Pictured: Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn square off at UFC 118 weigh-ins yesterday. Picture from Tracy Lee of CombatLifeStyle.com

The TD Center in Boston takes center stage for one of UFC’s bigger shows of 2010 tonight, as BJ Penn rides into New England to try and take his lightweight crown back from the man who took it from him: Frankie Edgar. UFC 118 also features the MMA debut of James “Lights Out” Toney (I think this is a bad idea, but hey, it’s a free country), squaring off against UFC legend Randy Couture, and a strong undercard to boot — including Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis.

Offering predictions this time are resident Britons Jacob Lawton (JL) and David Bateman (DB) along with token Yank Bryan Belangia (BB). As always, our predictions are for entertainment purposes only, so don’t blame us if lose your shirt. (But on that subject, Six Deuce has a great sale going on this weekend…)

Main Event Lightweight Title Bout: Frankie Edgar (12-1) vs. BJ Penn (15-6-1)

JL: Poor Frankie Edgar. Ever since he took that shock decision marker over Penn to pick up the title back in April, his legitimacy has been rubbished and his first defence became an instant rematch against a man who, according to the judges, he has defeated already. His busy footwork and decent boxing is complemented by a very good wrestling game, but matched against Penn you do wonder quite how he won that first fight. BJ’s ethereal jab and world renowned jiu-jitsu make him a threat to anyone, and now that he’s added his great conditioning and near impregnable takedown defence to the mix, there don’t appear to be many ways to beat him. But then again, Edgar found that way… or maybe Penn gave it to him. BJ prepared for that fateful night in Abu Dhabi by training in his gym at his hometown of Hilo, Hawaii. This time around he’s back on the mainland, training in top gyms with top trainers to make himself ready for this fight. If this is a good indicator of BJ’s mental state, then hopefully he’ll be much more ready to take on Frankie. And with a point to prove, I see a dominant decision falling the Hawaiian’s way.

DB: BJ is more determined than ever, eager to regain his title and status as undisputed king of the Lightweight division. He can’t possibly perform as poorly as he did at UFC 112, and leave this fight in the judges’ hands. However, in his quest to end the fight, he may give Frankie Edgar opportunities. Frankie was written off in the first fight, and has been written off by many people again. I’m expecting a war for 3 rounds, with a lot more ground fighting than the first fight, before BJ steals a rear-naked choke victory in the 4th.

BB: The first fight was very close. I scored it for Penn, simply because he caused more damage than Edgar in their exchanges. Edgar won the decision based solely on the fact that he appeared busier throughout the fight and thus the appearance was that he controlled it. It’s something that Penn will correct this fight. Edgar is a game opponent, but I’d hate to be fighting BJ when he’s coming off of a loss. This one won’t go to a decision. Penn will look to end this fight early and I believe he will. Penn with a TKO in the second round.

TOTAL-MMA Picks: Penn, 3-0

Co-Main Event Heavyweight Bout: Randy Couture (18-10) vs. James Toney (0-0)

JL: In my humble opinion enough has been said and written about this bout by now. It’s an old, past it boxer taking on a treasure of our sport and living legend. And it boils down to one thing: can Toney find Couture’s chin before ‘Captain America’ takes him down and taps him out? There’s always a chance that will happen, but I think nine times out of ten Couture gets Toney down and finds a limb to twist. I’ll take Couture via first round submission.

DB: This has 1st round finish written all over it. In the first minute, if Couture takes Toney down, it is over. Or, if Toney catches Couture, it is likely over too. I think it will be a little more complicated than that, and Randy will destroy Toney’s punching power with legs kick first, but ultimately I can’t see any possible outcome than a Couture first-round victory. I’d love to be bold and suggest Toney can win, but it just doesn’t seem logical. This isn’t Boxing vs MMA, for that to happen it would need to be someone like a Mayweather or Pacquiao. Then I’d consider the boxers chances. James Toney can punch, but he’s not a phenomenon.

BB: So the common phrase going around is “punchers chance?” As Jacob notes, Toney was successful in boxing but even in that sport his better days are behind him. Couture will play it safe and protect himself while closing the distance. Toney claims to be tough in the clinch because of his experience in the boxing ring but he’s never been in the clinch against a world class Greco-roman wrestler. Couture will take this fight to the ground as soon as possible and Toney will make the rookie mistake of giving up his back because he won’t be comfortable with his back on the mat. Couture with a rear naked choke in the first round.

TOTAL-MMA Picks: Couture, 3-0

Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian (13-4) vs. Gray Maynard (9-0)

JL: This fight is basically a number one contenders match up, with perennial nearly man Kenny Florian squaring off with super decision machine Gray Maynard. Florian is by far the more well rounded fighter – he made his name with his jiu-jitsu, and has since added some dangerous Muay Thai to the mix. Add to that his famously feared elbows from the bottom of guard and you have to fear for Gray, who has his stellar wrestling and not much else. His striking is awkward at best, and he’s never shown any aptitude at submissions on the ground. Yes, there’s a chance that Maynard will pin Florian to the mat for three rounds, but I don’t think the Massachusetts native will let that happen in his home state. I expect a decision win for Florian.

DB: This fight is the most difficult to predict on the card. Maynard could take Florian down and make the fight a ground war between his wrestling and Florian’s BJJ; or Florian could defend the takedown attempts, as he has been training with top wrestlers like GSP; Florian could stop Maynard with a brutal elbow in the clinch; or Maynard could show his ever improving stand-up game and KO Florian. In the end, I think Maynard will have it by close decision. He has already beaten the current champion Frankie Edgar, and would have had a title shot before now if he was a slightly more exciting fighter (although I personally don’t find wrestling boring the way many fans do). His wrestling will most likely prove pivotal, but no outcome would surprise me.

BB: For me, this is also the toughest fight to predict on the card. Maynard is such a good wrestler and has a ton of power in his punches but Florian is very fast and technically a very good striker from all aspects of the standup game. On the mat I’d have to give the edge to Maynard because he’s so good at controlling his opponent and I think his strength can overcome any submission attempts by Florian — but I think Florian will be successful at keeping this fight on the feet and will look to punish Maynard with leg kicks and strikes from outside. Florian with a close decision here.

TOTAL-MMA Picks: Florian, 2-1

Middleweight Bout: Demian Maia (12-2) vs. Mario Miranda (10-1)

JL: This fight is a creation of chance: the terrible injury sustained by Alan Belcher has meant that not only was Demian Maia pulled from a UFN main event, but he’s been told he’s fighting several weeks earlier against the latest in dangerously underrated prospects, Mario Miranda. Miranda is primarily a vicious Muay-Thai striker who has some workable jiu-jitsu in his locker too, while Maia is basically a one dimensional but wickedly proficient jiu-jitsu black belt. The fight comes down to whether Maia can get Miranda off his feet. Though he couldn’t manage it against Anderson Silva in his last outing, Miranda has not the experience that Silva has, nor the training camp pedigree the Middleweight champ enjoys. Miranda’s a tough nut to crack, but I think Maia will be able to outgrapple him and avoid damage on the feet en route to a third round submission.

DB: Maia is far superior to his opponent here. It’s a shame the fight with Belcher fell through, that would have been a worthy opponent. I can only see this ending in a submission victory in a dominating Maia performance, probably via gullotine in the third.

BB: This is an odd fight to be on a main card, but that’s what happens when you deal with injuries. Miranda is a dangerous striker but I don’t believe he’s dangerous enough to knockout Maia before he can get the fight to the floor. From there it’s all Maia. I have Maia with a submission in the first, but this is truly a dangerous fight for Maia. Miranda has nothing to lose and Maia’s striking as we know is pretty bad.

TOTAL-MMA Picks: Maia, 3-0

Welterweight Bout: Nate Diaz (12-5) vs. Marcus Davis (17-6)

JL: Rounding out the card is a scrap that promises to be viciously entertaining. Diaz continues his run at 170lbs after a winning start against the since fired Rory Markham while Davis also looks to retain the winning habit following a victory over Jonathan Goulet. Both men are well known for their tendency to stand and strike, and both are often underestimated in their dangerous ground games. It simply comes down to who’s hungrier in this battle of equals, and I think Diaz has more fire in him here. Look for the Ceasar Gracie alumnus Diaz to take an entertaining decision win.

DB: Unless Frankie and BJ produce something spectacular, here’s your FOTN. When Diaz fights, it’s usually a war. When Davis fights, it’s always a war. Putting them together is as close you will get to throwing fire and dynamite into a cage without killing all those within a miles radius. I can see Davis controlling the fight and looking near a victory, before Diaz pulls out a shock triangle victory late in the second.

BB: This is going to be a fun fight to watch. Despite having good boxing skills, Davis is so overmatched in the reach department that he won’t be able to mount any offense. Diaz is going to tag Davis at will on the feet and it could get bloody quick. I’d guess that once Davis has had enough of getting punched in the face he’ll make the mistake of taking Diaz down, which will be his downfall. We’ll see either a sweep from Diaz or a submission from the guard position. Either way I think Diaz takes this one via submission in the second or third round.

TOTAL-MMA Picks: Diaz, 3-0

Don’t forget that the undercard, including a solid bout between Gabe Ruediger and Joe Lauzon, will air on Spike TV as well. As always, enjoy the fights!

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Pictured: Sengoku 14’s official poster. Jorge Santiago and Kazuo Misaki battled for the Sengoku middleweight title this week — in what Total-MMA writer Jacob Lawton calls a fight of the year candidate.

As a group, Total-MMA has offered no coverage of the recent Sengoku event thus far. And who can blame us? Strikeforce was held the same night, and in the lead up to the event WEC had another of their edge-of-the-seat exciting shows. So let me remedy that now. On paper the card was standard Japanese fare – a collection of hometown boys with “squash matches” against various foreigners, the first rounds of the SRC Welterweight Grand Prix and Asian Bantamweight Grand Prix, former BJJ Mundials champ Leonardo in action. The main event was a rematch from the beginning of 2009 Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki for the Sengoku Middleweight strap. The first fight between the duo was great – four and a half rounds of Misaki dominance capped by a Santiago come-from-behind submission – but this fight was the far superior. Please, click the link below and watch the fight before reading on through the event analysis, which continues after the jump. I do not lie when I say this is a fight of the year contender.

Check the video out: SRC 14: Santiago vs. Misaki II

While you get an energy drink and calm down, I’ll go ahead and analyze the rest of the card.

The first standout moment of the night came during one of two welterweight grand prix matches, when Yasubey Enomoto pulled out a submission of rival Kenta Takagi with the rarely used bulldog choke. With that victory he set up a second round match with Taisuke Okuno, who defeated far-and-away favourite Nick Thompson with a crushing left hook and left ‘The Goat’ out on the canvas for over 30 seconds.

With Grand Prix formalities dealt with, the main card proper could get underway. The first fight saw former multiple-time BJJ world champion (an honour he won at the age of just 15, replacing BJ Penn as the youngest man to win the Mundials) Leonardo Santos square off with journeyman grappler Sotaro Yamada. Unfortunately, we never got to see Santos’ awesome JJ in action as the fight descended into a mockery of groin shots – Santos landing one to Yamada’s five, the last of which finally saw the ref step in and call a DQ victory for the Brazillian.

Next up was Shooto featherweight kingpin Hatsu Hioki, whose fight of the year candidate with ‘Lion’ Takeshi Inoue has done the rounds on the internet, even in our very own little corner here at Total-MMA. He faced British standout Jeff Lawson in a fight that would earn the winner a shot at Sengoku Featherweight champ Marlon Sandro. It did not last long. Hioki secured the early takedown, and though Lawson reversed well, he ended up in Hioki’s guard. It took next to no time for the Japanese to slap on a Triangle and solicit a first round tap, and promise us a very exciting looking potential five-rounder with Sandro in the near future.

The co-main event saw a potential theme for the next few years in Japanese MMA begin, with UFC vet and all round Japanese legend Akihiro Gono take on little heard of Mongolian Jadamba Narantugalag. Along with his un-spellable name, Narantugalag has been blessed with 4 K-1 fights and has very good kickboxing. Watching the fights live, as soon as I heard the words ‘former K-1’ I predicted a submission victory for Gono. I could not have been more wrong. Frank Trigg on commentary informed me that Mongolians had been taking over Sumo for the past few years — and were now starting with MMA; as Narantugalag dominated Gono standing, in the clinch and on the ground. A tight guillotine in the last round was as close as Narantugalag came to finishing the fight, but he took a well appointed decision, and (according to the commentary team) paved the way for a cluster of his campmates, some of whom are apparently better than him, to enter MMA. Gono fans should not worry overly – it looks like the cut to 155, which ‘The Japanese Sensation’ made for the first time here, is just a little to far for him.

Trigg went on to tell us that Mongolia’s national sport is wrestling, that there is a flourishing judo culture in the city, and Chinese MMA market leader Art of War has many fighters on their books. It looks like we could have another major play on the world MMA stage, and if they all fight as well as Narantugalag, we could all be as helpless as two peasants matched with Genghis Khan to stop it.

The main event, then. I’m not going to deliver a blow-by-blow summary, since hopefully you’ve already watched it. I’ll just state the following: it was an amazing fight, it could be fight of the year and that finish was a little messed up. Seriously, who throws the towel in with just 30 seconds to go of a championship fight your man has a very real chance of winning. Going into the last round I had Misaki 38-36 ahead on my scorecard, and the last frame was a 10-8 Santiago round until the towel came in, so I would have scored the fight a 46-46 draw. With Sengoku’s preoccupation with the ‘Must’ victory system, I can very easily see judges siding with Misaki, who for me won three of the five rounds, as opposed to Santiago winning two very convincingly, and therefore seeing that Misaki had more control of the fight as a whole. But the scorecards don’t matter. If you haven’t already done so, go up to the top of the article, click that link, and watch one of the best fights this year unfold before you. I promise you won’t regret it.

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Pictured: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza weighs in for StrikeForce: Houston yesterday. Photo by Esther Lin courtesy of StrikeForce. Total-MMA staff agrees on the result of every bout but Souza vs. Tim Kennedy!

It hasn’t been all smiles under the warm California sun for our friends at StrikeForce. The San Jose-based promotion has taken a few hits in its recent attempts to go “international” — among them, the defection of middleweight champion Jake Shields, an embarassing showing on national TV, and most recently, injury issues with their newly crowned champion Fabricio Werdum. But as the lineup for tonight’s StrikeForce: Houston show illustrates, they still have the roster to put on a strong show.

A light heavyweight title bout which would be a good offering on any ZUFFA show headlines, while the absence of Shields makes way for two of the game’s grittiest to take center stage, to contest the vacated middleweight crown. A solid undercard airs in a webcast on Sherdog.com, including the sublime jiu-jitsu of world champion Andre Galvao against old favorite Jorge Patino.

So maybe sometimes things fall apart… but they still end up okay, at least for this viewer who just wants to catch some good MMA action on a Saturday night!

Tonight’s show is handicapped by Jacob Lawton (JL) and me (TH).

As always, our predicitions are for entertainment purposes only.

Main Event Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Muhammed Lawal (7-0) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (9-2)

JL: One of the many Light Heavyweight super prospects continues on his road to the big leagues as ‘King Mo’ takes on ‘Feijao’ for the Strikeforce strap. Lawal has 5 T/KO’s in his perfect career, while none of Cavalcante’s fights have gone the distance. This would suggest, therefore, that we are in for an exciting night. But I don’t think we are. Lawal is a throwback to Dan Severn, a proper, old school lay-and-pray style wrestler, with a dynamic shot but not many tools for finishing the fight. Across the cage, Cavalcante is a dangerous Muay-Thai striker, but he has little to offer from his back. And even if he did, which Lawal’s last opponent Gegard Mousasi certainly did, would Lawal’s stifling top game give him the chance to use it? I expect five rounds of wrestle-fest en route to a Lawal unanimous decision victory.

TH: Yeah, you pretty much said it all. ‘Feijao’ isn’t bad off his back but I see another wrestling clinic for the vastly underappreciated ‘King Mo’ leading to a unanimous decision.

Total-MMA PICK: LAWAL.

Co Main Event Middleweight Title Bout: Ronaldo Souza (12-2) vs. Tim Kennedy (12-2)

JL: Two fighters with identical records face off for the vacant Strikeforce championship, empty after Jake Shields’ defection to the UFC. ‘Jacare’ is a high calibre jiu-jitsu black belt with more submissions up his sleeve than most people have hairs on their heads, while Kennedy is a rugged striker with workmanlike wrestling and some solid jiu-jitsu to round out his skill set. Both men are unbeaten in their Strikeforce careers, and neither has lost for the best part of two years. However, the fight comes down to whether ‘Jacare’ can take it to the ground. He has a good collection of trips and has been known to knock people down with strikes in the past, but I think the wily Kennedy will have an answer to everything ‘Jacare’ attempts on the feet, and will sprawl and brawl his way to a TKO in the championship rounds.

TH: I’m excited for this one — it’s as good (and even) a middleweight pairing as we’ll see for the remainder of this year, unless Georges St. Pierre decides to move up. While it’s tough to pick against Kennedy and his all-around skills combined with tireless work ethic, I can’t help but think ‘Jacare’ will eventually get him where he wants him. I look for some tough times early as Kennedy’s improved standup carries the first two rounds, but Souza to find an armbar submission in the third, off a scramble.

Total-MMA pick : SPLIT.

Lightweight Bout: KJ Noons (9-2) vs. Jorge Gurgel (13-6)

JL: This fight just looks like a recipe for disaster for Gurgel. Here we have a fighter who has a brilliant jiu-jitsu game that can perplex most of the division’s high fliers, but he refuses to use it, instead choosing to stand and trade against all comers. Against the former boxer Noons, this is just asking to have your button pressed and your eyes rolled back. If Gurgel can’t beat Billy Evangelista, as in his last fight, I can’t see him finding a way passed Noons, who has not lost since 2007. Gurgel has never been stopped on strikes and Noons is not a particularly powerful puncher, so watch him outpoint his opponent to take a dominant decision, and hopefully push him on his way to a Lightweight title bout against Gil Melendez in the near future.

TH: Noons boxes beautifully when he’s on, and he’s still a capable enough fighter when he’s not. I agree that Gurgel’s penchant for standup can cost him here. Look for Noons to use his reach advantage to earn the nod.

Total-MMA pick: NOONS.

Heavyweight Bout: Bobby Lashley (5-0) vs. Chad Griggs (8-1)

JL: Once again the overriding reaction to hearing a Bobby Lashley opponent announced was a unanimous ‘who?’ The pro wrestler turned pro fighter has been decidedly under whelming in his career thus far, just about defeating career journeymen for the past two years. It’s worrying to think that Griggs, an IFL vet making his first appearance at the top of the game — and who hasn’t fought in 16 months — is probably the stiffest competition Lashley has faced. Not stiff enough, though. Grigg has some powerful strikes and ground and pound, but I don’t think Lashley will give him the chance to use them – the ex-WWE superstar Lashley will be able to show off his ever improving submission game with a round two tap out on the cards.

TH: You need stuff like this to round out a show, right? It’s a showcase bout for Lashley, who takes this in a round via ground-and-pound.

Total-MMA pick: Lashley

The Sherdog-aired undercard includes Andre Galvao, who just published a fantastic book of BJJ drills that Tommy recommends, and Daniel Cormier, a prospect from AKA that Jacob recommends keeping an eye on. As always, enjoy the fights!

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Pictured: Dominick Cruz & Joseph Benavidez face off at the WEC 50 weigh ins yesterday. Photo by Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com

Today’s bantamweight division is like a time warp ten years into the past. It’s a fantastic situation of utter chaos, much like the major weight classes were at the turn of the century, which, in my humble opinion, makes for riveting viewing. It’s top dog has already changed twice over the past twelve months, and you wouldn’t bet against it happening again tonight as champ Dominick Cruz (15-1) and Urijah Faber protoge Joseph Benavidez (12-1) go at it for the WEC strap in a rematch of a fight that took place just last year. It was the fight that secured Cruz his title shot, his perfect footwork and dizzying head movement taking him to an unanimous decision over a frustrated Benavidez, who could not work his grappling game at all as he liked. That particular duel is intriguing, but so is the top of the bantamweight division in general. Let’s try and unravel the twisted mass of the top five or so bantamweight fighters currently fighting in the WEC…

We should start with a little history, I suppose. For the best past of a decade the bantamweight kingpin was Miguel Torres. The wiry Indianan had a legendary reputation: a gaudy 37-1 record and fantastic tales of victories over men nearly twice his weight. He had all the characteristics of a great champion: a huge heart, an iron chin and a solid all round game that had few holes, and hardly ever exploited; or so we thought. To say that Torres was an overwhelming favourite stepping in with Brian Bowles last August would be like saying the Goliath was expected to off David quite routinely.

Of course, we all know how that particular story ended, and this one had a similar conclusion. The 7-0 prospect Bowles was seen as a game challenger coming into the fight, with his primary weapon being some deadly power punches, though that was backed up with some solid jiu-jitsu. The sum of this was that of his seven victories prior to the Torres fight, precisely none had reached the judges scorecards. It was a trend that was not about to change. In an upset for the ages, Bowles stalked Torres for most of the first round, before knocking him into the middle of next week, and despite Torres’ renowned ability to recover from such nuclear shots, this time it was too much, and the champion succumbed to a stoppage loss for the first time in his career.

After this huge victory, in most fans’ heads Bowles instantly assumed Torres’ mantle of the unbeatable Bantamweight. They could not have been more wrong. Shortly before Torres’ dismantling at Bowles’ hands, Dominick Cruz had secured his victory of Joseph Benavidez, giving him a five fight win streak, since a loss to Urijah Faber at Featherweight. It was assumed that Cruz’s striking, which was technically sound and dangerous to a point but lacked the power of Bowles own head-removing punches, would be swept aside by the champion. But it was not to be. For two rounds Cruz slipped and sidestepped, coming back with stinging counterpunches. At the start of the third, Bowles didn’t answer the bell, and left the cage sporting a broken hand and wounded pride.

Earlier that night another big twist had occurred in the bantamweight picture. In the co-main event, Joseph Benavidez, who had already rebounded from his loss to Cruz with a viciously quick TKO marker over Rani Yahya, gave the rankings another good shaking by giving Torres a savage beating (including a cut that put Diego Sanchez’s wound suffered against BJ Penn to shame) and choking him out in an utterly dominant performance. Torres plummeted down rankings across the world, as Benavidez moved up. It was confirmed shortly afterwards that the next contest for the Bantamweight strap would be Cruz-Benavidez II.

For what it matters, I don’t think this fight will go any differently to the first. It has been just over a year; not a long time for Benavidez to improve. Both fighters are in their prime, but I think Cruz just has the edge. Benavidez is a small bantamweight, and Cruz just overpowers him despite Benavidez’s superior grappling pedigree. Look for five rounds of dizzying Cruz footwork followed by a unanimous decision as the champ notches his first title defence. But his work won’t stop there.

Hidden in the under card is the fight priming the next challenger to Cruz’s strap. Red headed guillotine merchant Scott Jorgensen takes on power wrestler Brad Pickett, with the winner expected to face whoever emerges from the main event with the title. Jorgensen’s record may be modest at 10-3, but he is the more dangerous fighter; his game has more facets, not least his deadly submissions, but also his solid striking and workmanlike wrestling. Pickett will probably put Jorgensen on his pack a couple of times in the fight, but overall Jorgensen will do more to earn the judges marker, or maybe even wrench the vertebrae several inches out of place in Pickett’s neck with another trademark choke. Either way, I expect Jorgensen to be the next man to take on the champ, and his brand of maddened aggression will guarantee an exciting fight whoever he faces.

Though the article is coming to a close, there is so much left to say. How will Brian Bowles and Miguel Torres rebound from their losses? Will they emerge once again as legitimate title contenders or be consigned to under card obscurity with the ‘legend’ tag around their necks? And then there is the arriving Urijah Faber, dropping down from featherweight and bringing his high calibre wrestling, never-say-die attitude and granite chin to the party at his most natural weight. It’s safe to say that the next few months at bantamweight are going to make some riveting viewing, and it’s my pleasure as the know-it-all pundit to clearly state I have no clue who will be champion in 12 months time.

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Pictured: Anderson Silva refuses to acknowledge Chael Sonnen at the weigh in yesterday. Picture by Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com.

UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen is on tonight, live from Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA, promising a lively night of fights… and maybe answer a few questions.

Will Matt Hughes earn the “Second Gracie Hunter” moniker that Jacob likes so much? Will Anderson Silva come out of his shell and really come at somebody, now that he’s been offended by all the trash talk? With every matchup featuring a Brazilian vs an American, will “U-S-A” chants drown out the commentary? Will we see a slower and more methodical game at the top of the card or will the glamorous strikers have their day in the sun? Or does it matter? As Oakland Radiers legend Al Davis used to say — “Just win, baby…”

This round of predictions features Jacob Lawton (JL), David Bateman (DB), and me (TH). As always, these are for entertainment purposes only, so don’t blame us if you end up foreclosing, although at least you’ll have company these days…

Main Event Middleweight Title Bout: Anderson Silva (26-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (24-10)

JL: This is one humdinger of a main event. It is, essentially, a re-run of every great striker vs. wrestler fight ever, but featuring two very well rounded competitors in each role. Silva, the striker, is undoubtedly the greatest Middleweight of the modern era, ahead of his time as for as his strikes and his all round MMA game goes. Sonnen, our wrestler, is a rugged specimen with a nuclear-powered shot. The whole fight boils down to whether Sonnen can get the takedown. And even if he can, I fear it may be irrelevant. Silva is a black belt in BJJ under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and thus must have been taught how to use his guard to illicit tapouts. And if Sonnen’s to win the fight, he must spend time within that dangerous guard. Unfortunately for the Yank, I just think he’s outclassed, as so many of Silva’s recent opponents have been, and I expect the champion to get the better of his determined challenger in the championship rounds. T/KO, rounds four or five.

DB: After UFC 112 I lost an awful lot of respect for Silva, but I can’t stand Chael Sonnen. Hyping a fight and talking trash is one thing, but his statements border on insane quite often. He’s put together some impressive wins, especially the last against Marquardt, but Sonnen will be totally outclassed in this one. He isn’t anywhere near Silva’s class, and I don’t expect to see a 2nd round. Even if he takes Silva to the ground, Sonnen has been submitted 9 times, and Silva has great BJJ. Silva in the first, probably with a flashy KO.

TH: I’m with Bateman — this is a mismatch. Sonnen can outwrestle Nate Marquardt and talk a lot of crap. Silva is the best fighter in the world. Watch for the “Spider” to bite early here. Some jabs, a big knee, and stand over his prey for some punches on the mat to end the insanity. Silva, T/KO one.

TOTAL-MMA picks Silva, 3-0

Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: Jon Fitch (22-3) vs. Thiago Alves (16-6)

JL: This is basically a bout to determine who is number two in the Welterweight division. Give me all the flack you like for ignoring Martin Kampmann and Josh Koscheck, but these two are the second and third most talented fighters in the division – and if it weren’t for a certain French Canadian, this would be a title fight. In the end it all comes down to whether Alves has got the skills required to neutralise Fitch’s smothering top game and bulldog takedowns, and unfortunately, on the evidence of his first fight against Fitch and the championship match with GSP, I don’t think he has. Their first fight saw him stopped by his American Kickboxing Academy based opponent, but I’ll think he’ll do better this time – he’ll reach the scorecards before Fitch has his hand raised via unanimous decision.

DB: Hopefully the rumours of Alves weight problems turn out to be false, and we see the great fight this one can be. (Editor’s note: Well, so much for that idea. Alves will forfeit 20% of his purse due to failing to make weight again. — TH) A classic striker v grappler, all depends on Alves ring rust and fitness. I can see Fitch grinding out a decision with relative ease, in a dull fight because of Alves’ ring rust. Fitch by Unanimous decision.

TH: San Jose-based Fitch should have the Bay Area crowd on his side, but he may struggle here. I really wasn’t happy about his performance against Mike Pierce, and Alves is in another class. But I know he won’t quit, and I think he survive the standup to muster a takedown at least once a round, and that should be enough. At least, I hope so. I actually enjoy Fitch’s methodical game, but glamor boy Alves’ continued weight issues are just boring me. Fitch by decision.

Total-MMA picks Fitch, 3-0

Welterweight Bout: Matt Hughes (44-7) vs. Ricardo Almeida (12-3)

JL: Almeida’s second fight at 170lbs promises to be a good one. The Brazilian looked the best he’s ever been against Matt Brown, where he picked up a submission win, but his opponent here is a class above that particular opponent. Hughes is a living legend, for a long time considered not only the best Welterweight in the world but also among the top pound for pound fights in the land. His patented brand of unstoppable takedowns, unending ground and pound and underrated submissions have spelt defeat for many a fighter, and at 37 he’s not so old to be irrelevant. He’d be a great scalp for Almeida, but I don’t see the ‘Big Dog’ taking it – his jiu-jitsu is powerful, his boxing solid and he’s big for 170lbs – but he’s nothing Hughes hasn’t beaten before. Almeida’s tough and submission savvy, so I don’t think that the Illinois boy will finish him, but it will be a dominant decision win for the former champ Hughes.

DB: The Second Gracie Hunter has a stern test this time. Fighting for Gracie honour, Almeida is a tough and talented fighter, and Hughes will face a much fitter opponent than his last outing. A good ground battle seems obvious, but I think the fight will be decided by stand-up, and I’ll give Hughes the edge with a 3rd round TKO.

TH: I have always been a big fan of Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida, but recently was forced to admit that we old MMA fans, especially jiu-jitsu folk, can tend to overrate him a little. Still, he’s coming into his own at his new weight, and Hughes didn’t look good vs Almeida’s sensei Renzo Gracie — only taking advantage as Gracie tired. I look for Almeida to get a slight edge standing and then take over when he fakes a right for a double leg, and start threatening submissions immediately. He’s canny, and as his song goes, “a country boy can survive” and go the distance, but I don’t see him winning this one. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb (<-- PUN!) and call this Almeida, armbar submission, round three.

Total-MMA picks Hughes, 2-1 (Editor’s note: to hell with you guys — TH)

Heavyweight Bout: Junior dos Santos (11-1) vs. Roy Nelson (15-4)

JL: This is my tip for fight of the night here – both men have good chins and both men have the striking games required to stand and bang. They’ll do so for a while, for certain, but I don’t think Nelson is obliged to keep it there. As ‘Big Country’ has demonstrated in the past, he has the wrestling and jiu-jitsu game (and his bulk, obviously) to keep talented opponents stuck to the mat. Dos Santos is an unknown quantity on the ground, despite claims of high achievement in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Nelson is a proven element on the ground, and when the big man wants a takedown, there aren’t many fighters who can deny him. Dos Santos will spend two and half rounds holding his own on his feet and being stuck under Nelson’s considerable girth before Nelson finally coaxes a submission stoppage.

DB: I’m really excited and dismayed about this fight. Excited because Dos Santos is one of MMA’s biggest prospects and Nelson has a canny knack of winning by any means possible; but also dismayed, because they are two of my favourite fighters. Dos Santos with his striking and Nelson with rubbing his belly, both deserve the next HW title shot. This has FOTN written all over it for me. Dos Santos by third round T/KO.

TH: I’ll admit I have no idea what to expect here. Nelson is the superior wrestler, and he hits like a Mack truck. Dos Santos is a scary prospect who has recently stopped Cro-Cop, Fabricio Werdum, and Napao Gonzaga. I’m hazarding a guess that he can eventually land that big shot on the bigger man, but nothing would surprise me here. Dos Santos, T/KO 2.

Total-MMA picks: Dos Santos, 2-1

Lightweight Bout: Clay Guida (26-11) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (14-4)

JL: Losing two fights in a row in the UFC is usually a recipe for your pink slip, but for Dos Anjos, it has spurred him to a three fight win streak with the organisation, the latest an impressive submission win over British prospect Terry Etim. Pitched against the slick jiu-jitsu of Dos Anjos is the rugged violence of Guida, who rebounded from a two fight losing streak with a submission win over Shannon Gugerty. For Dos Anjos, this is a chance to prove how far he’s come in his UFC tenure, and to launch himself squarely into the title picture. For Guida, it’s, well, another fight. His rugged gatekeeper title has been hard earned, but I don’t see him doing anything spectacular here, as another superior prospect in Dos Anjos blasts past him via the scorecards and rolls on towards life in the upper echelons of the 155lbs division.

DB: Hard not to expect great entertainment from a Guida fight, and I can’t see this being much different. Dos Anjos has put together some good wins in the UFC since losing to Tyson Griffin, and is a great BJJ fighter. Might not be a war like previous Guida fights, but should still be a good battle. Could go either way, but I’ll opt for Guida by decision.

TH: Dos Anjos’ jiu-jitsu is beautiful, but Guida by decision works for me. I think he’s a bit more physical and can bully the artist about a bit, racking up enough points to take the nod. And make me sad. Guida by decision.

Total-MMA picks, Guida 2-1

As always, enjoy the fights!

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Pictured: Jon Jones, who will face Vladmir Matyushenko in San Diego at tomorrow’s UFC on Versus show.

Fight fans have enjoyed a breakneck pace in 2010, until recent weeks where we’ve gone a month or so without a major MMA show. Call it a quick summer vacation, or time off for good behavior from all that MMA overload of late. But the fight game is finally heating up again — as ZUFFA begins a busy few weeks with UFC on Versus: Jones vs Matyushenko tomorrow night in sunny San Diego, CA.

Offering predictions this week are Total-MMA regular David Bateman (BB) and a returning Jacob Lawton (JL), along with newcomer Brandon Lamb (BL). I’m sitting this one out and working on my tan — along with the bizzare formatting issues that popped up last week (sorry about that!). As always our predictions are for entertainment purposes only, so don’t blame us if you get burned…

Light Heavyweight Bout: Jon “Bones” Jones (10-1-0) vs Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (24-4-0)

DB: I’ve got high hopes for this being a great fight, despite initially being disappointed. Jones seems ready for a much bigger test than this, but if he gets complacent Matyushenko is a solid wrestler who can grind out a decision. That being said, he’s not in the same class as Jones, and I think a 2nd round TKO in Jones favour is a likely outcome.

JL: The meteoric rise of Jon Jones is clearly intended to continue here as he faces the rugged Belarussian veteran Matyushenko. No insult intended to Matyushenko, who is a well rounded, tough, efficient competitor, but Jones is accepted by most as the heir to the Light Heavyweight division’s crown, with his technical brilliance and his eccentric style making him one of the most satisfying and exciting fighters to watch in the modern era. Jones’ striking may be wild, but his wrestling is brilliant, and all areas of his game surpass Matyushenko’s patented brand of persistence and spirit. ‘The Janitor’ is very hard to finish, but ‘Bones’ will take a one sided but still exciting decision.

BL: This fight will be a great test to see how Jon Jones can stack up against the 205 lb division. If Matyushenko is able to control this fight and turn this into a gritty, grind-out-a-victory type of fight, he stands a very real chance of dethroning the LHW’s next big thing. However, I think Jones’ dynamic striking and unpredictable style will prove to be too much for “The Janitor”, and I see “Bones” taking this one via second round TKO.

Total-MMA Picks: Jones, 3-0

Middleweight Bout: Mark “Philippine Wrecking Machine” Munoz (8-1-0) vs Yushin Okami (25-5-0)

DB: Okami is a great test for Munoz, coming off the back of three straight wins in the UFC. Although, this might be a bridge too far for the Filipino, as Okami is far more experienced and has the skills to nullify Munoz’s wrestling. I see this being a fight for Okami to propel his way back up the middleweight division. Okami by comfortable decision.

JL: Okami has had a very interesting UFC career. Since his arrival back in 2007, he has been largely relegated to the undercard and prelims, despite his undeniable pedigree as one of Japan’s best fighters. Unfortunately for Okami, ‘best’ in this case doesn’t read exciting, and his grinding clinch-grapple driven style makes him unlikely to be picking up Mr. White’s fight of the night awards. However, he is very good at his clinch grappling, and though Munoz is tough, has heavy hands and some solid wrestling, he is not in the same league as Okami. Expect an uneventful decision win for the Japanese.

BL: This fight has all the makings of a ground and pound clinic. When Munoz is able to get top control, it would seem there is very little anyone can do to get away. Five of his eight wins have come via TKO including an impressive comeback win over Kendall Grove in his last outing. Okami has a similar pedigree, and if he can maintain his presence over Munoz he very well could walk away with this one. But in the end, I see Munoz being able to control Okami and grind out a tough win via decision.

Total-MMA picks: Okami, 2-1

Welterweight Bout: John “Doomsday” Howard (14-4-0) vs Jake Ellenberger (22-5-0)

DB: Off the back of his “Knockout of the Night” against Daniel Roberts, I’m expecting the same from Howard here. He’s slowly working his way up the Welterweight division, and I don’t think Ellenberger will be able to deal with his stand-up. 3rd round KO for Howard.

JL: It’s hard to believe that Ellenberger is still only 25, and has only been fighting for 5 years, and yet he has managed to pick up 27 pro fights. He is a solid wrestler with great heart and decent stand up to back him up, and was recently involved in a controversial split decision loss to former WEC Welterweight champ Carlos Condit.. Howard, on the other hand, is something of an enigma. I know no other man who has gone 4-0 in Zuffa’s UFC, especially in the always competitive 170lbs division, and is still considered so far behind the majority of his companions. It’s probably the nature of “Domsday’s” victories; two have come from tight split decisions, another from a big Hail Mary punch following 3 and a half rounds of struggling, and his latest by clipping his opponent within 2 minutes of the fight starting. However bad he’s looked, Howard has always found away to get it done. And for that reason, I’ll take Howard’s flashy and unpredictably style over the relentless reliability of Ellenberger, via a last round KO.

BL: Either one of these guys have the potential to end this fight with one punch. However I will have to lean toward Ellenberger in this one; I think Howard is still too one-dimensional. Ellenberger has the chin to take a few punches from “Doomsday” en route to an third round T/KO victory. I look for KO of the Night to come out of this fight.

Total-MMA picks Howard, 2-1

Lightweight Bout: Tyson Griffin (14-3-0) vs “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (31-6-0)

DB: Looking forward to this one the most. Both guys are coming off a loss, which could make for a very interesting fight: they both need a win here if they want a title shot anytime in the next few years. Genuinely not sure which way it’s going to go, although I’d put good money on it going to decision and being FOTN. I’ll opt for Griffin by decision after a great ground battle.

JL: Two veterans in need of a victory squaring off. Gomi came to the UFC under cries that his “guts’n’glory” style had no place in the modern arena of well rounded lightweights; sadly proven to be correct after Gomi was jabbed half to death by Kenny Florian and then choked into submission. Griffin meanwhile, has become a high level gatekeeper: his first two losses came to Frankie Edgar and Sean Sherk, who have both held the lightweight title, and his latest to Evan Dunham, the latest up and coming lightweight star. Gomi’s wrestling and ground game is not at the same level as Griffin, and, providing Gomi does not catch Griffin early with one of his plutonium packed hands, Gomi will tap out in round three after being wrestled into the mat for ten minutes.

BL: Even with Tyson Griffin filling in on short notice for the injured Joe Stevenson, I still don’t see Gomi winning this. If it were “The Fireball Kid” from a few years ago, I would be singing a different tune, but it’s not. If Gomi comes out flat like he did against Kenny Florian, look for Griffin to use his boxing and ground control to eke out a decision win. I wouldn’t look past the potential for this to win Fight of the Night honors.

Total-MMA picks Griffin, 3-0

On the undercard…

BL: Look for DaMarques Johnson to run through Matt Riddle. I will also be interested to see how James Irvin looks in his return to 205. He had a terrible showing in his venture down to middleweight, and one would have to think that another bad showing could spell the end of Irvin’s ZUFFA career.

DB: One from the undercard I can’t wait to see is Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann. Kelly is a Brit, and a great, down-to-earth guy. Volkmann has questioned his punching power, his credibility as a fighter, called him a “stupid Brit” and says he’s going to “kill him”. Volkmann usually doesn’t trash talk to my knowledge, so it’s pretty unusual he’s doing this against Kelly, who loves a war. I think, and I’m hoping, that Kelly destroys him.

As always, enjoy the fights!

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Pictured: Ken Shamrock blocks an advancing Pedro Rizzo, along with advancing age, during last night’s listless encounter in Sydney.

Any card featuring Ken Shamrock, Paul Daley’s first fight (since his UFC firing) and names like Murilo Rua, Denis Kang and Paulo Filho is enough to at least grab the attention of most MMA fans.

On paper, this past Saturday’s Impact FC 2 in Sydney, Australia had some potentially great fights. But, fights happen in a cage, not on paper. Although the fights were not completely disappointing, neither did the initial promise of the card produce any lasting memories.

It could be that the main event just sullied my opinion of the whole event.

Ken Shamrock v Pedro Rizzo should simply never have happened.

This isn’t an anti-Ken Shamrock crusade. On the contrary, the man is an MMA legend. But, when he weighs in at 212 pounds for a fight with a 265-pound weight limit, it’s nonsense.

His performance against Rizzo was all-around poor. He offered so very little, Rizzo must have woken up this morning with barely a scratch on his body. Shamrock landed no good shots, didn’t attempt a takedown when the stand-up wasn’t working, and was beaten with relative ease.

He wasn’t outclassed by a masterful performance from Rizzo. His opponent did exactly what was required, without ever looking very dangerous himself, save for some debilitating leg-kicks, which he was allowed to land repeatedly given Shamrock’s lack of movement.

With 2:22 left in round 1, Rizzo landed a huge leg kick, and from then onwards Shamrock looked like he just wanted it to be over. He had no answer for anything Rizzo threw at him. Legend or not, when he loses heart half-way through the first round of a fight, it’s time to retire permanently.

Paul Daley v Daniel Acacio was a far better fight, but if Daley truly does have ambitions of forcing Dana White into re-hiring him, he will need to improve greatly on this performance.

The classic Paul Daley traits were on show- stinging leg kicks aplenty, the jab was working, the left hook was connecting and he always looked likely to finish the fight with one monstrous shot, like he eventually did with a vicious head-splitting elbow in the third round.

Sadly, the other classic Paul Daley trait was also on show- his takedown defense left much to be desired. Acacio isn’t anywhere near the standard of Josh Koscheck’s takedown offense, but he still grounded Daley repeatedly, and for fairly long sections of this fight. Daley’s leg-kicks, while powerful when they land, were caught by Acacio on several occasions.

Much like the Koscheck fight, Daley was more than capable of preventing his opponent from damaging him on the ground, but it doesn’t stop the fact that he struggled to defend takedowns. That being said, it was still a comfortable performance where he didn’t look in trouble at any point, that will springboard him onto bigger and better fights.

Daley dominated, but the fight wasn’t as one-sided as Brad Morris v Soa Palelei. Palelei looked fairly impressive, stuffing attempts by Morris to press him against the cage and take him down for the first few minutes. Several monster knees from Soa was enough to put Morris down, and Palelei went straight to side control to finish the fight with a tight keylock.

My fight of the night, despite it only lasting one round, was Murilo Rua v Jeremy May. May started off at a relentless pace, connecting with shots to Rua and pursuing him looking for the finish. May looked in control, dominating the action and landing blows at every turn. He rocked Rua several times, before Rua fought back, landing a huge slam as he turned the tide against May. Rua then caught May in a standing gullotine, and expertly dropped to the mat, sinking in the submission deep, and forcing May to tap.

While the Rua fight lived up to expectations, Paulo Filho v Dennis Kang was a disappointment, at least until the third round. The first round was spent largely on the ground with Kang on top, and the second reversed the positions with Filho on top. A fight on the ground can be very exciting, when both guys are looking to ground and pound, trying to steal a submission and always looking to improve their position. But when one guy retains top position without doing much, essentially lay and praying, it gets dull. Filho and Kang did land some good shots, mostly elbows, but they were so infrequent it became a dull fight to watch. Although, the third round did much to rectify my disappointment. It showed what an exciting grounded fight can look like. Both fighters did everything they could to finish, constantly seeking submissions and trying ti improve their position. In the end, a split draw wasn’t a terrible decision. How one judge scored the fight 30-27 in favour of Kang is impossible to say.

Other fights on the card:

Veteran Murile Bustamante lost to Jesse Taylor via verbal submission, in a very strange ending where Bustamante seemed to lose awareness of where he was.

Jim York beat Peter Graham via a rear naked choke

Glover Teixeira defeated Marko peseli via TKO due to strikes

Glenn Taylor-Smith lost to Richard Vaculik via rear naked choke

Manuel Rodriguez beat Shane Nix with a North-South choke

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Pictured: Ken Shamrock and Pedro Rizzo weigh in, from TheGarv.com

It’s been a slow week or so in the MMA world. It’s enough to make you forget what’s on tap. Some kind lads down under are promoting a show which may have slipped under your radar — featuring MMA legends like Ken Shamrock, Murilo Bustamante, Pedro Rizzo, and more.

You can catch the internet PPV at http://www.impactfc.au.com/.

Jacob Lawton has contributed his predictions for this show. Jacob will be taking a brief hiatus from writing and he’s going out (temporarily) with a bang…

Main Event Heavyweight Bout: Ken Shamrock (27-13-2) vs. Pedro Rizzo (18-9)

JL: 10 years ago this fight would be headlining pay-per-views in the US. Now it’s relegated to some regional show with big dreams in Australia. Shamrock’s admission to using steroids a month or so back landed him in hot water with the authorities, and though there is no formal drug testing, you can bet that the witty Aussie fans (anyone remember ‘Bisping’s a wa…?) will heckle the MMA legend for his past errors. The fight itself? Rizzo is primarily a stand up fighter, and he’s mixing with a ‘Shoot Fighter’ in Shamrock – someone who likes the fight on the floor and has a number of painful submission holds up his sleeves. Rizzo has decent defence against both the takedown and the submission, but I think Shamrock’s got the gas to finish at leas one if not the other – and I expect him to take a decision win.

Co-Main Event Welterweight Bout: Paul Daley (23-9-2) vs. Daniel Acacio (21-9)

Disgraced UFC contender Daley looks to rebound from his loss to Paul Daley against small time veteran Daniel Acacio. Acacio’s career highlight thus far has been beating Kazuo Misaki and Daiju Takase on Pride Bushido, and he has also graced such shows as Pancrase and Jungle Fight. The duo are near mirror images of each other – brawlers with decent defensive ground skills, but Daley is the better at both – he as the heavier hands and the higher jiu-jitsu qualifications. Acacio has been KO’d before, and if anyone can exploit a dodgy chin, it’s Daley. Look for a first round KO in favour of the Brit.

Middleweight Bout: Paulo Filho (20-1) vs. Denis Kang (33-12-1, 2NC)

Another recent UFC fighter in Kang takes on former WEC Middleweight champion Paulo Filho, who’s sole loss is to UFC Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. This is probably the most relevant fight on the card, and, assuming Filho turns up with his head in the game, it could also be one of the most entertaining. Kang is frequently stung by his weak jiu-jitsu game, and Filho has just the tools to tap out the wild striker, assuming it’s the ‘good’ Filho who turns up. The Brazillian’s strikes aren’t bad either, and as long as is head is where it should be, I can predict him taking a second round submission win.

Middleweight Bout: Murilo Rua (19-10-1) vs. Jeremy May (7-6)

This… this is what I don’t get about Impact’s cards. They have all these competitive/legendary fighters, and then they have people like Jeremy ‘The BAMF (really?)’ May. I could understand if he’d been to the big leagues and failed, or if he’d been beaten by particularly well-known fighters or, heck, even if he was Australian to bring hometown value to the card. But no, it just looks like he’s a generic Middleweight journeyman from Georgia USA. I can’t see this one lasting long with Rua’s well rounded skills and pedigree, so I’m going to call a first round stoppage whichever way ‘Ninja’ wants.

Middleweight Bout: Murilo Bustamante (14-7-1) vs. Jesse Taylor (14-6)

This fight is much better (though still a little one sided) than the one above. Taylor is a solid wrestler training out of the legendary Team Quest and has established himself as a gatekeeper – not good enough for the UFC, but if you can’t beat him, there’s little chance you’ll end up there yourself. He has one fight in the UFC too, a loss to C.B. Dollaway, but compared to Bustamante, his credentials just melt away. A former UFC Middleweight champion, he holds victories over such notables as Matt Lindland and Ikuhisa Minowa, and is a high level jiu-jitsu black belt. Taylor fits his style perfectly – a wrestler happy to dive into his guard, and, like Team Quest’s head trainer Lindland, I can’t see him ending the fight any other way than by tapping out. A second round submission for Bustamante.

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Pictured: Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben

Chris Leben’s already interesting story took another colossal twist at UFC 116 with his shocking victory against Yoshihiro Akiyama, in a fight he’d taken just two weeks removed from another fight, a victory over Aaron Simpson. And now he’s shot from being a relatively sedate Middleweight journeyman to a potential title contender. Something I find amusing considering he’s lost to (among others) Kalib Starnes, Jake Rosholt and Jason MacDonald, all fighters later cut by the UFC. In this article I’m going to take a look at the MMA career of Chris Leben, and offer my humble two pence about him as a fighter and as a person.

There’s no point beating around the bush. When I first saw Chris Leben, I disliked him. The dyed red hair. The painted toe and fingernails. He looked a little weird. And that’s in a sport where genetic freaks like George St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar are the norm. His stint on the original season of the Ultimate Fighter, coming after a spell on the independent scene that saw Leben rack up a pro record of 10-1 from 2002-2005, is memorable for his unpleasantness. A scene that has stuck with many fans was his urination on Jason Thacker’s bed in the opening episode. And it went downhill from there. A fued with Josh Koscheck and Bobby Southworth of pro wrestling proportions drew ratings like crazy, until Leben got lay and prayed into oblivion by a very raw Koscheck. He was brought back to the show as an injury replacement later on, and though he was eliminated again, this time courtesy of the razor elbows of one Kenny Florian, he was still a hit with the American public. And so, after he trounced Jason Thacker at the Ulitmate Finale, stopping him within two minutes via TKO, Leben was signed up to the UFC. And he just kept on rolling.

Leben’s fighting style, and his ‘memorable’ look has won him many fans over the years. He just comes out and brawls. There’s no subtlety or technique to his stand up, no ‘sweet science’, but his willingness to take three or four shots just to land one makes him one of the outright most entertaining fighters to watch out there. And to start with this style also proved successful. Wins over Patrick Cote, Jorge Riveria and Luigi Fioravanti saw him display his famed granite chin and plutonium-packed fists, while his submission victory over Edwin Dewees showed the fundamentals of his underrated ground game. And so Leben was lined up to welcome another entertaining striker to the UFC. A certain Anderson Silva.

At the time Silva was not considered a world-class fighter. Despite good skills and a generally good record, two high profile slip-ups while fighting with PRIDE had soured his reputation – being submitted by journeyman Daiju Takase’s triangle and well known veteran Ryo Chonan’s flying scissor heel hook in consecutive PRIDE fights had led him to be seen as a gatekeeper. Since his losses with PRIDE, Silva had been racking up the wins with British promotion Cage Rage, and, with a DQ loss to Yushin Okami at a Rumble on the Rock event, came into his UFN 5 showdown with Leben with 3 wins in his last 4. It became 4 wins in his last 5. Anderson Silva remains the only man to have successfully connected with Leben’s chin – KO’ing him with a brutal muay-thai knee.

Silva, as is well documented, went on a rampage in the UFC’s Middleweight division, even going up to Light Heavyweight in the vain hope of finding some proper competition. Leben, however had a shaky few years – victories over Jorge Santiago, Terry Martin and Alessio Sakara overshadowed by the high profile losses I mentioned earlier to Jason Macdonald, Michael Bisping and, most shockingly of all, Kalib Starnes. He ended 2009 with another loss to prospect Jake Rosholt.

Leben started 2010 with a predictably entertaining brawl with Jay Silva, where he took a well appointed unanimous decision and avoided the three fight losing streak which, in today’s UFC, is akin to burning your contract (unless your name happens to be Chuck Liddell). There followed the most heart warming two weeks of Leben’s career – having entered 2010 as the washed out veteran, as we sit just past the halfway point of the year, he is suddenly once again in the title victory with his upset wins over top prospect Aaron Simpson and judo black belt Yoshihiro Akiyama, just 14 days apart. In the post fight of the Akiyama fight, Leben called out Wanderei Silva. Though I can’t admit to liking the guy, there is one thing about him that can’t be doubted. He has the sort of heart and will to win that only comes along very rarely, even in the sport of MMA. Chirs Leben, to borrow a colloquialism, has balls. And he likes to stand and swing for the fences. Against the similarly violent Silva, their combined styles have all the ingredients for a very exciting bout.

There are rumblings of a Leben title shot should he defeat Silva. And I don’t believe the UFC, by it’s own logic, will be able to deny him it. Four wins in a row, including two against top flight Middleweights, are more than enough to earn most people a title shot, so why not Leben? Sure, he may look a little thuggish to be a ‘true champion’, but can you deny the fact that the guys gone through some very tough times and come through the other side a legitimate contender? No. He’s come along way since TUF, or, to give it the smarmy name us Internet fans bestowed on it, ‘The Ultimate Leben Hour’, and if he gets a title shot, well, all I can say is that it’ll be fun. Despite his quirky looks and unpleasant personality, Chris Leben has won himself a fan right here.

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With the New York state deficit hitting $8 billion, steps need to be taken in order to right the ship that is the state’s budget. Recently New York Gov. David Paterson stated that the projected deficit for the upcoming fiscal year has grown by an additional $750 million. There’s no doubting that the Empire State is in dire straits trying to fix their deficit.  It is extremely difficult trying to balance a state budget at a time when the country as a whole is going through some of its most difficult economic hurdles in recent history. This forces us to take a fresh look at which programs will continue to receive funding. As a result, the state has been forced to cut, reject, and outright shut down many state programs and projects in order to make some type of movement out of the red and back into the black. Many of these budget cuts (like closing down state parks and cutting funding to public schools) were rampant and have cast an unfavorable light on politicians in Albany in the eyes of many New Yorkers. However, something must be done in order to fight the ailing state economy.

As coincidence has it, a good fight might just be the answer to the budget problems.                             

On June 16^th, the New York State Senate passed a bill to legalize MMA in the state in an effort to help amend the state’s financial problems. Opening the floodgates for MMA in New York would be more of a benefit to the state than it would to the MMA Industry. For years, promoters have happily held venues in nearby New Jersey. Mixed martial arts competitions like UFC, among others, have been banned in the state because many lawmakers felt it was too brutal of a sport (even though other legal sports like football and hockey can be just as- if not more- brutal). With the passing of this new bill, fans will finally be able to support their home state and local venues. MMA events would potentially have access to one of the most active metropolises in the world- New York City. There are dozens of great venues surrounding the state who have been capitalizing on this opportunity for years. At the UFC’s most recent event held in New Jersey, there were more New York residents in attendance than NJ natives. Fortunately state legislators have finally come to the realization that legalizing MMA will open access to a new revenue stream that it gravely needs.

By welcoming MMA in the state, as much as $11 million in economic activity could be generated for each event held. This activity ranges from salaries paid to venue workers, to an increased interest in martial arts training academies and dojos, and to tourism dollars spent in the surrounding area. At every step of the way, tax revenue is generated. Governor Paterson expects over $2 million generated annually if the bill is passed. The MMA organization UFC (who would play a large role in scheduling events in the state) is broadcasted in over 170 countries, made $5.1 million in Pay-Per-View sales in 2007 alone, and averaged 30.6 million viewers in that same year. This is 3 years ago mind you; the figures projected for the next fiscal year are much higher. This type of outreach is bound to benefit the state and bring thousands to events, thus helping the economies of struggling New York state cities.

Holding events isn’t the only way that this bill will help bring money to the state of New York. In fact, the broad reach of allowing MMA to be legalized is something that will affect participants in the sport from top to bottom. For example, people who run mixed martial training gyms and programs will see a huge revenue generating boost in enrollment that will give many the chance to train and compete in their home state. This bill may even have the effect of preventing violence instead of causing it (which opponents of the bill argue) because it will allow many kids to go someplace safe after school. Studies have shown that when at-risk children are trained by mentors in a disciplined sport such as MMA, they are less likely to become involved in criminal or violent activities. This is one of the most important aspects of the bill from a human perspective, and one of the greatest reasons why this bill needs to be passed.

Every once in a while, a sport can transcend its origins and become a true cultural phenomenon. This is what MMA could be for the state of New York and that is precisely why this bill needs to be passed. The New York budget is going through one of its worst economic times ever, but by legalizing MMA, it can help to fight back against the deficit and make a difference in the lives of millions of New Yorkers.

Update:

As of the morning of June 29^th, 2010, the state assembly quashed the proposed bill which would legalize the sport. The efforts to block MMA in the state are led by a Mr. Bob Reilly, Assemblyman of the 109^th district. You can read some of his stances in an interview conducted by Ben Fowlkes of cagepotato.com last year. If you visit that link, pay careful attention to his inconsistencies and question-dodging. This man claims to be a lifelong fan of boxing, but some of his comments in that interview are quite surprising.

Although this decision is a big setback for the industry, this is not the final word for the measure. New York is one of only 6 states which blindly ignore this sport. With your support, new revenue and jobs can be still be created.

Alexia is a lifelong fan of sports and fitness. Recently, she’s been smitten by Mixed Martial Arts. She is happy to be representing MMA Industries, proud suppliers of MMA gloves to athletes around the world. Alexia continues to bring you the latest news in the mixed martial arts world on everything from the most advanced MMA equipment to the newest MMA shirts. 

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