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Well, doing roundtables daily got tough when there wasn’t news. Now we have too much of it to go with to escape an entire week. To help you make sense of it, our panel discusses many of the burning issues within the sport.

LC: Lee Casebolt

DW: Dave Walsh

JS: Jonathan Snowden

CH: Chris Henderson

KS: Kendall Shields

1) Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: We all know already. Why does his arrest and subsequent return to detainment for apparent mental issues really matter in the greater world of MMA? Do you have any personal feelings regarding it?

LC: Semi-famous professional athlete does something mindblowingly stupid and gets arrested.  Quelle surprise.  If you’re a Jackson fan, then I suppose you would care. 

DW: MMA fans should probably just recognize that while ridiculous on his part, this really isn’t a huge deal. What sounds like reckless endangerment is what bothers me the most.  What this sounds like is a nervous breakdown from dealing with all of the pressure he faced and in turn, buckling under the pressure. I like Rampage and can only hope he takes care of himself.

KS: The Quinton Jackson situation went from “unfortunate but genuinely entertaining” to “altogether unfortunate” when word got out he was undergoing psychological evaluation after weirding out some friends to the extent that they saw fit to get him help.  It’s one thing to kind of freak out a little in your monster truck — I mean, who among us? — but it now seems like the man might be seriously unwell. Poor guy.

CH: It’s a little tough to get a full grip on the situation until more details emerge about what exactly set Jackson off.  The fact that Dana was the one that had to fly out and bail him out should raise a red flag or two.  Is Rampage that hard up for cash? How exactly is Dana going to do spin control on this whole story?  What are people going to say if White looks the other way after lambasting Jesse Taylor for non-felonious hijinks?

JS: While people are busy feeling sorry for Rampage, I feel sorry for all the people he terrorized with his ridiculous and irresponsible meltdown.  I feel worst for the pregnant lady he sent to the hospital, a victim I’m sure is being rundown by sociopaths on MMA message boards worldwide as being “after his money.” 

The debate shouldn’t be about when Rampage comes back to fighting.  He obviously can’t handle the pressure of being a professional athlete right now.  The debate should be about whether Jackson is safe to be walking our streets.  And it may be a debate between 12 of his peers this August.

2) Affliction is this weekend. Maybe you noticed. Anyhow, all eyes are on Fedor/Sylvia. Final thoughts?

DW: I can’t say enough how stoked I am about this. People are completely underselling the Mark Hunt fight, which was really competitive, never mind that Hunt actually was a legit contender. The internet has seemingly just sort of forgotten about that, and just instead taken the road of fat black dudes, giant asian dudes and a 185lb former UFC fighter as the end all be all with Fedor.

JS: After years fighting overmatched opponents (like the inexperienced Mark Hunt), cream puffs (like Hong Choi), and middleweights (like Matt Lindland), Fedor will finally enter the ring against a legitimate heavyweight contender.  I expect Fedor to win after taking the fight to the ground, but who really knows what he has left?  A lot changes in three years and Fedor might no longer be the dominant fighter he was throughout the decade in Japan. 

CH: Sylvia’s being given a roughly 25% chance of winning by the bookmakers, which I agree with.  I can’t see Sylvia knocking Fedor out which means he’s going to have to grind out a long, boring decision on his feet to emerge victorious.  And what’s with people claiming Mark Hunt’s the only legit fighter Fedor’s faced in the past three years?  Did everyone suddenly decide Matt Lindland isn’t a fantastic fighter?  Sylvia’s got a better shot than most at toppling Fedor, but I just can’t see him holding the Russian at bay for five full rounds.  I’ll go with the crowd and say Fedor gets it to the ground in round three and grabs an armbar.

KS: Dread, because if Fedor loses to Tim Sylvia, I have to question everything I thought I knew.  About everything.  For me, anyway, it’s more vague worry that Sylvia will win rather than actual thought that he will.  Yes, Sylvia is a solid striker with remarkable reach and serviceable takedown defense, but I see Fedor pushing the action as he did against Cro Cop, working his way into the clinch, tripping Sylvia to the mat, and absolutely having his way with him as soon as this gets to the ground.  

LC: Sylvia is certainly the best opponent Fedor’s fought in years, probably since the last Nogueira fight.  I think Alan’s insane to actually pick Sylvia in this fight, and I’m one of the four Sylvia fans in the world, but this will be very competitive til Fedor finally throws him to the ground and does something awful to the big lug. 

3) Also on the card, Pedro Rizzo returns to the spotlight with his rematch against Josh Barnett. Is Pedro really finished, or did recent  wins against Eilers and Monson prove he has something left for this fight?

CH: I don’t remember Rizzo at the end of his UFC run, I remember him being run over by Kharitonov and a fat Roman Zentsov in short order during his PRIDE stint.  Yeah, he beat Justin Eilers and Jeff Monson, but it’s fair to say Josh Barnett is a massive cut above both of those gentlemen.  My refusal to believe that this will be anything but a whitewash for Barnett doesn’t rest on the fact that Rizzo is shot or has gotten appreciably worse since their first fight seven and a half years ago, it’s based on the fact that Josh Barnett has gotten that much better in that time frame. 

LC: Barnett, though, should wreck Rizzo.  I know, I know - Rizzo stopped Monson, ergo Rock Renaissance.  Here’s the thing, though.  Barnett’s bigger, stronger, faster, and better than Monson in every conceivable area except, perhaps, Workers’ Solidarity.  If Barnett’s dumb enough to go toe to toe with Rizzo, Pedro could look good in this fight, but if Barnett puts this on the ground it shouldn’t get out of the first. 

JS: Rizzo is the great forgotten fighter of our lifetime.  He was at his best during SEG’s dark days and has never had the chance to shine during the new MMA boom.  Barnett is one of the best heavyweights around, but he is a great opponent for Rizzo.  He overrates his own skills standing, always seems to get hit, and will put entertaining the crowd ahead of winning.  That gives Rizzo a chance to establish his bonafides before a brand new audience and springboard back into the heavyweight picture.

4) UFC has its hastily manufactured card Saturday night. Not at all a competitor to Affliction, of course. Anderson Silva faces James Irvin in the main event. Is this a good idea?

LC: If Silva loses on Saturday, I’ll be looking out the window for winged pigs.  Yeah, sure, anything’s possible in MMA, 2007, Serra/GSP, blah blah blah, but James Irvin has no business on the same card as Anderson Silva, let alone fighting him. 

DW: It If Anderson Silva loses, they look like idiots. Irvin is not going to be a star, and then you just make your 185lbs champ look bad. The way I see it, if Irvin beats Silva, what lies ahead at 205 for Irvin? Just about everybody of name value in that division would probably work him over pretty badly. If Vera loses, it is another really dumb decision on their part, and we can just sit back and laugh.

JS: Although I think Anderson Silva is a great fighter, it would be fitting from a karmic standpoint if he were to lost Saturday night.  The UFC’s SPIKE TV card has been designed as an Affliction killer.  It would be funny if they managed to kill the allure of one of their few standout fighters with this ill advised jump in weight.  Irvin is an unknown;  beating him holds no value.  Losing to him not only destroys Silva’s aura as champion, it also costs them a potential champion vs. champion battle down the road, a match that the Middleweight Champion doesn’t need a tuneup for to book.  

CH: What happens if Silva breaks his hand and can’t fight for six months, putting yet *another* title in deep freeze mode until the end of the year?  Personally, I’ll chuck a heavy object at my TV if this stupid farce of a fight robs me of a chance to see Silva fight live in September.

5) Brandon Vera returns very shortly after losing to Fabricio Werdum to face a virtual unknown in Reese Andy. Vera is a big name for the company who’s received a ton of hype since he debuted. Just as with Silva/Irvin: Is this smart matchmaking?

LC: Vera losing to Andy would be pretty severe for him, as it puts him out of the title mix at both weight classes he plans to dominate.  I’m really interested in his performance here, as I think he’s really a true light-heavyweight who campaigns at heavyweight because he hates cutting.  Hopefully a good performance here will convince him this is where he belongs.  If you look at Vera, his body is much closer to Forrest Griffin or Chuck Liddell than it is to Heath Herring or Fabricio Werdum.  Campaigning vainly at heavyweight is a waste of his talent.

CH: Is Vera’s star even that bright any more?  I mean, how many people are buying into the notion that he’s the next big thing in the heavyweight or light heavyweight division any more?  All he’s shown in the past year is the ability to get held against a cage and a compulsive whining streak in addition to vastly overestimating his own skills. 

DW: If Vera loses, it is another really dumb decision on their part, and we can just sit back and laugh.

6) DREAM is Sunday, and that has a star studded lineup, even if names have been dropping off like flies. How will the GP Finals go?

CH: I’ll go the safe way and pick Aoki to beat Uno and then overcome Kawajiri in the finals.  I figured the only person in the tournament who could beat him was JZ, and I’m not going to back away from that now.  I wouldn’t discount the possibility of Aoki not being able to continue and Hansen sneaking in to take the whole thing as a reserve though. 

JS: The Lightweight Grand Prix will come to a conclusion, and in the end, I see the old veteran Caol Uno emerging triumphant.  I expect Alvarez and Kawajiri to wear each other down, while Uno uses his veteran presence to escape Shinya Aoki’s submissions.  No matter how this turns out, we should see three of the best fights of the weekend to finish up a Grand Prix that has been one of the best tournaments fight fans have ever seen.

KS: I’ve definitely enjoyed every show thus far, but Dream hasn’t exactly been a huge hit in Japan.   I see Aoki getting past Uno, and maybe finishing him, despite the fact that Uno has only lost by submission twice in his long career. Alvarez/Kawajiri is a coin toss to me.  Alvarez has come out of pretty much nowhere and emerged as a world beater at 155, while Kawajiri hasn’t seemed quite himself in his last few fights, but I see the Crusher getting back on track here.  I’ll take Aoki over Kawajiri in the final, though it would be nice to see Hansen work his way back into the mix (he should have no trouble with Kultar Gill).  

LC: I wouldn’t begin to guess who’ll actually win the GP, but my heart is always with Caol Uno.

7) Any sleepers or dark horses on the DREAM card? (editors note – no one knew about Overeem/Hunt when the questions were sent and responded to):

JS: The other intriguing fight on this card is Kulter Gill taking on Total MMA favorite Joachim Hansen.  Although it may break hearts here at total-mma.com, I see Gill being too much for “Hellboy” standing, and ending the fight with a brutal KO. 

DW: Kultar Gill’s best wins are over a guy fighting in a weight class he really shouldn’t have been fighting in, I don’t give him much of a chance at all against Hansen who should submit him late in the first. 

LC: If Joachim Hansen drops a fight to Kultar Gill - KULTAR GILL for cryin’ out loud - because of an unhealthy attachment to stand up fighting, his coach needs to slap him in his concussed head til he stops doing that. 

KS: Hopefully the Tokoro fight happens, and hopefully Yoshihiro Akiyama finishes Shibata in a fashion commensurate with his ring entrance, which is to say IN SPECTACULAR FASHION.  Be sure to check out the Total-MMA Dream preview podcast, which will be posted shortly.