For years boxing fans, and boxers themselves, insisted that if the world of MMA ever had a legitimate boxer kick down the door and enter the ring of mixed martial arts that they would easily reign supreme.  The theory was that MMA fighters were not equipped to withstand blows from world class strikers.  At UFC 118, one of boxings most dominant fighters the past decade entered the cage to face off against an MMA legend.  James Toney (72-6 as a boxer) talked a lot of trash, sold the fight, and in the end convinced few that he could go in to a MMA match with 8-9 months of preparation and come out victorious.  Randy Couture sat back and enjoyed the showmanship Toney provided and waited until the fight to make his point.  Seconds after the fight started Couture lunged in very low, grabbed Toney's ankle, and pulled the heavyweight boxer down to his butt.  Instantly Couture pounced, as he locked in the submission he called to the ref that Toney "gave".... the ref did not stop the fight, so Couture locked in tighter, and before long Toney tapped. 

At the post fight press conference UFC president, Dana White, admitted he was "nervous" before the fight.  He wouldn't clarify why other than to say "in a fight, anything can happen".  Presumably because for years White made no bones declaring that if a boxer stepped in to the cage with no other MMA training, he would get beat, and beat fast.  But, what if Toney could catch Couture?  Couture himself admitted that was a concern for him, hence why he went for such a low take down.  Had Toney had more grappling experience, he could have easily countered the single leg takedown, and forced Couture to come in close.  Couture said "I knew that if I had to go for a double leg takedown I would have to get within striking distance, and he (Toney) has arms, so I could have been put to sleep".  Toney's managers have invited Couture to step in to Toney's world, and when asked, Couture respectably declined stating that if he were to step in to Toney's world the fight would likely go in Toney's favor, in the 1st round.  A respectful response from the MMA legend.

In the main event, Frankie Edgar had the chance to prove his first victory over BJ Penn was no fluke, and with a win Penn believed he was about to start a long unbeaten reign.  Well the fight was almost an exact replica of the first match.  Edgar was shifty, allowing Penn to pursue him, and he countered with an effective striking game while he avoided Penn's strikes.  Penn attempted very few leg kicks or takedowns once again, allowing Edgar to dictate the pace and style of the fight.  Edgar again had several strong takedowns, showed some very solid ground defense to counter and reverse Penn's few dominant positions.  This just doesn't look like the same Penn, and its hard to tell if the weight cut affected him, if his mental state just isn't right, or if Edgar is just a really, really bad matchup.

As a fan, I am not all too excited about Edgar's style.  He is another in an increasingly alarming trend of MMA fighters who win by backing up, countering, and winning just enough on points to defeat their opponents.  Similar to Anderson Silva, or Lyoto Machida, or any number of other guys, they back up, back up, let their opponent stalk them around the cage, avoid the strike, counter strike, avoid the strike, and counter.  Because they are doing all the backing up, they look like they are the more active fighter, yet they are not the aggressor.  I am  not arguing against the effectiveness, but I just don't care much for that style of fighting. 

Gray Maynard, who defeated Kenny Florian earlier in the night to earn a shot at Edgar's belt may pose a tough test for Edgar however.  He is the only man to have beaten Edgar, and he is a world class wrestler, so while he is likely to be the agressor in that fight as well, he does offer some very strong takedown skills that Penn does not have.  If Maynard wins, I can easily see Penn walking through Maynard as Maynard will press Penn the way Diego Sanchez did, allowing Penn to work his game.  Its a rock, paper, scissors division now, but still has some intrigue. 

BJ Penn was expected to blow through Frankie Edgar last April the same way he blew through the rest of the light weight division, with ease.  Instead, Edgar used his unorthodox style, and excellent take down skills to confuse Penn and keep his timing off for the entire 5 rounds.  Penn just didn't look like himself in the fight, he had a knee brace on, and after the fight, also claimed to have been battling a sinus infection.  Well at UFC 118 BJ Penn gets his immediate re-match against Edgar to get back to the top of the division.  

Edgar on the other hand looks to prove his victory over Penn is no fluke as he defends his position on the top of the heap.  Edgar is a very good fighter, and may have been over looked by the experts the last time out.  He only has one loss to the man who was supposed to face BJ Penn had he defeated Edgar, Gray Maynard, and has to be feeling a bit disrespected that many experts again have Penn as the clear favorite.

Gray Maynard is probably at a loss for what he needs to do to secure a title shot.  He sits with an undefeated record (one no contest), has beaten current champ Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and Dennis Siver to name a few.  Now he gets to test his mettle against Kenny Florian, another former top contender making his way back to a title shot.  Florian's last loss was to Penn a year ago, but has since choked out both Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi.  The winner likely will get the champion early next year.

And maybe the most interesting fight of the night is the MMA debut of James "Lights Out" Toney as he faces off against Randy Couture.  Toney is supremely confident to say the least, he has called out virtually every guy in the UFC, and done so with unparalleled bravado, calling them names, being disrespectful, and questioning their manhood.  Toney is 72-6 as a boxer, which is incredible, he has held titles in 4 weight classes, and still holds the IBA Heavyweight title.  He is 41 years old, and has no MMA experience, so Couture is a tall order for a first opponent.  Still, as you say in boxing, he has a punchers chance, and its hard to argue anyone is as good a puncher in the UFC as James Toney.

Randy Couture is no slouch in that department either.  What Couture has in his favor is his wrestling and ground game, not to mention his experience in the cage.  But if he decides to stand with Toney, he could hold his own.  Couture has the ability to clinch and dirty box, something that the referees would break up in Toney's past life.  Couture is 47 years old, so age will not be an excuse for Toney.  Both fighters are legends in their respective sports, and since Toney has already announced he has avoided training is several of the skills a complete mixed martial artist would have, its likely Couture takes him down, and makes an example of him on the ground.  

Its clear that the UFC locker room will be behind Randy Couture, and should Toney win, a line would probably instantly form in front of Dana White to take their shot at the boxing champion.

Full card listed below if you want to make your picks.  Looks like Cyle won last time, so we will have to see if he can hold on to his title.

FULL CARD:
Lightweight: Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn (Championship bout)
Heavyweight: Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Middleweight: Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda
Lightweight: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Welterweight: Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis

One of the things I hate about MMA is also one of the things I love.  Its when you watch a fighter drop his hands, weave his head around, dances, shakes off his opponents strikes with a grin, show boating instead of fighting... until that one moment that stops it all.  Its the moment I love most in the sport.  Its the moment when the show boater is taught a lesson and is knocked the F out.  Anderson Silva is famous for these antics, but largely gets away with it because there are no fighters capable of shutting him up.  That was until last month when Chael Sonnen beat him up for 5 rounds.  Sonnen still lost, but he dominated every second of the fight, and because he gave fans what they paid for, and continued to press in the final minutes, Silva managed to catch him in a triangle hold, but it was still a gratifying lesson to the show boater.

Last night at Strikeforce Houston, King Mo came out playing the role as the show boater.  Sure, he came out with his familiar crown and cape, as well as a court full of women dancing as he made his way to the cage.  But that isn't what bothered me.  King Mo opted to bob and weave, strut and smile, shake his shoulders and in the end, he took a nap in the cage.  Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante stood toe to toe with King Mo, exchanging strikes despite the fact that no one gave him a chance on his feet.  But Feijao saw King Mo was more interested in looking cool, fighting with style, which is amateur for looking like a, well amateur.  In the 2nd round, Feijao connected with a number of solid punches, King Mo shook his head and smiled... he still didn't protect himself.  Then he was struck to the mid section with a strong knee from Feijao, which hurt the champ.  You could see King Mo was desperate now, shooting for a take down.  Feijao stepped back, grabbed the back of Mo's head, and landed several more Muay Thai knees to the "King's" face.  Mo fell, and grabbed on to the challengers legs, refusing to let go because he knew it would be over for him.  Mo stuck in there for a long beating, getting a dozen or so hammer fists to the side of the head until referee Big John McCarthy ended it, pulling Feijao away, and letting King Mo fall face first to the mat.  He was out, he lost his belt, and he looked out classed as a fighter. 

Speaking of looking out classed as a fighter, Bobby Lashley has avoided fights with bigger name opponents despite a lot of criticism, opting to face unknown Chad "The Grave Digger" Griggs.  Lashley came out looking like a million dollars, and he did have some pretty good takedowns, but that was the end of his prowess.  Once he would get Griggs to the ground, he looked lost, he didn't know what to do.  He couldn't transition, he couldn't leverage his strength, he also looked pretty amateurish against the unknown Griggs.  But once Griggs busted open Lashley's eye, then Lashley went in to a rage to finish like the monster he appears to be physically right?  Not really.  Lashley looked like he wanted to quit then, he didn't, but he seemed to be hoping someone would pull the plug, throw in the towel, so he could escape this fight, and not be the one who quit.  He came out for the 2nd round, and almost the same way the King Mo fight ended, so did the Lashley fight.  Lashley didn't show boat, to his credit, but he got rocked, went for the take down, and allowed Griggs to throw 10-15 hammer fists to the side of his head until it was stopped. 

In the end, two of Strikeforces biggest stars lost, which is bad news for an organization desperate for some stars if their prize fighter, Fedor Emelianenko (who also lost in his last fight) leaves the promotion.  The organization does have some very good fighters, but they try to promote the guys who are more sizzle than steak, which, as a promotion, is an amateurish thing to do.  Sense a theme?

Every fight on the UFC 117 card features an American vs a Brazilian, but the headliner may be the fight that has seen the most smack talking in UFC history.  Anderson Silva defends his title against American wrestler, Chael Sonnen.  In his last fight, Silva made a mockery first out of his opponent, Damian Maia, and later out of himself as he danced and ran for the final 2 rounds of their fight in April.  Silva was so disrespectful to the challenging Maia, that after the fight Dana White said he considered firing the best fighter in the UFC, and maybe the world.  Silva used lightning fast strikes, wicked leg kicks, and his superior speed to stick and dance around Maia at will, all the while screaming racial slurs in Portugese at Maia.  It was a black eye for the UFC as the promotion was featuring one of their biggest events in Abu Dhabi, hence the harsh criticism from White.  The only explanation from Silva as to why he was so disrespectful of the rather quiet Damian Maia, because he said Damian Maia made some harsh comments about Silva, and several of his former opponents.  One example was Maia mentioning that a spider (Silva's nickname) has eight limbs, and that he hoped to catch one of them for a submission.  Well, if Silva is looking to exchange taunts, or is looking to beat up someone for disrespecting him, Chael Sonnen may just very well be his huckleberry.

Chael Sonnen talks about Anderson Silva:

Chael Sonnen's last loss was to Silva's last opponent, Damian Maia, but since then, he has won 3 straight, including a dominant victory over Nate Marquardt, and a victory over the last man to beat Anderson Silva (Yushin Okami - who won by a DQ).  But what makes this match so interesting, is the unwavering verbal ass kicking Chael Sonnen has unleashed since getting this match with Silva.  Sonnen has called out Anderson Silva, he has called him a fraud, a liar, has said he will slam Silva down and beat a hole through his face, and has even declared to retire the champion.  Recently at the Las Vegas fan expo, Sonnen even confronted Silva, and by both fighter's accounts, Silva tried to avoid the confrontation by looking away.  Sonnen called out to Silva and motioned to him that he was dead in 2 weeks.  Well, that 2 weeks has diminished to just a few days.  

UFC 117 is a packed card!  Jon Fitch also takes on Thiago Alves in a rematch of their 2006 fight (a Fitch victory) with the winner likely getting a title shot against the GSP vs Koscheck winner.  Fitch has been on a terror, not losing since 2008 which was a loss to current champion Georges St. Pierre.  Alves' last loss was also to GSP just over a year ago, and has been on the shelf with a couple injuries since.  

After suffering 2 losses to Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, Clay Guida rebounded nicely with, of all things, a submission victory over Shannon Gugerty last March.  Guida looks to get back to that upper echelon with a win over Rafael dos Anjos, who is sporting a 3 win streak.  

Matt Hughes dominated Renzo Gracie in Abu Dhabi in April, and now faces Gracie's star pupil, Ricardo Almeida.  Almeida is a better athlete, in better shape, has a better take down defense, and is really a much more dangerous fighter than Gracie was at this point in their careers.  That said, Hughes could have finished the Gracie fight pretty easily, and its likely he won't show the same kind of respect for Almeida.  Its another battle of styles between American wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu.

In the heavyweight fight, you have the Ultimate Fighter winner, Roy "Big Country" Nelson, facing his toughest opponent yet, the young, rising star, Junior Dos Santos.  The winner of this fight will get a title shot with either Brock Lesnar or Cain Velasquez, and personally, I think that is premature for either fighter, but none the less this is one to look forward to.  Nelson keeps surprising with some fierce knock out power in addition to his very formidable jiu jitsu ground game.  Dos Santos also has some serious punching power, and only has one blemish on his record, a submission loss in 2007.  If Big Country can withstand the initial barage from Dos Santos, and perhaps get Dos Santos on the ground, he could continue to surprise, and very well could be the next in line to get a title shot.  

We will be making picks again, so respond below with your picks!  Full card below:


Middleweight Championship bout: Anderson Silva (champion) vs. Chael Sonnen
Welterweight bout: Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Welterweight bout: Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida
Heavyweight bout: Roy Nelson vs. Junior dos Santos
 

It was billed as the biggest heavyweight title fight in MMA history, and it actually lived up to the hype.  Brock Lesnar, the reigning heavyweight champion, and Shane Carwin, the interim heavyweight champion, were not only the two largest athletes in the sport, but they are two of the best.  This fight had more than just the UFC heavyweight title on the line, with the loss of Fedor Emilianenko it would mean that in the first time in almost 10 years, there would be a new #1 ranked heavyweight by most experts. 

The fight started as most would expect, the two giants circled eachother a bit as they felt out the pace.  Lesnar made the first big move charging Carwin for a take down to get in to the position he has used to end all of his victories.  Carwin however avoided the take down, shook Lesnar to the side, threw a few punches, and Lesnar was on the run... this was going to be tougher than Brock thought.  Lesnar actually, at one point, turned his back, and ran away from Carwin.  As Carwin pursued, he eventually cornered the champ against the cage, and unleashed some big uppercuts, eventually dropping the champ.  Shane jumped on top of Lesnar, assuming the position that is usually the one Brock found himself in, and proceeded to rain down punches as Brock lay helplessly covering up.  Shane got tired however, the punches got slower, and to the credit of the referee, he didn't stop the fight despite Lesnar's lack of any sort of meaningful movement.  Eventually Brock escaped and made it back to his feet before the round ended.

During the break between rounds, Shane felt his body cramp up, and something wasn't right.  Just before the start of the 2nd round, Shane looked across the cage at Lesnar and winked getting a smile back from the champion's beaten and bruised face.  Carwin clearly was tired out as he wasn't the same fighter as he was in the 1st round.  Lesnar got an early take down, put Carwin in to a weak choke hold, and the two lied there, while Brock attempted to gain a better position, and Shane attempted to rest.  Suddenly, Lesnar locked the hold in tighter, and Shane tapped.  It was an unexpected result after what looked like an unstoppable force in the first round.  Carwin definitely looked like the better fighter, but Brock pulled it out.  At least we know now that Brock can no longer diminish the submission that caught him against Frank Mir in their first bout, the situations were nearly identical. 

It was a perfect end to a great night of fights.  Every single fight was competitive, and showed some great heart, skill, and determination.  Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski battled to a very exciting finish as Bonnar redeemed his earlier, contested loss to the Polish Experiment.  And Chris Leben, fresh off his KO of the Night win 2 weeks earlier outlasted Yoshihiro Akiyama in another fight where you thought Leben was done, but in typical Crippler fashion, he just kept coming.  Both fights were given fight of the night awards.

Its been almost 1 year since we last saw Brock Lesnar in a UFC octagon, a second round win over rival Frank Mir.  Brock nearly had to retire for good as he suffered from diverticulitis, an intestinal disorder that causes severe pain due to infection, and required a pretty serious surgery.  Over that time, he had one fight with Shane Carwin rescheduled, and a second one cancelled all together.  Carwin on  the other hand faced off with ironically the same opponent Lesnar last fought, Frank Mir.  In that fight Carwin looked dominant, beating Frank Mir in the 1st round.  Lesnar's size and athleticism have many believing he is the most dominant heavyweight that the UFC has ever had.  Carwin though is maybe his toughest opponent yet, and arguably more dominant.  Carwin is 12-0 (Brock is 4-1) and has never been out of the first round in his career.  In fact, he only has one fight going longer than 3 minutes, and that was his last one against Frank Mir.  The question is, has he faced tough enough opponents other than Mir?  He has one other notable name on his list of victims, and that is Gabriel Gonzaga, hardly a top 10 fighter.  Lesnar has only about a 3rd the number of fights, but has 2 against Mir, one against Couture, and one against Heath Herring.  Still, this should be an awesome fight, 1st time Brock faces a man nearly his size, and really only the 2nd tough test for Shane Carwin.  Brock recently told KFAN radio in Minneapolis that he is walking around at about 270 pounds on his new diet.  That is about 20 pounds lighter than his normal weight, so he could conceivably be giving up a few pounds to Carwin on Saturday night. 

In the middleweight belt, Wanderlei Silva had to withdraw due to broken ribs, and will not face off against Yoshihiro Akiyama.  In his place, Chris Leben, yes, the same Chris Leben who just fought 2+ weeks ago, will face off against Sexyama.  Its disapointing because a Akiyama vs Wanderlei fight would have been a terrific fight, but Leben is a tough dude, and still is an exciting fighter, it just loses a bit of the star appeal.  Akiyama has not lost since 2005, has only 1 loss on his record, and is coming off one of the best fights of 2009, a victory over the very impressive Alan Belcher.  Leben is coming off 2 straight wins, most recently against Aaron Simpson by a 2nd round KO that earned him KO of the night a couple weeks ago.  Its crazy to think he is fighting again, and the question is, will Leben be tired, or will Akiyama (who hasn't fought in a year) have some ring rust?

Other fights include a brawl between the Polish Experiment, Krzysztof Soszynski and The American Psycho Steffan Bonnar.  George Sotiropoulos will face Kurt Pellegrino, which is my dark horse pick for fight of the night!  We are opening this up to predictions again, so feel free to get in on the action, full card below:

Full Card:

Heavyweight Championship bout: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Shane Carwin (ic)
Middleweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown
Light Heavyweight bout: Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar
Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Prelims on Spike:
Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Light Heavyweight bout: Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero

Saturday, June 26th, San Jose California, Fedor Emilianenko suffered his first legitimate MMA loss at the hands of the man who earlier beat his brother, Fabricio Werdum.  It lasted just over a minute, Fedor knocked Werdum to the mat, avoided an arm bar, only to be caught in a triangle and an armbar forcing him to do what very few ever thought they would see, he tapped. 

Is the legend dead?  Is Fedor no longer the best heavyweight on the planet? 

I still believe he is.  A single loss will not tarnish the legacy he has created for himself, fighters lose, its not an earth shattering concept.  In the 1940's and 50's a heavyweight boxer did the unheard of.  He finished his entire career undefeated, finishing 49-0.  His name, Rocky Marciano.  Despite that unheard of feat, ask a room full of boxing fans who the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time was, and chances are the majority will say it was Muhammad Ali.  Ali had 5 losses, but it didn't tarnish his legacy any more than a few blemishes on Fedor's record will tranish his.

Champion's are only as great as their challengers.  Ali had Frazier and Foreman.  Marciano had Joe Louis, and Jersey Joe.  But this is the argument that critics of Fedor use to refute Fedor as the greatest heavyweight of all time.  UFC head honcho Dana White declares (rightfully so) that his organization has the best group of heavyweights ever assembled.  The UFC has Lesnar, Carwin, Cain, Mir, Dos Santos, Noguiera, etc on their roster.  Most of those guys weren't in the business when Fedor's reign started.  So what makes Fedor's reign so great?  Well, for starters, he went un-beaten for nearly 10 years, the previous single loss was a controversial forfeit because of blood (one he later avenged).  He beat the very best of his era between 2000-2006.  He did so, usually as the much smaller man in the ring.  And most importantly, he handled himself with the class and humility that only the truly great champions do.

The week leading up to his fight against Werdum, the smear campaign from the rival UFC had started.  Dana White made his standard declarations that Fedor did not want to fight in the UFC.  Dana White told an interviewer that fans needed to "get over Fedor ever joining the UFC".  That "Fedor doesn't want to fight the best heavyweights in the world", that Fedor no longer belongs in the top rankings.  Those are words from a frustrated promoter, Dana White can't possibly believe that Fedor isn't the best heavyweight in the world, or he wouldn't have pursued him so hard last year.  Brock Lesnar (UFC Heavyweight Champion) said Fedor was scared to come to the UFC, and that he did not want to face the best fighters in the world.

Funny, but when did things change that champions had to start chasing contenders?  I'm not talking belts here, there are several of those.  I am talking the widely held, ask anyone who pays attention, belief that Fedor is and has been for a very long time, the best heavyweight in the world.  When did it change for a guy at 32-2 to start chasing the 4-1 guy?  I mean, I get Dana's frustrations, he has tried to lure Fedor to the UFC.  He has made very good offers, and in the end, has been frustrated every step of the way.  So I can give Dana White a pass when he makes these statements.  But Brock Lesnar?  The guy who got a title fight at a whopping 2-1 record, against a guy in his mid 40's, and outweighing him by more than 50 pounds?  He has now earned enough respect in his career to be calling out Fedor Emilianenko?  A guy who laughed and pointed at Heath Herring (who by the way, he was unable to finish off despite fracturing his orbital bone), a guy who got in the face of Frank Mir, rubbing in his victory, trashing the card's sponsor, before quickly dismissing the thought of a rematch despite just drawing even?  That guy is now qualified to judge who is or isn't the greatest heavyweight champion?  How about the fact he spent much of his adult life in the WWE pro wrestling promotion, a world filled with anabolic steroids?  Sure, he hasn't "failed" a steroid test... I mean, that is his only response every time he is asked whether he has used steroids in the past.  Not a denial of any sorts, he simply notes he never "failed" a drug test.  Ah, that clears it all up.

Well, lets compare.  I will give Brock credit, while he was given the title shot much too early for my taste, he has beaten some good opponents, Mir and Couture, and hasn't avoided getting tough matchups.  But he hardly has Fedor's resume.  Fedor's single loss prior to the Werdum loss was an inadvertent elbow to the head that caused some bleeding, and that took place in December of 2000, 6 months shy of a full 10 year unbeaten reign.  During that stretch, he has beaten: Babalu, Heath Herring, Minotauro Noguiera (twice with 1 no contest), Mark Coleman (twice), Mirko Cro Cop, Kevin Randleman, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, to name a few.  That's 7 victories over 5 former UFC champions, in additions to champions from other parts of the world at a time when the UFC wasn't the best of the best in the MMA world. 

Today's era of heavyweights is frightening.  Guys are larger, faster, and more skilled than they ever were before.  There are also more good fighters.  That is part of Dana White's argument, that a guy like Brock Lesnar has a chance to go down as the best heavyweight ever, because the level of guys he would have to continue to beat is really unprecedented.  But you are assuming a few things here then. 

First, Brock is 4-1, has already missed a significant amount of time where he didn't have to defend the belt, and the young lions had to earn their shot, beating eachother up (similar to what teh UFC did when Tito Ortiz was the light heavyweight champion while Chuck Liddell was cutting his teeth with all the real threats), so he is a tad bit manufactured.  Carwin, Cain, Mir, Dos Santos have all been more deserving champions, but they (despite more fights) have to continue feeding on eachother while the champ is laid up at home. 

Second, what about acting like a champion?  Can/will Brock ever start to show traits of a champion, the way Fedor, Randy Couture, or other legends of the sport have in the past?  Or will Brock Lesnar continue playing the role of the villain?  Too early to tell perhaps, but as I alluded to earlier, there are several other young, hungry contenders on the landscape chomping at the bit to take Brocks spot as king of the UFC, so at 4-1, its way too early to really even consider him in the same category as Fedor.

As Saturday night ended, Fedor handled defeat the same way he handled victory, with class.  When asked what he was feeling immediately after his first loss in 10 years (1st legitimate loss period), he said through his translator simply "Nothing, if one never falls, he never gets up". 

As you may have noticed, MMA Conquest got a new look, just in time for one of the most anticipated 2 week period of the summer.  In a few days, Fedor Emilianenko will face off against Fabricio Werdum in heavyweight showdown on Showtime.  Despite winning his last fight against Brett Rogers, Rogers and not Fedor was the man to get a title shot against Alistair Overeem.  Overeem easily defeated Rogers and prompted Fedor to sign on as his next opponent.  M1 Global, Fedor's management group, agreed, and stated that if Fedor wins this fight, he would face Overeem for the Strikeforce title. 

The man who stands in his way is the 6 foot 4 inch Fabricio Werdum, one of the only humans alive to have beaten an Emilianenko in an MMA fight.  Of course, that Emilianenko was Fedor's little brother Aleksander.  Fedor looks to avenge that blemish on the Emilianenko name, and get that title shot.  Werdum is no slouch, he has faced some stiff competition during his career, beating guys like Aleksander, Gabriel Gonzaga, Brandon Vera, and current Strikeforce champion, Alistair Overeem. 

Fedor has caused a fair amount of controversy over the past month or so.  He declared he wanted to run for political office in Russia, leading many to assume he would retire.  M1 however released a statement stating that Fedor planned to continue fighting, so it looks like it could be the start of a negotiation of a new contract.  A contract mind you that Dana White seems to have tapped out on.  In a recent interview, Dana White stated he has gotten over Fedor, and asked fans to do the same.  He claims Fedor doesn't want to fight the best fighters in the world, and also noted he has tried to do everything to get him over to the UFC.  Unfortunate.

This will be the first prediction segment on the newly designed site.  Get your picks in and lets see who can make a run between this fight and the Lesnar vs Carwin fight on July 3rd.

Main Card:
FEDOR EMELIANENKO VS FABRICIO WERDUM
CRIS CYBORG VS JAN FINNEY
SCOTT SMITH VS CUNG LE
JOSH THOMSON VS PAT HEALY

Its the most highly publicized feud this side of Tito and Chuck, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans has been a long time in the making, and the talking is about to end. Evans last beat Thiago Silva after his only loss in his pro career to Lyoto Machida. Rampage has been off for over a year (filming a movie) but has won his last two fights against Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva. These guys hate eachother, their rivalry extended to the Ultimate Fighter, then Rampage got the A-Team gig, stepped out of their fight, and left months to build the feud even more. This is sure to be an explosive fight!

Michael Bisping takes on Dan Miller in his first match since his loss to Wanderlei Silva. Bisping started his career 17-1, but is 1-2 in his last 3 losing to Dan Henderson as well as the aforementioned Silva. He takes on Dan Miller, coming off 2 straight losses, but losses to the last guy to face Anderson Silva for a title shot, as well as the next guy to face Anderson, Chael Sonnen. Miller has sort of been the gate keeper to Silva's belt, and if Bisping can win, it would get him back much of the momentum that was knocked out of him by Dan Henderson. Maybe get him back in to contender status. That said, Dan Miller could elevate himself past "gatekeeper" status if he can win.

The other big fight was supposed to be "Little Nog" Antonio Rogerio Noguiera vs Forrest Griffin, but Griffin had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury, and instead Little Nog will face the competent Jason Brilz. Noguiera had a terrific UFC debut in his last fight, stopping Luiz Cane in the first round with ease. He has some big victories over some very tough fighters including Dan Henderson, as well as Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem, who he beat twice. Brilz is 18-2, but Noguiera is a pretty steep step up, and should make for an interesting opponent.

One of my personal most anticipated matches of the night features Todd Duffee against Mike Russow. Duffee is a big boy at 6'3, 260 pounds, and built like a super hero. He is only 6-0, but he is legit... his first fight lasted 15 seconds, his second fight was a whopping 16 seconds, and his UFC debut was the fastest UFC KO in history at 7 seconds. He could be one of the young up and comers in the heavyweight division, keep your eye on him. He faces Mike Russow who is no slouch himself at 12-1. Russow is more of a submission guy however, and this promises to be a clash of styles, should be an exciting night.

One other note, Diego Sanchez moves back up to the 170lb division, taking on John Hathaway, a dangerous fighter himself, and that fight will round out a solid card with a great headliner event!



Full card is below, get your picks in, who will come out on top?

Full Card:
Rampage Evans vs Rashad Evans (205 lbs)
Michael Bisping vs Dan Miller (185 lbs)
Todd Duffee vs Mike Russow (heavyweight)
Antonio Rogerio Noguiera vs Jason Brilz (205 lbs)
Diego Sanchez vs John Hathaway (170 lbs)

Alistair Overeem, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, hasn't defended his title in 2+ years. Brett Rogers, the challenger, reminded him on this via Twitter, interviews, blogs, anywhere he could as he drew the champion back to the states for a fight on Saturday night. Someone should have told Rogers to be careful what you wish for. Many experts rated Rogers above Overeem, and many more expected him to take Overeem's belt, despite that fact Rogers lost his last fight to Fedor Emeilianenko. Overeem seemed to not notice. Before the fight, a Strikeforce commentator interviewed Overeem back stage, and he seemed very relaxed. In fact, when asked how he felt hours before his first title defense, he used that exact word to describe how he felt. He seemed so at ease it was as if he knew something the rest of us didn't. He wasn't disrespectful of Rogers, yet it was clear Overeem didn't feel that Rogers posed any kind of threat to him at this point early in his career. He predicted a 1st round KO, or early 2nd round stoppage.

Overeem was right. As the bell sounded, it was Overeem that stalked Rogers around the cage. Overeem used some strong leg kicks to put doubt in Rogers' mind. Rogers connected on one punch total, and was tossed to the ground as if he was a grade schooler getting bullied by the varsity football star. Overeem wasn't just more experienced, he was stronger, more explosive, better. As he stood over Rogers, he would grab the legs of the challenger, and essentially fold him in half at will. He landed some vicious blows to Rogers' face and head, he crushed his mid section with equally explosive shots. And in just over 3 1/2 minutes, he finished him off with a flury of shots to the head, forcing John McCarthy to stop the fight. And guess what, Overeem walked around the ring, cool, calm and collected, never doubting that this was the only possible outcome.

After the fight, Overeem again called out Fedor's management company, M! Global, insisting that a fight get signed. At 29, Overeem is a formidable opponent for anyone, in any organization. He is just now hitting his prime, and he has a ton of fights, many against top competition. His victory over Rogers was as impressive as any victory we have seen out of the top heavyweights in the UFC, and you have to wonder, if he did beat Fedor, would Dana White go out of his way to sign Overeem?



Full results:
Overeem vs Rogers WINNER- Overeem
Arlovski vs Silva WINNER- Silva
Randelman vs Gracie WINNER- Gracie
Souza vs Villasenor WINNER- Souza
Cavalcante vs Britt WINNER- Cavalcante

Its titled "Heavy Artillery" and with its list of fights, its aptly named. Saturday, May15th, Strikeforce features some of their biggest heavyweight fighters in their stable. First, Alistair Overeem will defend his Heavyweight title for the first time in 2 years against Brett Rogers, the man who last fought (and lost) to Fedor Emelianenko. Overeem is a K1 caliber striker, but Rogers has some big bombs as well. Overeem just fought in a K1 match April 3rd, and as noted, has not fought in the states since 2007 where he became the first and only Strikeforce heavyweight champion.

Rogers is coming off his first loss to the best heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emilianenko, that following his very impressive win over Andrei Arlovski. Both Overeem and Arlovski have shared a fair amount of trash talking, so this should be an interesting fight. They are both lethal strikers, but Overeem can do it with his feet as well. Overeem probably has the advantage on the ground with Rogers, but Rogers' heavy hands could but Alistair to sleep before the fight goes to the ground. It should certainly be a crowd pleasing fight.

Andrei Arlovski returns to avenge his last two defeats against both Rogers and Fedor himself. He hasn't won since October of 2008 against Roy "Big Country" Nelson. Arlovski looks to prove his KO losses were flukes, and wants to show more attention to his game plan and not get caught with one shot that could end the fight. His opponent, Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, has some striking power, but is also more proficient on the ground than most big men. He himself is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Fabricio Werdum, and is giving the once dominant Arlovski a "do-or-die" match. Arlovski needs this one more to prove he is still relevant, but Silva is still hungry to build his own legacy. Should be a great fight!

If you want to show off your predictions, the full fight card is below:

Full Card:
ALISTAIR OVEREEM VS BRETT ROGERS
ANDREI ARLOVSKI VS ANTONIO SILVA
"JACARE" SOUZA VS JOEY VILLASENOR
ROGER GRACIE VS KEVIN RANDLEMAN
ANTWAIN BRITT VS RAFAEL "FEIJAO"

It was a rematch that was long awaited, on the one hand, you had a champion, who's image was tarnished, even in victory. Most fans thought he lost the previous match, and resented him for it despite the fact he had little control over the decision. On the other hand, you had a challenger, who was popular before the first fight, but after losing the controversial decision, became a sports martyr. Fans rallied behind Shogun Rua, and to his credit, Shogun handled the first loss with all the grace and class you hope to see in a competitor, proving he had the heart and character to be a champion. On May 8th, 2010 Shogun left no doubt in his claim to a title most felt he deserved several months earlier when he knocked out the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida.

It was an entertaining conclusion to a pretty great night of fights at UFC 113. Machida looked to be quicker at moving his legs so Shogun couldn't rough them up early. He picked his strikes, had 2 take downs, and while Showgun had a few strikes of his own, Machida looked to be winning the first round until about a minute remained, and Showgun connected, hurting the champ, and thus pouncing on Machida to keep this fight out of the hands of the judges. It was a brilliant display of closing out a fight, something other champions (looking at you Anderson Silva) have shown very little ability to master. After the fight, it was great to see a fighter so happy and proud to become the champion, it was easy to root for a guy who showed that much appreciation for the title he just won, and Showgun Rua only increased his popularity with that character.

In the co-main event, Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley looked to shut eachother up after a battle of trash talking came to an end. It was a competitive fight, Daley landed some big shots, but whenever he thought he was in trouble, Josh Koscheck took Daley down with his superior wrestling skills. There were several interesting moments in the fight, Koscheck faked a knee to the head, and Daley was deducted a point. Upon review, it was clear that the knee did not connect, the point was given back, and the fight resumed. Later Daley hit Koscheck after a round ended, Koscheck accused Daley of several eye gouges, and that still wasn't the end. Koscheck won the unanimous decision, but before the ref raised his hand, Paul Daley approached Koscheck as if to shake his hand, and proceeded to sucker punch him in a cowardly, classless move. Both Rogan and Koscheck joked that it was Daley's best punch of the night, and for his troubles, Dana White declared Daley would be fired, never to fight in the UFC again. Koscheck on the other hand, earned a spot as the opposing coach to Georges St. Pierre on The Ultimate Fighter, which will conclude with Koscheck getting a title fight against GSP.

The other big name fight, Kimbo Slice faced Matt Mitrione in a heavyweight battle. Kimbo came out and slammed Mitrione to a very pleased crowd several times. He showed improved ground game, but still tuckered out quickly, and showed his knee is still in bad shape. Mitrione attacked Kimbo's legs with vicious kicks, and at a couple points, Kimbo looked like he might give up standing up. Instead, Kimbo got back on the ground, and despite several submission attempts by Mitrione, he hung in there until Mitrione over came Kimbo with a tired, but effective ground and pound. Kimbo showed a lot of heart, but also a large gap between him and the other fighters in the UFC, and because of that, Dana White announced he would be cutting Kimbo following the UFC 113 event.

Full Results:
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs Mauricio "Showgun" Rua *Winner - Shogun Rua
Josh Koscheck vs Paul Daley *Winner - Koscheck
Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stephens *Winner - Stephens
Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione *Winner - Mitrione
Patrick Cote vs Alan Belcher *Winner - Belcher

 

In their last fight, Lyoto Machida and Showgun Rua did very little that excited the fans. Be it a contrast of styles, hesitation on the part of both fighters to take a chance, or simply an off night, it was sort of a let down match. Most people felt Showgun did enough to win the match, and felt he was robbed. Personally, I was not offended that Machida got the victory (nor would have been of the decision went the other way), and, right or wrong, feel the challenger always has to do a little more to take the belt. Sort of like in a court of law, in a criminal case, you have to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" your case in order to win. In a civil case, you just have to make a reasonable case to get the victory.

Same concept in the fight game for me. If its a 3 round, low stake fight, the decision can come down to the slightest favor. But, if you are fighting, as a challenger, for the championship belt, you need to leave "no doubt" that you won the fight. You have to take more chances if things aren't progressing, you have to be the hungrier guy. You can't go through the motions and eek out a victory by the slimmest of margins. Maybe you felt Showgun did that? Who knows, we get to see it again anyways this weekend at UFC 113.

Also at UFC, Josh Koscheck looks to prove he is worthy of a match against GSP as he faces Paul Daley. And Kimbo Slice makes his UFC Pay Per View debut against Matt Mitrione.

The full fight card is below, so get your picks in!

Full Fight Card:
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs Mauricio "Showgun" Rua (Light Heavyweight Title)
Josh Koscheck vs Paul Daley (170lbs)
Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stephens (155 lbs)
Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione (Heavyweight - Slice at 215lbs & Mitrione at 265lbs)
Patrick Cote vs Alan Belcher (185lbs)

You know the old saying, "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck"? Well, if it clucks like a chicken, struts like a chicken, and runs around the ring instead of fighting like a chicken, it must be a chicken. I can't express how disappointed I was with Anderson Silva, one of my favorite fighters in the world at any weight class. It literally leaves me speechless.

Anderson Silva started the fight with some funny, but very disrespectful, antics in the first round, and from there it only got worse. The antics continued, the fighting did not. Anderson Silva for all intents and purposes, ran away from Damian Maia the final 3 rounds, yet continued to carry on with his disrespectful antics as if he was the aggressor in the fight. Don't be mistaken, while Silva acted as if he was frustrated that Maia wasn't attacking him, he acted as if he was willing to stand still to allow Maia to take a punch, but the reality is, Silva, not Maia, not Griffin, not any of his previous opponents, but Silva is the one who is tentative, and perhaps even scared in the octagon. Silva routinely waived Maia on to exchange blows with him, and then acted frustrated, trying to portray Maia as the coward for not coming in to exchange strikes with Silva, the better striker, with the much longer reach. What if Maia laid on the ground, and waived Silva on to his strength? What if Maia also shook his head, pointed at Silva as Silva ran around in circles to hang on to his belt? None of Silva's behavior was the behavior of a champion, let alone a supposed "best fighter in the world".

Silva up until last night has been an illusionist. Sure, he is a tremendously great fighter when he has to be. That's the rub though, as champion, he can steal a couple rounds early, dance/run around while ahead on points, and still secure the victory. That was the tactic last night. His other "go to move", he gets so disrespectful, that he antagonizes his opponent in to making a mistake that he can capitalize on like he did with Forrest Griffin. That fight by the way, never sat well with me either. I still am not convinced that Forrest Griffin was hurt in that fight. I wonder if Forrest realized early that Silva was going to turn the fight in to a circus act, he was going to prance around, making Forrest look like the fool, and so because he knew he wouldn't be able to catch him, and therefore, would be unable to win, he took the weak jab that looked harmless enough, and decided to end the fight with it, and run out of the cage. Silva got under Griffin's skin. Kudos to Damian Maia for not allowing Silva to get the same satisfaction with him.

Damian Maia hung in there, he wasn't baited in to making a mistake, and thus, giving Silva a spectacular finish that he wanted, only if it came easy. Instead, he played along, took the disrespect for 5 rounds, and in the end, was really the winner in this fight. He didn't have to answer for his antics after the fight. He didn't have to answer to Dana White for making a mockery of a very important event. And, above all, the fans that gave Silva a booming ovation as he entered the arena began chanting Maia's name (as well as GSP) in the later rounds of the fight. While Silva lost respect, Maia gained it.

After the fight Silva claimed Maia disrespected him, and that was why he pranced around rather than fought the challenger. Its a weak excuse on all levels. First of all, nothing Maia said was out of the ordinary, it was just that, it was an excuse for poor behavior. Second, if Silva was really so superior, and felt so "disrespected", why not handle that in the cage? Why not finish the fight? Why not earn that title of "best pound for pound fighter in the world"? I believe the answer is simple, Anderson Silva is not the best fighter in the world. Fighter's fight, they don't dance, they don't run, they don't win on technicalities, they fight.

Anderson Silva doesn't deserve any respect on the world of combat sports, if he wants respect he has two choices: 1. start fighting, finish fights, quit the antics, and be a champion. Or 2. leave the UFC, there are plenty of other avenues that reward entertainers, comedians, dancers, and prancers, the UFC just isn't one of them.

And props to Dana White for coming out so hard on Anderson Silva for this.


 

On April 10th two of the greatest pound for pound fighters in the world will defend their titles as Anderson Silva fends off Damian Maia, and BJ Penn will face off with Frankie Edgar. Originally slated to face off against Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva instead will face one of the world's best BJJ practioners in Damian Maia. Maia's last 2 fights were less than impressive, he lost a quick one to Nate Marquardt, and followed that up by failing to finish off Dan Miller, and allowing the judges to determine the outcome of that fight. Marquardt is the lone blemish on his record however, and he has beaten two pretty formidable opponents prior to that loss. Chael Sonnen was probably the most impressive, as he looks to be another serious contender in the middleweight division. The question is, can Maia avoid the strikes of Anderson Silva?

Silva hasn't lost in over 4 years, and lets list the men he has dispatched with relative ease over that period: Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben, and Rich Franklin twice. Anderson has not fought in 8 months, so the only question is whether he will have any rust to shake off. Silva's run is truly remarkable, 11 wins in a row in this era is almost unheard of. He has made guys like Forrest Griffin look like amateurs despite being the light heavyweight champion 8 months prior. He made people question whether Rich Franklin was past his prime, and due to retire. And he unified the Pride and UFC middleweight belts during this run. Anderson Silva is a bad dude.

Another bad dude is BJ Penn. Penn has lost only once in 3 years, and that was to the equally impressive (and bigger) Georges St Pierre last year for GSP's belt. He regained his mojo in his last 2 fights, first by out jiu-jitsuing another master in Kenny Florian, and then beat the living hell out of tough guy, Diego Sanchez. Penn created such a large gap between he and the rest of the light weight division that the UFC has been out recruiting other guys to come in and face the Prodigy. They signed Takanori Gomi, and gave him a tune up fight before facing Penn, the problem was, Kenny Florian was having none of it. Florian easily beat Gomi last week to add more questions than answers as to who is good enough to beat Penn at 155. Is the answer Frank Edgar? Edgar has some impressive names on his list of victories, but has had trouble finishing fights in the past, something Sanchez and Florian before him have both been better at.

The answer might just be that Florian and Sanchez are already the 2nd and 3rd best 155 pounders in the world, and that BJ Penn is a generational fighter. There isn't a 155 pounder alive that can beat a determined BJ Penn right now, so lets just enjoy the ride.

In another treat of a match, we get the opportunity to see 2 near legendary fighters in Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie. Everyone knows the Gracie name, and Renzo makes his UFC debut after a long career that spans several continents. Renzo hasn't fought since 2007 when he beat Frank Shamrock (which Shamrock was DQ'd in), and while he has some big names in his record, most were losses. Still, Renzo does carry the most legendary name in the sport, and is highly respected. He also looks to avenge the Gracie name against Matt Hughes who beat Royce Gracie in 2006.

What else can be said of Matt Hughes? One of the best fighters the sport has ever seen, Hughes has beaten some of the most impressive fighters in the history of the sport. Matt Serra, Sean Sherk, Georges St Pierre, Frank Trigg, BJ Penn, and Royce Gracie. Because Hughes is 2-3 in his last 5 fights, many fans have written him off and forgotten some of his accomplishments. Still of those 5 fights, 2 losses were to GSP and the third to Thiago Alves, arguably the top two guys in the division. Once upon a time, Matt Hughes was sitting where BJ Penn and Anderson Silva are sitting today, as the top guy in their respective divisions without any real threat to their throne.

And on one night, we get to see all three.

Full Card:
Anderson Silva vs Damian Maia (186lbs for Middleweight Championship)
BJ Penn vs Frankie Edgar (155lbs for the Lightweight Championship)
Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie (170lbs)
Terry Etim vs Rafael Dos Anjos (155lbs)
Kendall Grove vs Mark Munoz (185lbs)

Also, don't forget to make your picks, see who comes out on top!

Shane Carwin was forced to beat one of the top heavyweights in the world today just to get his shot at Brock Lesnar's heavyweight title rescheduled. After their fight was canceled due to Lesnar's illness, the UFC gave him a fight against the only man to have beaten Lesnar, and if he beat him, he would get that chance. Its tough to tell who was more focused on Lesnar. Mir because of his hatred for the champ may have over looked Shane Carwin, or Carwin's laser focus on becoming the new heavyweight champion regardless of who held the belt. Regardless of that, we know who looked the most dominant. Shane Carwin still has yet to find himself beyond the first round.

Frank Mir gained about 20-25 pounds to even his odds with Brock Lesnar, but Shane Carwin has been that big his entire career. While Carwin was listed at 6' 5" (265 lbs) and Mir 6' 3" (also 265 lbs), Mir looked bigger to me. But as soon as the fight started, it was clear who was stronger. Carwin forced Mir to the fence early where he leaned on him in similar Brock fashion. When the referee stood them back in the center, Mir connected with a couple shots, forced Shane back to the fence, but Carwin utilized his superior strength to get Mir's back up against the cage for a second time. There would be no third. Carwin pressed hard on Mir, and as soon as he gained just a sliver of separation, he was able to explode with several shots to Mir's face. Mir's knees buckled, Carwin smelt victory, and the fight looked like it was over. Mir avoided a ref stoppage for a moment as he slipped out of trouble, but trouble soon found him again. Carwin unleashed a second flurry of punches, dropping Mir face down, and landed a few more for good measure as the ref took far too long to stop the fight, setting up the match he earned last year for the true heavyweight title with Brock Lesnar.

In the main event Dan Hardy may not have been good enough to beat Georges St. Pierre, but he is certainly tough enough. GSP continuously took Hardy down at will for 5 rounds of a one sided whopping. Hardy however earned the respect, and probably became a fan favorite, with his refusal to submit in the face of some of the deepest submissions I have seen. GSP looked perplexed late in the fight as he held Hardy's left shoulder in a kimura hold, and that after wrenching on his right arm in an arm bar submission... both times Hardy escaped. Hardy's only chance was landing a knockout blow, which was virtually impossible as GSP was just way too good at taking Hardy down, and then dominating him on the ground every round. GSP will have a tough time finding an opponent that is capable of putting him in to trouble now as he faces the same sort of conundrum BJ Penn and Anderson Silva do in their divisions. These are some of the greatest fighters on the planet, and we may need to see them jumping classes in order for them to get some stiffer competition.

That said, I found myself pulling for Dan Hardy as he showed tremendous heart (and probably stupidity) while being a very entertaining fighter.

Full results:
Jim Miller def. Mark Bocek via Unanimous Decision.
Jon Fitch def. Ben Saunders via Unanimous Decision.
Kurt Pellegrino def. Fabricio Camoes via Submission - Second Round.
Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir via KO (punches) - 1st round *new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
Georges St-Pierre def. Dan Hardy via Unanimous Decision - *retains the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Two world titles are on the line as Georges St. Pierre defends his Welterweight Title against Dan Hardy. GSP is the 2009 fighter of the year, but he faces stiff competition from The Outlaw as Dan Hardy is coming off 7 straight wins. Most recently he has beaten Mike Swick and Marcus Davis to earn this shot at GSP's title. St. Pierre is riding a 6 win streak, with wins against Thiago Alves and BJ Penn in 2009, Jon Fitch and Matt Serra in 08, and Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck in 2007. Will GSP reign supreme?

With the health of Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in question most of the year, the UFC pitted Shane Carwin (who was due the title shot against him) vs Frank Mir for the interim title. Carwin is undefeated at 11-0 with all his fights ending in the 1st round, most recently against Gabriel Gonzaga. Frank Mir has been on a mission since his last loss to Brock Lesnar. He bulked up adding 40+ pounds of muscle, he destroyed Cheick Kongo, and has publicly stated he wants to hurt Lesnar. Is he unstoppable at his new juggernaut size? Or will his hate for Lesnar distract him from the fight at hand?

We will be opening this card up for picks again, get them in, and see who comes out on top!

Full Card:
Georges St. Pierre vs Dan Hardy (Welterweight Title 170lbs)
Shane Carwin vs Frank Mir (Interim Heavyweight Title)
Jon Fitch vs Ben Saunders (170lbs) *edited due to Alves' withdrawl
Jim Miller vs Mark Bocek (155lbs)

The best "free" MMA card in history is just a few days away. The UFC looks to debut on Versus in a big, big way. Headlining the card is 2 of the biggest contenders in the light heavyweight division as Brandon Vera takes on Jon "Bones" Jones. Jones is basically undefeated, minus one unfortunate DQ in a match with Matt Hammill that he was dominating. Vera has looked very strong as of late losing his last fight by a decision to Randy Couture.

In what is really a co-main event, Gabriel Gonzaga looks to stop the potential challenger to the heavyweight title in Junior Dos Santos. Gonzaga is coming off a victory against the Crowbar Chris Tuchscherer (Brock Lesnar's training partner) following his loss to Shane Carwin a little over a year ago. Its a tall order facing Junior Dos Santos, who has 5 straight wins including victories over Gilbert Yvel, Fabricio Werdum, and Mirko Cro Cop.

Cheick Kongo looks to get back on track after 2 losses in a row to 2 of the best heavyweights in the world, Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez. His opponent is a better matchup for him in the striker, Paul Buentello. Buentello lost a majority decision to Stefan Struve after really coming back nicely and maybe even should have won that fight. He could be fighting for his job in this one however.

Clay Guida is going the Kongo route as he tries to avenge 2 losses in a row to top guys in his division (Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez). He faces off with the very exciting submission master, Shannon Gugerty. Clay Guida alone is always worth the price of admission, although e fighting another submission guy ala Florian, and this could be a bad matchup for him.

Check back for results!

Full televised Card:
Brandon Vera vs Jon "Bones" Jones (205lbs)
Gabriel Gonzaga vs Junior Dos Santos (Heavyweight)
Cheick Kongo vs Paul Buentello (Heavyweight)
Alessio Sakara vs James Irvin (185lbs)
Clay Guida vs Shannon Gugerty (155lbs)