Posted by Kendall Shields on 28th February 2008
by Kendall Shields
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Would it be fair to say that Dana White is sometimes given to hyperbole? Not that you can fault him for it: the man is a promoter; he’s likely to, you know, promote. Sometimes — like when he tries to convince you, the UFC 82 Countdown viewer (watch it online in three parts), that this weekend’s Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo bout is indicative of how “the heavyweight division’s never been more exciting than it is right now” — you know it’s bullshit, you’re sure he knows it’s bullshit, and you’ve got to think that he knows that you know it’s bullshit. It’s really not that hard to remember more exciting times in the UFC heavyweight division. Like, say, a year ago, when Randy Couture came out of retirement to challenge Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight championship? Or when, a few months later, Couture defended it against a young challenger who had just shockingly upset a Mirko Cro Cop we all thought was still among the most dangerous fighters in the world? Or when it looked like the UFC had a legitimate shot at making a Randy Couture/Fedor Emilianenko fight a reality? It’s not that the heavyweight division is completely dead now that Couture has walked away from it — Brock Lesnar is uncommonly promising, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s submission win over Tim Sylvia was sweet relief — but to suggest that the heavyweight division has never been more exciting is obviously nonsense. You know that, Dana White knows that, but still it gets said. And again, that’s fine: promoters promote.
But in that same Countdown show, White states unequivocally that Anderson Silva is not only the top 185lbs fighter in the world, but indeed the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter as well. This weekend’s bout between Anderson Silva and (sort of) Pride champion Dan Henderson, then, is set to determine not just the best 185 pounder in the UFC, but the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world, White tells us — he says this directly, not just by implication.
And maybe he’s right.
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Posted in Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Kazuo Misaki, Matt Lindland, Paulo Filho, Yoshihiro Akiyama | 1 Comment »
Posted by Lee Casebolt on 27th February 2008
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by Lee Casebolt
The Book is back, just in time for what promises to be the best title fight of 2008.
For our newer readers, The Book is Total-MMA’s scouting report on the best fighters in the world. Later this week, the ever-demanding Jonathan Snowden will be scrutinizing Pride 183-lb champ Dan Henderson. First, though, let’s take a look at Henderson’s opponent for this weekend, UFC and Cage Rage middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
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Posted in Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Lee Casebolt, UFC | No Comments »
Posted by Iain Liddle on 25th February 2008
By Iain Liddle
I’d like to begin this week’s entry in the style of every unimaginative office worker who finds themselves stood at the shredder, walking down a corridor, in the kitchen or wherever they may be when that inevitably horrific moment arrives as you see a colleague headed directly for you.
“Abort, abort” screams your inner monologue as you look for the nearest possible exit. There’s no way out though. More drastic action is required. Could you? No you couldn’t… could you?
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Posted in Boxing, Iain Liddle, MMA | Comments Off
Posted by Bill Thompson on 24th February 2008
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By: Bill Thompson
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was the host for another Maximum Fighting Championships, MFC, card on Saturday night. It wasn’t a special card that featured any must see bouts. However it did have a fighter in the main event that is a known commodity in the MMA world, and a fighter that spurred the idea for my topic this week. Pete Spratt was choked unconscious by Ryan Ford, a promising young Canadian fighter, in the second round of their contest. The question in regards to Spratt is how did a man that was once scheduled to face Matt Hughes for the UFC’s welterweight title end up being fodder for young up and coming talents? The answer lies in Spratt’s journeyman status, a fighter that is good enough that beating him means you do have more than just potential. However, the bigger question is why did Spratt become a journeymen fighter? How did such a promising fighter become relegated to this level of competition. Lack of skillset would be the answer to that question, but that leads to an even bigger question. Why would a fighter in this day and age have a limited skillset to work off of? There are a few reasons for this, some are damning to the fighter while some are the harsh reality of combat sports.
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Posted in Bill Thompson, Frank Shamrock, Georges St. Pierre | No Comments »
Posted by Thomas Hackett on 24th February 2008
by Tommy Hackett
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If you’re like me, you’ve always wanted to like Bob Sapp in his Mixed Martial Arts career.
If you’re at all reasonable, you want that fighting career to end now.
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Posted in Bob Sapp, Bodog, Strikeforce, Tommy Hackett | 1 Comment »
Posted by Jonathan Snowden on 23rd February 2008
Bob Sapp is a born entertainer. He’s got an engaging personality and a great laugh. Combine that with his unusual physical size and you’ve got something, certainly enough for a career as a B-Movie villain. Sapp was going to give Hollywood a try. While in Hollywood, Sapp was within a signature of a WWE deal. They planned to bring him in and use him both as a pro wrestler and as wrestling’s representative in the world of MMA.
“K-1 was playing games, games that would consequently lead me to have one of the best years of my life and would save my career. Because I came over here and left K-1, got ready to sign with WWE, a huge contract with WWE, and they threatened to sue WWE. WWE backed out, thank God they did, because my partner was going to be Chris Benoit,†Sapp said. After a narrow escape from being partnered with a child murdering pro wrestler, Sapp’s persistent good luck led him further and further up the Hollywood food chain.
“I was supposed to be on the Anna Nicole Smith show, that’s why I first went out to California. It didn’t work out because she was sick and didn’t show up for the scene the next day. However, I caught the attention of one of the producers from the movie Elektra. I did Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel. That caught the producers from The Longest Yard. I’ve done 8 Hollywood movies so far and I just did Pros versus Joes,†Sapp said. “I’m 33 years old. Everything I’ve done, not only has it not required a job application, but every job I’ve touched has manged to make me well over six figures. Or in that six figure range. My first pro wrestling contract was like $120,000, you’ve got the fighting which is well over a $1 million, you’ve got all the movie work which is now adding up to be over $1 million. You’ve got the NFL in there too which is over a $1 million. It’s like ‘Bob, you’ve lived a huge and an incredible life.’ Everything I’ve done has been a kid’s dream job.â€
Back in Japan, K-1 tried desperately to find the next Bob Sapp. Instead of looking for the most skilled and charismatic performers they could find, they tried instead to find another comical giant. Sapp considers the legion of giants and showmen to be acknowledgment of what he’s brought to the sport. The “giant†is back and it all started with Bob Sapp.
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Posted in Bob Sapp, Interviews, Jonathan Snowden, Strikeforce | Comments Off
Posted by Kendall Shields on 21st February 2008
by Kendall Shields
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MMA Junkie, which seems to be first off the line on most newsworthy stories these days, is reporting that Mark Coleman will be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame as part of next weekend’s UFC 82 in Coleman’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Coleman will become only the fifth member of the (strictly metaphoric) Hall, joining Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Randy Couture.
It’s perhaps unfortunate that this news comes at the same time that an ESPN.com article by Michael Woods quotes Dana White as saying, “Tank Abbott absolutely will be in our Hall of Fame,” which makes you wonder what, exactly (or even inexactly), the selection criteria might be. Cult hero though he may be, by what standard is a 9-14 fighter a Hall of Famer? And that’s not a misleading 9-14 in the way that Couture’s 16-8 or Coleman’s 15-8 can be misleading: Tank’s best win is over Cabbage. Cabbage. The complete list of Tank’s wins, for the curious: John Matua, Paul Varelans, Steve Jennum, Sam “The Experience” Adkins, Cal Worsham, Steve Nelmark, Yoji Anjo, and Hugo Duarte, in addition to the aforementioned Wesley Correira (to whom Tank also lost, it must be said in fairness to Cabbage). The combined win/loss record of that esteemed group: 57-66-3. Tank Abbott is pretty clearly not an all-time all-that-good, let alone an all-time great. No credible sports Hall would include a competitor on the level of Tank Abbott in it’s Hall of Fame, but Dana White insists that Abbott is a lock. It’s his Hall, I guess. What can you do?
I don’t mean to suggest this is personally upsetting, or anything. But it’s a shame that Mark Coleman’s induction comes at the very time that the UFC Hall of Fame is pretty clearly revealed to lack any real credibility (seriously, seriously: Tank Abbott). Because Mark Coleman, for all the goofiness that name calls to mind, was at one time the best we’d seen in MMA, a fighter who looked not just dangerous, but absolutely unstoppable.
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Posted in Mark Coleman, Tank Abbott, UFC | No Comments »
Posted by Lee Casebolt on 20th February 2008
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by Lee Casebolt
Kevin Ferguson (I have a policy about inane nicknames) has already had more virtual ink spilled over him than his accomplishments merit. Two MMA fights over opponents with a combined record of 19-25, with the most recent win either of them have being a 2006 TKO of Cal Worsham, does not impress. It does force one to ask troubling questions like “Cal Worsham is still fighting? Seriously? Why?” but it doesn’t impress. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Posted by Marc Staehling on 20th February 2008
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By Marc Staehling
There are only eleven men actively fighting in the UFC, who have never tasted defeat in the Octagon. Last week we looked at the lightweights and welterweights, this week we take a glance at the middles and heavy. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Marc Staehling, UFC | 1 Comment »
Posted by Thomas Hackett on 19th February 2008
by Tommy Hackett
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Much has been made on our forums, and elsewhere, of the decision to include Chris “The Crippler” Leben’s bout with Alessio Sakara in the UFC 82 PPV. Some of of the complaining is from my editor Iain, the same guy who dismissed my opinions on Contender: Asia in a previous column. His reasoning isn’t hard to follow after a quick look at the fights that are going to be relegated to preliminary status and unlikely to make the broadcast. For starters, Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien is clearly relevant to the UFC’s weak heavyweight division rankings. The fight will feature a former world champion against a fighter coming off a high profile upset victory, and their pairing would seem to merit inclusion over Leben and Sakara who can boast neither achievement. Both Josh Koschek’s scheduled bout with Dustin Hazelett, and Deigo Sanchez’s with David Bielkheden, feature a top contender against a new prospect, and Sakara vs Leben features neither.
Our other editor, Jonathan, didn’t disagree with the decision to include Leben vs Sakara on the PPV, but admitted he usually doesn’t enjoy the “Cripper’s” work.
Clearly, Jonathan and Iain, the guys who invited me to write for this site, are nuts. I know, I couldn’t believe it either!
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Posted in Chris Leben, Tommy Hackett, UFC | 1 Comment »
