Hot tests, ACL's and why 2012 could be the year we see Ronda Rousey in the UFC

I recently read an interesting piece by Chuck Mindenhall over at ESPN where he highlighted the disarray of the title picture in most of the weight classes in the UFC - here's my take on it. Let's start from the bottom up;

125 - people could be forgiven for forgetting that there's now a 125lb division in the UFC. Their mini tournament turned into a debacle mighty quickly and who knows when we'll have a champion in this weight class

135 - I genuinely admire the timescale that Cruz has set himself to recover from his torn ACL. But even if he does recover in double-quick time, we'll still only see him fight one more time this year. In the meantime, there will be an interim champion (number one contender with a belt). This leads well into my next point; I don't know if he's getting softer with age, but for some reason Dana has been much more placid when it comes to the needs of his number one contenders and interim champions - allowing them to sit out when in the past he would have pressed them to fight

145 - onto arguably the most laughable division there is. I get it, I really do; Aldo is a mean, mean man. He tears through opponents with relative ease, and has made seasoned champions look positively amateur (see Urijah Faber). But when a champion is in need of a challenger and no one in the division seems willing to step forward, it makes a mockery of the sport. It is not unlike Faber asking for one of his team to volunteer on this year's TUF. Just look at the HW division when Overeem bowed out - those guys were practically throwing their grannies under the bus to get their shot

155 - the lightweight belt is currently tied up awaiting another rematch (cue a collective groan from the UFC fans) but in this case I would say it is 'fair' (a term I use loosely when discussing mma matchmaking) given that Edgar bent over backwards giving others their rematches. Nate Diaz is the new #1 contender and has decided to sit out awaiting the winner of the title fight due to take place in September; that means the lightweight belt is tied up until at least December, possibly January of next year. Unless Dana makes Nate fight, a division stacked with electrifying fighters will be resigned to staging fights for the #2 contender's spot for up to 8 months

170 - GSP's dominance was broken only by his own injury; if we're lucky he'll fight by the end of this year. In the meantime, the interim champion (cue another groan from fans) is Condit. The matchmakers at the UFC were probably licking their lips when they saw the controversy caused by first Diaz-Condit match, as that makes for a great rematch. Cue a Sonnen-esque badly timed hot test, and another title picture goes stale as Condit has decided to sit out until GSP returns

185 - Anderson Silva, undisputed kingpin takes on (touch wood) Chael Sonnen in the rematch of the century. This is as big as Chuck-Tito was in terms of a genuine, bad blood fight. Now, with Bisping reaching new heights in his career, Munoz on the way back from an injury, the arrival of Hector Lombard and the grudge match between Wandi and Belfort, this division is buzzing!

205 - Jon Jones is on a tear; say what you want about his personality, the man is a joy to watch in the cage. He isn't shying away from any challenges, and none of the multiple fan favourites are shying away from fighting him. The staple division of the UFC, once again, does not disappoint

265 - the heavyweight division is probably the healthiest it has been in a while, but admittedly it will be much better if Mir wins. If JDS wins, who does he fight next? The fans are already sceptical of the Mir matchup and they aren't convinced they want a Cain rematch already, Nelson isn't there yet, nor Werdum or Bigfoot etc. Overeem would be fantastic, but sadly yet another hot test by a title contender has scratched that. That only leaves the slightly fanciful notion of Mark Hunt, or possibly Lavar Johnson - not ’fair’ matches, but what the fans would like to see. What could also help greatly is any impact the arrival of Cormier and Barnett may have

So out of 8 divisions, we have 2 active, exciting title pictures. That has to be a cause for concern for Dana, Sean Shelby and Joe Silva; I'm a fanboy - I adore mma. When there aren't events on I watch classic events and ’Best of’ DVDs. Whether there's a title fight or not, I set aside time to watch any event that's on - many other fans aren't as easily pleased, and rightly so; they spend their hard earned money and have a right to demand excitement. My solution to the problem - a women’s division. Dana has always been resistive to the idea as he doesn't believe there are enough female fighters, but Invicta went a long way towards disproving that, and he has notably softened to the idea since the emergence of Ronda Rousey. She's polarising, exciting to watch, charismatic, intelligent, great at creating a feud, photogenic and her Olympic pedigree appeals to many fans also. It also couldn't be timed any better - she has a scheduled title defence coming up in August; a timely way to introduce her to new fans. Assuming she survives, Cristiane ’Cyborg’ Santos is free to return in December to settle their fierce feud, and incidentally the first women’s mma super fight. Also, Overeem will return around the same time, and will likely return to a title shot as it will be a big seller - what better main and co-main events for a blockbuster end of year show than the men's HW and women's title fights?

Why the UFC should jump on the Toquinho hype train

I'm going to open with two bold statements; 1) I was a Toquinho hipster; I thought he was brilliant long before he gained mainstream popularity. I'm an avid MMA autograph collector and began scouring the internet for something he'd signed, but to no avail (I did finally get his autograph at ADCC 2011. From the first time I saw him slap an armbar on Ivan Salaverry I thought he was something special. 2) He WILL beat Belcher. I mean no disrespect to Belcher, I think he's a fantastic, exciting fighter, and I'm delighted that he has overcome such adversity with regards to injuries, but I just can't see him winning tonight (especially in light of the fact that he thinks he can roll with Toquinho on the ground).

But back to my initial point; I've always thought Rousimar was exciting - his tenacity, his physique, his sheer ecstasy when he wins, his absolutely savage submissions and his heart-wrenching story. Followers of the Facebook page may recall my mirth when his participation in last year's ADCC was announced, whilst many BJJ purists were crying that he was 'just a UFC fighter who could do heel hooks'. Well, somewhere between him shoulder pressing a competitor, mincing Avellan's knee, and taking pound-for-pound kingpin Galvao the distance, the purists started to sing from a different hymn sheet. Pretty soon, MMA diehards and casuals alike also started clamoring to see the man affectionately nicknamed 'Paul Harris'. I think Murillo Bustamante (MMA legend and coach of Palhares) put it best when he explained that fellow competitors are genuinely scared of Palhares; Alan Belcher even admitted as much. If you don't win, there's a very realistic chance that you're going to spend the night in hospital. Come fight night he's about 210 lbs of solid muscle, where he marches down opponents and rips them with vicious hooks, just long enough until he can get a hold of one of their limbs.

Now I appreciate that the UFC are reluctant to throw their weight behind someone who doesn't speak English, but not since the heyday of Wanderlei, Shogun and Fedor have I seen fans so vehemently embrace a fighter. GSP is widely loved and respected, but has alienated many with his fighting style. Jon Jones is a phenomenal talent, but his arrogance combined with an over-investment by the UFC has alienated many fans also. Toquinho however drives fans into a frenzy with his fighting style, and they also love his emotional back story (he genuinely grew up with nothing - youtube the emotional interview), and those who have met him will testify to what a truly genuine guy he is. Visit any MMA website or discussion board and you will see just how the fans feel about him, with memes and jokes aplenty. Granted he has been somewhat of a loose cannon (see the Marquardt and early cage climbing incidents) but this only adds to his enigma. If (when) he defeats Belcher, the UFC should stop wasting him on mid-card fights and throw him in with an equally exciting fighter. Brazilian fans are still reeling from losing the rematch of the century in Anderson Silva - Chael Sonnen, I'm sure they'd get over it if they were gifted a Palhares No. 1 contender's match

Future UFC Hall of Famers

Everyone who watches UFC should be familiar with the Joe Rogan tagline "here comes the future Hall of Famer..." Thus far, very few have managed to break into the UFC Hall of Fame, and rightly so; the sport is still very young and by nature a hall of fame should be an exclusive place to be. I don't want to come off as a fanboy - just look at the NFL where everytime a QB has one good season everyone is screaming for him to make the Hall of Fame (I'm a huge Eagles fan, but when I heard people crying out for McNabb to make the Hall of Fame I recoiled in disgust). So here goes - my list of Hall of Fame candidates...


Georges St Pierre

Come December 29th, GSP will have held the belt for four years and a record six title defences.One of his only two defeats is against Matt Hughes - someone who is already in the UFC Hall of Fame and has defeated every other 170lb champion there has ever been in the UFC. More than this though is Georges' complete athleticism and adaptablility - he has comprehensively outwrestled national champions. He is also one of the first UFC fighters to gain mainstream acceptance; testament to this is his Under Armour sponsorship, and many awards from television broadcasters and sports publications. Many will complain about his seeming reluctance to finish fights (I personally disagree), but the legacy he will leave behind is beyond argument


BJ Penn

There is no doubt that BJ Penn is not the fighter that he once was, nor can people look past the fractious relationship he seems to have had with the sport itself, but this aside the multiple division champion should not be overlooked by the Hall of Fame. He has done the most to bring BJJ to MMA since the Gracies themselves, an achievement in of itself. That being said, his crowning achievement is the championships at different divisions - something that so few others have done before him, and probably just as few will do after.


Anderson Silva

Won the title in only his second UFC fight, undefeated in his 13 fight UFC career, an ongoing title reign of over five years, a record breaking nine title defences...enough said.


Dana White

This may seem kinda like a silly choice, but when you look at the inclusion of Charles 'Mask' Lewis due to his contribution to MMA, it's impossible to overlook Dana White's contribution to MMA. I appreciate that a large part of the UFC's success is due to the financial injection from the Fertitta's - but this would have been wasted if they didn't have the right man running the company. Granted, he doesn't always say the right things, and granted many people have good reason for thinking he's a bit of a prick. But at the end of the day he took the UFC from a crumbling business, to the multi million dollar company it is today; bringing MMA as a sport along with it. Without Dana White the UFC wouldn't be what it is today, without the UFC then MMA would only be a fraction of what it is today


Tito Ortiz

One of the last members of 'the old guard' who are still fighting in the UFC today. A pioneer of Ground and Pound, an always polarising personality and a stalwart of ticket sales. Tito's scraps with Chuck, Shamrock and Belfort helped to shape the modern face of the UFC. Add to this a five defence title reign and his recent reconciliation with Dana White, and you've a got a fairly strong argument for his being included in the Hall of Fame


Honourable Mentions

Forrest Griffin - for the electrifying TUF finale that did more for the UFC's mainstream popularity than any other single event, and for being one of the most liked UFC fighters of all time

Matt Hamill - I appreciate that his fight record isn't exactly worthy of the Hall of Fame, but I'd like to think he'd be honoured in some way for opening the door to disabled MMA competitors. I think his is a truely inspirational story and I'd love for him to be honoured for it.

Frank Mir - Ok, this one's biased as he's one of my favourite fighters, but the multiple time heavyweight champion is one of the longest serving current fighters on the roster. If, as I hope, he gets the belt one more time, he should be more sure of a place in the Hall of Fame...

What we learned at UFC 137

The UFC still can't seem to come up with a Japanese star

Don't be fooled by the victory - Hioki's performance did nothing to win over fans, or draw a greater Japanese audience. No one is really sure why the former MMA capital of the world hasn't produced any marketable stars for the UFC, but to date none of the Japanese imports have really lived up to the billing


The sport has lost a true legend...

When it was announced that this would likely be Cro Cop's last fight, many fans were disappointed and rightly so. UFC purists don't know a huge amount about Cro Cop, and nor will they ever appreciate his greatness, but he did so much for the sport in the earlier years. I strongly believe he opened the door for kickboxers to transition to MMA, and also carried the European support of the sport almost single handedly in the earlier years. Many people, myself included, would have loved to see him KO Nelson with a left head kick...but I don't think many actually believed it would happen. Alas, it wasn't to be, and so we said goodbye to a legend in similarly disappointing circumstances as we said goodbye to Couture. Thanks for the memories Cro Cop


...But I think it has only lost one

I don't believe for a second that BJ has retired from MMA. I like to draw comparisons between him and Ronnie O'Sullivan. For those of you who don't know, Ronnie O'Sullivan is the greatest natural talent to ever pick up a snooker cue; he's also enigmatic, outspoken, temperamental...and has "retired" two or three times now. I'll be the first to write an article on BJ when he officially hangs them up, but I completely believe that once his swelling has gone down and he's had a chance to lick his wounds, we'll see him back in the octagon


GSP has piled more pressure on Silva than Sonnen ever could

Chael Sonnen has come closer to shattering the phenomenal streak of Anderson Silva than anyone else. Setting aside the Silva injury and the subsequent doping charge for Sonnen, quite a few people wanted to see the rematch (though I can see the argument that he lost and should have to wait his turn again). Following a comprehensive victory over Brian Stann, Sonnen launched a WWE-esque tirade against Silva who was sat cage side. He didn't react, he didn't respond...we didn't even hear from him for weeks. This prompted widespread abuse that he was scared of Sonnen - after all, there aren't many others in the title picture, and he has a free schedule for the foreseeable future. Roll on a few weeks, and Nick Diaz does the same thing to GSP in an arguably less disrespectful fashion. GSP was already booked for another fight but that very same night he demanded that he get to fight Diaz. Ironically his request has been granted to go ahead on the same weekend that Sonnen wanted to fight Silva. But fans and doubters alike of Anderson Silva are now left asking...why hasn't he done the same?!

Honey Badger Rash Guard Review

I am lucky enough to be one of the few people chosen to review a pre-production sample of the Honey Badger Rash Guard - a design that has come from the mind of BJJ uber-blogger Meerkatsu, and constructed by (not officially open for business yet) Armourtech; a custom clothing company owned by Tatami Fightwear.

When I first saw the rash guard on the internet I liked it. I know that there are plenty of critical opinions on the internet about the rash guard (mainly about the artwork), but I genuinely liked it and have been even more impressed since receiving it.

Things we learned from UFC 136

UFC was an excellent card - I'm even happier because I picked all the winners for the first time ever! Anyway, here goes...

Joe Lauzon is the real deal...
Joe Lauzon showed just how good he is, and how effective bjj can still be in the UFC; his systematic destruction of Melvin Guillard who had previously been on a tear served to show the doubters how good he is, and possibly made Dana's headache worse with regards to sorting out the company's most stacked division

Kenny Florian isn't...
When I look at Kenny Florian he reminds me of Katherine Heigl in 27 dresses - cruelly condemned to always be bridesmaid, never the bride. There's definitely something to be said for fighting in four weight classes, and being runner up in three of them. Though there's much more to be said for being a champion in one division. I don't know what's next for Florian, I'd joke that it's probably bantamweight, but after looking at his grotesque figure in featherweight that probably wouldn't be funny

Uneducated fans + inexperienced ref = bad combination
It's sometimes hard to ignore where people get the 'moron fan' stereotype for mma fans - fans who had been going berserk as a physically exhausted Leonard Garcia swung wildly in a manner that's reminiscent of a drunken brawl, booed equally loudly as Sonnen put on a grappling clinic on the floor. I'm the first person to become upset at inactivity on the ground, but Sonnen's sweeps and passes were world class! This would be forgivable however, if not for the inexperienced ref standing them up - unfairly presenting Stann with a chance to knock out Sonnen

Maybe pro wrestling theatrics have their place in mma?
Joe: would you like to tell us about the fight?
Chael: Anderson silva!...you totally suck!!!
Throw in a proposition whereby Sonnen wants the loser of the fight to "leave for good" and you have someone who this time last year was facing jail time for money laundering charges, and an indefinite suspension for testosterone abuse, that has possibly talked their way into the biggest fight in UFC history, on superbowl weekend no less!

Frankie Edgar's heart is unmatched
Ok, so maybe we learned that last time, but it was definitely confirmed last night. I challenge anyone to watch the first round of last night's main event, then immediately watch the fourth round (bearing in mind there's 10 minutes of highest level combat between them) and not be impressed...



So that's how I saw it. Disagree? Think there's anything I've missed? Join in the discussion on the Facebook page or below

ADCC 2011 Review

I want to start by saying that there aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe how much I enjoyed the weekend; from the first morning that I was standing in the foyer and one of my heroes in the form of Andre Galvao casually strolled past me, followed shortly by a pack of Gracies; through all of the outstanding match ups; meeting the three fighters that I'd specifically brought pictures of to get signed (and they were all really nice, and down to earth); getting to try Acai for the first time; and finally running into one of the organisers at the airport per chance and getting to pose with an actual ADCC winners medal! (which has made me more determined to actually compete for one some day).

It's because of all these experiences, that writing a review would've been a mammoth task and so I've decided to do my review in the form of a mini awards ceremony (I'm sure the world's greatest grapplers would be pleased to find out that they've won a fictional award from little old me), but I personally felt like this would be the best way to do it. So here goes: