defend the welterweight title, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guarantee that the crowd in Montreal will be the loudest crowd the UFC has ever seen. If you've ever been to a Montreal Canadiens game at the Bell Centre, you know as well as I do that earplugs are sometimes a requirement! And the fans in Montreal love MMA just as much as they love their hockey team.
The way the UFC can pull together great fights and call on fighters in such short notice is nothing less than remarkable. This is a big reason why I love this sport; the UFC does everything in its power to bring to the table great fights for the fans to see. You don't see a champion fighting tomato cans in the ring. When a fighter becomes champion, he fights nothing but the best that the organization has to offer. It is a very fan friendly approach to matchmaking and is a major reason why the UFC and MMA is becoming such a dominant sport. Not only do the matchmakers do a great job and putting the best against the best, but the fighters themselves demand to fight the best. St. Pierre demanded this fight, Hughes accepted the fight knowing that St. Pierre is the best fighter he could possibly be fighting. We also saw Forrest Griffin demand a fight with Shogun Rua! Randy Couture resigned partly due to the fact that he wouldn't be able to fight Fedor Emelianenko. MMA fighters are a completely different breed, they possess a certain level of respect, pride, and dignity that is hard to find in today's athletes.
The UFC suffered a setback, but they got back on their feet, and what didn't kill UFC 79, definitely made it stronger! I'm pumped!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Serra Out - What Now?
With the string of setbacks the UFC has encountered this year, it seems only fitting to end the year with one that will have a ripple effect on the welterweight division well into 2008.
The current UFC 170lb champion, Matt Serra, has been forced to pull out of his December 29th title defense against Matt Hughes. Serra suffered a herniated disc in his back while training at his gym in Long Island. It is unknown how long Serra will be forced to the sidelines for, but I would imagine he'll be out for quite some time.
So now the matchup in December is no longer a title fight. The welterweight championship will be shelfed until either Serra returns or an interim title is put into the mix.
So who fights who at UFC 79?
Matt Hughes is currently still on the card, but has no opponent. If he remains on the card, there are a few fighters who could take the fight on short notice.
Jon Fitch. This guy is a tough fighter who has won all seven of his fights in the UFC. He was well on his way to a title shot possibly in late 2008. He scored a split decision victory in his last bout against Diego Sanchez and holds wins over the likes of Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves, and Kuniyoshi Hironaka. I had assumed that he would next fight either Josh Koscheck or the loser of the Serra-Hughes fight. If he fights Hughes on December 29th, even if he wins, he will still have to wait for his shot at the title since Georges St. Pierre is still next in line to the title. I will detail GSP-Fitch in just a bit.
Josh Koscheck. Although he lost his bout against St. Pierre in August, he still managed to take the former champ the distance with St. Pierre winning via unanimous decision. Koscheck is a very talented wrestler and could pose an interesting matchup for Hughes. Although this match has the potential to be a boring fight, it brings to the table an interesting threat to Hughes. If 'Kos' can stay off his back, I believe he can win this fight. His striking has greatly improved and in my opinion he would get the better of Hughes in a standup war. Also, a win over Hughes would send Koscheck back into contention. Even if he loses to Hughes and makes it back-to-back losses, he will have lost to the top two welterweights. Back to back losses to fighters of that calibre will do nothing to hurt his reputation as a fighter.
Georges St. Pierre. This would be interesting because I don't think this would be a fight that Hughes would want. If UFC matchmaker Joe Silva came knocking on GSP's door, it's questionable whether or not Georges would take the fight. This fight would do nothing for St. Pierre. He has nothing to gain by fighting Hughes right now. If he wins this fight, he would still be where he is right now...and that's waiting for his title shot. If he loses, then he would be dropped from title contention. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose by taking this fight. In the same respect, this is not a fight that Hughes wants either. Hughes knows that he cannot beat St. Pierre. If St. Pierre were to take this fight, I would assume that Hughes would go crying to Dana White and protest. Hughes doesn't have very many fights left in him, and if he loses to St. Pierre, he would drop from contention, putting that title shot even further into the distance. The way I had seen this thing playing out with Serra still in the mix, was that Hughes would fight Serra, win the title, and then lose it to St. Pierre, at which time he would announce his retirement. If he fights St. Pierre in December and loses, I would assume that would be the last we see of Hughes.
So what happens in 2008?
St. Pierre can't wait any longer to fight. Even if Serra hadn't been injured, he wouldn't be fighting until late March or early April. With the title fight not happening in December, it's likely (given that Serra recovers quickly) that there won't be a title fight until the time that GSP was supposed to get his shot. But since there is no title fight in December, GSP will not be the fighter challenging for the title at this time. Meaning, St. Pierre's shot at the title is being pushed back even further...at least 3 months after the March/April date. He simply can't wait that long to fight. So he WILL have to fight someone else in the meantime. This brings me back to the Jon Fitch-GSP comment I made earlier. It's possible that if GSP doesn't fight in December, that he'll fight Jon Fitch early 2008. This again, is a lose-lose situation for GSP, but there's no way around fighting someone else and waiting for a shot a the title. Fitch would have nothing to lose in taking this fight. If he loses, he's supposed to lose. If he wins, then he takes over St. Pierre's spot as next in line to the title.
There are a few possibilities that could be put in place, depending on how long Serra is out.
If Serra can fight by the March/April date. St. Pierre's best option would be to take the fight with Hughes in December. If he wins that fight, then the date he fights for the title will not change. He will then, hopefully, fight for the title in Montreal as planned.
If Serra's injury causes him to be sidelined for a lengthy period of time, an interim title can be put in place. If this happens, I assume that the interim title won't be in place until after December when we know for sure how long Serra will be out.
From here there are several scenarios.
St. Pierre doesn't fight Hughes at UFC 79. The winner of the Hughes-Replacement fight (Hughes vs Fitch?) will fight St. Pierre for the title in March/April.
St. Pierre fights Hughes at UFC 79. Koscheck and Fitch fight in early 2008 and the winner of that fight faces the winner of the GSP-Hughes fight for the interim title.
Lots of questions now loom in the wake of these recent developments, let's see what Dana White and the UFC can do.
The current UFC 170lb champion, Matt Serra, has been forced to pull out of his December 29th title defense against Matt Hughes. Serra suffered a herniated disc in his back while training at his gym in Long Island. It is unknown how long Serra will be forced to the sidelines for, but I would imagine he'll be out for quite some time.
So now the matchup in December is no longer a title fight. The welterweight championship will be shelfed until either Serra returns or an interim title is put into the mix.
So who fights who at UFC 79?
Matt Hughes is currently still on the card, but has no opponent. If he remains on the card, there are a few fighters who could take the fight on short notice.
Jon Fitch. This guy is a tough fighter who has won all seven of his fights in the UFC. He was well on his way to a title shot possibly in late 2008. He scored a split decision victory in his last bout against Diego Sanchez and holds wins over the likes of Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves, and Kuniyoshi Hironaka. I had assumed that he would next fight either Josh Koscheck or the loser of the Serra-Hughes fight. If he fights Hughes on December 29th, even if he wins, he will still have to wait for his shot at the title since Georges St. Pierre is still next in line to the title. I will detail GSP-Fitch in just a bit.
Josh Koscheck. Although he lost his bout against St. Pierre in August, he still managed to take the former champ the distance with St. Pierre winning via unanimous decision. Koscheck is a very talented wrestler and could pose an interesting matchup for Hughes. Although this match has the potential to be a boring fight, it brings to the table an interesting threat to Hughes. If 'Kos' can stay off his back, I believe he can win this fight. His striking has greatly improved and in my opinion he would get the better of Hughes in a standup war. Also, a win over Hughes would send Koscheck back into contention. Even if he loses to Hughes and makes it back-to-back losses, he will have lost to the top two welterweights. Back to back losses to fighters of that calibre will do nothing to hurt his reputation as a fighter.
Georges St. Pierre. This would be interesting because I don't think this would be a fight that Hughes would want. If UFC matchmaker Joe Silva came knocking on GSP's door, it's questionable whether or not Georges would take the fight. This fight would do nothing for St. Pierre. He has nothing to gain by fighting Hughes right now. If he wins this fight, he would still be where he is right now...and that's waiting for his title shot. If he loses, then he would be dropped from title contention. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose by taking this fight. In the same respect, this is not a fight that Hughes wants either. Hughes knows that he cannot beat St. Pierre. If St. Pierre were to take this fight, I would assume that Hughes would go crying to Dana White and protest. Hughes doesn't have very many fights left in him, and if he loses to St. Pierre, he would drop from contention, putting that title shot even further into the distance. The way I had seen this thing playing out with Serra still in the mix, was that Hughes would fight Serra, win the title, and then lose it to St. Pierre, at which time he would announce his retirement. If he fights St. Pierre in December and loses, I would assume that would be the last we see of Hughes.
So what happens in 2008?
St. Pierre can't wait any longer to fight. Even if Serra hadn't been injured, he wouldn't be fighting until late March or early April. With the title fight not happening in December, it's likely (given that Serra recovers quickly) that there won't be a title fight until the time that GSP was supposed to get his shot. But since there is no title fight in December, GSP will not be the fighter challenging for the title at this time. Meaning, St. Pierre's shot at the title is being pushed back even further...at least 3 months after the March/April date. He simply can't wait that long to fight. So he WILL have to fight someone else in the meantime. This brings me back to the Jon Fitch-GSP comment I made earlier. It's possible that if GSP doesn't fight in December, that he'll fight Jon Fitch early 2008. This again, is a lose-lose situation for GSP, but there's no way around fighting someone else and waiting for a shot a the title. Fitch would have nothing to lose in taking this fight. If he loses, he's supposed to lose. If he wins, then he takes over St. Pierre's spot as next in line to the title.
There are a few possibilities that could be put in place, depending on how long Serra is out.
If Serra can fight by the March/April date. St. Pierre's best option would be to take the fight with Hughes in December. If he wins that fight, then the date he fights for the title will not change. He will then, hopefully, fight for the title in Montreal as planned.
If Serra's injury causes him to be sidelined for a lengthy period of time, an interim title can be put in place. If this happens, I assume that the interim title won't be in place until after December when we know for sure how long Serra will be out.
From here there are several scenarios.
St. Pierre doesn't fight Hughes at UFC 79. The winner of the Hughes-Replacement fight (Hughes vs Fitch?) will fight St. Pierre for the title in March/April.
St. Pierre fights Hughes at UFC 79. Koscheck and Fitch fight in early 2008 and the winner of that fight faces the winner of the GSP-Hughes fight for the interim title.
Lots of questions now loom in the wake of these recent developments, let's see what Dana White and the UFC can do.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Butterfly Guard Techniques
In class on Monday we drilled some pretty cool techniques from the butterfly guard. We ran through two guard passes and one sweep.
Sweep:
Always keep your elbows in tight to your body.
- Buck up with your hips to create space between you and your opponent.
- Press against your opponent's face with both hands and use a straight arm.
- If you opponent is looking towards his left:
- Hip out to your left, so that you are facing your right.
- Plant your right hand on the floor at a 45 degree angle.
- Underhook your opponent's right arm with your left arm.
- Grab your opponent's belt,pants, or gi with your left hand.
- Slide your butt backwards to give you more support when being pushed over.
- Posture! Your chest should be against his shoulder, with your head up.
- In one motion:
- Remove your right hand from ground and trap opponent's left arm.
- Fall back on your right shoulder.
- Hook your opponent's right leg with your left foot.
- Kick out with your left foot.
- Turn over to your right.
You should end up in mount position. If your opponent catches your leg on the way over, you'll end up in half guard.
Pass:
If attacking your opponent's right leg:
- Your head should be down, tight to your opponent's chest.
- Elbows should be in tight and to the floor, grabbing what you can of your opponent's shoulders.
- Bring your left knee slightly to the right.
- Kick your right leg straight back.
- Slide your right leg back in, sliding it tightly against your left leg.
- This catches your opponent's right foot and releases your opponent's left leg.
- Both of your knees should now be pressed tightly into your opponent's right shin.
There are two passes from here:
Jumping Bridge To Side Control:
- Move your grips from your opponent's shoulders to his hips.
- Get a good grip on what you can of your opponent's hips. (Elbows in tight!)
- Jump straight up, using your legs to push up and your hip grips to create a headstand type move.
- Turn to your opponent's right side and land on your feet in a bridge formation.
- Your back should be on your opponent's chest.
- Make sure you still have your grips on your opponent's hips.
- From the bridge position, bring your right foot over and turn into side control.
- Switch your grips from the hips to underhook the head and arm of your opponent.
Shifting Around the Trapped Leg:
- Move your grips from your opponent's shoulders to his hips.
- With your right hand, let go of the hip and grab your opponent's trapped foot.
- In one motion:
- Pull on the foot, pulling towards your right.
- With your left hand still gripping the hip:
- Use your left elbow to push down and in on your opponents right leg (knee).
- This motion sucks the trapped leg in.
- With your opponent's right knee out of the way:
- Slide your left leg around your opponent's right leg.
- Switch your left grip from the hip to underhook your opponent's right arm.
- Pull on the foot one more time to slide your right knee around your opponent's right knee.
- You should end up in side control.
Sweep:
Always keep your elbows in tight to your body.
- Buck up with your hips to create space between you and your opponent.
- Press against your opponent's face with both hands and use a straight arm.
- If you opponent is looking towards his left:
- Hip out to your left, so that you are facing your right.
- Plant your right hand on the floor at a 45 degree angle.
- Underhook your opponent's right arm with your left arm.
- Grab your opponent's belt,pants, or gi with your left hand.
- Slide your butt backwards to give you more support when being pushed over.
- Posture! Your chest should be against his shoulder, with your head up.
- In one motion:
- Remove your right hand from ground and trap opponent's left arm.
- Fall back on your right shoulder.
- Hook your opponent's right leg with your left foot.
- Kick out with your left foot.
- Turn over to your right.
You should end up in mount position. If your opponent catches your leg on the way over, you'll end up in half guard.
Pass:
If attacking your opponent's right leg:
- Your head should be down, tight to your opponent's chest.
- Elbows should be in tight and to the floor, grabbing what you can of your opponent's shoulders.
- Bring your left knee slightly to the right.
- Kick your right leg straight back.
- Slide your right leg back in, sliding it tightly against your left leg.
- This catches your opponent's right foot and releases your opponent's left leg.
- Both of your knees should now be pressed tightly into your opponent's right shin.
There are two passes from here:
Jumping Bridge To Side Control:
- Move your grips from your opponent's shoulders to his hips.
- Get a good grip on what you can of your opponent's hips. (Elbows in tight!)
- Jump straight up, using your legs to push up and your hip grips to create a headstand type move.
- Turn to your opponent's right side and land on your feet in a bridge formation.
- Your back should be on your opponent's chest.
- Make sure you still have your grips on your opponent's hips.
- From the bridge position, bring your right foot over and turn into side control.
- Switch your grips from the hips to underhook the head and arm of your opponent.
Shifting Around the Trapped Leg:
- Move your grips from your opponent's shoulders to his hips.
- With your right hand, let go of the hip and grab your opponent's trapped foot.
- In one motion:
- Pull on the foot, pulling towards your right.
- With your left hand still gripping the hip:
- Use your left elbow to push down and in on your opponents right leg (knee).
- This motion sucks the trapped leg in.
- With your opponent's right knee out of the way:
- Slide your left leg around your opponent's right leg.
- Switch your left grip from the hip to underhook your opponent's right arm.
- Pull on the foot one more time to slide your right knee around your opponent's right knee.
- You should end up in side control.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Couture and White to meet November 20th
"Can't we all just get along?"
This was Couture's text message to Dana White, president of the UFC. Last week the UFC officially offered Couture a bout against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira in February. Apparently, the text message was Couture's first response to the offer.
Couture resigned from the organization in early October due to several factors. The UFC had failed to sign free agent, and PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Couture had stated that, in this point of his career, a fight with Fedor was the only one that made sense to him and that he wanted to fight the best; Fedor is ranked No.1 as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Aside from the failed negotiations with Fedor, Couture also stated that he was "tired of swimming upstream with the management of the UFC" and felt disrespected. The month of October saw back and forth press conferences held by both parties that only seemed to make the whole situation worse.
Couture and White agreed to meet over dinner on Tuesday, November 20th to discuss their situation.
I sincerely hope that Couture returns to the Octagon. He is, in my opinion, the greatest fighter in UFC history. He is the smartest fighter to compete in the UFC, and his ability to have his opponent beat even before he steps into the cage makes his fights very entertaining. Not to mention the fact that he is 44 years old and is the oldest fighter competing in the UFC and the oldest fighter to hold a UFC title. His story is incredible.
I know Randy wants to fight Fedor, and trust me, this is one fight I wouldn't miss for the world, but I would love to see him fight just a few more times. And who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, if Randy is still in the prime shape he's in now, a fight with Fedor may still happen.
Either way, the news of this meeting makes me very hopeful of "The Natural's" return to the Octagon. We'll just have to wait and see...
This was Couture's text message to Dana White, president of the UFC. Last week the UFC officially offered Couture a bout against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira in February. Apparently, the text message was Couture's first response to the offer.
Couture resigned from the organization in early October due to several factors. The UFC had failed to sign free agent, and PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Couture had stated that, in this point of his career, a fight with Fedor was the only one that made sense to him and that he wanted to fight the best; Fedor is ranked No.1 as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Aside from the failed negotiations with Fedor, Couture also stated that he was "tired of swimming upstream with the management of the UFC" and felt disrespected. The month of October saw back and forth press conferences held by both parties that only seemed to make the whole situation worse.
Couture and White agreed to meet over dinner on Tuesday, November 20th to discuss their situation.
I sincerely hope that Couture returns to the Octagon. He is, in my opinion, the greatest fighter in UFC history. He is the smartest fighter to compete in the UFC, and his ability to have his opponent beat even before he steps into the cage makes his fights very entertaining. Not to mention the fact that he is 44 years old and is the oldest fighter competing in the UFC and the oldest fighter to hold a UFC title. His story is incredible.
I know Randy wants to fight Fedor, and trust me, this is one fight I wouldn't miss for the world, but I would love to see him fight just a few more times. And who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, if Randy is still in the prime shape he's in now, a fight with Fedor may still happen.
Either way, the news of this meeting makes me very hopeful of "The Natural's" return to the Octagon. We'll just have to wait and see...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The UFC Turns 14
"Come on over, you've gotta see this!" Those were the words that started it all for me and my love of fighting. Me and my dad drove over to my uncle's place where watching pay per view events was a regular thing; the only catch was that we had to watch them in spanish because we needed satellite codes to get the english. I had become accustomed to the "en espangol" versions of WWF pay per views, so I figured this wouldn't be much different. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was definitely not WWF and that this was something completely different.
It was two guys, no gloves, three rules, and the only way to win was by submission, knockout, or having your opponent's corner throw in the towel. It was brutal. But I loved it. I watched as this small fighter dominated each of his larger opponents. Since I was watching it in Spanish, I went by the name that was displayed on screen which was Royce Gracie. This is how I had come to know him; as Royce (Pronounced just as it's spelled). It wasn't until years later that I found out that it is actually prounounced 'Hoyce'.
This guy that I called 'Royce' used these submission moves to make his opponents quit. I was only 11 years old at the time and didn't pay much attention to what martial arts discipline he was trained in; I really only cared about watching two guys beat eachother up inside a cage. I hadn't been familiar with the term 'tapout' or 'submission' but I was captivated by the way he could beat larger men in a fight without throwing a punch. I was amazed and I was hooked from the very first show.
The date was November 12, 1993.
The show was held at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado.
On Monday, November 12, 2007, the UFC turned 14 years old. There have been a lot of changes to the organization since those early days of watching it in Spanish at my uncle's place.
The fighters now wear gloves, there are weight classes, rounds with 5 minute time limits, and a whole list of rules to ensure the safety of the fighters. The fighters don't train in one single discipline anymore, they train in a wide variety of martial arts including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo, and jiu jitsu. This mixture of martial arts became known as MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) ; a sport that is being sanctioned in more and more states every year.
Dave Meltzer from Yahoo! Sports wrote an interesting article on the UFC's 14th birthday and details the first few UFC events.
You can check out his article here.
It was two guys, no gloves, three rules, and the only way to win was by submission, knockout, or having your opponent's corner throw in the towel. It was brutal. But I loved it. I watched as this small fighter dominated each of his larger opponents. Since I was watching it in Spanish, I went by the name that was displayed on screen which was Royce Gracie. This is how I had come to know him; as Royce (Pronounced just as it's spelled). It wasn't until years later that I found out that it is actually prounounced 'Hoyce'.
This guy that I called 'Royce' used these submission moves to make his opponents quit. I was only 11 years old at the time and didn't pay much attention to what martial arts discipline he was trained in; I really only cared about watching two guys beat eachother up inside a cage. I hadn't been familiar with the term 'tapout' or 'submission' but I was captivated by the way he could beat larger men in a fight without throwing a punch. I was amazed and I was hooked from the very first show.
The date was November 12, 1993.
The show was held at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado.
On Monday, November 12, 2007, the UFC turned 14 years old. There have been a lot of changes to the organization since those early days of watching it in Spanish at my uncle's place.
The fighters now wear gloves, there are weight classes, rounds with 5 minute time limits, and a whole list of rules to ensure the safety of the fighters. The fighters don't train in one single discipline anymore, they train in a wide variety of martial arts including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo, and jiu jitsu. This mixture of martial arts became known as MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) ; a sport that is being sanctioned in more and more states every year.
Dave Meltzer from Yahoo! Sports wrote an interesting article on the UFC's 14th birthday and details the first few UFC events.
You can check out his article here.
Friday, November 2, 2007
An Early UFC 2007 Review
The year 2007 has been quite the rollercoaster for the UFC. This year has marked more ups and downs than a porno film and it's not finished yet. Dream matchups, upsets, and suspensions, oh my! I'll run through just a few of the major turning points in the UFC this year.
2006 ended with one of the most profitable pay-per-view events in its history with Liddell-Ortiz II. This, Dana White had hoped, would be just a taste of what the year 2007 would bring.
But, as Dana White says, in MMA anything can happen.
February, 2007 - UFC DEBUTS
At UFC 67, we saw the UFC debut of arguably the most feared striker in MMA; Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. If you had ever witnessed the awesomeness of Cro Cop in Pride, you, like many others, were very excited to see this guy compete in the UFC. Cro Cop did as he was expected and won the fight, but not in the impressive fashion that true fight fans had come to expect from this head hunting kickboxer. He won his bout in the 1st round by TKO against Eddie Sanchez.
This victory, it was hoped, would start Cro Cop's run for the title (which he was expected to eventually win).
UFC 67 was also the event at which, for the first time, an Ultimate Fighter winner would get a shot at a championship. The winner Travis Lutter, who won his division of the Ultimate Fighter by submitting Patrick Cote, took on Anderson "The Spider" Silva. This match would however be downgraded to a non-title fight after Lutter failed to make the 185 pound weight limit; he would tap out to Silva due to triangle choke.
We also saw the UFC debut of Quinton Jackson, who knocked out Marvin Eastman with a nice uppercut in the second round. This would be the beginning of the rise of "Rampage".
March, 2007 - HISTORY UNFOLDS
The main event at UFC 68 will go down in history as possibly the greatest moment in UFC history. The story line here: Randy Couture, at 43 years old, comes back from a year long retirement to challenge the much younger, taller, heavier champ Tim Silvia. It was a real life Rocky story unfolding before your very eyes. With the first punch thrown in the fight, Randy Couture knocked the 6'8", 265 lb monster down; at the same time, the sold out crowd in Columbus, Ohio rose as one...and didn't sit back down for the entire 25 minutes of the fight! Couture dominated Silvia for all 5 rounds of the fight to win the heavyweight title for an unprecented third time, and also became the first person to win 5 championships! (2 time light heavyweight, and 3 time heavyweight). He also became the oldest fighter to win a championship in MMA history. This was simply unbelievable and I'm sure the rights to this movie are going to be sold to the highest bidder!
April, 2007 - UPSETS!!
Major upset!! Matt Serra, the winner of the Ultimate Fighter's welterweight tournament, was to face welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in February, but an injury forced GSP to pull out of the fight. The fight was postponed until UFC 69 in Houston, Texas. Matt Serra wasn't given much of a chance and considered a huge underdog going into his fight against the heavily favoured St. Pierre. But, as that nagging saying goes, "In MMA, anything can happen"; and it did. Serra caught St. Pierre with a right hook that stunned the champ. St. Pierre would not get a chance to recover. Serra charged forward and gave little breathing room to the troubled champion. Serra gained full mount on St. Pierre, and after a few unanswered punches, the fight was stopped and Serra had just shocked the world!
Just a few weeks later was UFC 70: Nations Collide. This event saw the main event headlined by Gabriel Gonzaga vs Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was expected to win this fight hands down. Gonzaga was only meant to be the sacrificial lamb to be handed to Cro Cop so that Cro Cop could go on and win the heavyweight title. Dana White's plans were shattered when the fight world witnessed 'the kick heard round the world'! It was as horrific as it was ironic. Cro Cop who had become known for knocking out his opponents with deadly head kicks found himself tasting his own medicine. Gonzaga delivered a thunderous kick to the head that dropped the Croatian in disturbing fashion. Cro Cop's dead weight came crashing down on his ankle, leaving it twisted and distorted. Gonzaga barely had a chance to throw another punch on the unconsious Cro Cop before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. With the kick, a new heavyweight title contender was named and big questions would loom over Cro Cop's contention.
May, 2007 - MAKING STATEMENTS
UFC 71 saw the much anticipated rematch between light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and recent PRIDE addition Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. These two first met in PRIDE during one of PRIDE's Grand Prix tournaments. Rampage would win that first bout after landing brutal forearms to Liddell's ribs. Liddell's corner threw in the towel and Liddell went back to the UFC without the tournament championship. But fast forward 3 years and Liddell had knocked out his last 7 opponents and was light heavyweight champion. Quinton Jackson had just been acquired by the UFC and knocked out his first UFC opponent in February. It didn't take long for Jackson to make one hell of a statement. Liddell, displaying one of boxings big no-nos, led with a left body shot. Jackson countered with a right hook that tagged Liddell on the chin and dropped the champ. Jackson followed with several unanswered blows and a new light heavyweight champion was crowned. UFC's poster boy had just lost in the first round.
This event also introduced Houston Alexander to the world; another fighter who was seemingly being thrown to the wolves. Keith Jardine was expected to walk through the unknown Alexander in a fight that was meant to help Jardine make his way to the title. Alexander proved to be no walk-through and after a 49 second dismantling of Jardine, a new light heavyweight star was born.
June, 2007 - FRANKLIN BACK IN TITLE CONTENTION
Not much to say about June of 2007. UFC 72: Victory might possibly be the worst UFC event in a long time. Besides Griffin vs Guida, this event was stuffed with long, boring fights. The main event was no different. Franklin vs Okami went to the judge's decision and Franklin walked away with a narrow unamous decision; winning 2 rounds to 1. With the win, Franklin is now in position to get his shot at the title against the man who took it from him, Anderson Silva (Assuming Silva defeats Nate Marquardt in July).
The Ultimate Fighter 5 finale was also held in June. Nate Diaz went on to become the lightweight winner against Manny Gamburyan and B.J. Penn put on a Jiu-Jitsu clinic in his dominant win over Jens Pulver. With the win, "The Prodigy" moved into the spot as number one contender to the lightweight title.
July, 2007 - STACKED OR JACKED?
UFC 73: Stacked saw two successful title defenses and a draw. Sean Sherk defended his lightweight title against Hermes Franca in a Unanimous Decision victory and Anderson Silva finished Marquardt in the first round to retain his middleweight title. Questions were also raised about Tito Ortiz's staying power as he put on a poor performance against TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans in a fight that ended in a draw. The two title defenses and the draw were not the headlining story of this event. After the steroid testing at UFC 73, it was revealed that both Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca tested positive for steroids. Hermes Franca didn't deny the charges, saying he was injured and didn't want to pull out of the fight on short notice, so he felt he had to take something in order to let him fight. Sherk, however, denied the charges and took his case to court. The hearing has been postponed until November. With the results still up in the air about Sherk's innocence, the lightweight title is stuck in limbo. If Sherk is proven guilty, he will face a year suspension and be stripped of the title; thus, leaving BJ Penn to sit and wait to hear of the status of the lightweight title and what opponent he might face and when.
August, 2007 - GSP RETURNS
In my opinion, this was the best UFC event in a long time, possibly ever. Every single fight on this card was amazing to watch. Stellar performances by all the fighters and a main card that featured the return of Georges St. Pierre and the heavyweight title bout between the ageless Randy Couture and 'The man who knocked out Cro Cop', Gabriel Gonzaga.
Georges St. Pierre answered a lot of questions that were lingering after his knockout loss to Matt Serra in April. He made major changes to his lifestyle and to his entourage and came in as focused as I've ever seen him. He was taking on a very talented wrestler in Josh Koscheck and most wondered if he could compete with such an accomplished and powerful wrestler. Not only did GSP compete, but he completely outwrestled the wrestler. In what surprised everyone, St. Pierre took Koscheck down almost imediately and pinned the wrestler on his back for most of the first round. The second round saw pretty much the same, with St. Pierre dominating the stand-up and taking Koscheck down at will. St. Pierre would spend alot of time in the second on top of Koscheck and attempting a kimura, but Koscheck proved he has good submission defense. The third round, again, saw St. Pierre dominating the standup with 'Superman punch' - leg kick combinations. St. Pierre won in impressive fashion via unanimous decision.
Randy Couture proved why he was the heavyweight Champion by overpowering the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt against the cage and using single leg takedowns to put Gonzaga on the mat. This fight was a war that saw Gonzaga break his nose after being taken down by Couture against the cage in the first round. Gonzaga showed tremendous heart as he fought with continued ferocity until the end. Gonzaga landed very heavy kicks; one, Couture blocked with his face, the other broke his arm. Couture went on to win via TKO after taking Gonzaga down and pounding him out from there.
September, 2007 - A September to Remember
Three live UFC events in one month. First was UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion. History was made as the world witnessed the first title unification bout in MMA history. UFC's 205 pound champion Quinton Jackson took on PRIDE's 205 pound champion Dan Henderson in a 25 minute war. Both fighters threw and ate some heavy bombs, with neither man going down. These were knockout punches that landed but without the knockout results. This was a great fight worthy of MMA's first title unification. Jackson retained his title via unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night on September 19th saw Kenny Florian make a statement and put himself back in the lightweight title picture. He finished Din Thomas in the first round by rear naked choke. With names like BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Clay Quida, and Kurt Pelligrino in the mix, Florian might have to wait awhile before he gets another shot at lightweight gold.
Shockwaves rock the light heavyweight division after UFC 76. Chuck Liddell is defeated again!! This time by split decision in a lackluster performance against Keith Jardine. The loss leaves the former champ with back-to-back losses for the first time in his career and leaves the fight world with major questions about his future in MMA.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin. Griffin demanded this fight and most people thought he was crazy. Rua is considered by many to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. But fatigue is an ugly beast. Rua faded away early on in the second round, dropping his hands and taking deep breaths through his mouth. With just a few seconds left in the final round, Griffin had Rua's back and sunk in a rear naked choke that caused the Brazilian to tap out. With the win, Griffin skyrockets up the light heavyweight ladder and possibly one win away from a title shot. With the loss, Rua has the UFC scrambling to reorganize its light heavyweight division. But with the recent signing of Wanderlei Silva, the light heavyweight division will see many interesting matchups.
October, 2007 - Middleweight Division in Disarray!
As Anderson Silva was stopped by the referee from doing any more damage to the downed Nate Marquardt at UFC 73 in July, the camera shoots over to an onlooking Rich Franklin. Franklin looked as if he were watching Jason Voorhees dismembering another helpless victim. It was a look of fear that didn't seem to leave Franklin's face until he woke up on the Octagon floor, staring at the lights after his rematch with Silva at UFC 77. Franklin had, once again, been knocked silly by the devastating striker Anderson Silva. With such a dominant win over such a dominant fighter, Anderson Silva exposed a huge gap in talent in the middleweight division. Silva proved that his is on a completely different level than any other fighter in the middleweight division. The loss poses Franklin with a serious problem; he can beat any other fighter in the division, but can't beat Silva. What's a fighter to do when stuck in this type of limbo. He'll beat any other opponent put in front of him, but any chance for another title shot is very unlikely unless the belt changes hands. So Franklin will continue on winning, but will likely never get the title back. For Franklin, a move back to light heavyweight may be his only option other than retirement.
October also saw Randy Couture resign from the UFC. Thus, vacating his heavyweight title. In addition to Couture's resignation, the UFC was unable to acquire Fedor Emelianenko. With the world's two best heavyweights out of the UFC picture, the UFC's heavyweight division has gotten a little rocky. There are few exceptional fighters at heavyweight in the UFC. Vera, Silvia, Kongo, Gonzaga, and Nogueira make up the short list of serious contenders at heavyweight. The UFC also announced it's recent signing of WWE star Brock Lesnar. Lesnar has only one MMA fight under his belt, but if the result of that fight is any indication of how Lesnar will perform in the UFC, the heavyweight division may be saved.
Upsets, PRIDE fighter debuts, the fall of a champion, the comeback of another, the return of a legend, the greatest moment in UFC history, title unification, resignation, turmoil in the Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions. 2007 has proved to be possibly the rockiest, yet most exciting year the UFC has ever seen....and it's not over yet...
2006 ended with one of the most profitable pay-per-view events in its history with Liddell-Ortiz II. This, Dana White had hoped, would be just a taste of what the year 2007 would bring.
But, as Dana White says, in MMA anything can happen.
February, 2007 - UFC DEBUTS
At UFC 67, we saw the UFC debut of arguably the most feared striker in MMA; Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. If you had ever witnessed the awesomeness of Cro Cop in Pride, you, like many others, were very excited to see this guy compete in the UFC. Cro Cop did as he was expected and won the fight, but not in the impressive fashion that true fight fans had come to expect from this head hunting kickboxer. He won his bout in the 1st round by TKO against Eddie Sanchez.
This victory, it was hoped, would start Cro Cop's run for the title (which he was expected to eventually win).
UFC 67 was also the event at which, for the first time, an Ultimate Fighter winner would get a shot at a championship. The winner Travis Lutter, who won his division of the Ultimate Fighter by submitting Patrick Cote, took on Anderson "The Spider" Silva. This match would however be downgraded to a non-title fight after Lutter failed to make the 185 pound weight limit; he would tap out to Silva due to triangle choke.
We also saw the UFC debut of Quinton Jackson, who knocked out Marvin Eastman with a nice uppercut in the second round. This would be the beginning of the rise of "Rampage".
March, 2007 - HISTORY UNFOLDS
The main event at UFC 68 will go down in history as possibly the greatest moment in UFC history. The story line here: Randy Couture, at 43 years old, comes back from a year long retirement to challenge the much younger, taller, heavier champ Tim Silvia. It was a real life Rocky story unfolding before your very eyes. With the first punch thrown in the fight, Randy Couture knocked the 6'8", 265 lb monster down; at the same time, the sold out crowd in Columbus, Ohio rose as one...and didn't sit back down for the entire 25 minutes of the fight! Couture dominated Silvia for all 5 rounds of the fight to win the heavyweight title for an unprecented third time, and also became the first person to win 5 championships! (2 time light heavyweight, and 3 time heavyweight). He also became the oldest fighter to win a championship in MMA history. This was simply unbelievable and I'm sure the rights to this movie are going to be sold to the highest bidder!
April, 2007 - UPSETS!!
Major upset!! Matt Serra, the winner of the Ultimate Fighter's welterweight tournament, was to face welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in February, but an injury forced GSP to pull out of the fight. The fight was postponed until UFC 69 in Houston, Texas. Matt Serra wasn't given much of a chance and considered a huge underdog going into his fight against the heavily favoured St. Pierre. But, as that nagging saying goes, "In MMA, anything can happen"; and it did. Serra caught St. Pierre with a right hook that stunned the champ. St. Pierre would not get a chance to recover. Serra charged forward and gave little breathing room to the troubled champion. Serra gained full mount on St. Pierre, and after a few unanswered punches, the fight was stopped and Serra had just shocked the world!
Just a few weeks later was UFC 70: Nations Collide. This event saw the main event headlined by Gabriel Gonzaga vs Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was expected to win this fight hands down. Gonzaga was only meant to be the sacrificial lamb to be handed to Cro Cop so that Cro Cop could go on and win the heavyweight title. Dana White's plans were shattered when the fight world witnessed 'the kick heard round the world'! It was as horrific as it was ironic. Cro Cop who had become known for knocking out his opponents with deadly head kicks found himself tasting his own medicine. Gonzaga delivered a thunderous kick to the head that dropped the Croatian in disturbing fashion. Cro Cop's dead weight came crashing down on his ankle, leaving it twisted and distorted. Gonzaga barely had a chance to throw another punch on the unconsious Cro Cop before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. With the kick, a new heavyweight title contender was named and big questions would loom over Cro Cop's contention.
May, 2007 - MAKING STATEMENTS
UFC 71 saw the much anticipated rematch between light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and recent PRIDE addition Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. These two first met in PRIDE during one of PRIDE's Grand Prix tournaments. Rampage would win that first bout after landing brutal forearms to Liddell's ribs. Liddell's corner threw in the towel and Liddell went back to the UFC without the tournament championship. But fast forward 3 years and Liddell had knocked out his last 7 opponents and was light heavyweight champion. Quinton Jackson had just been acquired by the UFC and knocked out his first UFC opponent in February. It didn't take long for Jackson to make one hell of a statement. Liddell, displaying one of boxings big no-nos, led with a left body shot. Jackson countered with a right hook that tagged Liddell on the chin and dropped the champ. Jackson followed with several unanswered blows and a new light heavyweight champion was crowned. UFC's poster boy had just lost in the first round.
This event also introduced Houston Alexander to the world; another fighter who was seemingly being thrown to the wolves. Keith Jardine was expected to walk through the unknown Alexander in a fight that was meant to help Jardine make his way to the title. Alexander proved to be no walk-through and after a 49 second dismantling of Jardine, a new light heavyweight star was born.
June, 2007 - FRANKLIN BACK IN TITLE CONTENTION
Not much to say about June of 2007. UFC 72: Victory might possibly be the worst UFC event in a long time. Besides Griffin vs Guida, this event was stuffed with long, boring fights. The main event was no different. Franklin vs Okami went to the judge's decision and Franklin walked away with a narrow unamous decision; winning 2 rounds to 1. With the win, Franklin is now in position to get his shot at the title against the man who took it from him, Anderson Silva (Assuming Silva defeats Nate Marquardt in July).
The Ultimate Fighter 5 finale was also held in June. Nate Diaz went on to become the lightweight winner against Manny Gamburyan and B.J. Penn put on a Jiu-Jitsu clinic in his dominant win over Jens Pulver. With the win, "The Prodigy" moved into the spot as number one contender to the lightweight title.
July, 2007 - STACKED OR JACKED?
UFC 73: Stacked saw two successful title defenses and a draw. Sean Sherk defended his lightweight title against Hermes Franca in a Unanimous Decision victory and Anderson Silva finished Marquardt in the first round to retain his middleweight title. Questions were also raised about Tito Ortiz's staying power as he put on a poor performance against TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans in a fight that ended in a draw. The two title defenses and the draw were not the headlining story of this event. After the steroid testing at UFC 73, it was revealed that both Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca tested positive for steroids. Hermes Franca didn't deny the charges, saying he was injured and didn't want to pull out of the fight on short notice, so he felt he had to take something in order to let him fight. Sherk, however, denied the charges and took his case to court. The hearing has been postponed until November. With the results still up in the air about Sherk's innocence, the lightweight title is stuck in limbo. If Sherk is proven guilty, he will face a year suspension and be stripped of the title; thus, leaving BJ Penn to sit and wait to hear of the status of the lightweight title and what opponent he might face and when.
August, 2007 - GSP RETURNS
In my opinion, this was the best UFC event in a long time, possibly ever. Every single fight on this card was amazing to watch. Stellar performances by all the fighters and a main card that featured the return of Georges St. Pierre and the heavyweight title bout between the ageless Randy Couture and 'The man who knocked out Cro Cop', Gabriel Gonzaga.
Georges St. Pierre answered a lot of questions that were lingering after his knockout loss to Matt Serra in April. He made major changes to his lifestyle and to his entourage and came in as focused as I've ever seen him. He was taking on a very talented wrestler in Josh Koscheck and most wondered if he could compete with such an accomplished and powerful wrestler. Not only did GSP compete, but he completely outwrestled the wrestler. In what surprised everyone, St. Pierre took Koscheck down almost imediately and pinned the wrestler on his back for most of the first round. The second round saw pretty much the same, with St. Pierre dominating the stand-up and taking Koscheck down at will. St. Pierre would spend alot of time in the second on top of Koscheck and attempting a kimura, but Koscheck proved he has good submission defense. The third round, again, saw St. Pierre dominating the standup with 'Superman punch' - leg kick combinations. St. Pierre won in impressive fashion via unanimous decision.
Randy Couture proved why he was the heavyweight Champion by overpowering the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt against the cage and using single leg takedowns to put Gonzaga on the mat. This fight was a war that saw Gonzaga break his nose after being taken down by Couture against the cage in the first round. Gonzaga showed tremendous heart as he fought with continued ferocity until the end. Gonzaga landed very heavy kicks; one, Couture blocked with his face, the other broke his arm. Couture went on to win via TKO after taking Gonzaga down and pounding him out from there.
September, 2007 - A September to Remember
Three live UFC events in one month. First was UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion. History was made as the world witnessed the first title unification bout in MMA history. UFC's 205 pound champion Quinton Jackson took on PRIDE's 205 pound champion Dan Henderson in a 25 minute war. Both fighters threw and ate some heavy bombs, with neither man going down. These were knockout punches that landed but without the knockout results. This was a great fight worthy of MMA's first title unification. Jackson retained his title via unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night on September 19th saw Kenny Florian make a statement and put himself back in the lightweight title picture. He finished Din Thomas in the first round by rear naked choke. With names like BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Clay Quida, and Kurt Pelligrino in the mix, Florian might have to wait awhile before he gets another shot at lightweight gold.
Shockwaves rock the light heavyweight division after UFC 76. Chuck Liddell is defeated again!! This time by split decision in a lackluster performance against Keith Jardine. The loss leaves the former champ with back-to-back losses for the first time in his career and leaves the fight world with major questions about his future in MMA.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin. Griffin demanded this fight and most people thought he was crazy. Rua is considered by many to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. But fatigue is an ugly beast. Rua faded away early on in the second round, dropping his hands and taking deep breaths through his mouth. With just a few seconds left in the final round, Griffin had Rua's back and sunk in a rear naked choke that caused the Brazilian to tap out. With the win, Griffin skyrockets up the light heavyweight ladder and possibly one win away from a title shot. With the loss, Rua has the UFC scrambling to reorganize its light heavyweight division. But with the recent signing of Wanderlei Silva, the light heavyweight division will see many interesting matchups.
October, 2007 - Middleweight Division in Disarray!
As Anderson Silva was stopped by the referee from doing any more damage to the downed Nate Marquardt at UFC 73 in July, the camera shoots over to an onlooking Rich Franklin. Franklin looked as if he were watching Jason Voorhees dismembering another helpless victim. It was a look of fear that didn't seem to leave Franklin's face until he woke up on the Octagon floor, staring at the lights after his rematch with Silva at UFC 77. Franklin had, once again, been knocked silly by the devastating striker Anderson Silva. With such a dominant win over such a dominant fighter, Anderson Silva exposed a huge gap in talent in the middleweight division. Silva proved that his is on a completely different level than any other fighter in the middleweight division. The loss poses Franklin with a serious problem; he can beat any other fighter in the division, but can't beat Silva. What's a fighter to do when stuck in this type of limbo. He'll beat any other opponent put in front of him, but any chance for another title shot is very unlikely unless the belt changes hands. So Franklin will continue on winning, but will likely never get the title back. For Franklin, a move back to light heavyweight may be his only option other than retirement.
October also saw Randy Couture resign from the UFC. Thus, vacating his heavyweight title. In addition to Couture's resignation, the UFC was unable to acquire Fedor Emelianenko. With the world's two best heavyweights out of the UFC picture, the UFC's heavyweight division has gotten a little rocky. There are few exceptional fighters at heavyweight in the UFC. Vera, Silvia, Kongo, Gonzaga, and Nogueira make up the short list of serious contenders at heavyweight. The UFC also announced it's recent signing of WWE star Brock Lesnar. Lesnar has only one MMA fight under his belt, but if the result of that fight is any indication of how Lesnar will perform in the UFC, the heavyweight division may be saved.
Upsets, PRIDE fighter debuts, the fall of a champion, the comeback of another, the return of a legend, the greatest moment in UFC history, title unification, resignation, turmoil in the Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight divisions. 2007 has proved to be possibly the rockiest, yet most exciting year the UFC has ever seen....and it's not over yet...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)