MMA News and Discussion Thread

[Enter Blue Guy]

Spoiler: Click here to view

There is no doubt the striking credentials have been upped for Alistair. He's always been considered a solid MMA striker, he's got the MT background and all, but you look back on his career, Overeem never shows off his hands as much as I'd like to see them against elite strikers. Now he knocks out the former K-1 HW champion, looking quicker and more confident than I've ever seen him. He's not even 30 yet and he has 10 years experience, he doesn't have to cut weight for 205, he's a seasoned grappler, we know has the hands (and feet and knee caps), he has got the power to go with them. His entire career Overeem has been a big ball of potential, I'd love it if 2009 is his coming out party.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Enter Blue Guy

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

EBG's previous avatar was much better.

[Enter Blue Guy]

I don't even remember what it was for sure. The only two avs I can remember are the lovely Ms. Leah and Heath Herring getting kissed on the lips like a homosexual.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Enter Blue Guy

[Thrilla]

Random bits taken from the Thursday update on http://www.f4wonline.com

--UFC fighter Josh Neer was arrested at 12:40 a.m. last night in Des Moines after a car chase after Neer's car struck a police car. Police used stop sticks to flatten the tires of Neer's car and he was charged with a DUI and eluding police. Neer is scheduled to face Mac Danzig on the 2/7 UFC show in Tampa.

--W1: Inception MMA takes place on 3/28 in Gatineau, Quebec at the Robert Guertin Arena featuring Carlos Newton's first match in Canada since 1996, facing Nabil Khatib, plus former CFL star and WWE wrestler Glenn Kulka, as well as the MMA debut of Dr. Hannibal, Devon Nicholson. Kulka faces Bob Landry in a heavyweight bout and Nicholson faces Denis Poirier in a heavyweight bout.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to Neer. The way that the UFC have been looking to cut their roster recently, I wouldn't be hugely surprised if they use this as an excuse to get rid of him.

Also, Glenn Kulka... There is a name from the past.

edit:-

From today's Observer, Meltzer follows up his critique of recent decisions by Steve Mazzagatti with this quote from Dana White, “He’s a nice guy, but he isn’t a referee”. Is the writing on the wall for Mazzagatti? He has been pretty poor over the last year.

Edited January 2, 2009 by The Man Called NBT

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I think this is supposed to be Kulka's second or third "MMA debut".

[Fitzy]

From today's Observer, Meltzer follows up his critique of recent decisions by Steve Mazzagatti with this quote from Dana White, “He’s a nice guy, but he isn’t a referee”. Is the writing on the wall for Mazzagatti? He has been pretty poor over the last year.

If the commissions stop using Mazzagatti that means they'd need someone else to come in and fill his spot since he is refs a lot of fights and that could mean bringing in Dan Miragliotta on a regular basis which is not a good idea.

[Toe]

From today's Observer, Meltzer follows up his critique of recent decisions by Steve Mazzagatti with this quote from Dana White, “He’s a nice guy, but he isn’t a referee”. Is the writing on the wall for Mazzagatti? He has been pretty poor over the last year.

If the commissions stop using Mazzagatti that means they'd need someone else to come in and fill his spot since he is refs a lot of fights and that could mean bringing in Dan Miragliotta on a regular basis which is not a good idea.

Herb Dean should referee every MMA fight everywhere.

[Fitzy]

John McCarthy is back (or at least trying to come back, he's only did one show and that was Strikeforce's last show) so he should go back to refereeing every fight again.

[Fitzy]

Efrain Escudero is going to be tested right away in the UFC as he is getting Jeremy Stephens at Fight Night 19. I like this, they've brought almost all of the TUF winners along slowly, but giving him a tough guy like Stephens, while not a top contender is a good thing to in my opinion.

[TOG]

Efrain Escudero is going to be tested right away in the UFC as he is getting Jeremy Stephens at Fight Night 19. I like this, they've brought almost all of the TUF winners along slowly, but giving him a tough guy like Stephens, while not a top contender is a good thing to in my opinion.

I'm on the fence because I really don't think Efrain stands a chance. I'm all for not giving guys an easy fight, but I think they should be brought along at a pace that their ability dictates, and I just don't think Efrain is ready for a Jeremy Stephens.

That said, it's not like a loss is going to kill the guy. He is a young talent and will always have the designation of a TUF winner to fall back on, and I think UFC would be more hesitant to cut him if he lost a couple of fights than some random guy they just brought in.

[Mancuerda]

I think Efrain has a chance, but I agree he's a pretty big dog against Stephens. Hopefully Efrain gets the upset. I don't really like Jeremy Stephens all that much, and I love seeing the TUF guys become big deals, like Griffin, Evans, Serra, and Bisping... helps bring more meaning to the show and is good reason to watch.

[Enter Blue Guy]

My best of 2008

Fighter of the Year: Really hard to pick an undisputed top fighter of 08, between the world's best only fighting once or twice this year, along with the fact it has become clear anybody can beat anybody at anytime in MMA. So bear with me, the names Anderson Silva and GSP are not included here.

3) Frank Mir - Caught the current HW champion with a kneebar, KO'd the once unKOable Nog after dominating him on the feet with relative ease, earned the interim belt in the process.

2) Thiago Alves - Cemented himself as one of the few fighters game enough to truly contend for GSP's belt, beating Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and Karo Parisyan convincingly.

1) Rashad Evans - Brutally KO'd the king of Brutal KO's and former LHW champ, Chuck Liddell, finish Forrest Griffin to become the current champ. Nobody made the most out of two fights in 08 like Rashad Evans did.

Fight of the Year: Every year fights are getting much more entertaining on average. There were so many great fights in 2008 that it is very hard to pick a handful of stand outs to put on a list, but my personal suggestions would go as follows.

5) Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri, DREAM 5

4) Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen, DREAM 3

3) Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda, WEC 34

2) Jens Pulver vs. Urijah Faber, WEC 34

1) Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson, UFC 86

Card of the Year:

3) WEC 35 - Thoroughly entertaining, start to finish, topped off with Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura

2) WEC 34 - Epic double main event in Torres/Maeda and Pulver/Faber

1) UFC 92 - Rashad is crowned, Mir is legitimatized, Rampage gets redemption. UFC 92 was a classic not for the entertainment value of the fights, but for its three storied main events all delivering in the drama department.

Upset of the Year:

3) Mike Thomas Brown def. Urijah Faber

2) Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell

1) Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

KO of the Year:

3) Melvin Manhoef KO's Mark Hunt

2) Anthony Johnson KO's Kevin Burns

1) Rashad Evans KO's Chuck Liddell

Submission of the Year:

3) Kevin Burns triangle - Burns, a BJJ blue belt, caught world class grappler and BJJ black belt, Carneiro, in an a triangle choke

2) Dustin Hazelett armbars Josh Burkman

1) Shinya Aoki heelhooks Eddie Alvarez - This tops an Aoki gogoplata from earlier in 08, mainly because of Aoki's flawless execution of getting Eddie in position for it, then locking it in. Also, the admission of submission by pain induced scream gives it added marks.

Breakout Fighter of the Year:

3) Demian Maia - 3-0 against very tough opponents, submitting them all, Maia has folks wondering if he could be the answer to the dominance of Anderson Silva by the end 09.

2) Gegard Mousasi - 6-0 in 08, submitted KO artist Melvin Manhoef and Denis Kang, KO'd grappling icon Jacare, en route to winning the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix

1) Brock Lesnar - Rookie to champ in three fights

Most Overrated of the Year: Takanori Gomi - not exactly sure how Gomi stays in most LW top 10 rankings after doing nothing of note for like two straight years.

Most Underrated of the Year: Yushin Okami

Fighter to Watch in 09: Rousimar Palhares - I liked what he did against Hendo, he did more than I thought he would, considering the vast jump in competition. Will he challenge for the belt in 09? No, most likely not, but if he can progress from the Hendo fight, I really like the direction in which "Paul Harris" is heading.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Enter Blue Guy

[Fitzy]

Fighter of the Year

5. Frank Mir

4. Thiago Alves

3. Anderson Silva

2. Georges St. Pierre

1. Rashad Evans

Fight of the Year

5. Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor, UFC 89

4. Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri, Dream 5

3. Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen, Dream 3

2. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda, WEC 34

1. Jens Pulver vs. Urijah Faber, WEC 34

Event of the Year

5. UFC 84

4. UFC 87

3. UFC 91

2. WEC 34

1. UFC 92

Upset of the Year

4. Frank Mir beating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, UFC 92

3. Junior Dos Santos beating Fabricio Werdum, UFC 90

2. Rashad Evans beating Chuck Liddell, UFC 88

1. Mike Brown beating Urijah Faber, WEC 36

Knockout of the Year

5. Yves Edwards KO's Edson Berto ElieXC Street Certified

4. Wanderlei Silva KO's Keith Jardine, UFC 84

3. Anthon Johnson KO's Kevin Burns, Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale

2. Jeremy Stephens KO's Rafael dos Anjos, UFC 91

1. Rashad Evans KO's Chuck Liddell, UFC 88

Submission of the Year

5. Nate Diaz triangle choke's Kurt Pellegrino (with added double middle fingers ) UFC Fight Night 13

4. Shinya Aoki Gogoplatta's Katsuhiko Nagata, Dream 4

3. Shinya Aoki heel hooking Eddie Alvarez, Dynamite!! 2008

2. Dustin Hazelett armbar's Tamdan McCrory, UFC 91

1. Dustin Hazellet armbar's Josh Burkman, Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale

[IAceI]

Just got through the 3 main matches of UFC 92. I'm trusting we don't need to spoiler tag them now as it was a while ago.

Rampage vs. Wandy.

Well what can you say? Wandy looked pensive throughout the short duration of the fight, rarely looked like he was going to take control and Rampage just looked jacked up. Is Rampage completely back now from all his problems re: the law with that car chase and such? If so I hope he can keep on this path as I'd love to see him lock horns with Rashad Evans soon. Would have preferred the Grif rematch but I'll get into that later on a bit. Lovely plum left hook and Wandy was out cold - nothing else you can really say.

Mir vs. Nog

Mir was looking fantastic tonight. I don't think I've seen him like that in a long time and Nog was never in the match at all, it was just Mir from start to close - he looked totally up for it and although he said otherwise after wards, I think Mir knew he was winning that match from the opening exchange. Nog never got to showcase his awesome BJJ skills because Mir was up and on his feet before Nog could pull guard and wisely slow, testament to Nog's ground game. Mir casually knocked Nog over at the end of the first and walked off, came back for the second and picked up where he left off and eventually finished Nog for the first time ever after putting him on his ass for the third time. I have to say, I hope Lesnar gives him a beating - just comes off as an incredibly smug person, can't say I like Mir much.

Grif vs. Evans

Ehh I'm a Grif mark so sorry if this is a little biased. I'll do my best not to be. First round I thought was unspectacular but had little moments of greatness, they pretty much refused to engage for the first minute or so but the commentators we're loving it. Couldn't see it myself, then second half of the first it began to get a bit more exciting and Grif looked the better in the exchanges. I had it 10-9. Second was much better, exciting and explosive Griffin looked good and in control - love his leg reach, seems to be a great asset to him. Controlled the second more convincingly, had this one 10-9 to Grif as well. Can't remember how I was scoring the third, whether Grif was in control and lost it, whether it was even or Evans was dominating. Bit of a moot point though as Evans scored a good take down and jumped on his chance like no other and just about ruined Grif's face for the win. I don't think he was a better fighter in the match but that's what MMA is about, taking your chances and at the end of the day he was undefeated and had the title. Disappointed Grif couldn't at least defend it but he'll be back I hope.

Not had a chance to catch the rest. Anything worth getting?

Also I won't bother with my favourite things from the passed year. There's waaay too much I'd forget to put in and probably just didn't see so probably best if I keep away.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

So I just realized there's a big Sengoku show in Japan tonight, including Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago to crown the first-ever Sengoku middleweight champion in a battle of guys who always seem to end up on my roster in WMMA. Plus King Mo, Dave Herman, and Bigfoot Silva.

And, yeah, Gomi.

[Thrilla]

Sengoku results.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Maximo Blanco def. Seigo Inoue via TKO (foot stomps) -- Round 1, 0:38

Hidetada Irie def. Minoru Kato via TKO (punches from mount) -- Round 2, 4:21

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Satoru Kitaoka def. Takanori Gomi via submission (heel hook) -- Round 1, 1:41

Jorge Santiago def. Kazuo Misaki via technical submission (rear naked choke) -- Round 5, 3:26

Sanae Kikuta def. Hidehiko Yoshida via split decision

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal def. Yukiya Naito via TKO (punches) -- Round 1, 3:54

Antonio Silva def. Yoshihiro Nakao via TKO (knee injury) -- Round 1, 1:42

Eiji Mitsuoka def. Sergey Golyaev via technical submission (arm bar) -- Round 1, 4:22

Mu Bae Choi def. Dave "Pee Wee" Herman via TKO (punches) -- Round 2, 2:22

Maximo Blanco def. Seigo Inoue via TKO (foot stomps) -- Round 1, 0:38

Hidetada Irie def. Minoru Kato via TKO (punches from mount) -- Round 2, 4:21

[Enter Blue Guy]

Confirmed. 2008 Bejing gold medalist winning jukoda, Ishii Satoshi, spoke at the Sengoku show wearing a UFC shirt saying he will indeed fight in the US. He made it known in December that he planned on training at the very reputable American Top Team and expressed his desire to fight in the UFC in the future. Before you know it, there were negotiations, and now the UFC has bagged a much sought after international Judo star in Ishii.

I guess that's pretty cool. At 5'11 and competing in Judo at 240, I'm not sure which division he aims at going for. LHW makes the most sense for his specs, though.

I watched a bit of Sengoku. Too blah for me to watch, but I'll probably check out Santiago/Misaki sometime soon.

[bolleje]

Following a loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 92 in December, middleweight Dean Lister requested and received his release from the promotion and will seek a deal with a new employer in 2009. The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Sunday by Lister's management team at Haymaker's Empire.

According to his manager, Lister requested the release and the UFC granted his leaving the organization. The former Abu Dhabi champion is already in talks with several promotions, including Dream and Affliction, for a new deal.

During his time with the UFC, Lister amassed an impressive 4-2 record with wins over fighters like Jeremy Horn and Alessio Sakara, with his only losses coming against Nate Marquardt and Okami in his last bout.

With his release from the UFC, Lister isn't looking to sit out for very long. He wants to return soon with a new promotion.

The grappling guru is also looking for a shot at a fighter such as Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza or possibly new Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago, to get back in against top competition and prove his meddle as one of the top submission artists in MMA.

Source: MMA Weekly

I think Bellator should sign him for their middleweight tournament... Affliction only has Lindland and Belfort in middleweight.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

A few skeleton notes from the latest Observer:

*WEC is adding a flyweight (125 lbs.) division

*Koscheck will fight Paulo Thiago on the 2/21 show from London

*Four matches added to 3/7, including Dustin Hazelett vs. Ben Saunders in a battle of two guys I really want to see win. I predict the winner of that match is at the top of the 170 division by the end of the year.

*David Loiseau is back in UFC, he'll fight Ed Herman on the 4/18 show from Montreal (possibly the biggest Quebecois name they can get, Cote won't be ready and GSP might not be ready)

*Rich Franklin is now willing to coach the next season of TUF if he beats Henderson, but still not happy about it

*Bobby Lashley fights again on 2/6

[ZJ Penn]

Really hoping Henderson beats Franklin, and that Lashley puts in another strong performance. It'd be cool to see UFC pick him up further down the line, despite Dana saying it's unlikely.

Not really news but for the British guys among us FightDVD are selling a load of UFC DVD's for about £9 each. That's about £5 or £6 (40%?) cheaper than usual from UFC 1 to about 60. Just in case anyone has any gaps to fill in their collection.