Exit Stage Left…. 

There were plenty of discussions regarding the “loser leaves” type of matches that seemed to be in play for much of the UFC 109 “Relentless” card that took place on Feb. 6th. As usual that chatter seemed to play out, with a number of the losing fighters being released by the organization this week.

The list is not entirely surprising, although in some cases, the approach f the organization is disappointing. 

So on with it … here are the guys that have been advised their services are no longer required:

Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague- The Canadian Heavyweight was released following his UFC 109 (majority) decision loss to Chris Tuchscherer.  The loss left Hague with a 1-2 record in the organization which apparently just isn’t good enough these days.

Phillipe Nover- This guy was pretty hyped coming out of his run on The Ultimate Fighter and just couldn’t make things happen in the big show.  Some of it seemed like bad luck for a guy who went to the finals in the reality show.  A tough first UFC fight against Kyle Bradley that was controversial by way of “premature stoppage” and then being forced out of a scheduled match due to a seizure due to a known medical condition apparently didn’t do much to build a great relationship with the organization.

The past weekend’s loss to Rob Emerson (2-2-0 ,  with 1 NC) was negative icing on the cake and he was dropped like a hot potato.

Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg- The veteran Trigg made a return to the UFC in an effort to make an impact in the already stacked Welterweight division.  Unfortunately for Trigg, he hit a brick wall (repeatedly) with TKO losses to Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra which combined, represented 3:48 of total fight time.  Frank was a relevant fighter in the organization a while back and had some great matches against Matt Hughes that still live in their highlight reel… but that seems to be it for now.  This one is not even close to a surprise.

Mark Coleman  - Let’s keep it real here… Coleman looked absolutely horrible at last weeks event.  Especially for a main event.  It actually looked like Couture carried the fight into round 2 just to make a fight out it so to speak.  I agree that he shouldn’t be fighting the elite competition anymore but how do you go from a main event to cut?  How do you cut a hall of famer?  Sit the guy down and explain that he is going to retire from the organization… but don’t release him.

So, the release of fighters seems to have cooled down for now, but there may be a few more to go…

Note: Justin Buchholz has an 1-4 record in the UFC following his loss to Mac Danzig at the same event and Rolles Gracie put on one of the most memorably poor debut UFC performances to actually make the PPV broadcast in recent history.

 (Photo: Sherdog.com)

UFC 109 is in the books and considering the card had no title matches, there were still some very entertaining match-ups.  This was not an easy event to be picking winners with any degree of confidence and the results were certainly varied, with a couple of “upsets”.

 Main Event recap: Mark Coleman (205) VS RandySonnen Couture (205)

The main event between Randy “The Natural” Couture and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman ended up being a little one sided. Sure, both men are Hall of Famers and legends in the sport but Randy has simply been more active and relevant as the sport has developed. 

Couture dominated Coleman within his striking and dirty boxing during round one and although he did get caught once by Coleman while moving inside, he really picked Coleman apart and it just looked like a matter of time as round 1 came to an end.  Round 2 began and Couture gets a takedown, working some ground and pound before taking Coleman’s back and choking him out for the rare submission victory.

Co-Main Event:Chael Sonnen (185) VS Nate Marquardt (186)

The fight started with Chael Sonnen coming right at Marquardt and after a few moments of striking it was takedown time for Sonnen followed up with some solid ground and pound.  This recipe was repeated for most of the fight.  Marquardt was able to threaten a few times with some guillotine attempts (one very close in round 2) and cut Sonnen with a Florian like elbow from his back that had blood everywhere.   just wouldn’t give at all though, and put in a grinding and sold performance.  Marquardt reversed Sonnen in the last 30 seconds of the fight and was pounding on him pretty good but the end result was a unanimous 30-27 decision victory for Sonnen. 

Sonnen will get the winner of Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort while Marquardt is back to work on his gameplan to stay at the top of the division.

Paulo Thiago (170) VS Mike Swick (171):

Mike Swick came to this fight as a replacement for team mate Josh Koscheck who was scheduled to re-match after an upset via KO at the hands of Thiago in his (Thiago’s) UFC debut.  Swick was definitely looking to punish Thiago and exact revenge on behalf of his friend.  Both fighters were respecting the power of the other and Swick had a reach advantage that would allow to to work a bit from the outside. While this was Swick’s tactic in the early stages of the fight, Thiago caught him with a few good, low leg kicks that put him off balance and allowed him to move in to striking distance.  A very even round 1 with Swick edging out Thiago.

The second round shows Swick loosening up a bit with his strikes.  The fighters exchange and Swick rocks Thiago a bit, moving in for the finish. Unfortunately he is a bit sloppy on the way in an Thiago catches him, dropping him on the canvass. Swick tries to pull guard but Thiago is able to work his position into a darce choke and Swick takes a nap in front of the crowd early in round 2.

I can’t help but thinking Swick looked physically better as a middleweight. He only dropped about 10 lbs to make 170, but he just looks so drawn out and seems to lack the real speed and power advantage that he displayed against the competition at 185lbs.  

Dan Miller (185) VS Demian Maia (186):

This fight was interesting to watch in terms of the closeness in skills and the development of each fighter’s game during their time in the UFC, but was somewhat less than a barn burner for the fans.  Miller was able to keep Maia from controlling him when on the ground, basically nullifying what was perceived to be a huge submission advantage to Maia heading into the fight.  The other surprise though was that Maia seems to have taken the brutal KO loss to Marquardt to heart and has cleaned up his striking quite a bit.

Maia outpointed Miller on the feet in a 3 round match, resulting in a unanimous decision victory that had the fans booing a bit, but really wasn’t too bad of a fight when you consider the overall situation.

Frank Trigg (171) VS Matt Serra (169):

Frank Trigg was pretty much outgunned in this fight and as with his last outing against Koscheck, never really got going as far as threatening his opponent. Serra was comfortable standing with Trigg and was able to catch him with a big overhand right to the chin that dropped Trigg mid-way through round 1.  Looks like a ticket out o the organization for Frank Trigg.

Justin Buchholz (156) VS Mac Danzig (156):

Dubbed as a loser leaves fight by Joe Rogan, this was a pretty entertaining bout with both fighter clearly fighting with a sense of urgency and desperation.  While Buchholz is a solid fighter with a ton of grit and heart, Danzig is simply the superior fighter. Danzig secured a unanimous decision victory and may have handed Buchholz his walking papers in the process.

Ronys Torres (156) VS Melvin Guillard (155):

In a battle of big 155r’s, Melvin Guillard was bringing his standard toolkit of striking power, speed and explosiveness against a solid chin and great ground game for Torres.  this was a good match with Guillard really showing some improved maturity as a fighter.  he was able to get off first most of the time while standing and stayed composed and effective when taken down to return to his feet and his strength.  This was not a blow out by any means but Guillard looked good in this one and seems to be on his way to addressing the mental holes in his fight game now that he is training with Greg Jackson.

Bonuses were as follows, with each fighter receiving a $60,000 tip from the UFC for their efforts: 

Read the rest of this entry »

(Image UFC.com)

The weigh ins for UFC 109 were held in Las Vegas this afternoon,  at the Mandalay Bay Event centre, which will host the event tomorrow.  The weigh in have become a minor event over the years and typically a few thousand fans are in attendance to get a glimpse of the fighters in a more intimate setting.  The UFC is one of few sports where the athletes really make an effort to interact with their fans and the weigh-ins are a great opportunity to grab a few autographs(usually after the event) and get a feel for the animosity between fighters a day before they meet in the Octagon.

There were no significant outbursts at the event and all 22 fighters made weight without issue.

 Notes:

• First UFC fight between 2 UFC Hall of Famers - Mark “The Hammer” Coleman vs Randy “The Natural” Couture. 
• Great nickname for UFC heavyweight rookie  Joey “The Mexicutioner”Beltran 
• Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchscherer is a big boy match with both men weighing 263lbs (just under the UFC cap of 265)
• Rob Emerson has gone from fairly clean cut looking a few years ago to heavily tattooed (back of his head? wow!) ust have missed this - check the comparison pick from 2 years ago - same weekend.

Official Weigh In Results from the UFC: 

Main Event
Mark Coleman (205) VS Randy Couture (205)

PPV
Chael Sonnen (185) VS Nate Marquardt (186)
Paulo Thiago (170) VS Mike Swick (171)
Dan Miller (185) VS Demian Maia (186)
Frank Trigg (171) VS Matt Serra (169)

Prelims on Spike
Justin Buchholz (156) VS Mac Danzig (156)
Ronys Torres (156) VS Melvin Guillard (155)

Undercard (may not be broadcast)
Rob Emerson (155) VS Phillipe Nover (155)
Phil Davis (205) VS Brian Stann (205)
Chris Tuchscherer (263) VS Tim Hague (263)
Rolles Gracie (247) VS Joey Beltran (238)

Click below link to view the full Weigh-in Video:     (Check out the picture gallery for the event here)

(Image: UFC.com)

A reminder that Spike TV will be airing the standard countdown show leading up to UFC 109 ‘Relentless’.  The show will focus on the main event fighters and UFC Hall of Fame inductees, Mark ” The Hammer” Coleman and Randy “The Natural” Couture, tracking their training and overall preparation heading into their match on February 6th  in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 The show will air @ 11pm ET/PT, following a third installment of the new series, Best of Pride which presents highlight footage from some of the best fights that entertained fans of the former PRIDE Fighting Championship organization.

The Countdown to UFC 109 show wil re-air on Feb 3rd @ 11pm ET/PT

Full Fightcard for UFC 109 is listed below:

Main Card
Light Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs.  Mark Coleman.
Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs.  Chael Sonnen
Welterweight bout:  Mike Swick vs.  Paulo Thiago
Middleweight bout:  Demian Maia vs.  Dan Miller
Welterweight bout:  Matt Serra vs.  Frank Trigg

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)
Lightweight bout:  Mac Danzig vs.  Justin Buchholz
Lightweight bout:  Melvin Guillard vs.  Ronnys Torres

Preliminary Card
Lightweight bout:  Phillipe Nover vs.  Rob Emerson
Light Heavyweight bout:  Brian Stann vs.  Phil Davis
Heavyweight bout:  Tim Hague vs.  Chris Tuchscherer
Heavyweight bout:  Mostapha Al-turk vs.  Rolles Gracie

 (Photo:UFC.com)

The UFC issued a press release this afternoon, confirming widespread rumors that Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture will be returning to the Octagon this year.  It appears that Zuffa and Randy Couture have come to a mutual agreement that will see the Heavyweight Champion back in action at UFC 91, on November 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  That first match back will be a Heavyweight title defense against the new kid in town, Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar, fresh of his win over Heath Herring will get a bit of a bogus shot at the title given a 1-1 record in the UFC. The reality is that this is probably the biggest drawing match that the UFC could set up in the Heavyweight division, without getting Fedor Emelianenko in the Octagon.  Lesnar has been a big draw for the organization since transitioning from his pro wrestling gig with the WWE and has no doubt brought legions of wrestling fans with him.  It’s a no lose opportunity for Lesnar, who will come out looking great if he can hang with the Couture and will be a bonafide star if he can manage to get the win.  Boosting that chance at victory will be a significant size/weight advantage for Lesnar as well as the fact that Couture has been out of action for a year.

The winner of that title fight will have to face off against the winner of the pending match between current interim title holder, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria and former champion, Frank Mir.  It boils down to lots of action in the UFC’s Heavyweight division, which is a great news considering the core of Heavyweight fighters that have so far legitimized Affliction’s fight promotion.  Personally, I have never enjoyed the Heavyweight fights as much as the other weight classes, but I am as much a sucker for the phenomenon that is Randy Couture as the next guy. With Brock Lesnar and his recent post fight antics setting the stage to make him a perfect arch nemesis for the champion, I will be anxiously awaiting the return of “Captain America” on November 15th…

Fedor and his management team recently spoke of the difficulty in dealing with UFC and specifically Dana White when they attempted to negotiate fight deals as recently as November of 2007.   Dana White made public statements in the past regarding his frustration in trying to come to terms with Emelianenko and company, implying that they were just difficult to deal with.

In a rebuttal noted on MMA.tv, Fedor’s Manager, Vadim Finkelstein made it pretty clear that Dana White seemed to be the one with the issues as far as negotiating goes.

“Of course, he can’t deal with us because he can’t deal with anybody, he wants to have everything in his own control, but we can’t deal with people that want to control everything.”

Apparently the comments were made while Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture (and their respective entourage’s) were meeting to discuss options for a potential fight between the Heavyweight MMA stars.  The biggest stumbling blck to that fight taking place is obviously the legal conflict between Couture and Zuffa (The UFC). 

Despite the hard feelings, business is business and team Fedor was quick to mention that,

“If round two of negotiations with Zuffa were to take place shortly, Finkelstein said he might be open to a two-fight deal, with Couture the first opponent on the ledger. However, Finkelstein seemed less than assured that the UFC would budge from the original offer they made nearly eleven months ago. ”

“This is unfortunately the only company right now that is attempting to monopolize and essentially do everything themselves,” said Finkelstein. “That’s not what we’re about.”

From a personal perspective, I would expect this fight to happen, but not with Zuffa.  Affliction has dumped a lot of eggs into the Heavyweight basket and have secured some top fighters in the process.  By securing former UFC Champions in Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, they have set up an opportunity to legitimize Fedor while discrediting the UFC’s Heavyweight Division.

Fedor suffered a hand injury during his recent first round destruction of Sylvia. If this wasn’t the case he would likely be meeting Arlovski next.  After beating both of those former UFC champions, Affliction would have a great case to force a bout between their man Fedor and whatever UFC Heavyweight is holding the title at the time.  If the UFC doesn’t agree to the fight, then it brings to question the validity of their Heavyweight “world” title and diminishes their ability to headline PPV events featuring Heavyweight matches.

It’s hard to tell how it will all shake out, but the stage is certainly set in favour of fighters being able to significantly increase their compensation and secure long term contracts.  As the sport grows, it is the nature of the beast, and the Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz issues are symptomatic of the transformation of MMA from back alley sideshow to mainstream professional sport. 

Thank god there are plenty of great fights to distract from legal issues and mind numbing contractual debates that are ramping up these days.  

 (Photo:Sherdog.com)

The waiting game seems to continue for Andrei Arlovski and the UFC.  The former Heavyweight Champion who is in free agent status has taken a little break following his recent defeat of Jake O’Brien , who was since released by the UFC.
Arlovski who is sitting on a 3 fight win streak should be marketed as one of the premier Heavyweights in the UFC, but instead his position is a clear reminder of the business side of the sport.  In a division that is arguably the weakest in the organization, the UFC could have been hyping up Arlovski following the departure of Couture, but they didn’t .
Rumours are that the two sides can’t come to an agreement on money and Arlovski is likely looking to increase his per fight take.  The UFC left Arlovski for almost a year before scheduling the fight against O’Brien which was the final fight on Arlovski’s contract.  The widely reported preference for the organization is to have fighters locked into a contract or ready for release prior to that last fight.  It gives additional leverage to the organization so that they don’t get caught bargaining with a recent winner or get played between organizations in a highest bidder scenario.
In this case, Arlovski seems to be able to weather the storm and he will either be returning to the UFC with a handsome contract or he will soon be moving on to other opportunities.  The one opportunity that is repeatedly mentioned is the upcoming Affliction event scheduled for July 19th.  Adrenaline MMA fighter and confirmed Affliction event participant, Ben Rothwell is currently reported to be facing the elusive TBA… although the rumor mill says that TBA = Andrei Arlovski.

It would be a smart move for Affliction, to round out their Heavyweight focused event  by picking disgruntled talent from the UFC.  With the massive growth of MMA in recent years, the market is primed for competition and if Andrei Arlovski is dead set on a big payday… he will get it . At least in the short term.  The Rothwell fight is a legitimate one with both fighters representing the upper echelon of Heavyweight MMA competitors today.  Arlovski is playing his cards relatively close to his chest, so the exact issues in the contract negotiation are not well known yet.   If they do come to terms, it will be a case of I’m  happy with the deal and looking to the UFC only, etc.
If the deal isn’t done, Affliction will likely be throwing around numbers that are too good for Arlovski to resist.  If he isn’t under contract with the UFC and they aren’t scrambling to retain his services, is there really a reason for the Pit-Bull to show loyalty to the UFC?  You can almost hear the clock ticking…

 (Photo:UFC.com)

It seemed odd at UFC 83, as GSP came out to a championship fight in front of the largest UFC crowd in history at the first UFC event in Canada, in his hometown no less… that he had no sponsorship on his fight shorts.  It didn’t take long for people to catch on that something was amiss and it appears that the issue was tied to ongoing issues between Affliction, the once welcome fight themed clothing manufacturer and  the UFC. 

Details from the issue were hinted at during the post fight press conference that were posted on a few sites.  When asked about the lack of sponsorship on his shorts  GSP replied,

“…my sponsor paid me to wear shorts without a sponsor… it’s affliction and they are banned now” and Dana laughs and says “He got his plug in!…”

The UFC and in particular Dana White has had issues with Affliction that began with it’s deep rooted association with Randy Couture who is in an ongoing legal dispute with the organization, and hit a peak with a promotional campaign by Affliction, featuring Fedor Emilianenko and Randy Couture that came off as fight promotion to the UFC brass.

  (Photo - M1 main site)

It turns out that the UFC intuition was correct as Affliction is moving into the fight promotion world and is rumoured to be involved with HDNet Fights in a July event featuring a match between Fedor and recent UFC emigrant Tim Sylvia who left the organization to join Adrenaline MMA. There will certainly be more news on the UFC vs Affliction resistance in the future and actions taken will set a precedent for future fighter sponsors that look to promote their brand through the UFC’s elite.  

For a solid rundown on the UFC vs. Affliction history, check out a recent and informative post at MMAPayout.

(Photo:IcemanMMA.com)

Chuck Liddell was recently interviewed by SunSport (The SUN - U.K.) and made some interesting statements regarding what he sees as options for his future in the fight game.  At 38 years old, “The Iceman”  shows that he is far from settled in his working life and ready to take on anyone as he enters the latter stages of his career.  In particular, Liddell makes reference to a potential move up to the Heavyweight division.  He feels that given the lighter weight of some of the more talented Heavyweights, he could make a serious impact in the division.

“The top guys up there aren’t all that big heavyweights. “, says Liddell. “Randy was but I knocked him out twice.”

Liddell takes it to the next level, saying that he thinks he “matches up well ” with Fedor Emelianenko, who has been widely regarded as the best Heavyweight and possibly the best MMA fighter in the world. Liddell justifies the remarks, stating;

“He’s a ground and pound guy that doesn’t have a great shot. He doesn’t have a great game plan.  I think I could take him. I think I match up well with him. As far as I know he’s never knocked anyone out from his feet and I think he’d have a hard time taking me down.”

The remarks are a good indication that Liddell feels he has found his stride again, after dropping consecutive fights to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and then the less highly regarded (but equally dangerous) Keith Jardine.  Many were ready to write off the late 30’s fighter until the UFC landed Wanderlei Silva and set up a match between the two that had been attempted for years without success as the two fighters were in rival organizations.  That match showed that Liddell could still hang with the highest level fighters in the world, and after taking a convincing decision victory over the potentially lethal Silva, Liddell was granted near instant redemption by many.

Keeping with the confident approach. Liddell stated that he would consider a rematch with Silva in the near future as a Championship bout;

“If he wants to fight me after I get the title this year then I’d like to fight him the way it was supposed to go down first time round - with us fighting for the title.”

It’s hard to argue with the kind of KO power that Chuck brings to any fight.  He will no doubt be a dangerous opponent for as long as he chooses to fight and the options that he presents are hardly far fetched, even if they are a more than a bit forward thinking.  Chuck will need to get a win over Rashad Evans (replacement for Mauricio Rua)  at UFC 85 in June and then a shot at the belt after Rampage and Forrest Griffin face off in July.  These are lofty goals indeed, but that is where the goals of a former Champion should be.

Good Luck Chuck…. 

?Photos UFC.com

UFC.com announced today that the TUF 6 Finale show on December 8th will feature a match between UFC lightweight poster boy Roger Huerta and the fan favorite “grinder” Clay Guida.??

This is the kind of fight that really excites me and the fact that it will be a free match is absolute icing on the cake.?

Huerta is one of those charming type of fighters, with the marketable looks and public speaking skills that are money in the bank for the UFC.? He has been busy, with 5 trips to the Octagon since September 2006.? His fights, while maybe not a?breeding ground for highlight footage,?have been impressive and cemented Huerta as a real contender in the Lightweight division.? Huerta has finished 3 of his UFC fights?by TKO and the other 2 matches have been unanimous decisions victories.

Guida is equally charming?in the everyday kind of guy way… with cardio?and pace that is off the charts and aggression to match the shaggy locked look of his blue collar nickname?…”The Carpenter”?.?? This guy, quite simply is a machine.? And if you think he is impressive on your TV, you really need to see it in person…. he’s like one of those bands that you just need to see live to get a full appreciation for his ravenous devotion to the task at hand.?? At 4-2 in the UFC since November of 2006, Guida has been somewhat the victim of decisions, although you get a clear impression that he never expects his fights to go that far.?? Right or wrong, I get the feeling that it is really about the fight for Guida, more so than the fame and the cash, although it is always about the cash isn’t it….

?The bottom line is that these are two of the most dynamic and marketable lightweight fighters in the UFC today.? I find myself saying it alot lately, but thank you UFC for not sheltering these fighters and thanks to the fighters for stepping up and taking fights like this,,, ones that the fans really want to see.? I believe it adds legitimacy to the UFC and MMA as a sport.? There are plenty of fighters to fill cards these days and making an effort to identify what fighters are truly the best in the division is a win win scenario for the UFC.?? You have 2 fighters that will give a great show, and an opportunity to offer it up for free to the larger public… this is why the UFC is growing leaps and bounds above the competition.

?I have a definite winner in mind for this fight, but that can wait until fight time… for now I am just psyched that this one is going to happen… now please don’t let Santa bring a staph infection to either of these two fighters.