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In a recent post by Sam Caplan at Fiveouncesofpain.com, it appears that the UFC has announced it’s decision to suspend Renato “Babalu” Sobral’s current contract.? The news is fallout from Babalu’s most recent fight on Aug. 25th (UFC 74) where he admitted to intentionally holding a choke on his opponent David Heath after he knew the fighter had tapped.

Criticism regarding Sobral’s actions was widespread in the media and among fighters, so it is no surprise that the UFC would take some action in addition to the cash penalty imposed by the NSAC while the fight was under review.? This is not the first time that a fighter has held a choke longer than what seemed appropriate, or that a fighter was struck several times after clearly losing consciousness… but it is the first time that a fighter has made the mistake of admitting intention in the aftermath.

?The post continues to state that the UFC was not washing their hands of Sobral forever, which is probably a good move, as he is, in my opinion, a talented fighter who simply made a (really) bad decision.? Hopefully this public ostracising will lead to a period of intense introspection and new found focus for Babalu…. or at the very least, let’s hope he learns how to tell a lie.

(Photo courtesy of boxing-pics.com)

Jeff “The Snowman” Monson, who was recently interviewed on the Sherdog Radio Network,(link to article) ?took the road less travelled(again), suggesting there should be no restrictions on steroids; or anything for that matter in MMA.

The reigning King of Anarchy in the MMA world, Monson elaborated on his thought process,??If it were up to me everything would be legal. ?I don’t think they should make anything illegal because you have fighters coming up or body builders or college players, whatever, using $400-500 a month worth of supplements a that you get at GNC, then you got another guy coming up that can’t afford that stuff, so you got an unlevel playing field with that.?

?There is likely a some justification mixed into that thought process by?Jeff Monson as he candidly in admitted to?his use of illegal substances in the past, while maintaining he has been “clean” for years.?Monson explained,?“It’s hard to get to get to this level without having used something. When people ask me on the street or in the gym and they’re polite about it, I’ll tell ‘em, and I’ve used things before. And it’s been quite a while. Like I said, I’ve been tested for the last couple years in the UFC and I’ve been clean and will continue to be so. You just can’t do it anymore. You just can’t risk your career by taking something like that. “?

It’s a bit of a stretch in terms of the comparison between health supplements and steroids, although I see where Monson is going.?? The problem is that the general population is not ready for that thought process and the reality of the situation is that we will never see that scenario play out.?? MMA has begun to suffer the same scrutiny of other professional sports; it’s the downside of going mainstream. The athletes in this sport will either have to get smarter to beat the system, or work harder to get what they want.

?UFC ringleader Dana White has publicly stated his intention to withhold event specific bonuses (fight of the night , etc) pending?the recipients’ clearing of urine analysis. ? This is certainly a step in the right direction, hitting the fighter where it hurts, which is always in the pocketbook.? It shows at least some level of seriousness on the part of the UFC to crack down on steroid and other illegal substance use, beyond the already significant penalties imposed by the NSAC.

?If you can put value on input from guys like Jeff Monson, and I bet you can… it would seem that the use of illegal substances in MMA is likely beyond the worst case scenarios that have played out in most peoples’ heads.?? Perhaps the UFC can take the opportunity to become a trailblazer in the world of professional sports,? imposing restrictions that outweigh the potential benefits of cheating the system.? With the growing popularity and associated growth in potential paychecks for UFC and MMA fighters in general, that is certainly going to be an uphill battle.

Made it back from Vegas late last night.? It was a lot of driving and flying to pull off the trip with little or no planning, but worth every minute of travel time.

This was my 5th live UFC event, and in terms of the card and the way the fights actually played out…. it was absolutely the best.?? Not one fight was uneventful, boring ?or left me thinking that anything less than 100% went into it from either combatant.

The most memorable or impressive fights were:

Guida Vs. Aurelio -Clay Guida is a consistent performer and this is money in the bank for the UFC.? The guy is always putting in 200 % effort and it shows.? He obviously loves what he is doing, even though decisions have not always gone his way.? This time though, Guida left little doubt, outworking Aurelio en route to a majority decision that should have been unanimous.? “The Carpenter”? has become a fan favorite after only a few outings and I will be looking forward to any card with him fighting in the future.

Sobral Vs. Heath -This was a crazy fight.? Sobral opens up a gash on the hairline early in the fight(2nd round) and keeps the blood flowing for what seems like an eternity with effective ground and pound and striking from Heath’s guard.??Sobral seems to bore of the striking? and switched to submission mode, locking in an anaconda choke which has Heath tapping like Shirley Temple.? Unfortunately for Heath, and the UFC, Sobral has other plans.? He continues choking until Heath is unconscious to “teach him some respect” after Heath apparently cursed at Sobral during the weigh-ins.?? I can’t say that a part of me doesn’t appreciate the gesture… but definitely a stupid move and not one that the UFC is likely to put up with.?? With a recent arrest and then this smooth move, I would? think that”Babalu’s” future with the organization is in jeopardy.? Who can afford this kind of behaviour in their organization???It’s bad enough to do it, but even worse to openly admit it in front of 15,000 people, including the press.??Does Babalu, mean sociopath in Portuguese?

GSP Vs. Koscheck -Most impressive for me was how GSP confirmed suspicions that he would be able to out-wrestle KOS but it was also pretty impressive how Koscheck was able to fight off GSP to go to a decision. A well executed game plan by St. Pierre to prove once again that he is the real deal.? If Koscheck wasn’t so cocky, I could appreciate him a lot more as a fighter.? Hopefully the loss is at least a bit humbling for Koscheck.

Couture Vs. Gonzaga -Are you kidding me? The Randy Couture story continues to evolve into an epic that coudn’t be penned with the same suspense and excitement that has played out in the last few years for “The Natural” in the Octagon.? Gonzaga was the bigger, younger man who proved himself with the highlight reel destruction of the much feared Mirko Cro-Cop? to earn his title shot.?? Time for a changing of the guard right?? Not yet my friend, there is still a 44 year old immovable object in the way.?

?He takes big punches and?3 potentially night ending kicks from Gonzaga, with what has become his trademark loose ‘bob-and-weave’ stand up style.? On top of that, he effortlessly picks up and slams the bigger man, breaking Gonzaga’s nose with an unintentional headbutt in the process.? Thank God this isn’t the type of Hollywood BS that would have Randy battle through to earn the win,with what would later be diagnosed as a fractured arm from a blocked Gonzaga kick…?are you kidding me I said??? I told you… you can’t write stories of achievement that are better than this.

If the UFC keeps putting together cards like this…?Boxing won’t be the only sport feeling the heat.? I mean what more can you ask for in a single night of fights…. Knockouts, submissions, good decisions, confusing?judging,?controversial?officiating, upsets,?heroic?victories of the David and Goliath style and lets not forget the visiting sociopath that is Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral.??

This lucky Canadian Blogger is on his way to UFC 74 ‘Respect’ this Saturday, August 25th?at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas.? This is a last minute situation which makes it that much better from a fight perspective…. I was hyped about this card after what has seemed like an eternity?since any UFC action and now that I will be there in person, ?I am practically frothing at the mouth (like any decently rabid fan) waiting for these fights.

Granted, I have been to a few live events in the past 2 or 3 years… and can mention a few great moments at each

The USA vs Canada concept was a bit odd… but great for us Canucks when we snuck in a victory.? All the undercard fights were great. Sam Stout winning was a big?moment, as was Mark Hominicks win over Yves Edwards.?GSP over Penn was controversial, but a good?fight. ?For absolute peak of emotion, it had to be when?The Crow caught Franklin with a punch that sent him to the mat, and the impossible seemed possible for about 5 seconds.??

All in all , just a great event.

The UFC debut of Cro-Cop and Rampage… awesome. The undercard match of the night was Edgar vs. Griffin, what a fight!!!? I still think Lutter had Silva beat at the end of the first round, (conspiracy theory) but that the UFC punished him for his pudginess.

Are you kidding me…?Randy Couture with the first punch put Sylvia on his ass….. and the fans stood for the whole 5 rounds.? Kampmann over McFedries was good too… I thought Kampmann actually had the first UFC death by choking too long. The return of Rich Franklin was great….?Hughes Lytle was a disappointment.? My favorite?(aside from Randy winning the title) was Lambert with a nice striking victory over Babalu.?

Din Thomas put on a good show.? Liddell vs Rampage was a bit too quick for my liking. Burkman vs Parysian was a solid fight, and Karo is surprisingly quick and effective. ?Best showing had to be Houston Alexander laying a vicious beating on the Dean of Mean(and my buddy winning about?$300 on that fight) ?

and of course now …

I already made my picks a while back … see UFCFAN?Picks??- now giving Ryan Jensen the nod over Thales Leites (replacing Travis Lutter)

I am really looking forward to the GSP vs Koscheck match, while I will be crossing my fingers the most for Kendall Grove to get the win and keep on moving up the ladder. (bad luck wishing for the Canadian Cot? to fail, but oh well eh? …)

As usual, I will likely be at the weigh?-ins (great casual event) and maybe snap some photos to share…. will also bet my picks?at a sportsbook?and see how good I am at picking these fights too….?

?Many thanks to Mrs. UFCFAN and Visa for making events such as this possible.

?One thing I have had a difficult time coming to terms with as a UFC fan is the fact that the Heavyweight division maintains a huge weight spread.? In reality, the issue is not really a UFC issue, but?an MMA issue, and more accurately a Nevada State Athletic Commission requirement to adhere to the weight classes as defined.

I am certain that the Heavyweight fighters are considered big enough to handle the weight difference, although as we have seen and heard from fighters, weight is a huge factor in the fight game. You only need to look at the practice of weight cutting (especially in the lower weight classes) to see the massive advantage that this can provide, taking advantage of the more than 24 hrs usually provided between weigh-ins and the actual fights.

The NSAC weight classes for MMA are as follows: (Classes used by the UFC are in Bold)

There is a reason that the LHW division is so crowded in the UFC… as most fighters would love to avoid fighting modern day giants in the form of a Tim Sylvia or Brad Imes.? ?Of the 45 or so Heavyweight fighters listed on the UFC fighter page, and only about half are active in the UFC these days, the lightest fighters are listed at 220 pounds.? It is worth noting that Randy Couture, the current Heavyweight Champion, is one of those fighters.? The LHW listing shows a surprisingly similar number of fighters, but with many more who are actively competing in the UFC. (conspiracy perhaps?)

What it comes down to is a missing 15 pounds of fighter.? And in my opinion this could be a fantastic weight class. A place where the 220 pounder can roam free without fear of the super human behemoths rising 7 feet in the air and weighting closer to the 300 pound mark than most would find comfortable for an opponent in any athletic competition. A place for Heavyweights with speed and reasonably solid ground games.?

So maybe the UFC can trade the 4 weight classes it chooses not to use, for 1 new weight class (206-225 pounds?), and?maybe take a look at adding the Super Heavyweight division for the?remaining goliaths. ? That is where the exciting and marketable Heavyweights are anyway(Arlovski, Couture, Vera, Cro-Cop).? I am sure the fans would prefer this type of change… I know I would.?

Did somebody say?Butterbean?

?(Photo courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk)?

UFC 75 is the next leg of the UFC European tour, scheduled for London on September 8th.? While the main event of Rampage Vs. Henderson?is more than interesting , the co-main event of Micheal “The Count” Bisping Vs. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill is an intriguing match up as well.

On paper, Bisping should pretty much walk through Hamill, who is comparatively inexperienced at the MMA game.? The catch though, and doesn’t there always seems to be a catch?, is that Hamill is one of the best wrestlers to fight in the UFC, and his MMA experience, or relative lack thereof, is balanced by his extensive competitive wrestling background, making him a dangerous opponent for any fighter.

Both fighters risk an undefeated MMA record, with Bisping posting a 13-0-0 record and Hamill tracking at 5-0-0.??While this fight should have really played out on the TUF season 3 finale, Hamill was side tracked due to an injury sustained while pounding out a sloppy victory against fellow competitor Mike Nickels.

This match-up is a classic striker vs wrestler match up, with the advantage on the feet clearly going to Bisping, who has 9 of his 13 victories by TKO.? The joy of this fight, is that an equal, if not greater advantage, goes to Hamill on the ground.? Watching Bisping Vs. Schafer in his UFC debut showed that “The Count” could be taken down, and his trouble spot against an otherwise dominant showing?vs. Elvis Sinosic, was on the ground, where a Kimura almost ended his night.

Bisping, the home town favorite in his last fight, will enjoy the same advantage in this match and that could prove daunting for Hamill.? Bisping was jacked up more than any fighter I recall seeing in the past year or so… just frothing at the mouth.? Bisping is the unofficial poster boy for the UFC in Europe, and I assume that the UFC expects him to put a beating on Hamill.?? Based on the suspect chin and shaky striking that Hamill has displayed in previous outings, this is the likely result if Hamill can’t get Bisping to the ground early and often.

There has been some chatter between the fighters since the TUF 3 days, and this should add some fuel to the fire for their September date.? Like most couch potatoes,(armchair warriors) I will expect a decisive victory by Bisping, but would not be entirely surprised to be eating those words by the end of this match.

Hamill is such a strong wrestler, with impressive strength, that if he is able to get an opportunity to take this fight to his world, it?will be a long night for Bisping.? I have never been one to buy into the shock value of a deaf fighter (Hamill), but in this case it is a testament to his heart,?and that combined with the support and training from the Team Punishment crowd should?give Hamill as a good a chance as anyone?to present Bisping with that first loss.

?Just please… Hammer, keep that chin down?, or this could just as easily be the first death in the UFC.?

(Photo courtesy of?gspmma.tv)?

Just 10 more sleeps until UFC74 and by the sounds of things, Georges St. Pierre is ready to redeem himself.?

?In an awkward spot after losing his first title defense to Matt Serra, GSP was forced to analyze the reasons for the loss and to address them in order to position himself for a return to his winning, and more importantly, his Championship ways.

In a recent article posted in Yahoo!?Canada News, St. Pierre?opens up regarding a number of issues that plagued his focus heading into his disaster of a title?defense;? serious illness’ in his family, injuries, and a general lack of direction as a?young champion, and getting caught up in the hype.

From the Yahoo! article:

St. Pierre says he lost focus after winning the title.

“I never had a mentor, somebody who was there to tell me ‘Hey be careful of this, be careful of that once you are champion.’ I never had that. I was by myself and I got caught in a lot of stuff and was focusing more on doing PR things than training things. I forgot what was my No. 1 priority. My No. 1 priority is to stay champion and being the best in the world.

“I forgot that. I paid for it, I made a mistake. But I’m the type of guy that never makes the same mistake twice.”

During visits to Las?Vegas, I happened to be in the same bar as St. Pierre on a couple of nights and can support statements by GSP’s former manager Stephane Patry who said:

“He’s still a great kid.” But he says St. Pierre stumbled outside the ring after winning the title.

“He didn’t train as much as he should, because he was too busy doing other things than training and fighting,” said Patry, choosing his words carefully.

“He won the title, he’s a kid, he was 25 years old,” Patry added, when pressed. “Let’s just say he partied a little bit too much.”

Either way, Georges St. Pierre is a young fighter who was a young Champion. After losing his focus and ultimately his title, he?has?pulled out all the stops with new management, new trainers, and a?return to the original commitment to?being the best, that got him a reputation as one of the best pound for pound fighters and athletes in the game.?

Unfortunately for Josh Koscheck,?it seems almost certain that he is going to be a platform for presenting a renewed GSP.? Georges has something to prove, to the fans and to himself, and that is not the kind of opponent you want staring you down when the octagon door closes.

Read the entire article at Yahoo! Canada News….?

(Photo courtesy of Ultimefanatic.com)

Sportsnet recently published an informative article focused on the TKO organization and specifically the CEO Stephane Patry, who explained how he sees clear benefits to the UFC holding Canadian events.? The theory behind the comment, is that the UFC has the ability and the funds to hype the sport of MMA in Canada,beyond the capabilities of TKO,? already the largest MMA organization in?the country.

TKO has proven itself as a breeding ground for Canadian MMA talent, producing a sizable crop of UFC veterans including Patrick Cote, Sam Stout, David Loiseau, Steve Vigneault, Jonathan Goulet, Mark Hominick and former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre (who was previously managed by Patry)??

?I agree with Patry’s view, and while he goes as far as stating that?he does not view the UFC as “competition”, he also admits he will be waiting on the UFC 2008 schedule prior to planning TKO events, to avoid overlap. It seems clear that?the key to continued growth for TKO, and Canadian MMA in general, will be the legalisation of the sport in Ontario, where competitions could definitely draw record Canadian crowds.

?Link to the original article at Sportsnet.ca?

(photo Matt-Hughes.com)

There is no hiding the fact that Matt Hughes is a country boy through and through…. in fact, it is probably his main selling point, considering he is not much of a promotional kinda guy.?I am far from being a Matt Hughes fan , although I respect his ability to?’Git-R-Done’ in the Octagon.??

It’s worth a few minutes of your down time to check out Hughes’s web page… it has lots of personal info on it, and pictures too, as well as a random, but very personal?blog.??

My favorite has to be the pictures of pouring concrete on the farm with fellow fighter Robbie Lawler and Miletich trainer Matt Pena - Family, Friends, Farming and Firearms…..Matt Hughes truly is “as real as it gets…”.? (and tough to hang out with by the looks of it)

Noting some interesting quotes from fighters regarding the Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca embarrassment and how it reflects on MMA as a sport.? I think it would be a great step to have the UFC make it’s own policy regarding drug test failures, but perhaps that isn’t too realistic.

Tyson Griffin: (source adcombat.com)

Do you have any comment on the current situation with UFC Lightweight title in limbo after Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca tested positive after their title bout?

TYSON About the positive tests of both fighters, I’m a little disappointed in both of them. Not that I know them personally, but I did look up to them as being two of the best in my weight class and even if you use illegal substances it is our job as professionals to be clean and on weight when we fight. It would be like them both missing weight for the fight and testing clean. They are both unacceptable situations to me.

Kenny Florian (source adcombat.com)

Speaking of Sherk, do you think the UFC lightweight division suffered a black eye or was set back because both Sherk and Hermes Franca tested positive for steroids in their last bout? KENNY:Set back, no. It happens in all sports. A bit of a black eye, perhaps. We will see what happens with Sherk. I respect Hermes a lot for admitting what he did. Not many people are man enough to accept that they screwed up.

BJ Penn: (source mmapunch.com)

He was looking forward to?fighting Sean?Sherk and putting on a?memorable fight until he was busted.?When asked about Sherk getting suspended for steroids, his response was ?When?I first heard of the news I thought, isn?t it obvious that he?s on something the way he looked??? Penn didn?t finish there, he also went on to say that if you plan on beating him, ?grow some balls and beat me without steroids.?? Although he didn?t drop any names, BJ said he felt like he has fought a couple of opponents who were on steroids at the time.?

Diego Sanchez: (source CBS2.com)?

“using steroids is cheating obviously….I think more than anything it sends out a bad message to younger athletes out there.?They want to get an edge and they don’t see what happens to the inside.? These?steroids are tearing your kidneys apart, your heart… you don’t see what happens on the inside, only the outside.

“I think that God has given us everything we inside us as men…”

Diego also acknowledged his suspension following the detection of marijuana in his own post fight test and that it was among the biggest mistakes he has made in his life.

Dana White:(source AP)

“Our policy on fighters using steroids, illegal drugs or any banned substance remains the same — you cannot use them,” UFC president Dana White said in a statement. “It’s not only unhealthy and unsafe, it is against the law. The UFC fully supports the commission’s efforts and we will continue to take measures that keep this sport clean and keep the athletes safe.”