UFC Fanatics

UFC 104 judge Peoples: Good fans understand why Machida won

2009-10-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

After being blistered on the internet for 36 hours, Cecil Peoples, one of the judges from the disputed Lyoto Machida-Mauricio Rua is firing back. Fans have been crushing him and the UFC over the Machida 48-47 decision. Many fighters outside the cage believed that Rua won the fight. One media member said the UFC [expletive] up and Dana White needs to stop blogging and fix the sport. Peoples told CageReport.net that there is a lack of understanding on how to score a fight:

"First of all what you need to understand is that from where the judges are sitting, we get to see things that the fans at home may miss. Mauricio Rua was being aggressive but it wasn't effective aggressiveness which is what we as the judges look for when scoring a fight. The way I saw it, Lyoto was landing the more cleaner and damaging strikes throughout the fight - if you take a look at the judging criteria clean strikes are valued more-so than the quantity of strikes landed. Although Rua threw a lot of low kicks they were not as damaging as Lyotos diverse attack in the earlier rounds which is why I scored the first three rounds for Machida."

I have zero issue with that explanation. Judges in boxing differ on their philosophy as well. It's the old volume versus precision argument. That said, I disagree that Machida landed the cleaner strikes in the first round but Peoples is entitled to his own opinion.

"You have to keep in mind we always the favor the fighter who is trying to finish the fight, and leg kicks certainly don't do that."

See now there might be a problem with that statement. It sounds like Peoples believes that head strikes are the only to finish the fight. So does that means all leg and body strikes can't lead to a finish?

"When both fighters are engaged in a striking match what I always look for is the fighter who is being judicious, picking his spots, being accurate and landing the cleaner strikes which ultimately is what Lyoto did more effectively than Rua. Lyoto made Shogun come after him, he determined where the fight took place which in my opinion constitutes as effective Octagon control."

This could be another issue. Do counterstrikers generally get the nod in Peoples' opinion.

"I recognize the fact that Rua did have a few takedown attempts during the course of the fight however Lyoto defended them all successfully which counts as effective grappling in his favor, where as unsuccessful takedown attempts are not scored at all. Therefore going by that criteria, I believe Lyoto won the fight clearly. I'm just glad the other judges on the panel saw it the same way and I'm sure the fans who understand the technicalities of the sport agree with the decision too."

That's a nice shot at the end, "fans who UNDERSTAND the technicalities." He can take a shot at the fans but the media support for Rua was pretty overwhelming:

Cagewriter: 48-47 Rua
Kevin Iole, Yahoo!: 48-47 Rua
Dave Doyle, Yahoo!: 48-47 Rua
Dave Meltzer, Yahoo!: 49-46 Rua
BloodyElbow: 48-47 Rua
USAToday: 48-47 Rua
ESPN: 49-46 Rua
CagePotato: 49-46 Rua
MMAJunkie : 49-46 or 48-47 Rua
MMAMania : 50-45 Rua
ProMMA.Info: 50-45 Rua
Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal: 48-47 Machida

Coleman's out at UFC 106: Who steps in against Tito?

2009-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

Dana White always says he expects for bad stuff to happen each day when he wakes up. He didn't have to wait until this morning for his latest lousy break at UFC 106. Tito Ortiz twittered late last night that his opponent Mark Coleman is out of their Nov. 21 fight. Now what?

It's been difficult to find premium matchups at light heavyweight. UFC has champion Lyoto Machida facing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104 in October. It just announced Rashad Evans will battle Thiago Silva in January at UFC 108. And Randy Couture just came off the table against Brandon Vera at UFC 105 in November. So who's left? And what's the UFC's goal for Tito?

Clearly, the Coleman fight was a way to put name in against Ortiz, but it was a fight that he should win. Who else is a relatively easy mark with a good name? Luiz Cane and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are on the same card but those are risky fights for Ortiz. Or would UFC dump Evans-Silva to push Evans in a Tito rematch? Could Evans even take the fight now on six weeks notice? It's too bad Wanderlei Silva is out the mix right now after his plastic surgery. Would a quick turn around for veteran Vladimir Matyushenko interest anyone? Don't even ask about Kimbo Slice. Maybe it's best to give Tito's surgically repaired back a little more time to heal and push the fight back?

Lesnar smashes Mir and then loses his mind in postfight

2009-07-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

Boo all you want, Brock Lesnar doesn't give a damn. And even though he's moved over the world of fake wrestling, this isn't an act, he is one scary and surly man. Lesnar brutalized Frank Mir for seven minutes before unleashing 14 unanswered punches to Mir's face while he had him pinned on the ground against the Octagon cage. Referee Herb Dean had to jump in to save Mir before he suffered serious head trauma at 1:48 of the second round.

But the story of the fight came in the moments just after the finish.

Lesnar walked across the cage and got in the dazed face of Mir, "Talk all the [expletive] you want now," he said. The 11,000-plus booed loudly as Lesnar walked away from Mir. Lesnar responded by flipping off the crowd.

There was a lot of trash talk on both sides leading up to the fight. But it seemed to rub Lesnar the wrong way. Mir is a little more eloquent and often described Lesnar as a moron and an oaf who only won because of his size.

Lesnar didn't shy away from utilizing that size. He quickly got the fight to the mat in the opening round and mauled Mir. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder buried punches into Mir's face as he controlled his left arm. By the end of the first, Mir's face looked like it had already been through five rounds.

The anger didn't subdied with the comment to Mir. Lesnar really turned it on in the cage with UFC color voice Joe Rogan saying he loved the booing.

"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his [expletive]. I told him a year ago," Lesnar commenting on his loss in their first fight at UFC 81. Mir submitted Lesnar with a knee bar in the fight. "I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it."

Lesnar went into overdrive: "I'm going to drink a Coors Light. That's right a Coors," Lesnar then looked down at the Bud Light logo on the mat. "Bud Light don't pay me nothing."

Lesnar closed by remarking that he's going to celebrate with friends tonight and that he may even "get on top of his wife tonight."

A very beat up Mir was incredibly humble in defeat:

"He did a good job of neutralizing me in the stand-up. I got against the cage in a bad position, bad move against a guy that big and strong. I guess I still have more stuff to work on."

Lesnar is only five fights into his pro mixed martials arts career but he looks like he could the biggest star in the sport.

'The Pit Bull' put down by GSP

2009-07-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

There's no better wrestler in mixed martial arts than Georges St. Pierre. Thiago Alves found that out as he was slammed to ground nine times over the course of five rounds and never get off when trying to strike on his feet. GSP retains his welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision (50-44 and 50-45 on two cards) win over Alves.

Alves, a devastating striker with huge power, never felt comfortable planting and throwing his strikes with any power. He missed badly throughout the fight which left him off-balance. GSP seemed to seize every opportunity to essentially tackle and slam Alves to the mat using double-leg takedowns.

He also showed guts in this one as well. He told his trainer Greg Jackson before the fifth round that he had injured his groin. It actually happened during the third round. GSP actually spent 57 seconds on his back. At some point, Alves pushed down on St. Pierre's leg and he felt it pop. He called it the abductor ligament.

"It could've been a bad night if this thing turned bad."

St. Pierre (19-2, 13-2 UFC), the UFC 170-pound champion, also addressed what's next. He didn't seem to keen on moving up soon to fight 185-pound champion Anderson Silva saying that he'd have to gain weight and take his time before the fight.

'Decision' Dan Henderson knocks Mike Bisping stiff

2009-07-12T06:11:00.001-07:00

By Steve Cofield

It was the big step up for British fighting prospect Michael Bisping. By the end of the fight couldn't take a step or even sit up.

People told Bisping about Henderson's huge right hand but he chose to mock on the legendary fighter saying that he should be called "Decision" Dan Henderson and boasting that he'd never been knocked out in 18 fights. Bisping tried to use movement and slick boxing to outpoint Henderson but he made the mistake of constantly moving in one direction. That constant path to the left allowed Henderson to time a huge right that landed on the button. Bisping (pictured with his eyes closed) was out cold before he hit the mat. Henderson launched into the air and timed one more huge elbow to the Brit's face for extra measure. Referee Mario Yamasaki saved Bisping at 3:20 of the second round.

"I don't know if he'll ever shut his mouth. I think that last (elbow) was just to shut him up."

It was expected that with a win, Bisping (17-2, 7-2 UFC) would earn a title shot against the UFC's middleweight champ Anderson Silva. That fight would've likely been in Manchester, England on November 14. Now it begs the question, does Henderson, who lost his title shot back at UFC 82 against Silva, get another fight against the Brazilian? And will it be waged in the U.K.?

Henderson (25-7, 5-2 UFC) has to be in line right now for Knockout of the Night.

The adventures of GSP: Searching for friends on the dais

2009-07-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

By Maggie Hendricks

Ahhh, here I am again. Another press conference. Another guy trying to get my pretty belt. At least this one isn't such a weirdo. He's not talking about licking my blood or killing me. Right, Thiago?

Hungry ... must make weight ... want cheeseburger ... must ... make ... weight.

OK. Thiago doesn't want to talk to me. Is there anyone else worth talking to?

OK, no. Those two are weird. They might be weirder than B.J. They both have guns and want to shoot me. Who else is up here?

I am not impressed by their performance. I guess I'm all alone up here. No clown to keep me entertained. What will I do? Who will entertain me?

Ah, yes! He is bound to say something ridiculous.

UFC 100: Lesnar v. GSP ... I'll take the angry, unpredictable guy

2009-07-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

Brock Lesnar is one of kind in the mixed martial arts world. While 99-percent of the fighters are easily accessible and an open book, Lesnar is a little closer to what we're used to when covering major sports like the NFL, NBA and MLB. He's really only available during the lead-up to his fights and he's one of the only fighters who brings along his own PR/security staff to media sessions. Lesnar showed up to the Wednesday workout day with two fellas he called his lawyers. They essentially play the role of the bad guy to call an end to Q & A sessions after about 10 minutes. They did the same after the UFC 91 press conference when they trumped UFC PR in deciding who was worthy of getting one-on-one interviews.

At the end of the UFC 100 Wednesday workout session, one reporter asked Lesnar if he disliked dealing with the media since he's had a couple of run-ins/explosions (Tom Farrey interview, before UFC 87, UFC 87 postfight, when being asked about Fedor Emelianenko). Lesnar responded in disbelief. It made for a nervous 15 seconds as everyone waited for a Lesnar explosion (VIDEO).

Lesnar's antics at yesterday's UFC 100 press conference were comical. After the other five fighters on the dais stood in front of the media, gave their opening comments and then sat down, Lesnar made his remarks and tried to leave. It was an awkward moment as Dana White had to grab Lesnar and quietly coax him into staying for the open question portion of the event (VIDEO - 29:10 mark)

Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel pounded away at Lesnar with a "who does this guy think he is" approach:

Afterward White shook his head in disbelief at the scene, “the guy’s trying to leave the UFC 100 press conference?” Two other times during the hour-long session, White had to talk to Lesnar about not leaving Mandalay Bay early. Lesnar had decided he was too good to continue promoting an event that will earn him an estimated $3 million.

Wetzel was rubbed the wrong way by the Lesnar entourage the day before:

On Wednesday, he was surrounded by lawyers and agents that take themselves way too seriously. He got shuffled about in a self-important manner that runs counter to the down-to-earth style of every other star in mixed martial arts. Everything around him seemed stressed.

Let's say it straight out, Lesnar doesn't like doing the media stuff. He's a no nonsense guy who gets annoyed by many of the canned answer questions we're often obligated to throw his way. But I'll defend him, He adds a different element. It's real. Which means the possibility of a great quote is a lot higher than the guy that Wetzel props up in his column, Georges St. Pierre. GSP is a great guy but he's become incredibly programmed and withdrawn. It's seems like the mild controversy that erupted after he walked into the cage back at UFC 63 and confronted Matt Hughes, has changed his style. He rarely speaks off the cuff. GSP is more like an Alex Rodriguez-type, almost too polished. I prefer the Lesnar-types who may explode on an opponent or a media member, any day of the week.

UFC 100: Mir goes from 0-9 scrub to edge of greatness

2009-07-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

By Steve Cofield

Not every star in mixed martial arts was a stud athlete from the get-go. You think Frank Mir has a tough mental test now at 30 years old? Imagine being a 16-year-old and coming out of the gates 0-9 as a high school wrestler. Mir did exactly that but according to his Las Vegas high school coach Russ Leet, he never gave up:

"He never got down on himself. He was such a good competitor and so confident in himself. You could see him improving, and once he got nine or 10 matches in, he figured out how to win."

Mir went from a winless scrub to start his junior year, to a Nevada heavyweight state champ in his senior year posting a 44-1 record for Bonanza High School. He also played fullback and defensive end on the football. With all the talk about about Brock Lesnar's athletic ability being off the charts, Mir gets a bit lost in the shuffle. Had he not stuck with the martial arts route, Mir probably would've been a solid college defensive lineman who could've easily carried 270-290 pounds on the football field.

'Countdown to UFC 100': Lesnar flips out during replay and storms out of room

2009-07-09T06:57:00.001-07:00

By Steve Cofield

Make sure you check out "Countdown to UFC 100" on SPIKE tonight. The producers did a brilliant job of mixing together Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir watching the replay of their first fight at UFC 81. This is why this fight is so cool. The trash talk between the two as they watch at separate locations is dynamite.

Lesnar is in good spirits until the fight turns then he unloads on referee Steve Mazzagatti. Lesnar gets pissed watching Mazzagatti managing the end of the fight:

"I don't know how many times I had to tap his leg. Mazzagatti is [expetive] dickhead. He should be thrown out of the [expletive] arena. I'd like to punch his [expletive] moustache right off his face."

One minute later during "Countdown to UFC 100" Lesnar explodes again and then storms out of the room (pictured):

"How times did I tap his leg? Man, I hate that guy. Okay I'm done, I'm out of here."

Lesnar throws off his microphone and then punches a door off its hinges on the way out of the room. The breakdown of the submission itself is comical. Lesnar says it was a Christmas gift:

"I handed it to him. It ain't gonna happen again, I know that for a fact."

Mir says Lesnar should be embarrassed for getting caught in that hold and takes a shot at one of the big guy's jiu-jitsu instructors Eric Paulson:

"I started cranking really hard because he put his [other] foot at my butt. Eric Paulson should've taught him that he was supposed to push to get his leg out," said a smirking Mir. "He should know about those things even at that point. That was two years of training? That was a move I learned in my first month that I tried martial arts and submissions."

Mir also says Lesnar's toughness is in question:

"I think his pain tolerance to submission moves is in question. I don't know if he's developed that yet. That comes from years and years of training in the art."

Mir says he's in Lesnar's head:

"I already have a win on him. How does that feel mentally if you lose, where does that put you? Now you have two losses to the same guy, now you're going to be at the very bottom of the heap."

Mir turns it up a notch a few minutes later rolling through boxing and jiu-jitsu terminology, then says "I'll tell you what those mean later, Brock." He laughs as he says Lesnar is still working on the basics.

There is also a spirited discussion of who is more dangerous on the feet. Lesnar laughs about Mir's "supposed" improvement. UFC color voice Joe Rogan says there's no way Mir should stand with that "gorilla."

MMA Marketplace: Last minute roadtrip to UFC 100

2009-07-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

By Maggie Hendricks

With UFC 100 just over a week away, is it possible for you and a group of your buds to hop on a plane (or jump in a car) to Las Vegas, and still be able to enjoy the action? The answer is yes, but like many last-minute decisions, it will cost you.

Tickets: You have two options, going to the fights at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, or going to the closed-circuit viewing party, also at Mandalay Bay. For me, if you're going to Vegas for the fights, you should go to the fights. If you do want to go to the viewing party, it will cost you just under $90 per person.

Getting into the sold-out fights will cost you quite a bit more. Tickets start at $497, and can cost you as much as ... wait for it ... are you sitting down ... $40,000 per ticket. That's right, you can either buy yourself a new Honda, or you can have a cageside ticket for UFC 100. There is plenty of in-between ground there, like seats in the lower bowl for around $1000. A grand per ticket is hardly cheap, but it's still a seat in the fights that will not give you a nosebleed.

Hotel: The bad economy has affected tourism in Las Vegas, which means you can stay there for relatively cheap rates. Hotels.com has rooms for as cheap as $25 a night, you can stay on the strip at the Tropicana for $80 a night, or in the Luxor, which is attached to Mandalay Bay, for $140. Actually staying at Mandalay Bay will cost you quite a bit more, as in $286 a night. (Note, if you book with Hotels.com, they charge your credit card ahead of time, so don't book until you know you're going.)

Fan Expo: To be held in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, this event seems as if it will be a UFC fan's dream come true. The following fighters will be on hand:UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy “The Natural” Couture, and former world champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.

Phew. A two-day pass is $50, and training sessions with fighters and coaches cost an additional amount. The expo is a gargantuan event on its own, and I won't be able to do it justice within this post, so check out more about it here.

Getting there: This close to the event, airfares are getting pretty high. According to Orbitz, from my own hometown of Chicago, it would cost between $500 -- $600, between $550 -- $700 from Boston, $450 -- $600 from Dallas, and $170 -- $350 from Los Angeles. You can also save quite a bit on your flight if you combine it with your hotel on a Web site like Travelocity or Orbitz.

Extras: The Sin City is an adult's playland, and everything from food and drink to live shows to gambling, nightclubs and strip clubs can cost you quite a bit. If you're male, not a UFC fighter or celebrity, and expect to go to a hot club like XS, Tryst or Body English, plan on ponying up for bottle service. But if you don't need to be in a jampacked club, or the newest restaurant in town, you can save money. Though dancing at XS was a blast, I also had a great time in Caramel in the Bellagio, and had a great meal at Oyster Bay in the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood.

So, it's still possible for you to do Vegas for UFC 100, and do it well, but it will be difficult to do it cheaply. If you do go, come back here and let us know about your weekend. Well, what you can tell us, since what happens in Vegas ...

UFC 100 Mir interview: Lesnar's size is a hindrance

2009-06-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Brock Lesnar has wowed a lot of folks with his quick rise to the top of the MMA heavyweight mountain. Don't include Frank Mir in that group. He views Lesnar a big guy with little skill and potential cardio issues:

"Honestly, I think big guys are easier to fight. They don't move as fast, they get tired quickly and they're not as technical," Mir told Cagewriter.

Mir is prepping for the UFC heavyweight title fight at UFC 101 with a unique approach. Instead of packing on extra pounds of muscle to contend with the 280-pound Lesnar, Mir is going to try and force the big guy to match up with his strengths. Mir wants to push the pace and make Lesnar catch him. Mir has got some big guys in his training camp at Striking Unlimited in Las Vegas, who are similar in style to Lesnar, but he's also chosen to spar often with UFC light heavyweight Forrest Griffin. Griffin, who walks around at 235 pounds, is pushing Mir to the brink:

"If I want to sharpen my tools I have to work with somebody who's not a sitting target like Forrest. Who moves around a lot, he's extremely conditioned. He's fast and can throw 300 punches compared to 30 punches a round. Forrest is my worst nightmare. Basically you have to go for broke and knock him out, and if you don't he's still going to be standing there coming after you."

Mir appeared trim during this Friday discussion weighing around 255. His face look like hell though. Griffin goes all out. As a result, Mir had a nasty shiner around his right eye, with some discoloration in the eye. In a separate sparring incident, Griffin gave Mir a huge knot on his forehead (pictured above).

Mir said he feels like he's moving like a middleweight and Lesnar simply won't be able catch him. He also thinks Lesnar will be confused as he tries to process everything being thrown his way.

"There's so many things going on in the fight. I think his mind will be paralyzed because he's having to deal with so many new elements. Instead of going for things real slow and powerful, I may as well go for speed so I can add more chaos to his brain."

Listen to Mir with Cagewriter less than two weeks from the fight:

Mir said Lesnar is too slow. He added that Lesnar would have little chance to beat some of the top light heavyweights like Griffin, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Check out Mir's new physique as he works kicks with trainer Ken Hahn:

Aside from the knot on his head and the black eye, Mir said his shin was a little sore from a kick and he was soaking his right ankle in some ice on Friday after the open media workout. As far as a full contact sparring he goes with a few more hard sessions this week before shutting down in anticipation of the fight in 12 days.

Dana White says he won't watch Lashley/Atencio card

2009-06-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Nice planning by the folks with the Ultimate Chaos card tomorrow in Biloxi, Mississippi. The event featuring Bobby Lashley versus Bob Sapp has the fight weekend to itself. The curiosity factor alone should bring in some decent number on this pay-per-view event. Affliction boss Tom Atencio is also fighting, which makes one think even the head honchos at UFC will be watching. Dana White appearing on the Cofield and Cokin Show on ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas laughed off that notion:

White has said on several occasions that Atencio is irrelevant. He repeated the sentiment two weeks ago in Germany:

"Nobody gives a [expletive] about Tom Atencio. He has to say something to get attention. Not only is he not a fighter, he's not a promoter. He's a loser. I could give a [expletive] about Tom Atencio." White then said Atencio is a phony, giving the back story about the well-circulated choke photo (above) featuring he and Atencio looking jovial. "He's a big kiss [expletive] when you're at the club and then he goes out in front of the media and starts talking [expletive]. He's a waste of time."

That was after calling Atencio a loser:

"At the end of the day, I stepped up and said I would fight Tito and he was a fighter who people cared about," White said. "But why would I fight this goof? He's neither a fighter nor a promoter. He's a [expletive] loser. That's all he is."

Sources close to White say that he's full of it. He'll probably going to carve out some time to watch the Atencio fight against Randy Hedderick. He and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva should also be checking out the Lashley fight. A win over Sapp isn't some great accomplishment but at 320 pounds, he is a test for Lashley. If Lashley wins, it should pique the interest of both UFC and Strikeforce. Do you believe White when he says he won't watch or is he just talking trash?

Check throughout the weekend for more snippets of the White appearance on ESPNRadio1100. He also smashed Floyd Mayweather for re-scheduling his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19, the same weekend as a UFC PPV event in Dallas.

Pro wrestler Lashley TKOs the much larger Sapp in minutes

2009-06-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

Former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley showed that he is for real in mixed martial arts, defeating veteran fighter Bob Sapp with a technical knockout in less than two minutes at "Ultimate Chaos" in Biloxi, Miss.

As soon as the bell rung, Bobby Lashley went in for a quick takedown. He had no problem with bringing the much larger Sapp to the canvas. From there, he executed his game plan well, staying on top of Sapp and throwing a barrage of punches. Sapp tapped to signal that he wanted the fight to end, but the referee did not see it, and Lashley kept punching. Finally, Sapp tapped again, and the referee put an end to the fight at 1:17 in the first round. After the win, Lashley announced that he is ready for whoever wants to take him on.

"To all the heavyweights out there, if you're not looking at me, you better, because I'm coming. I'll take on all challengers," Lashley said.

Both men have the first name Bob, and both have experience professional wrestling, but the similarities end there, as Sapp outweighed Lashley by nearly 67 pounds for the main event. Lashley, who is undefeated in the real sport of MMA after years as a star professional wrestler in the WWE and ECW, took on the fight with Sapp, who is a veteran of Japanese fight promotions PRIDE and K-1, to prove that his desire to excel in MMA is real. A win over Sapp validated Lashley in the cage, moving his record to 4-0.

Lashley weighed in at 255 pounds for the fight, meaning that he would have no problem making the heavyweight class of 265 for more mainstream mixed martial arts promotions like the UFC, Strikeforce and Affliction. Considering how he has steamrolled through his four opponents, and that he is training at the highly touted American Top Team, it's not crazy to think that we will soon see Lashley on a larger stage.

Fight promoter Atencio walks the walk by stepping into the ring this weekend

2009-06-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

No one should be shocked that 41-year-old Affliction VP Tom Atencio is stepping into the ring for a professional MMA fight this weekend. After all, this is the same guy running a multi-million dollar apparel company who decided to take on the mighty UFC by promoting his own mega-fights. The guy is a dreamer and a risk taker.

Atencio, who has one professional under his belt (back in 2005), is taking on a card dealer from Mississippi named Randy Hedderick in Biloxi, Mississippi tomorrow night on pay-per-view. Why is a guy like this taking the risk of getting his face beaten in:

"I'm never concerned with what people think," Atencio told CagePotato. "Once I started being in the public eye I stopped caring about that. You just can't. There are always going to be those people. They say my next [Affliction] event will be my last event. They said that about the first one. But if you're going to be out there you can't listen to any of that."

Atencio trains everyday around 2 o'clock, saying he's no different than any other fighter who has a real job. Atencio compares his interest in fighting to that of other weekend warriors who may bowl or play softball.

"For no reason. For me. Why do other guys go out and play sports on the weekend? It's the same thing."

MMA seems a little more intense and slightly more dangerous than throwing some beers back with the fellas playing those other sports.

The best of the best: Help us decide the best UFC event, 78-84

2009-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

UFC 100 is just over two weeks away, and Yahoo! Sports is counting down every UFC event leading up to the blockbuster night of fights on July 11. This week, we saw B.J. Penn win the lightweight belt, Tito Ortiz exit stage right, and finally, Chuck vs. Wanderlei.

At UFC 78, Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping didn't put on much of a show for the New Jerseyites in attendance.

The match didn’t really prove anything. Evans came into the fight with a 10-0-1 record and a lifetime of wrestling while Bisping, 15-0 coming into the fight, came from a country with little in the way of organized wrestling. Bisping was able to connect more often, but Evans’ had more power in his punches. The fight came down to the third round: Whenever Bisping would start to get something going, Evans would take him down, earning a split-decision win.

Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva finally met up at UFC 79, and their fight was a war.

It seemed some of the luster was gone from the fight, as Liddell was coming off losses to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Keith Jardine while Silva was coming off defeats at the hands of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson. As it turned out, the losses had no impact on the fan interest. The card reportedly sold 700,000 on pay-per-view and attracted a boisterous crowd of 11,075. The fight lived up to all the hype, as Liddell and Silva stood and exchanged bombs throughout the fight. Liddell mixed up his game a bit and took Silva down several times with his wrestling. Liddell wound up winning a unanimous decision in a fight that had the crowd roaring and on its feet throughout.

B.J. Penn's reign at the lightweight champion began with a win over Joe "Daddy" Stevenson at UFC 80.

Penn didn’t take long separating the men from the boys and dominated Stevenson in every aspect of the match. Penn took the first round easily and opened a horrific cut on Stevenson’s forehead with an elbow on the ground. There was some question whether Stevenson would be able to come out for the second round given the depth of the cut, but “Joe Daddy” came out fired up in the second. Still, Penn managed to fend off an early charge and began picking Stevenson apart. Penn finished Stevenson off midway through the round with a rear-naked choke.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira picked up the heavyweight interim belt at UFC 81, but that was hardly the high point of the evening as former WWE champ Brock Lesnar lost in his UFC debut.

Lesnar stormed Mir and took him down and began pounding him with hammer fists. Incredibly, Lesnar seemed on the verge of victory only seconds into the bout. Referee Steve Mazzagatti ordered a controversial standup when he ruled Lesnar hit Mir in the back of the head. That allowed Mir to clear his head, but when the fight resumed, Lesnar took him down again and began pounding. This time, though, Mir was able to grab one of Lesnar’s legs. The noted submission expert caught Lesnar in a knee bar and forced a submission at 1:30 of the first round.

Anderson Silva became known as more than just the best in his weight class after his UFC 82 win over PRIDE champion Dan Henderson.

Anderson Silva’s status as the mythical best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA picked up a lot of steam when he defeated Pride’s champion in the weight class, Dan Henderson, by submission in the main event of UFC 82, held March 1, 2008, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Henderson won the first round of their fight, but tired in the second round and was finished with a choke at 4:52 of the round. Silva’s argument strengthened since Henderson, the only man to hold simultaneous championships in different weight classes in a major organization in MMA history, had gone the distance in losing to Quinton Jackson, the light heavyweight champ, in his previous fight. And at no point in the Jackson-Henderson match was Henderson in serious trouble.

The UFC's debut in Canada was spectacular, with its native son, Georges St. Pierre, winning over Matt Serra at UFC 83.

The event attracted a UFC record 21,390 fans, who paid a live gate of $5.1 million. It sold out in just 24 hours and the gate was the second-largest in UFC history. They were coming to see the rematch between hometown hero Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra. Serra pulled off one of the most improbable wins in UFC history when he knocked out St. Pierre as an 11-1 underdog at UFC 69 a year earlier in Houston. St. Pierre, who had won the interim belt when Serra was off for a long time because of a back injury, established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport with a dominant performance. St. Pierre hammered Serra from start to finish, winning the first round on 10-8 scores, and stopped him at 4:45 of the second round.

Tito Ortiz, one of the UFC's biggest stars throughout the years, Tito Ortiz, lost to current light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida in his final fight with the promotion at UFC 84.

The show drew a sellout well in advance, of 14,771 paying $3,752,420, plus a closed-circuit overflow at the ballroom at the hotel. Machida won all three rounds in a dull fight with Ortiz, with Ortiz’s only momentary glory late, clamping on a triangle in the third round that Machida admitted was close to finishing him. Still, it’s hard to say anyone ate crow. Ortiz couldn’t take Machida down in three rounds, or touch him standing. Machida frustrated a heavily pro-Ortiz crowd with his dodging in and out. But at the end of the night, Ortiz was still the person everyone was talking about.

Now, we want to hear from you. What was your favorite event from these events? Ortiz, Penn or Silva? Vote in the poll and share your memories in the comments.

C-a-C: 'Quit stealing all the ladies, L'il Rampage!'

2009-06-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's birthday was Saturday, and as he is in Las Vegas taping "The Ultimate Fighter 10," and as this is Rampage, his birthday party was done big. The party was at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel, and featured some of Rampage's favorite things: his friends, beautiful Asian women, and yummy cake.

Actually, two cakes. One featured the Rampage Jackson ~~doll~~ action figure he is holding in the picture at right, and the other one was an anatomically correct, strippable replica of, well, just look at the pictures. If breasts made of flour and sugar are not appropriate for your workplace, don't click on that link. (Be sure to check out all of Combat Lifestyle's pictures from the weekend, including the gallery of WEC fighter Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone performing onstage with Steel Panther, an 80s metal hair cover band.)

So what is Rampage saying to the ~~doll~~ action figure? Is he insulting the doll's bad breath? Coming up with a gameplan to beat on Rashad Evans' doll? Take a shot in the captions, and read on for winners from our last create-a-caption.

First place: That's a Spicy Meatball! -- K-J-MMA-Armchair

Second place: Oh my goodness! How uncivilized of me...am I still in character?!? -- DS

Third place: Trainer: "God, these two Yahoo! commenters keep whining like babies with their holier-than-thou egos and their ad hominem jibberjabber. Just knock them out already, will ya Clay?"
Clay: "La la lalalala I can't hear you. La-di-da do re mi fa sol la ti do!"
Trainer: "Sigh, I knew I should've followed my dreams and become an equestrian instead of this pugilist bull [profane]." -- espnjunkie23

Wilks schools the lone American in TUF 9 welterweight Finale

2009-06-24T06:44:00.001-07:00

There was some doubt about James Wilks coming into tonight's Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. How good was he? After all, he beat Frank Lester twice to get here and really didn't crush the young American. Wilks, a jiu-jitsu black belt, hadn't really showed off his ground skills in the fights on the reality television show, but he did on this night. Damarques Johnson was put through a drill of submission moves throughout the first round and couldn't survive one final rear-naked choke. Johnson tapped at 4:52 of the first giving the six-figure UFC contract to Wilks, a Brit based out of Southern California.

The final submission that finished the fight, was attempt No. 7. It seemed like each time you looked up, Johnson was in some awful position. He didn't perform much better on the feet, where Wilks landed the bigger strikes with punches, knees and kicks in the opening two minutes. Once it hit the mat with 3:58 left in the first, Wilks worked two heel hooks and eventually slapped on a triangle choke. He transitioned that to an armbar. Johnson struggled but survived. He locked on his first rear-naked choke with 38 seconds left and then put on the winning choke with 18 seconds left.

The Las Vegas sportsbooks missed horribly on the favorites of the TUF 9 Finales. Andre Winner lost at -220 and Johnson lost at -240.

UFC hands out three Fight of Night bonuses at TUF 9

2009-06-21T17:28:00.001-07:00

Call UFC president Dana White what you want but nailed it on this night. There were three dynamite fights that all deserved some extra cheese in the UFC's progressive bonus program.

The UFC announced that the Diego Sanchez-Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson-Nate Diaz and Chris Lytle-Kevin Burns fights all got Fight of the Night bonuses of $25,000 per fighter.

TUF 9 cast member Jason Dent got Submission of the Night for his anaconda choke of Cameron Dollar. While Tomasz Drwal scored the Knockout of the Night bonus for his win over Mike Ciesnolevicz. Drwal and Dent both received $25,000. In total, UFC handed out $200,000 in bonuses from a card that grossed just over $500,000.

The trio of Fight of the Night fights all offered something different. Stevenson and Diaz was a great example of what top notch grappling can do for a fighter. Stevenson was dominant but Diaz was crafty enough to extricate himself from every dangerous position. Burns and Lytle was a pure slugfest. Some of the snobby media members in attendance, who like to think of themselves as a MMA purists, thought Lytle v. Burns was overrated. The UFC doesn't think so. It's fourth time in six fights that Lytle received a bonus. Guida and Sanchez was a good example of two well-rounded fighters who took the fight all over the cage.

Burns went to the hospital following the fight to get treated for a broken right hand that he suffered in the first round. He also got 15 stitches for the cut over his left eye.

Sanchez nails 'The Carpenter' in a classic

2009-06-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

It'll be amazing if B.J. Penn is the lightweight champion a few years. The wave of young lightweights coming his way is impressive. Lightweight contenders Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida engaged in a slugfest that was waged all over the Octagon. In the end, it was Sanchez's dominant first round that pushed him to a victory. The Ultimate Fighter 1 champ gained a split decision (28-29, 29-27 and 29-28) win in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Cagewriter scored it 29-27 for Sanchez, giving a 10-8 first round to the winner.

It was a prime example of why the future of the sport may be at 155 pounds and the lower weight classes in WEC. Fight fans everywhere must've been thinking "we want more!'"

Guida lost but he proved he's incredibly tough and that his stamina is unrivaled in MMA. He pushed Sanchez hard for 15 minutes. It wasn't easy early for "The Carpenter" as he went away from his strength, wrestling. Guida came out and decided to stand toe-to-toe with "The Nightmare." He got the worst of it. Three seconds into the battle, the fighters started throwing wildly at each other. Guida kept pace for 10 seconds but the harder shots were coming from Sanchez. He threw roughly 40 shots. It was a mix of knees, kicks and punches that got Guida to stop throwing back. Sanchez's best blow was a head kick (pictured above). But even on that shot, Guida went down to the mat and rose almost instantly.

Somehow Guida (25-10, 5-4 UFC) survived the first round and came back to make it a fight in the second. Guida scored a takedown 36 seconds into the round. He did a decent of landing elbows on Sanchez, but from the bottom Sanchez did a great job of neutralizing Guida's arms and landing a ton of elbows to his head. A savvy judge could've easily given the round to Sanchez.

The pace was a little slower in the third. The fight heated up with around three minutes left. Sanchez's striking was still crisp as he landed the better shots on the feet. Guida got the fight to the floor but couldn't score because Sanchez again worked for a kimura from the bottom.

Sanchez is in line to get the winner of the lightweight title fight between Penn and Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in August.

Shocker! Lytle beats Burns in another Fight of the Night candidate

2009-06-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

He did it again. Chris Lytle has been criticized recently for not always using the smartest approach to lock up victories. His all out strategy does entertain fans and best of all, it allows to keep his job with the UFC. You can also see that the UFC is starting giving him favorable style matchups. Kevin Burns slugged it out with the veteran of 16 UFC fights and came out the loser. Lytle (27-17-5, 6-10 UFC) took a unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards) and probably cashed in another Fight of the Night bonus.

"I wanted someone to try and take me out. I feel like I'm going to get through them"

Burns looked like the dominant striker in the first. His kicks were hurting Lytle and he was timing the Indianapolis firefighter well when he repeatedly threw looping rights and dropping his hands. Burns floored Lytle with one minute left in the first with a right. Lytle looked to be in real trouble in the final 10 seconds of the round.

"I didn't see it. I ducked my head and he caught me with one. I was on the ground. I said I gotta get back up. I'm a veteran fighter, I had to weather the storm and I collected my head between the rounds."

A fully recovered Lytle charged forward to begin the second and blasted Burns with a combination in the opening 10 seconds. From there, it was Lytle chasing and landing punches galore for the next two rounds as Burns was on his horse. Lytle opened a nasty cut over Burns' left eye. That sealed the deal.

Lytle was coming off a loss against Marcus Davis at UFC 93. He got a Fight of the Night award on that occasion. If he gets it tonight, that'll make four FON bonuses in his last six fights.

Pearson edges dirty boxing battle to take first TUF 9 contract

2009-06-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

Was there too much respect between the U.K. teammates from the Ultimate Fighter 9? Or were Ross Pearson and Andre Winner too evenly matched? It's hard to say but the first of two Ultimate Fighter Finales turned out to be a tough fight to score. Pearson and Winner clinched against the cage for most of the 15 minutes. Pearson was more effective with some uppercuts and knees. He gained the UFC contract winning the lightweight title via unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards). Pearson really locked up the win in the final two minutes of the fight. When the guys stood toe-to-toe, he was the more fresh fighter.

Pearson wished a happy birthday to his mother, who turned 50 this week. He said he forgot to buy her a card. Cagewriter found it interesting to see Winner hanging out at the pool at the Palms on Thursday after workout day. It seemed a bit unconventional with so much on the line as the fight approached. That said, he wasn't the only UFC fighter who enjoyed some pool time. In the other cases, those guys are a bit more secure in their standing with the promotion. On the flip side, I don't know if it's best for fighters to sit in their room for three straight days before the fight either. Pearson pulled the upset on Winner, who was a -300 favorite.

Eleven UFC 99 fighters medically suspended (with photos of Al Turk's injured eyes)

2009-06-19T07:31:00.001-07:00

A total of 11 competitors from this past weekend's "UFC 99: The Comeback" event, including main-event winner Rich Franklin and injured Mostapha Al Turk, were issued medical suspensions following the June 13 show.

The suspensions were recently posted by Chris Palmquist on mixedmartialarts.com, the official record-keeping outlet for the Association of Boxing Commissions.

Because no regulatory body overseas MMA events in Germany, UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner served as the event's regulator. Ratner, the former head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, operates overseas UFC events under the guidelines used today by the NSAC.

All of the suspensions are listed below. Additionally, Al Turk's camp provided MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) photos of his eyes, both of which were injured in a loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. The eyepokes were unseen by the bout's referee, and after he was forced to cover his face, Al Turk suffered a TKO stoppage just seconds later.

UFC 99 medical suspensions:

Rich Franklin: Must have left foot X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until July 14 with no contact during training until July 5 for precautionary reasons.
Cain Velasquez: Suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5 for precautionary reasons.
Cheick Kongo: Suspended until July 29 with no contact until July 14 for precautionary reasons.
Mostapha Al Turk: Must have left eye cleared by an ophthalmologist. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until July 29 with no contact until July 14 for precautionary reasons.
Mike Swick: Must have right hand X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5 for precautionary reasons.
Marcus Davis: Must have nose and face X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until Aug. 13 with no contact until July 29 for precautionary reasons.
Terry Etim: Must have nose X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until Aug. 13 with no contact until July 29 for precautionary reasons.
Dale Hartt: Must have left shoulder X-rayed and scanned via MRI, and must have a CT scan of his right orbit. Otherwise, his suspension runs until Dec. 5. Even with clearance, he is suspended until Aug. 13 with no contact until July 29 for precautionary reasons.
Paul Taylor: Suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5 for precautionary reasons.
Stefan Struve: Suspended until Aug. 13 with no contact until July 29 for precautionary reasons.
Rick Story: Suspended until July 14 with no contact until July 5 for precautionary reasons.

Herb Dean to oversee Lesnar vs. Mir II, Steve Mazzagatti draws St. Pierre vs. Alves

2009-06-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

Veteran referees Herb Dean and Steve Mazzagatti have been officially appointed as the third men in the cage for the UFC's upcoming title fights.

Dean will oversee the heavyweight title unification match at UFC 100 between current champion Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Frank Mir, while Mazzagatti will referee the same card's welterweight title fight between champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Thiago Alves,

The decision was made at the Nevada State Athletic Commission's June meeting, and NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed the appointments on Tuesday's edition of "GoodSports," co-hosted by MMAjunkie.com Radio's George Garcia.

UFC 100 takes place July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The two title fights cap off an 11-fight card for the UFC that also includes "The Ultimate Fighter 9" coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping squaring off in a middleweight bout.

UFC president Dana White has openly criticized Mazzagatti's performance on multiple occasions, including as recently as Friday's UFC 99 Fan Club Q&A session in Cologne, Germany.

Despite White's concerns, Kizer said he has no problem with appointing Mazzagatti who works as a firefighter when he's not in the cage to one of the sport's most important contests.

"I don't know why Steve's got such a bad rap from Dana," Kizer said. "All I can think of is Steve, as a fireman, he has paramedic training. I think compared to the other referees, he probably knows better if a guy is hurt or not."

Kizer also said Mario Yamasaki and Yves Lavigne would be in charge of additional bouts on the UFC 100 card, while Dean, Mazzagatti, Josh Rosenthal and Kim Winslow are working Saturday night's The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva officially announced for UFC 102 in Portland

2009-06-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

A light-heavyweight bout between Keith Jardine (14-5-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has been officially announced as an addition to August's UFC 102 card.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported in April that the two fighters had agreed to the fight, which takes place Aug. 29 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., and the UFC today made it official.

The booking was secured soon after Silva was pulled from a UFC 101 fight with Forrest Griffin and replaced by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

The UFC today emailed an updated event post that includes the Thiago Silva vs. Jardine matchup.

Thiago Silva, an American Top Team fighter, looks to rebound from his first career defeat. After reeling off four-straight wins to start his run in the UFC and 13-straight victories overall Silva was knocked out in a January bout with current No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida. He was then scheduled to face Griffin before "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner and former champ was instead booked for the non-title fight with Anderson Silva.

Jardine also looks to rebound from a recent loss. Also familiar with UFC card-shuffling, Jardine had been expected to face Luiz Cane at UFC 97 in April, but a series of events led the Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts fighter instead to a main event showdown with former light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 96 in March.

Jardine dropped a close unanimous decision to Jackson that many observers felt was decided in the final seconds of the 15-minute affair. While Jardine has gone just 2-3 in his past five fights, the always-dangerous, awkwardly styled fighter holds wins over notables such as Brandon Vera, Chuck Liddell, Griffin and Wilson Gouveia, among others.

Based on the newest UFC 102 poster, the Jardine vs. Silva matchup will likely earn co-main-event honors over a rumored matchup between middleweights Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt.

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira officially announced as UFC 102 headliner

2009-06-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

As expected a heavyweight bout between former UFC title-holders Randy Couture (16-9 MMA, 13-6 UFC) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will serve as the headliner for UFC 102 on Aug. 29, the UFC today announced.

The event takes place at the Rose Garden in Porland, Ore., and is the UFC's first-ever event in the state.

The night's main card, including the heavyweight main event, airs on pay-per-view.

"We're extremely excited to be heading to Portland," UFC President Dana White stated. "When you get two mixed-martial-arts legends who are all heart and have wanted to fight each other for years, plus the fact that Randy has roots in Oregon, that tells me that not only will the crowd be electric, but it's also a night where the fighters will be looking to cement their legacies."

The bout marks the first for both competitors since title losses. Couture lost the heavyweight belt to Brock Lesnar in November, and a month later, Nogueira was upset by Frank Mir, who staked claimed to the interim heavyweight title.

Couture had flirted with the idea of taking off most of 2009 due to injuries and film work. He was then a rumored headliner for the recent UFC 99 event in Germany, though he later said he wouldn't be available for the card.

"I've been saying it for years, that we will blow the doors off of it up there," Couture recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) in a recent interview. "I grew up in Seattle. I lived in Portland for a long, long time. It's one of those areas that I think because it's so wet most of the year we spend a lot of time indoors wrestling. A lot of the combative sports are really popular there."

The Couture vs. Nogueira winner is likely to reemerge as a top contender in the UFC's quickly filling heavyweight division. Current champs Lesnar and Mir meet on July 11 to unify the titles. White hinted that Cheick Kongo could be just a win away from a title shot, but he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Cain Velasquez this past weekend at UFC 99. While the organization is heavy on prospects, few top-level contenders remain, and the Couture vs. Nogueira fight could have an immediate impact on the title poctire.

Tickets for UFC 102 go on sale this week.

For the latest on UFC 102, including the latest rumored (and nearly full) fight card, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

It’s MMA summer blockbuster season

2009-06-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale card in Las Vegas will kick off an 11-week period that will reshape the landscape of mixed martial arts in North America.

Questions will be answered. Records will be set. Careers will reach new heights and others may very well end.

The summer season will peak with UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas will answer the question as to what exactly is the ceiling for mixed martial arts on pay-per-view. The main event between Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir itself has all the elements necessary to being the biggest drawing heavyweight match in North America. The UFC heavyweight and interim heavyweight titles will be unified in a rematch of one of the most memorable fights and talked about fights in company history.

But the show is augmented by the top two welterweights in the world, as Georges St. Pierre, defends the championship against Thiago Alves, who stylistically may be St. Pierre’s biggest challenge on the current scene.

Gina Carano is ready for the biggest women’s fight in MMA history.

ProElite.com

The combination of the UFC 100 milestone and the main events will likely not only be the biggest pay-per-view event in company history, the biggest of any kind this year, and the largest non-boxing pay-per-view event in history.

But for all the hype Lesnar vs. Mir will receive, one could make a strong case that from a pure sports ranking standpoint, the biggest heavyweight fight ever on U.S. soil will take place three weeks later at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Affliction’s third pay-per-view show.

Consensus No. 1 ranked Fedor Emelianenko puts up his reputation as the most successful fighter in the history of the sport, against Josh Barnett. Emelianenko has been considered the top heavyweight since he beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on March 16, 2003, in Yokohama, Japan to capture the PRIDE championship. In a sport where the rule of thumb is that longevity at the top is fleeting and anyone can win on a given day, Emelianenko has defied the odds. Barnett has been a top-ranked heavyweight since his UFC heavyweight title win over Randy Couture in 2002.

Regardless of which heavyweight fight is bigger, there is no argument that the Aug. 15 battle between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be the highest profile woman’s fight in the sport’s history. Carano, a ratings juggernaut, because of her looks and crowd-pleasing fighting style, has the potential to become the biggest mainstream star in the sport. But in Santos, she faces an exciting destruction machine that has mowed down all competition.

The story behind the summer’s top ten blockbusters:

UFC: Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez, Las Vegas, June 20: Sanchez (22-2), the enigmatic winner of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, then fighting as a middleweight, continues his run for a lightweight title shot against Guida (25-9). A former junior college national wrestling champion, Guida is easily the company’s most popular mid-level fighter. His constant aggression, unique charisma, great heart and chin (which he will need since Sanchez will have a significant edge in the stand-up game) endless stamina has led to Guida being in three of the greatest matches in recent years with Gilbert Melendez, Roger Huerta and Tyson Griffin. But he also lost all three.

UFC: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Las Vegas, July 11: There was probably no fight in MMA history more hotly debated beforehand than the February 2, 2008, match between the two. Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion on a comeback after a nearly career ending motorcycle wreck, beat former pro wrestling superstar Lesnar, making his UFC debut, in 90 seconds. But Lesnar dominated the entire fight until being caught in a leglock. Was it a rookie mistake of inexperience by Lesnar that the last 17 months of training has nixed, or a reality that Lesnar has an Achilles heel against submission fighters that he’ll never shake? Since that time, Lesnar (3-1) shut down his critics by beating Couture and becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Mir’s win over Lesnar catapulted himself to a match with UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, where in a huge upset, Mir (12-3) became the first fighter ever to finish the legendary Brazilian.

UFC: Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves, Las Vegas, July 11: Welterweight king St. Pierre (18-2), tied for the top spot in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, has been unstoppable for two straight years in taking down and dominating three of the best wrestlers in the sport in Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Alves (16-3), looks to be his most difficult challenge because neither Hughes nor Koscheck could take Alves down, and his stand-up game is more explosive than the champion.

UFC: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping, Las Vegas, July 11: A drama between the coach of Team U.S. and Team U.K. on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. Bisping (17-1) would likely get a middleweight title shot with a win, which would be the biggest MMA event ever in the Liverpool, England’s native country. But Henderson (24-7), the only man to hold world championships in two weight classes at the same time, is the heavy favorite. The big question is age, as Henderson will be six weeks shy of his 39th birthday at fight time and gives up a decade on Bisping.

Affliction: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett, Anaheim, Calif., August 1: At least on paper, Barnett (24-5) looks to be Emelianenko’s biggest challenge since his win over Mirko Cro Cop four years ago. Barnett is good enough at all facets of the game that he shouldn’t be the latest in the line of victims of in-ring drive-bys from the 30-1 (1 no-contest) native of Stary Oskol, Russia, who is the other half of the No. 1 pound-for-pound debate. This as the last of the old-school heavyweight match-ups of the heyday of Japanese MMA, with Fedor as the long-time champion of PRIDE, and Barnett as the heavyweight King of Pancrase, a rival organization.

UFC: Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin, Philadelphia, August 8: Silva (24-4), the UFC middleweight champion, moves up in weight to try extending his all-time UFC winning streak record to 10, against the former light heavyweight champion. Griffin (16-5) can’t match Silva for speed or skill, but he is physically bigger and likely stronger. But what Griffin is expected to do, given his incredible fighting heart, is break Silva’s streak of two terrible main events, that have made UFC officials wary of headlining a show with “The Spider” against the wrong opponent.

UFC: B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian, Philadelphia, August 8: With six straight wins, Florian (11-3) has proven that looks are deceiving. Looking more like a college biology student than a fighter, Florian combines quick Muay Thai skills with high level jiu-jitsu, and has improved greatly since his first shot at the lightweight title three years ago. Penn (13-5-1), the champion, has to both physically and mentally rebound from his high-profile shellacking at the hands of St. Pierre on Jan. 31, the most devastating loss of his career.

WEC: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Brian Bowles, Las Vegas, August 9: Torres (37-1) defends the WEC bantamweight title and brings a 17 match winning streak to the summer’s biggest lower-weight-class fight against Bowles (7-0), who has finished every opponent to date. Torres, who fights an emotional crowd-pleasing style, had two of the most exciting fights of the past 13 months in wins over Yoshiro Maeda and Takeya Mizugaki.

Strikeforce: Gina Carano vs. Cristiane Santos, San Jose, Calif., August 15: This fight is almost a marketing dream, as the reaction at live arenas to Carano at ringside while watching Santos destroy opponents has been unlike anything ever seen in U.S. MMA history. Carano (7-0) and Santos (7-1) are both known for their Muay Thai skills and have always had exciting fast-paced fights. A key aspect of the fight is that both women are used to doing three 3:00 rounds, and this will be five 5:00 rounds to crown the first Strikeforce women’s champion. Going 9:00 vs. 25:00 is a completely different mentality, particularly in setting a fast pace both are used to. The woman who adapts best will have a huge advantage.

UFC: Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Portland, Ore., August 29: Two of the sport’s legends are both coming off devastating losses. Couture (16-9), who will be 46 at fight time, is clearly on borrowed time. Then again, he’s won his last four world championships on borrowed time. Nogueira (31-5-1) is 13 years younger, but fought on Dec. 27 like he was 13 years older. Whether years of beatings have finished him, or whether fighting after being hospitalized with a staph infection made him look like a walking zombie will be determined here. With an impressive win, either man could get a shot at the Lesnar vs. Mir winner, and in the case of Couture, that has potential to be one of the biggest pay-per-views in the sports history. A devastating loss would surely be the end of the either.

How much more can Silva give?

2009-06-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

There is little doubt that Wanderlei Silva is, physically at least, nowhere near the fighter he was three or four years ago, when he was dominating the PRIDE Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

He’s long been among a handful of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts, but his popularity may be at an all-time high despite losing to Rich Franklin in a 195-pound catchweight bout Saturday at Lanxess Arena in the main event of UFC 99.

The crowd of 12,854 roared its approval when Silva walked to the cage and then cheered him vociferously throughout the back-and-forth slugfest.

Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion, used movement and more accurate punching to pull out the win in the entertaining fight. But as he spoke to in-ring interviewer Joe Rogan after the bout, the crowd booed lustily.

It is rare to ever hear Franklin booed, as he’s long been one of the UFC’s top attractions and entertaining fighters. Such was the love the crowd had for Silva, who has now lost five of his last six, that it scorned Franklin in favor of the Brazilian.

Franklin said it didn’t bother him and that he actually half-expected it, given Silva’s rock star status among MMA fans.

“Wanderlei has done more in this sport than I have,” Franklin said. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for him as a fighter, much like the fans.”

Every now and then, Silva rocked Franklin with one of the powerful rights than helped him score some of the most dramatic knockout victories in the sport’s history. Too often, though, Silva threw only one punch at a time and Franklin, using his lateral quickness and cage awareness, would dance easily out of range.

If Silva were a two-fisted puncher, he may have had a chance to change the outcome. Instead, Franklin was able to circle frequently away from danger and, except for brief moments when he was on queasy street, he was never in serious jeopardy.

Silva at one stage said he wanted a rematch with Franklin, though he later said he wasn’t sure what the future would hold for him.

“I don’t know about my future,” he said softly, picking at welts and abrasions that covered his face. “My fans are the reason I fight. I love it. The emotion inside the octagon is unbelievable. I love it and I love to share the emotion with the fans. The fans understand this and because of that, the fans respect me.”

So, too, do his opponents. Franklin agreed to meet Silva at a limit of 195 pounds on Saturday as Silva is transitioning from 205 pounds to 185.

Franklin conceded he felt the power at 195 and said he thought Silva could make a major impact at 185.

“He’s always coming forward and once his arms start moving, he’s quick, he’s explosive and he’s dangerous,” Franklin said. “I got caught up in it in the second round and he rocked me a little in there.

“I’ll tell you what: Wanderlei’s been fighting at 205 pounds and he’s a strong fighter. Moving down to 185, he’s going to be strong in that weight class. He’s dangerous. He has knockout power for the 205-pound weight class. When he gets down to 185, it’s going to be even that much worse [for Silva’s opponents].”

Whether he’ll ever make it into the cage for a 185-pound match remains a question, however. Unlike in April, where he said at the postfight news conference following UFC 97 that ex-light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell would retire, UFC president Dana White wasn’t willing to end Silva’s career on Saturday.

He said he’d have a conversation with Silva soon in Las Vegas, where both men live. Silva is one of the sport’s treasures and White needs to do right by him.

What the right answer is, though, is ticklish. No doubt, when he recovers from Saturday’s bout, Silva is going to want to fight again.

One of the reasons he’s so beloved is because he’s always ready to go to battle.

Occasionally, though, fighters like that need to be saved from themselves. He’s been knocked out hard three times in his last six fights and has lost all but one of those.

He’s a wealthy man and said he won’t have to work again once his fighting career is over. Fighters take a risk every time they step into the cage, but the risk increases after a lengthy career and a fighter ages. Silva has lost at least a half-step of quickness and is now getting hit more flush than ever.

With the quality and precision of strikers at an all-time high in the sport, that’s not a good sign for a guy who makes his living standing in front of an opponent and throwing knockout blows.

If Silva opts to fight again, which I suspect he will, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva (no relation) will have to choose his opponent very carefully. And he’ll have to pay particular attention to Silva’s reflexes.

Silva has done far too much for the sport to be trotted to the gate just because he’s a draw. The minute the UFC brass sees the signs of deterioration, they need to go to Silva and pull the plug on a wonderful career.

That night may not be here, but it’s clearly near.

Franklin-Silva promises to be explosive

2009-06-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ask any former PRIDE fighter who competed in the Land of the Rising Sun between 2000 and 2004 to name the scariest fighter in the promotion during that time.

Not the best; the scariest. The guy who sends shivers down your spine, for whatever reason.

The answer will almost just shy of unanimous, I guarantee it—Wanderlei Silva.

Things are different now. Silva no longer strikes the same level of fear in the hearts of opponents, thanks to a stretch of fights that leave many questioning whether the former PRIDE champion has anything left in the gas tank.

Silva must have asked himself those same questions after suffering a first-round knockout loss at the hands of former UFC champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. It was Silva’s fourth loss in five fights and the driving factor for a major career change. The Brazilian is headed 20 lbs south to the middleweight division, with one scheduled, potentially painful, stop along the way—a 195-lb catchweight bout with former middleweight champion Rich Franklin.

Make no mistake about it. Franklin is more than just a temporary detour in Silva’s journey to 185 lbs. He is a potential roadblock. The former middleweight champion is as well rounded as anyone Silva has faced in his career. He is going to come out and attack Silva with an array of sharp, precision strikes from a southpaw stance with the hope of becoming the third man to score a knockout victory over Silva in the UFC.

It won’t be easy.

Anyone doubting Silva’s ability need only pop in a DVD of UFC 84. Just over a year ago, the Brazilian mauler faced one of the light heavyweight division’s tougher nuts to crack, the unorthodox, heavy-handed Keith Jardine. After a brief feeling-out period, Silva attacked with the familiar ferocity of his PRIDE days. Thirty-six seconds after the opening bell it was over. Jardine was reduced to a crumbled heap in the center of the cage, yet another victim of ‘The Axe Murderer.’ It was Silva’s first victory inside the Octagon since his 1999 first-round knockout win over Tony Peterra—albeit, Silva only fought in the UFC twice between 1999 and 2008—and it couldn’t have come at a better time because it instantly made Silva relevant in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

But truth be told, Silva is a smallish light heavy who carried a bunch of unnecessary muscle in order to compete against men with far larger natural frames. The move to middleweight, therefore, makes perfect sense. At a shade under six-feet tall, he will not be a tall middleweight by any stretch of the imagination. But he will be much closer in size to 185-lb’ers than he was men 20 lbs larger. Plus, if he brings all of his strength and explosiveness down to middleweight, he will enjoy a strength and punching power advantage over just about everyone—including Franklin.

Franklin was a great middleweight champion—second only to Anderson Silva. There is no argument to the contrary. He was a huge middleweight, which helped contribute to his success, but he wasn’t overly powerful compared to his contemporaries. In fact, I firmly believe that light heavy is a much better weight class for him because he doesn’t have to deprive his muscles of desperately needed protein and calories. In my opinion, Franklin is stronger and more explosive at light heavy than he is at middleweight.

Will Silva face those same problems when he sheds a bit of muscle and cuts a dozen or more pounds for the first time in his career?

We won’t have the answer to those questions on Saturday. Silva won’t need to shed any muscle for his catchweight bout against Franklin on Saturday night. The former PRIDE champion will just need to spend a bit of time on the treadmill and possibly in the sauna on Thursday evening and Friday morning to make weight, something he doesn’t have to do at light heavy.

There is a difference, however, between making 195 lbs and 185 lbs. Those extra 10 lbs are a massive difference, particularly for a veteran fighter who isn’t accustomed to cutting a lot of weight. Yet, we will get a glimpse, possibly a preview, of what he will look like at 185 lbs when the 195-lb version steps into the cage with Franklin.

In order to win, Silva must jump on Franklin like a lion trying to take down a healthy water buffalo. He cannot hesitate. He cannot timidly fight on the outside. He needs to throw caution to the wind, step into the heart of darkness, plant his feet and go to war with those wide, looping right and left hooks. He needs to make this a slugfest so that he can put Franklin to the chin test.

If he doesn’t do that, he will get picked apart early and possibly stopped in the second or third round.

The fact remains that as great as Silva was in PRIDE, he was never (nor is he now) the best technical striker in the business. What he lacks in technique, though, he makes up for with sheer power and aggressiveness. Most fighters aren’t comfortable fighting someone who is constantly in their face, particularly when their attacker has an advantage in power and killer instinct.

Nobody matches Silva in that latter category. If he senses fear, the fight is over within minutes. Once he hurts you, the fight is over within seconds. That is true at 205 lbs, and it will prove to be true at 195 lbs, assuming he can hurt Franklin.

Honestly, I’m not sure if he can solve the Franklin riddle. The Cincinnati native is one of the best technical strikers in the game, across all divisions. He fights with tremendous poise and patience, and now that he is training with Matt Hume, his game plans are second to none, unless he is fighting that other guy named Silva.

Franklin knows that if he is going to be successful on Saturday that he must keep this a very technical fight that unfolds principally on the outside. He can also do a lot of damage to Silva from the top position. Even though Wand is a BJJ black belt, his short frame makes it easy for taller fighters to find his face from the guard, even when he has full control of their hips.

Nevertheless, I don’t see Franklin looking for a takedown at any point in the fight. Instead, he will throw hands early and often. He will pump the jab as a range finder and fire straight left hands and clean-up right hooks, as well as three- and four-piece combinations, mixing in kicks to the legs, body and head. He will continually vary his attack because he knows that he does not strike with the same concussive force that Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop and Rampage Jackson do—the three guys who stopped Silva in over the last three years. But he can pepper opponents from the outside better than any of them.

At the end of the day, this fight is easy to predict—with the appropriate hedge, of course. If it ends in the first round, I’m taking Silva all day, every day. If it goes the distance, I like Franklin every day of the week and twice on Sundays. That isn’t to say that Franklin cannot stop Silva. He may do just that, though it will likely be from an accumulation of punches later in the fight, rather than a spectacular one-strike finish in the opening stanza.

Silva, by contrast, undoubtedly has the ability to cut through Franklin in the opening round with the same savagery that he displayed against Jardine. If he is able to do that, expect his unrelated namesake to take notice from his championship perch.

The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK - Episode Eleven Recap

2009-06-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

This week on The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK, the lightweight final will be determined as Cameron Dollar, Andre Winner, Ross Pearson, and Jason Dent battle it out for two spots on the season finale card at The Palms in Las Vegas on June 20th.

Dollar is dealing with banged up ribs heading into his semifinal fight with Winner, but he’s ready to go and looking forward to banging it out with Winner. That’s just fine with the UK standout, who looks sharp in the gym in the days leading up to the bout.

That sharpness carries over to the fight, as Winner lands some hard shots on Dollar early on. With a minute gone, Dollar shoots for the takedown but is turned away, and Winner continues his attack. Eventually, Dollar gets him to the mat with 2:10 left, but it’s Winner who capitalizes, locking in a triangle choke that produces a tap out and a victory for Team UK.

With each team holding one man in the finals, lightweights Pearson and Dent look to break the tie and make it to The Palms. But it almost looks like Pearson’s run is about to end when he pulls his shoulder out during training. Apparently though, it’s a common occurrence for him and one yank on the arm from coach Michael Bisping cures it immediately.

Meanwhile, Dent promises to turn up the heat in his semifinal fight and show everyone what he can truly do in the Octagon. “I plan to let it all hang out a little more in the next fight.”

Both fighters come out fast, looking to make something happen, and after some early switches in control, Pearson starts to move ahead with some solid striking with his hands, feet, and knees. Dent fires back more consistently in the second half of the round, but it looks like Pearson did enough to take the stanza.

There’s more of the same in the second, with some exciting exchanges punctuating the standup action. With a little over two minutes left, Pearson scores the first takedown of the bout and he lands some ground strikes before Dent rises and starts firing off volleys of punches at his opponent. In the round’s final minute, the fight hits the mat again, and it’s Pearson doing most of the damage with his ground and pound attack.

Dent comes out firing for round three as he tries to turn the fight around, but Pearson lands some hard counters in return and then follows up with a takedown and a series of ground strikes as he keeps Dent pinned to the mat for the rest of the round, securing the victory.

The verdict is unanimous for Pearson, who will now face his teammate Winner in an All-UK lightweight final.

Here’s how the teams look…

TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS
Mark Miller – eliminated on episode four by Nick Osipczak
Jason Pierce – removed from the competition by UFC President Dana White
DaMarques Johnson 2-0
Frank Lester – eliminated on episode six by James Wilks; brought back after Pierce’s removal.
1-1

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Richie Whitson – eliminated on episode seven by Ross Pearson
Santino DeFranco– eliminated on episode five by Andre Winner
Cameron Dollar 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by Andre Winner
Jason Dent 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by Ross Pearson

TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS
David Faulkner – eliminated on episode nine by Frank Lester
Dean Amasinger – eliminated on episode five by Damarques Johnson
Nick Osipczak 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by DaMarques Johnson
James Wilks 1-0

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ross Pearson 2-0
Martin Stapleton – eliminated on episode six by Cameron Dollar
Jeff Lawson – eliminated on episode eight by Jason Dent
Andre Winner 2-0

UFC hopes to change minds in Germany

2009-06-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Rich Franklin has never hesitated to take his mixed martial arts career on the road, with the goal of spreading his sport while chasing another UFC title.

The former math teacher from Cincinnati with a master's degree in education has fought in Belfast, Montreal and Dublin in the past two years, all in front of eager fans in otherwise skeptical nations that didn't know exactly what to make of MMA. He'll take on Wanderlei Silva on Saturday night in UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany -- the UFC's first show in the newest territory for its sport.

Franklin sees it all as part of his job. While MMA still is viewed ambivalently by much of North America, what little is known and said about the sport in large parts of Europe is still mostly negative. Franklin is hoping a compelling card at Lanxess Arena will be the first step in changing that.

"I've always been one of those fighters that whatever the organization needs from me, I'm pretty much willing to do anything," Franklin said.

UFC president Dana White knew the obstacles he faced in taking his sport to Germany, but he embraced them in his zeal to sell his sport everywhere. Only fans over 17 will be allowed into the show, but White and British executive Marshall Zelaznik have tried to rebut concerns about the sport from German media and politicians.

"It's a process, and it takes time," White said. "We have to get in there and educate people about what we do, and everybody always asks me if I'm frustrated or aggravated. I'm used to it. It's what we do. We get in there and educate people. We've got Germany done, and we're going for France next."

White vehemently argues with those who criticize his sport's violence, yet MMA obviously reaps some benefit from those bloodthirsty perceptions: Silva's nickname is "The Axe Murderer," after all. The Cologne show should be a sellout, and the controversy surrounding its move into Germany should tantalize the young men who comprise the bulk of the sport's fan base.

They'll get to see another effort from the seemingly tireless Franklin (26-4), who's one of the sport's most durable competitors, even on the back side of his career. The former middleweight champion also has a lengthy list of injuries and scars from his reign, most recently developing scar tissue on his eye from a nasty injury in his split-decision loss to Dan Henderson in January.

He has never fought Silva (32-9-1), who has been among MMA's most exciting fighters for most of the past decade. Silva has lost four of his last five bouts, most recently getting knocked out by Rampage Jackson in December, but he's well known for putting on memorable shows no matter the outcome.

"I wanted to fight with all fighters in all divisions," Silva said of his previous move up from middleweight, where he fought most of his career in the Pride promotion in Japan. "In my life, I wanted to fight with the best guys in the world at the time. I fight with tough guys my whole life, and here in the UFC, I have the opportunity to fight with the other tough guys. I want to try them all."

If Silva wins this 195-pound catch weight bout, he's likely to take on Anderson Silva (no relation), who already has beaten Franklin twice. Wanderlei Silva and Anderson Silva are both Brazilian stars, but they dislike each other intensely.

UFC 99 also features the return of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, the internationally beloved kickboxing star who struggled in his first three UFC fights in 2007; and a potentially entertaining welterweight bout between Dan Hardy and Marcus Davis, whose nonstop trash talk in recent weeks has drawn attention away from the respectful main-event fighters.

MMA: Cro Cop ready for another run at UFC glory

2009-06-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Mirko Filipovic joined the UFC two years ago amid more hype and expectation than perhaps any fighter in mixed martial arts history -- and Cro Cop flopped.

After three desultory fights forced Filipovic into a yearlong retreat for mental adjustments and knee surgery, he returns to the octagon at UFC 99 on Saturday night in Cologne, Germany, against Mostapha Al Turk. The former anti-terrorist policeman in his native Croatia should have plenty of countrymen cheering the start of his second run toward the UFC heavyweight title.

And the 34-year-old Cro Cop insists he's better prepared to put on the show many expected when he first joined the UFC. After tinkering with his training and clearing his mind, he's ready to show off
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a new approach still built on the superb kickboxing and standup fighting that made him a star in Japan and an international attention-grabber.

"I've spent much time thinking about it," Filipovic said. "Maybe I was empty after [Japan]. Maybe I wasn't adapted for the cage. Maybe I wasn't hungry enough, I don't know. I don't mean blood for real, but I just couldn't smell the blood as I could in my previous fights. I just wasn't the old one."

Filipovic was an incredible striker in his prime in Japan, best known for high kicks resulting in knockouts that amplified his Internet fame. His celebrity back home allowed him to win a seat in the Croatian parliament from 2003-07, and he also starred in a movie before taking on the UFC.
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Those innumerable distractions clouded his mind, Filipovic believes. He went 1-2 with the UFC in 2007, struggling through fights that showcased almost none of his previous flair. Fans were left wondering what happened to the dynamic, fearsome Cro Cop they had seen on television.

"I think I was just empty in the head," Filipovic said. "It was a head problem, not body. I'm not looking for an alibi, but it was just a problem with my head."

There were also technical aspects to his struggles, some centered on the differences in moving from a kickboxing ring to an octagon.

"I spent my whole career fighting in the ring, and I must say I underestimated the cage," Filipovic said. "It's much easier to go from the cage to the ring than the ring to the cage. Many experienced fighters from the UFC like to use the cage, like to use the wire. It's not so easy when somebody puts you on the wire. You can't move. If you're on the wire, you have to know how to get away."

UFC president Dana White was among those who were infatuated with Filipovic at his best. When Filipovic got the itch to return, White slipped him onto the UFC 99 card with just a few weeks' notice, doing the deal entirely on faith.

Although it's just a one-fight arrangement, Filipovic says it's "definitely not my last fight with UFC."

"I always said I respect Mirko, and whenever he wanted to come back, it was a phone call away," White said. "In the history of the company, I've never done a deal over the phone with anybody, ever. I respect Mirko."

Filipovic fought three times in front of his loyal fans in Japan last year, regaining his confidence but also injuring his knee, requiring apparently minor surgery in January.

With a new hunger for UFC success, Filipovic is determined not to repeat his errors. He built an octagon in his home training gym in Croatia, and he has lived an ascetic lifestyle in recent months -- no acting, no lawmaking and not much else, either.

"Nothing but training, and every morning I have to take my dogs out in the forest," Filipovic said. "That's all I'm doing. I'm not even going out of the house. That makes me happy, and I just want to stay that way."