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Man, the UFC just can’t get past the injury bug right now. UFC 85 in London could be the most cursed thing since the Boston Red Sox, as fighters continue to drop like flies from announced bouts. Chuck Liddell, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rashad Evans, James Irvine, and the list goes on of guys that have had to pull out of the event. Now, the powers that be have had to make a change to the UFC’s debut in Minnesota at UFC 87 in August. The main event was set to be Brock Lesnar against Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, but a leg injury has forced Coleman out of the fight. Now, Lesnar’s opponent is unknown, so they can’t very well hype that as the main event. So instead, enter a new main event, and it’s a doozy. For the Welterweight Championship of the World, Georges St. Pierre will make his first title defence against number 1 contender Jon Fitch. It’s another strong wrestler to go against St. Pierre, but rememember how he tooled both Josh Koschek and Matt Hughes? Add in a defacto number 1 contender match between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta, and you’ve got a money card.

Speaking of stacked cards, UFC 84 goes this Saturday. That’s 1 day. I fly out nice and early, as in, 6:30 in the morning, with the time change, I’m on the ground at 8:30 Vegas time. I’ve gotta get the rental car, kill a little time, then get over to the MGM Grand, get my picture taken and my media credentials, then check into the hotel, maybe grab a shower, and by this time, it’s already time to head back to MGM. Fight card starts just after 5 PT, the event goes live on PPV at 7 PT. Should be a whirlwind first day in Sin City.

I really encourage you to head on over to the hot audio section of the website. My interview with Mike Goldberg is now up, as are my chats with Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz. Man, it’s just a sport chalk full of solid personalities. Just nice guys all round, I can’t stress it enough. The interview with Goldberg is especially compelling. He started with the UFC in 1997, when they were not what you’d call a mainstream commodity. Then, the ownership changed, Dana White came on board as pres, and it’s history from there. Really cool to hear how Mike Goldberg puts it, especially coming from a guy with a solid hockey background.

And of course, it’s game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday. I really hope that we see some great hockey and not a lopsided final. I say that because there is a real opportunity for some fan growth south of the border with this matchup, just because Sidney Crosby is there. He’s the face of your league, and he’s playing for the ultimate prize in his 3rd year. So, for the NHL’s sake, hopefully the Pens don’t get completely dominated.

This is my first blog on this new-fangled blogging system. All of my eloquently written blogs of the past have been deleted, so we start anew. Few things popping into my mind today.

We were talking yesterday about the increased value of draft picks in the NHL, and I’m firmly of the opinion that as the “new-NHL” continues along, draft picks will continue to increase in their value when it comes to trades. If you take a look at the NFL, (I know, I seem to compare everything to the NFL) a draft pick holds immense value. Teams will trade away a 1st and 2nd round pick just to move up 3 or 4 spots in the first round. Very good players will move teams in exchange for 2nd or 3rd round draft picks. If you’re going to acquire a first round pick from a team, you’re going to pay through the nose.

Well, the same can’t be said right now in the NHL, however, the value of picks is going to continue to rise. See, in the NFL, players are expected to be making impacts right away, and not just in the first round either. Well, take a look at the last few drafts…Patrick Kane, Sam Gagner, Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, Niklas Backstrom, Sydney Crosby, and Carey Price were all take in the top 10. And they’re all making significant, top flight contributions to their clubs. That wasn’t the case before the lockout…Vincent Lecavlier, David Legwand, Henrik/Daniel Sedin, Rick DiPietro, and Jason Spezza were all taken in the top 5 of the draft before the lockout. All of them took at least 2 seasons to materialize into top flight players. It’s the changing of the guard on the ice in the NHL, and it’s affecting how valuable draft picks are now.

I’m getting set to take a trip on down to Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s a vacation, I have tickets to UFC 84 at the MGM Grand, but it also turned into a situation where I get media credentials to the fight. I’m just really excited to see how the UFC comes across live, because being a guy who hasn’t missed a PPV in the last 3 years, it seems like it’s an unreal experience. The production value is so high on television, I can’t even imagine what the rush will be like when you hear Bruce Buffer do the “…we are LIVE,” and “…it’s TIME,” stuff. It gives you goosebumps on TV, but live, yikes…I’ve been fortunate enough to see some cool things live in person. A Flames playoff game, a live NFL game in Seattle, live college football in Boise, the Jays in Toronto and the Suns in Phoenix. All of these I anticipated beyond belief, but nothing comes close to the anticipation level of this. I’ll make sure I pass along what it’s like live, especially if you’re thinking of making the trip one day. Oh, and by the way, it’s only a matter of time till Dana brings it here.