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The main event at UFC 102 was one for the ages, with Antonio Minotauro Noguiera taking a unanimous decision over Randy “The Natural” Couture in Portland, Oregon.  It had everything that makes a classic fight, with great standup action, an unbelievable chess match on the ground, and an underdog to get behind as the fight got to it’s latter stages.  On a great card, Nogueira-Couture takes fight of the year for me.

And there’s no question it was a great card overall, with some higlight reel KO’s and a great 1st UFC win for a former All-American wrestler.  But it was the main event that stole the show, and all you can do is tip your hat to both competitors.  First thing’s first, Noguiera is back.  I think it’s safe to say his staph infection and knee issues had a HUGE part to play in his poor performance against Frank Mir in his previous fight.  On Saturday, Nog was in true Nog form…and showed some of his best striking ever.  He was the aggressor and won all 3 rounds (at least in my eyes), by having a smart and well executed gameplan.  His standup work was great, using a killer jab to set up a hook which caught Randy a few times…in all 3 rounds, Noguiera was able to get Randy to the ground.  And once the fight was on the ground, Nog showed why he is the most devestating ground fighter in the heavyweight division.  His work from the top was great, almost catching Randy in a choke early, and his guard work was phenomonal (including that sweep from guard to mount).  Plain and simple, Nog came to fight and showed he is still one of the top contenders in the weight class.

So what’s next?  Well…for Noguiera, I’d like to see him do a number of things.  As much as I’d love to see him match up with Mir again, I think the UFC might be looking to set up Brock Lesnar’s next challenger (if he beats Carwin of course).  I have a gut feeling that Nogueira will match up with Lesnar for his next fight, but what do I know?  For Couture, well, he signed a new 6 fight deal following the fights on Saturday, so he’s not going anywhere.  The 2 that came to my mind immediately were, again, Mir…and Mirko Cro-Cop.  Either would be really interesting fights for Randy, plus Gabriel Gonzaga seems like he’s on his way back up, so a rematch there might not be bad either.

Give it up for Nate Marquardt (maybe he used the FAN 960 interview karma, just like jungle karma…not likely)!  A 1st round KO of Demian Maia has Nate back on top of the contenders list at 185, and with his recent list of TKO and KO wins, I can’t think of anyone else he should be fighting other than Anderson Silva.  Do I think he can beat him?  Not necessarily, but prior to Saturday night I believed if anyone was going to dethrone the king at middleweight, it was going to be either Maia or Marquardt.  Maia showed that he’s not perfect, and we’ve all known that he needs to upgrade in the striking department for some time.  But lets go through the checklist for Nate…BJJ expert?  Check.  Versatile striker?  Check.  Takedown defence?  Check.  Good fight IQ?  Check.  And that last one is the most important…he knows what he did wrong against Silva last time around, and has changed his mindset because of it.  When I talked to Nate on Wednesday, he told me he learned so much from the Silva loss…and he told me, and the rest of the world on Saturday, that he’s ready to take Anderson’s belt.

Thiago Silva looked good, and Keith Jardine needs to really get things back on track soon if he wants to remain relevant at 205.  He’s got a lot of talent, but he continually makes bad decisions in important fights.  Jardine’s problem is, I believe, that he lacks focus at the beginning of fights.  3 of his last 4 losses have come in the first 2 minutes of the 1st round (Silva, Silva, Alexander).  But as fights go along, he is one of the best at wearing his opponent down and then using openings to his advantage.  His wins over Liddell and Vera are perfect examples.  But if he doesn’t figure out a way to stop these early defeats, he’s going to find himself battling at the bottom of the heap.  As for Silva, that puts him back in a contender spot at 205…1 or 2 more quality wins might get him another shot at Lyoto Machida.

Loved…check that, LOVED…seeing Chris Leben get choked out by Jake Rosholt.  Jake impressed me, as he was smarter on his fight than Leben was, and outclassed him in the wrestling and grappling aspects of the fight.  He might be one to watch at 185.  Bad night for the Canadians though, as Winnipeg’s Krzysztof Soszynski looked a step behind in his 3 round loss to Brandon Vera and Edmonton’s Tim Hague…well…had a nice 7 second welcome to the UFC.  Hopefully his exit isn’t as quick.  UFC 103 on the 19th, can’t even wait for the return of Vitor!

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

I’m really looking forward to Saturday’s UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon.  With Randy Couture fighting Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, we’ve got a great main event.  Undercard bouts featuring Nate Marquardt, Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera only add to the intrigue of the card.

The main event is really interesting.  Both fighters are coming off unimpressive losses, and losses where they both lost the belts.  Noguiera was dominated by Frank Mir at UFC 92 while Couture lost his Heavyweight Championship to Brock Lesnar at 91.  So, no question, both will be motivated to erase those from their memory.  But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the intrigue.

The story of 46 year old (46!) Randy “The Natural” Couture is incredible, we all know that.  He retired in 2006 after a loss to Chuck Liddell, then came back a year later to win the Heavyweight Championship from Tim Sylvia.  He defended his title once before losing to Lesnar…but in the fights prior to the Lesnar loss (Sylvia, Gabriel Gonzaga), The Natural looked just that…natural, regardless of his age.  Now it’s his time to prove that the Lesnar loss was just a bump along the road.

Couture wasn’t impressive in that loss, but who is against Lesnar?  I thought that Couture did some nice work while keeping the fight standing, but who can block a Lesnar take down?  No one.  He is a very solid striker and has the ability to push the pace on his feet…and lets not forget, he’s a former Olympic wrestler.

For Nogueira, he really needs to bounce back.  His last fight against Frank Mir was hard to watch, because Nog is such an easy guy to cheer for.  But Mir picked him apart and finished Nogueira for the first and only time of his career.  Mir’s boxing was outstanding, using his jab constantly to wear his opponent down.  Nog needs to show a whole lot more on his feet if he wants to come away victorious against Couture.  Now, don’t forget that Nog’s calling card has always been to get beat up and then win via submission.  That gameplan clearly didn’t work against Mir, and I don’t think it’ll be successful against Couture.  Still…it should be a really fun fight to watch.

It may not be the “co-main event”, but the 185 pound battle between Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia shapes up to be an unbelievable fight for hardcore MMA enthusiasts.  Both are expert Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, with Maia being perhaps the most advanced we’ve ever seen in the sport.  He’s 11-0 in his career and 5-0 in the UFC, where he’s only gone to the 3rd round once.  Being on the ground against Maia is dangerous.  If you leave even 1 tiny opening in your ground game, he’ll pounce on it and finish with deadly efficiency.  We’ve never really seen Maia in a striking battle, because either he’s taken it to the ground, or his opponent has.

But when I talked to Marquardt on Wednesday, it was clear that Maia’s BJJ game didn’t intimidate him in the least.  Remember, Nate “The Great” is also a BJJ black belt and can grapple with the best of them.  But where Marquardt believes, and I agree with him, he has the advantage is everywhere else…plain and simple, I think he’s a better all round fighter.  That’s no knock on Maia, but Nate’s a guy who has been in there with Anderson Silva (and was doing well before a dumb mistake),  and has shown a ton in his last 2 fights.  Both his last wins (over Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia) came via TKO, and were fairly dominating.  I think Marquardt wins out here.

Keith Jardina takes on Thiago Silva in an ineresting matchup.  Jardine has been a little too inconsistent, having never been able to follow up big wins.  Each of his last 3 big wins (Griffin, Liddell, Vera) have been followed up with lackluster losses (Alexander, Anderson Silva, Jackson).  He needs a win here, that’s for sure.  Silva comes off his only loss of his career, to Lyoto Machida.  He’s a BJJ expert, sure, but I can see this turning into a slugfest.  Thiago holds deadly power in his hands and the matchup would be interesting between him and the unorthodox style of Jardine.

Chris Leben returns to action against Jake Rosholt.  Again, Leben needs a win here after his unimpressive loss to Michael Bisping.  And the Winnipeg kid Kryzsztof Soszynski has his toughest test to date, when he takes on Brandon Vera at 205.  Vera has been up and down, but showed some flashes at UFC 96.  He’s got devestating kick boxing and muay thai skills, so this should be an interesting fight.

Enjoy the card, it should be something!  Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

After Thursday nights Red-White scrimmage at the Saddledome, a really entertaining Team Canada Orientation Camp came to an end, and now there’s no question that it’s all about speculation.  From now until the final roster is announced in December, many hockey fans in this country will debate what players should or should not be on the team.

Lets remember, this camp wasn’t going to make or break anyone’s chances to be named to this team.  The locks aren’t going to play themselves out, and the longshots weren’t going to all of a sudden play themselves on to the team.  That’ll all be decided by the first 3 months of the NHL season, as Steve Yzerman and the selection staff are going to have some tough decisions to make.

The player that impressed me most was Brent Burns, no question about it.  He really stood out in Thursday’s scrimmage, and you can tell that he has a lot of tools that Yzerman and Mike Babcock could utilize.  First of all, his skating is so smooth.  Remember, here’s a former forward playing the blueline, and numerous times it’s very clear his forward instincts are being used.  When he jumps into the play, it takes him almost no time at all to be in a prime scoring position cruising into the offensive zone.  He does it so often, yet so rarely is he caught out of position coming back the other way…his first man back ability is really impressive, and he’s able to use his skating ability to push opposing players to the outside.  I’ve always been a fan, but I’m not firmly on the “Burns for 2010″ train.

How good is Drew Doughty?  The kid is 19 years old and is just nails.  Not only does he never look overmatched, more and more you’re starting to see him pop out at you for remarkable things he is doing.  There was one instance on Thursday night when he recovered a loose puck in the defensive zone with opposing forward Mike Richards (one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL) all over him.  Instead of panicking and throwing it off the boards or coughing it up the middle, he used his speed and instincts and wheeled around his own net and lost Richards once he broke back into stride.  If there were rumblings Doughty could be a bubble player BEFORE this camp, I think you’ll hear a lot more about it in the coming months.

Bouwmeester was just fine throughout…he’s pretty much got a spot I think.  Regehr looked good on Thursday I thought, and throughout camp never seemed to show any ill effects from his knee injury.  I think he needs to be on the team, but there is a camp that thinks this team doesn’t need to have a solid, stay at home guy.  That’s going to be an interesting one to watch.  Then there’s Dion.  Phaneuf played with Brent Seabrook and Doughty in the scrimmage, and did what Dion does.  Show some great flashes, and then made some ill advised reads.  Now, granted, it’s August…but he’s one of the players that is going to need a stellar start to the season to make this team.

Quietely very good was Duncan Keith…and it may come down to either him or Regehr on this team.  Keith is money.  His stick deflected at least 3 pucks on Thursday, and Flames fans know how stellar he is as a shutdown D man.  He does it so subtly that it’s sometimes hard to really notice exactly what he’s doing…but when you watch, it’s outstanding how perfect his positioning is.

Forwards?  Eh…tough to say.  Love the Iggy, Crosby, Nash line…I’m not the only one hoping that carries over to 2010.  Ryan Smyth is something else though.  He’s a different guy when wearing the maple leaf.  His ability to elevate in international competition might just be enough to get him on this team.  I don’t know…thinking about it, I don’t have a problem with it.  Dan Cleary was all over the place, always around the net, and probably could have scored 3 or 4 goals.

In net was where the show was stolen however.  Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur went toe to toe in the 1st period, and both made huge saves.  Luongo made more, and some were impressive, but Brodeur’s had the 2 showstoppers.  One came on a Crosby-Iginla 2-on-1 when Crosby elected to keep…he wired one from the left wing and was robbed by the famous glove of Brodeur.  Then late in the 1st period, he made an incredible save in front of the net to rob Jason Spezza of the games 1st goal.  In regulation play, Cam Ward, Marc-Andre Fleury and Steve Mason all looked great too…Mason was probably under seige the most.  In the shootout, Mason not so good, as apparently everyone knew to shoot stick side on him.  6 goals were scored!  Fleury made some saves, but after the game, he wasn’t happy that he let one in to Crosby.

It’s funny…we all talked heading in how this camp wouldn’t mean a whole lot.  Yet coming out of the camp, everyone will be talking about what player really upped his chances or what player lessened his value.  All I know is that this team picked in December is going to be damn good!

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

One day of Team Canada Orientation Camp is in the books at the Pengrowth Saddledome, with 2 more on-ice sessions and a red-white scrimmage still to come.  Some pretty cool trends coming out of the first day at camp, including a potential first line come February and some pretty impressive performances.  But, at the same time, you have to balance it all with the fact that this is just an orientation camp…but still, day 1 was pretty cool

I’m not going to lie, I thought I was a kid in a candy store on Monday night.  I was having a very hard time containing my inner 5-year-old…you know, “oh man, that’s Sidney Crosby!”  and “wow, Vinny Lecavalier!”.  But eventually, I got my faculties back and was able to watch like an adult.  However, the first line combinataion that stuck out for everyone at the Dome may make the most mature of all hockey fans a little giddy.  The coaching staff was running drills with Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash and Jarome Iginla playing on a constant practice line.  Gotta be honest, late August or not, they looked pretty stellar and already the buzz is “can you imagine those 3 in Vancouver?”  Obviously, it’s no sure thing…they may not be together for the rest of camp for all we know, but seeing those 3 jerseys sitting beside eachother was pretty neat.  But when skating together, you could tell there was potential there.

Watching Scott Niedermayer in a practice situation is always a genuine treat.  The guy is just so effortless to watch, and glides at the speed of most guys in full stride…but if you’re reading this, you already knew that.  He was one of a few players that Head Coach Mike Babcock called upon to lead a group stretch (Iginla was also one of them), and it got me to thinking.  Niedermayer has played in the last 3 major international tournaments for Team Canada, so clearly he has the experience angle…but watching the guy, I think I’ve come around to the notion that this guy has got to be on the team in February.  He has the leadership ability and all those intangible things, sure…but on the ice, he’s still able to lead a rush as good as anyone on the planet.  That’s something that Steve Yzerman is looking for…more I think about it, more I believe Niedermayer will be and should be on this team.

Brent Burns and Shae Weber both had some impressive spurts on Monday night.  Burns is such a fluid skater, which again, suits Yzerman’s vision fairly well, we’re lead to believe.  There was one drill where Burns took a bad pass, kicked the puck to his stick and, all in one motion, wired a shot glove on Brodeur.  I thought he stood out early, same with Weber who is just such a great combo of size and skill.  Boom and I kept turning to eachother and using the term “beast” and “monster” when watching Weber…he’s huge.  But he’s got a great wrist shot, and an unreal slap shot…he was fun to watch.

In net, Brodeur is always a blast to watch…he robbed Shane Doan on a breakaway, flashing his patented glove and drawing a reaction from the entire group on the ice.  Marc-Andre Fleury is interesting…as Dean pointed out, he’s not one of those perfect position guys, but his reflexes are lightning quick and he showed that numerous times.  Cam Ward didn’t suit up with back pain, an injury that affected him at times last season.

Highlight was a Crosby breakaway…faked the hell out of Brodeur with skate and head fakes, and eventually put it wide side.  Dany Heatley is a stud on the ice…we may not all like his off-ice posturing as of late, but the guy is unreal in person.  It’s very noticeable just how high caliber the talent is right now.  Passes are ALWAYS tape to tape, and more often than not threading through a few skates and sticks too.  If you can swing it, it’s certainly worth it to make your way down to the Red-White scrimmage on Thursday night at 7 pm.

I won’t be able to attend on Tuesday and Wednesady, but I’ll be posting pictures from Thursday’s scrimmage.  Tons of pictures right now already uploaded…follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

He’s probably the least popular athlete in Canada at this point.  Forget Brett Favre, Dany Heatley has drawn the ire of Canadian hockey fans with his “will he or won’t he” sage over the past 2 months.  And to be honest, can you really blame hockey fans at this point?  On a media conference call today, Heatley certainly didn’t take any steps to restore his tarnished image.

You can listen to the conference call here, but I highlight 3 things coming out of it.  Let me preface that I’m not a mind-reader, so I don’t know WHAT Heatley has and is thinking.  Also, I don’t know the guy, so I don’t know the type of guy he is.  But, from his actions and past history AND from listening to the conference call today, I drew one main theme: it doesn’t seem he cares.  It just seemed to me that he was going through the motions and answering questions because he had to.  Hockey Canada asked him to do this, and I don’t think we got anything close to the full story.  He knows he’s not well liked across the country, but in judging from his actions, it just didn’t seem that mattered to him.  It’s all about what he wants and what’s best for him, and whatever anyone else thinks is immaterial.

I took 2 other things from the conference call.  The first was his admission that a “diminished role” as last season progressed was the reason why he asked for a trade.  His ice time and especially his powerplay time was reduced a little after new Head Coach Cory Clouston came in after the midway mark of the season.  Clouston coached just 34 games with the Sens last year…and yet that was enough time for Heatley to determine his role had been scaled back.  Are you for real?  You’re on a 6 year contract worth over 6 mil a season!  You’re a consistent 40 goal scorer!  And you think your team is going to scale back your role?  That’s nuts!

Look at it realistically if you will!  A new coach comes in midway through the season…that’s a damn tough situation to come into!  You don’t know the players well, you don’t have time to put in a system that perfectly suits your guys, and you don’t have time to perfect it.  Wouldn’t it have made more sense to wait until the season was over, discuss your role in the offseason and give this new head coach (who, by the way, had your team winning) a chance with a full offseason and training camp?  I really took issue with that.  I really think Heatley would have been back to a huge role with that team and been positioned as a centerpiece once again…IF HE HAD GIVEN CLOUSTON AN OFFSEASON TO COME UP WITH THE RIGHT PLAN.

The other thing that I found interesting was his explanation as to why he held out on Edmonton.  He said it was because it was the only option and he wanted more.  Since when does he make the decisions, first of all?  But further to that, I call BS.  He said Edmonton wasn’t on his list.  I don’t buy it.  Bryan Murray isn’t a moron!  He isn’t going to try and make a deal with a team you hadn’t requested.  Nope, I don’t buy it and again, there has to be more than what he’s saying

That’s what I got from this…he said the easy things and didn’t ever seem to give us the answers that we were hoping for.  I’ll tell you this much…if Heatley was trying to win over any of the fans he had lost, he certainly failed.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

Certainly, I’m a little skeptical about the chances of it being 100% successful.  But since first hearing about these potential Theoren Fleury comeback rumours a number of months ago, I started to think.  Now that Darren Dreger of TSN has reported it, I guess it’s time to form an opinion.

Look it, we all know the demons Theoren has battled during his time in the NHL.  We’re also aware of the demons he’s battled since leaving the NHL.  Off-ice distractions played a part in declining production for Fleury near the end of his career, but according to sources close to the man, he’s been sober for 4 years.

Remember, NOTHING has been confirmed yet and we haven’t heard from Fleury himself.  Until we do, this is still media speculation…but remember the source, Dreger is the most trusted man in hockey in my mind, especially with stories like this.

Give me your thoughts on the issue, but I look at it this way: there are hurdles to the move, it’s by no means a guarantee, and it will not be an easy road.  But if there is someone who can forge the path down this road, I think potentially, it could be Fleury.

Why?  Well, all I’ll say is this…he battled “too small” and “not strong enough” as he was breaking into the NHL.  He put those to rest, and now he’s going to battle “too old” and “too long out of the game.”  I’m not saying he’ll do it…but I think he’s got a chance.

Give us your thoughts…will it work?  Do you want to see it happen?

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

For the first time since winning the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 84, “The Prodigy” BJ Penn will defend his title on Saturday against Kenny Florian at UFC 101.  While BJ usually gets thrown around in the “best pound for pound” discussions, I have to tell you…I’ve got a real good feeling about Florian heading into Saturday’s PPV in Philly.

Why?  Well, a number of reasons I guess.  First off, even though he is the “underdog”, lets remember just how good Ken-Flo really is.  He hasn’t lost a fight in almost 3 YEARS, going all the way back to his very close 5 round decision loss to Sean Sherk for the Lightweight belt.  That was back in October of 2006!  Since then, Florian (13-3) has reeled off 6 straight wins including impressive victories over Roger Huerta, Joe Lauzon and Din Thomas.  Those wins were fairly one sided in favor of Florian, but it was his last fight that really cemented him as one of the scariest in the world.

That last fight came at UFC 91 when it took him just over 4 minutes to completely dismantle Joe Stevenson.  The ease of that win still blows my mind.  He was able to mount Joe with no trouble at all, and eventually transitioned into a well executed rear naked choke to secure the submission victory.  Remember, Stevenson is pretty formidable in his own way.  What scares me about Kenny is that he always seems to be able to up his game.  The automatic things you always think of with Kenny: great cardio (former Div 1 soccer player at Boston College), excellent grappler (BJJ black belt), and devestating elbows (Joe Rogan calls them razor sharp).  But over his last 6 fights, he always has shown an ability to show marked improvement…which is scary.  His standup has turned world class with great kick-boxing skills and a scary clinch.  He is a solid wrestler and can block the takedown.  And his ground and pound has turned into one of best in the world.

But remember, Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon are not quite in the same class as BJ Penn.  This guy is the current champion for a reason.  He destroyed Sean Sherk at 84 (I saw it live and in person!) and his only loss in the last 2 years came to Georges St. Pierre…the best in the world.  So why else do I think Florian has the edge?  Well, to me…and I can’t speak for BJ, obviously…but it seems like there might be a bit of non-chalance from the Champ here.  He was so focused on avenging being “cheated” against GSP for so long, you wonder how much that “sleight” still weighs on his mind.  He wants to get a rematch with Georges, he wants to hold 2 belts, he wants to be known as the best ever…I think there is a real chance he underestimates just how good Florian is here.  You come in with that attitude, and Florian will rip you apart.  I think there’s a real chance of that happening.

Now, if he’s 100% focused (which is always a question), this shapes up to be an incredible fight.  Even if Penn is totally locked in and prepared as much as humanly possible, Florian can still beat him.  Lets go over what we know about BJ.  One of the best BJJ guys on the planet…that’s not a worry, and a grappling match between the 2 could be a hardcore fans dream.  An ever evolving standup game, which includes one of the fastest jabs in MMA.  And he’s got some fairly solid takedown skills on top of it all.  The big question with BJ is, and this goes back to the previous paragraph, his cardio.  Is he conditioned enough to go a potential 5 rounds with a well conditioned opponent?  He didn’t have the gas against GSP.  That worries me, and that’s why I think Florian has the edge.

Lets hope Penn is ramped up and ready to go, that he hasn’t gone on any jaunts during his training camp.  A focused and locked in BJ Penn is one of the funnest fighters to watch, and Kenny Florian always puts forth exciting fights.  I just think anyone expecting a walk or an easy win for BJ is kidding themselves.  Kenny Florian is the real deal, and I think he proves just how legit he is on Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

By many, he’s considered the very best in the entire world.  But UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “Spider” Silva hasn’t looked quite like that his last 2 title defences.  Heading into Saturday’s UFC 101 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, he’ll have no choice but to look good.

Silva potentially faces the toughest test of his career.  He moves up to the light heavyweight division (205 pounds) to fight former champion Forrest Griffin in the co-main event on Saturday.  Silva (24-4) is always going to be one of the most feared and dangerouns fighters in the world of mixed martial arts; no one will dispute that.  But his last 2 fights (wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leities) have been underwhelming to say the very least.  So bad was his most recent fight at UFC 97 that boo’s filled The Bell Centre in Montreal for much of the fight; and for good reason.

In his fight with Leites, neither fighter wanted to engage or become the dominant fighter.  For the underdog Leites, you can understand why…to engage Silva is usually to lose the fight, as Spider takes advantage of mistakes and openings like no one else in the UFC.  However, for Silva to be passive is another story; especially considering his performance at UFC 90 against Patrick Cote.  Against the Canadian, Silva bounced around the outside, never moving in to strike and just let his infrequent counter-strikes carry the day.  That fight was boring…the Leites fight was worse.  At least Cote made some attempts to strike with Silva; Leites wanted none of that, and for whatever reason Silva lacked his normal killer instinct to finish off an opponent.

He won’t have that same luxury against Forrest Griffin (16-5), the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  It doesn’t matter who Forrest is fighting, he’ll always push the pace and force his opponent to work.  That’s been the MO since Griffin arrived in the UFC in 2005…he won’t back down and will keep pushing forward no matter how much punishment he takes.  His style of fighting has been there early in his UFC career (Bonnar, Ortiz) and in his most recent fights (Rampage, Evans).  He’s stood in there with the best and taken punishment; and more often than not he’s able to persevere and pull out a win.

So how does this fight shake out?  Throw out any “weight advantage” right away.  Silva has fought at 205 before; in fact, his light heavyweight debut was last summer against James Irvin.  He was a bigger man with a lot of punching power; but Silva took a KO win 61 seconds in.  I see Silva winning via TKO late in the 2nd or 3rd round.  Why?  Because he’ll be forced to fight, and when he fights, he’s deadly.  Forrest will continue pushing forward and I believe he’ll eventually be caught in Silva’s insane clinch; from there, it doesn’t matter how tough Griffin’s chin is, the ref will have to call it off.  Does that mean Forrest CAN’T win this fight?  Of course not…the power in his fists can end a fight, and his leg kicks can immobilize an opponent in short order; just ask Quinton Jackson.

As for the rest of the card, we’ll preview the main event (BJ Penn/Kenny Florian) tomorrow…but there’s some intriguing matchups.  One of the most hated men in all the UFC is back in action; Kendall Grove takes on BJJ expert Ricardo Alemeida.  And it’s the return of Amir Sadollah to The Octagon, he’ll take on Johny Hendricks.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Steinberg960.

He’s got to be telling a joke right?  The supposed “pound for pound best fighter in the world,” Fedor Emelianenko, has decided not to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and instead has chosen a 3 fight contract with Strikeforce.  That’s funny stuff.  Oh, but it’s serious…and you wonder why so many people have a hard time accepting that this guy really is the best.  I know why I don’t…because he hasn’t fought the best!

Dana White was quite outspoken when talking to MMA Weekly on Monday, and I don’t blame him.  “Fedor is a (expletive) joke, he turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money!” was what Dana told the website.  “I feel sorry for the real fight fans. I wanted to make the deal, but it takes two and it is VERY obvious Fedor doesn’t want to fight the best, and doesn’t give a (expletive) about the fans.”

Lets face facts here…Fedor is damn good and no one is going to deny it.  He has an extremely impressive skill set and has shown it off numerous times in wins over notable names like Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman and Mirko Cro-Cop.  But why won’t this guy man up and fight the best heavyweight fighters there are in the world?  Is the money?  Well, apparently Dana and the UFC offered him a very lucrative offer, so that can’t be it.  Is it power?  Apparently, his management team (affiliated with M-1 Global) wanted to co-promote the fight with the UFC.  That seems like a really lousy excuse to back out of a fight.  So what could it be?

Well to me, it’s not Fedor being a coward.  The dude isn’t afraid of anyone, you can tell by his 100% non-chalant attitude.  Nope, I don’t believe he’s scared to come to the UFC and fight Brock Lesnar or Frank Mir or whoever it might be.  I believe it comes down to pure indifference.  From what I’ve been able to gather, it just seems like the guy doesn’t really care all that much about who he fights, just as long as it’s going to be easy street for him.  And that means easy street everywhere, not just inside the ring.With the UFC he’d have to fight a monster in Brock Lesnar, and that would clearly be no walk in the park.  But under the right conditions, I believe Fedor would fight him.  It’s all the other stuff that goes with signing a UFC contract.  He’d have to be at a promo event here, a meet and greet there, a Q & A session over there, and it would be non stop.  With Strikeforce, he’ll fight Brett Rogers or Alistair Overeem, but I don’t think that had a whole lot to do with his decision.  Nope, it’s more that Fedor can head back to Russia, train, do what he wants and then come back state side whenever HE feels it’s best.  He’ll do some stuff to promote the fight, but it’s all on his terms and he can just breeze his way into the fight, win the fight (most likely), and then disappear until his next contracted bout.  Oh, and lets not forget, he’ll be making some all right money in the deal.  If you’re just fighting because it’s a pay cheque…what option are you going to take?

That’s the difference between this man and other fighters.  Most, if not all, of the fighters employed by the UFC fight because they love to fight, becuase they have a passion for their sport.  Due to that fact, they stay with the organization because they get the best competition there.  Just ask Chuck Liddell.  He’s made enough money he never has to fight again and the money keeps pouring in.  Compared to his endorsments, he’s not making a ton in terms of a fight purse, and the endorsments aren’t going anywhere regardless of if he fights or not.  He fights because he love it…the same way Randy Couture does, coming out of retirement and still fighting at 46.

I’m not judging the choices Fedor has made, he can do whatever he wants!  Is Strikeforce going to hit the big time with this move?  No chance in hell, this will probably move them closer to folding.  But they get a few headline fights out of it.  But for the man many anoint the best in the world, it’s another in a long line of things that make you debunk that theory.  I’m sorry, but as the great Ric Flair always said: “to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man,” and that holds true here.  Hell, in this case, “to be the man, you’ve got to fight the man,” even works.  I just don’t think we’ll ever see it happen.

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