By Joe Ferraro

They say if you do not learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it. It’s safe to say that looking at the previous actions of the Quebec Athletic Commission (QAC), can we really be surprised that for no apparent reason, they pick and chose who they license based on no real logic? Case and point: UFC Veteran David Loiseau.

The Crow was recently re-signed by the UFC and was expected to compete at UFC 113 vs John Salter, but the moment the QAC got involved, the professional athlete was no longer allowed to do his job.

Sources tell me that Loiseau is on some sort of invisible suspension list, stemming back to when he sold his previous MMA promotion, “XMMA”. He had apparently decided that his fighting career should be his priority and walked away after the sale. When it was all said it done, those who took over the organization were allegedly involved with organized crime.

Loiseau has maintained that once he left the company, he was unaware of what the organization began doing and that he was no longer a decision maker for XMMA. In essence, what they did was their business – he was focusing on returning to the UFC.

But although only one party was charged after the organization folded, many of those who fought, worked or were literally around XMMA, have felt the brunt of the QAC’s iron-fisted approach to doing business.

Fighters were questioned about their involvement, with many apparently being threatened that they would never be licensed again if they didn’t “answer questions”.

Many in the province has suggested that the commission acts as if they are a police force, investigating things that should truly be looked at by the law, not an extension of the government that oversees combats sports.

“The Crow” surely feels slighted by his own commission. This is a fighter who has never been in a street fight before. He told me he’s never taken a drug in his life, does not drink and has never ever smoked a cigarette in his life. Martial Arts was his love from day one, and it helped him live a clean life, a role model to look up to while paving the way as pioneer for the sport in Canada. To be treated by this way by the commission is a heart break for one of Canada’s best middleweights.

Regean Theriault of the QAC, informed me that a request was made to the police, for a criminal background check of Loiseau’s record. The police has yet to reply, and is apparently the reason there is a hold up. He also suggested that if the QAC does receive the file and all is well, Loiseau will receive his license on May 03rd.

The real question is whether it will be too late, as the UFC will likely have moved on.

Looking at the history of fighters, promoters and seconds that the QAC has licensed before, it’s not difficult to figure out the obvious ones that raise eyebrows, when it comes to questionable law abiding citizens. Most believe everyone deserves a fair shake, not matter what past someone has. I tend to concur. If someone has paid their due to society, they should be licensed. I also believe that every case is a different one, so I can understand if certain athletes may never see the inside of a ring / cage in Quebec.

This is a commission that is no stranger to controversy: we all recall what happened last year, with the UFC 97 show nearly being relocated, until last minute meetings changed their mind. Their demands withered down to “no foot stomps”.

In speaking with a few parties, I am being that only the UFC is allowed to use the Unified Rules of MMA in Quebec, while also being the only organization allowed to use a large cage. Other promoters who are hoping to hold shows in the near future have apparently been told they cannot use a circular cage and that they must follow the rules that are currently law in Quebec.

There is much more to this story that will develop over the next few days, but various sources from within the commission have told me for years – changes need to be made for the betterment of MMA in Quebec.

My previous experience with them ( promoting, etc ) has been one of hills and valleys – just when you think all is going well, they will throw a curveball your way that makes no sense. But, you either meet their demand, or your show will not go off. Seems the same is happening with David Loiseau.

By Joe Ferraro

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre continues to work a methodical game plan outside of the cage, working on various projects to raise awareness not only about himself, but about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

Having recently returned from his requested duties at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, GSP was up bright and early, alongside close friend David “The Crow” Loiseau on the 3D shoot of “The Striking Truth”, an in depth documentary into the lives of two of the sports most beloved athletes.

“They’re going see a movie that’s not only about fighting, its about where we come from and what we have done to achieve where we are right now.” said St-Pierre. “Its more about life than about mixed martial arts.”

GSP raved about Producer / Director Steven J. Wong, who spent over two years living alongside the champion, accumulating an unprecedented amount of rare footage that will be showcased throughout the film. At times, Wong surely worried about invading the champion’s personal space, but not according to St-Pierre. “Steven is like my best friend, and to be honest, it was like the camera wasn’t even there.”

Wong, alongside Executive Producer James Hergott and and esteemed Director Bobby Razak (affectionately known as “The Fedor of Filmmaking”), expect the trailer for “The Striking Truth” to be released sometime between the last week of April or early May, with exclusive behind the scenes footage being shown on “MMA Connected”, starting April 26th.

In between shooting various scenes across the City of Montreal and within the confines of the TriStar gym, St-Pierre discussed a variety of topics (and rumours) that see him as the focal point of many of MMA’s biggest headlines.

His recent appearance at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi was rumoured to be a calculated effort by the UFC, to effectively have their welterweight champion challenge Anderson “The Spider” Silva once the main event concluded. According to GSP, this was simply not the case.

“Thats not true” he said. “My trip to Abu Dhabi was in the plan before. They needed a guy to do the Q&A for the UFC at the weigh-ins and Abu Dhabi is very far, so a lot of fighters couldn’t make it because they had to get ready for their fights. Because I just fought I was one that they asked to go there and also because it was a new territory, they needed somebody like a title holder to go there for the fans.”

He reiterated, “I wasn’t there to call out Anderson Silva. I don’t call out people; I don’t want to do this. Its disrespectful and when a guy wins a fight I think that’s his moment of glory and there is no way I should step in, but talking about Anderson Silva I was there for the UFC for other purposes.”

Unable to hide from the topic of an epic superfight with “The Spider”, St-Pierre knows what this fight would mean to MMA, but it’s not up to him to decide.

“It would mean the biggest fight in mixed martial arts. Right now, it’s not my target. I’m not the kind of guy to call out people.”

With St-Pierre working diligently on adding lean muscle to his frame, in an effort to gain more weight, Silva, ironically enough, mentioned he would like to cut down to 170 lbs, perhaps creating another option for the UFC to put together this mega-fight.

But GSP noted “Nobody (from the UFC) talked about a fight with me and Anderson Silva, it was not the plan. Nobody came up to me and tried to make this fight happen…If he wants to come down to 170 to fight me, maybe I’m not going to have a choice. Im the title holder and at 170, I want to fight the best.”

As MMA fans hold their breath, while the UFC ponders when to put this fight on, Silva is coming off a less than stellar performance vs Demian Maia, but St-Pierre, who sat cage side during the bout, believes the criticism isn’t necessarily justified.

“When I saw his fight to tell the truth I’m probably the only one to say that the first three rounds were awesome. I mean it was a great display of Capoeira mixed with Muay Thai. It was amazing and of course the fourth round and fifth round were disappointing, but Anderson Silva was not the guy who was losing the fight. It was the other guy who was losing the fight, so its on the other guy to put the pressure on, not Anderson Silva. So in a way, I think the blame is more on the other guy than on the guy who’s actually winning the fight.”

While the bout with Silva is likely a year or so away, the UFC is apparently holding a mini-welterweight tournament, to determine who’s next for the champion. Up first are Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley at UFC 113, while Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves are expected to lock horns at UFC 115. On the outside, it appears Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago are also in the mix.

But a seventh name may soon be added as a possible challenger, one that is actually one of GSP’s favourite fighters to watch: Strikeforce middleweight champion, Jake Shields.

“He’s a great submission fighter”, stated St-Pierre. “He’s got great technique and takedowns. He’s very good at not getting hit standing up, he’s a perfect mixed martial artist and hes going to have a long career. He’s a very smart guy and I have a lot of respect for this guy. I love watching his fights.”

St-Pierre admits he rarely watches MMA fights, but does make a point to only spend time watching bouts with fighters that can teach him something, and Shields is definitely one he pays close attention to.

“As a matter of fact, there’s only a few guys I like to watch in mixed martial arts, to learn, and hes one of them. I like to watch Jake Shields, Anderson Silva, Maricio Shogun, Lyoto Machida. I like to watch also Fedor and Sakuraba back in the day, the Gracies, but there are few other guys that I like watching for my own personal learning.”

Shields is coming off an incredible performance vs MMA icon Dan Henderson, successfully defending his middleweight title in a bout that many gave the champion no shot at winning. But his performance was overshadowed by a post-fight brawl, to which GSP believes many in the MMA world simply blew the incident out of proportion.

“Mixed Martial Arts haters will use that against us, there is no doubt about it. It was bad for the image of the sport, but of course ,the people that know Mixed Martial Arts, they know its bad for the image, but its not going to change peoples mind.”

While many point the finger at Jason Miller, whose entry into the cage was the catalyst that ignited the melee, GSP reflected back on a time where he was perceived by many, as being disrespectful,for doing something similar.

“I think it was bad that Jason Miller came into the ring. You know I made a mistake once when I told Matt Hughes “I was not impressed with his performance” and I’m never going to do that again. Its totally disrespectful. When somebody wins a fight, that’s his moment of glory, you don’t want to take it away from him. Its very disrespectful and even Dana asks me to go in the ring after a guys fight and I feel so bad. You know, I do it because he’s the boss, so like when Dan hardy beat Mike Swick I had to go in the ring, I was just in the corner, I don’t want to call him out or do anything, because that’s Dan Hardy’s moment of glory and I don’t want to take it away from him, so I hate doing that stuff. Sometimes I have to do it for promotion, but you’re never going to see me call out someone ever again.”

It is expected that St-Pierre will likely return to action in September, pending how the UFC’s welterweight title picture pans out, and whether or not the promotion plans on using their welterweight champion as a coach on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. Ironically enough, an assistant coach during this season’s Ultimate Fighter is Jake Shields, who is assisting Chuck Liddell as they prepare the next star in the UFC’s Middleweight Class.

All of this seems to be pointing to GSP vs Shields title fight, one which St-Pierre would welcome at anytime.

“Shields is amazing. He’s of course the guy to beat right now. He’s fighting at 185 lbs right now, and he’s dominating and beating everyone at 185, and he’s a (a natural) 170 lbs fighter. He’s not only an amazing fighter, he’s an amazing jiu-jitsu fighter.”

We’ve all heard Georges St-Pierre say it before, but this time around, it’s as if he believes there is only one man to beat, to guarantee that there is no doubt that he is the best welterweight in the game today.

“As a proud champion, I want to fight the best and Jake Shields is the best right now.”

By Joe Ferraro

My initial reaction to the post-fight melee during Strikeforce’s telecast was one of shock and embarrassment for the sport of MMA, but upon further review, I should have analyzed it further.

I was offering my thoughts throughout the night, via my Twitter and Facebook accounts, giving a coles note version of each bout, but it was the brawl that ensued that made headlines across various online mediums that became the headline, taking away from three masterful performances in the championship bouts.

On the surface, it is easy to point the finger of blame on Jason Miller, Nick and Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, but I sincerely believe they were not the root of the problem. While each one of them should be reprimanded for their participation of this inexcusable situation, so should, in someway, somehow, the Tennessee Athletic Commission (TAC).

I’ve promoted, co-promoted and been a part of my fair share of MMA events in Canada and the U.S. and if there’s one place that knows how to keep order, is the Athletic Commission in Quebec. For all the criticism they receive (including from yours truly), they do have a solid reputation of making sure it is “they” who run the show; not the promoter, not the fighters, not anyone else.

In Quebec, they only allow licensed fighters and seconds (cornermen) into the cage or ring. The Commission’s inspectors work diligently to make sure no one else is anywhere near the combat area before, during or after a fight has been completed. Generally, during post fight interviews, pictures, etc, they are monitoring everything in and around the cage / ring. If you aren’t licensed, you are not getting anywhere near the festivities.

The TAC has been around for a long time and are a fairly well respected within in the industry, but based on what happened on Saturday night, I believe they should review their own practices to make sure this type of scenario never happens again.

If Jason Miller was denied entry into the cage, none of this would have happened. I highly doubt he was looking to incite a brawl, and was more or less looking for face time on national television, to ask for a rematch with Shields. It was not the right time and place to do so, but he’s a self-promoter who simply made a terrible judgment call. When you add the fact he did this right in front of Shields’ teammates (who have a history of backing each other up physically), it makes Miller’s decision appear asinine.

All parties have already publicly apologized for their actions, and this “black eye” is already beginning to fade away. Yes, it is definitely an example that MMA’s harshest critics will use in the future, but honestly, basic statistics will easily shut down their arguments quicker than the blink of an eye.

Personally, I generally gauge a big MMA story by how many interview requests I receive from the main stream media across Canada vs how many folks are talking about it on MMA forums and on my own personal pages. If it’s big, I’ll get requests from TV/Radio stations from cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and even some in the Maritimes. Even Producers and Host from The Fan 590 and Sportsnet, the two stations that I work for, will contact me to set something up.

Post UFC 112, I was contacted by numerous stations to discuss Anderson Silva’s performance as well as the controversy that was the Edgar/Penn bout. As for what happened at Strikeforce, I did not receive a single request to discuss the events that unfolded. Mind you, my personal pages lit up like a fire, as passionate MMA fans were voicing their opinions, but from a Canadian main stream media perspective: complete silence.

Shields Positional Control Is Incredible

If you are not a fan of Jake Shields’ fighting style, skip to the next section.

The California native’s positional control is something to behold. Yes, call me an MMA purist, but I couldn’t help but watch in awe as he would finish his takedowns impressively, working to get Dan Henderson onto his back, while already working to pass guard and get to side control or mount.

This is a natural welterweight, who is beating middleweight fighters. Agree or disagree, but doesn’t this mean Jake Shields should be considered a serious candidate for MMA’s Top Ten Pound for Pound rankings?

I thought it was just me, but on Sunday morning, even Georges St-Pierre, David Loiseau and Steven J Wong (Producer / Director for “The Striking Truth”) discussed this at length over breakfast. GSP and The Crow both expressed sincere respect for Shields’ game, while none of us could understand why he does not get the credit he deserves.

The UFC Welterweight Champion is fully aware that Shields may be a free agent come June, and that a bout with Shields is not out of the question. We may see more of Shields in this season’s Ultimate Fighter, as he is an assistant coach for Team Liddell, and word out there is that if he does sign with the UFC, he may be considered as a coach for Season 12, opposite GSP. Note: there is also talk that the winner of the UFC 113 Welterweight Co-Main event bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley may also get this slot.

As for St-Pierre, you heard it last night on “MMA Connected” – he believes Jake Shields is “the man” at 170 lbs, and as “a proud champion”, he wants “to fight only the best”, and Shields “is the best right now”.

Melendez vs Aoki Boring?

Not in my books.

I was knocked for quite some time for not ranking Shinya Aoki higher on my personal lightweight rankings. I’ve maintained that while I believe his submission wizardry is second to none, until I see him beat higher calibre opponents, and showcase some serious striking, I cannot honestly make him my number one or two in the world. Rankings are subjective, and folks all have their personal opinions, and mine is simple: prove to me you can consistently beat the best in the division (even with submissions) and then you have me convinced. I said it before the fight – I believed Gilbert Melendez was going to pound Aoki, and prove that the Japanese poster child was one dimensional, and with his right fist, he did just that.

From here, Aoki will likely go back to Japan, work on his striking and put a hurting on anyone who steps into the ring with him in Dream. He’s still on my top ten, but not near the top. As for Melendez, he’s made the case that he is one of the world’s best, and I can only dream of what an ‘El Nino” bout with Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard would look like. For the record, he stacks up well against all of them.

Official Public Apology to King Mo

I knew he was good, I said he was good, I just didn’t think he was ready for Gegard Mousasi. And today, I am eating a large plate of Crow for missing the boat on the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

I maintain that I am still surprised at Mousasi’s gameplan, but King Mo’s performance was stellar. Takedown after takedown after takedown. Mousasi couldn’t stop them, so Lawal just kept on executing them. I wasn’t ready to jump on his bandwagon, solely due to the fact his inexperience worried me, but he defeated a guy who I have long considered one of my favourites in the game. If there’s room on the King Mo bandwagon, please let me in.

When it comes to the future of MMA, he’s one of the prospects that might just be the next big pay per view draw. I’ll go out on a limb and say that King Mo has joined my “Future Stars” list, which has already included the likes of Jon “Bones” Jones, Phil “Mr.Wonderful” Davis, Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Jose “Junior” Aldo and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

I’m curious to get your take on the post-fight brawl, the three title bouts and who you see as “Future Stars”.

By Joe Ferraro

A variety of stories are making headlines in the MMA world, some of which will pave the way for the even bigger stories in 2010.

After taking showboating to a whole new level, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva’s next opponent appears to be Chael Sonnen, and not Vitor Belfort. The tentative bout vs Sonnen will likely go down at UFC 117, August 07th in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Many are hoping that Vitor Belfort or Georges St-Pierre would have been the next dance partner in Silva’s “Ballet of Violence”, but the UFC is likely picking Sonnen for a variety of reasons, namely for the fact Chael will sell this fight better than Dan Hardy did with his fight with GSP. While many folks believe Sonnen does not pose much of a threat to Silva, the lead up to this bout is going to be great. Sonnen has already called Anderson “Brittany” and has stated he he must beat down “The Spider” on behalf of society.

I still believe Vitor and Georges will get their shots, but as for the latter, I get the feeling a few thing need to fall into place before the Canada vs Brazil showdown takes place.

Strikeforce: Nashville

This Saturday, Strikeforce puts on their triple main event card from Tennessee, featuring three title fights.

The main event will see Jake Shields, a natural welterweight, put his middleweight title on the line vs Dan Henderson. I’m picking Henderson to win, while Shields will opt for free agency after the bout. When Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently hinted that fighters will be coming and going between organizations, and Shields states he wasn’t given written notice that Strikeforce would like to retain his services, I get the feeling his already halfway out the door.

In the co-main event, Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi will square off against King Mo Lawal. The trash talk has been great thus far and we’ll see if Lawal is able to back it up. I believe he will put up a stellar fight in the beginning, but in the end, Mousasi will be too much for Lawal to handle.

The third title fight will feature Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez vs Dream Champion Shinya Aoki. Many are considering this the battle for the number on lightweight in the world, but I disagree. MMA Rankings are fairly subjective, and seeing as Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn, he’s number one in my books, but, whomever wins between Melendez and Aoki, will be very close to the top. I’m picking Melendez, who I predict will overwhelm Aoki, early and often. That is, of course, if he keeps his limbs in check, cause Aoki doesn’t need much room to submit anyone at 155 lbs.

Bellator XXIV- Great Show

If you haven’t seen the event yet, skip to the next topic. If you have, then you saw some nice performances by a few fighters, some controversy in one bout while a Canadian fell short in Chicago.

Mike Ricci, a training partner of GSP’s was knocked out by hometown hero Pat Curran midway through the first round. It took a while for Ricci to come through, but thankfully, he’s alright.

Controversy ensued when Ryan Thomas claimed the referee stepped in to stop the fight early, as he stated he didn’t tap to Ben Askren’s anaconda choke. The decision did not change, but look for a rematch in the near future.

Toby Imada pulled off another submission victory, this time an armbar vs James Krause, while Featherweight Wilson Reis defeated Shad Lierly with a rear naked choke with less than a minute and half to go in the fight.

Note: Canadian featherweight Will Romero’s bout vs Patricio Pitbull was postponed to Bellator XV, as the Brazilian was unable to get his visa issues completed in time.

WEC News

The WEC’s first pay per view is set to go down next weekend, as WEC 48: Aldo vs Faber will feature two title fights and a bevy of stellar bouts. Interesting to note that it’s the UFC that will be presenting this show, as Dana White, Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan and Bruce Buffer are stepping in to fulfill their usual roles. I’ve noticed Zuffa is using a different methodology in promoting this event, and as I’ve stated before, there may be some changes on the horizon.

I’ve long maintained that the organization should bring their WEC Champions to the UFC and have all title holders compete for the big show. The WEC should be more of an organization that is building fighters to compete in the UFC, while giving those who are cut a second chance to come back. As opposed to cutting guys loose, send them down to the WEC to compete with the up and coming talent in ALL divisions, not just the smaller ones. Fighters should make their way through the WEC, then to the UFC, and then you will truly have an internal development / farm system.

It’s not a perfect science, but I do believe all Zuffa champions should compete and be compensated under the UFC pay scale and be promoted via the mass marketing machine they have. Up and comers, as well as gatekeepers and guys on the cusp should duke it out in the WEC.

Misc News and Notes

We are all waiting for James Toney’s first UFC opponent to be named, but another former boxing champ is causing quite a stir. Ricardo Mayorga is set to fight UFC Veteran Din Thomas at Shine Fights next month, and by watching the press conference (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qn33zm4X0Y) you know that Thomas is going to make him pay for his outlandish remarks and actions – Mayorga pops Thomas with a karate chop. Classic stuff.

UFC 118 is set to go down on August 28th at the TD Garden in Boston and will likely feature a rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn as well as a lightweight contender bout between Gray Maynard and Kenny Florian.

Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, unfortunately, is already talking retirement (http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/inside_the_octagon/index.php/2010/04/12/davis-ready-to-fight-weighs-his-options/)

A few sources are telling me that Canadian Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague will be returning to the UFC, likely in a heavyweight bout at UFC 113 in Montreal. Stay tuned.

By Joe Ferraro

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Abu Dhabi, the home of their newest partner was a successful one at the gate, but according to President Dana White, may have left a sour taste in the mouths of local attendees.

White is a firm believer that when the organization holds a debut show in a new market, those who attend get infected with the buzz a UFC show has to offer. In turn, there is a hope  that this infection spreads to those who were unable to attend, thus creating a massive demand for the company to return.

But not this time, as he believes UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva’s performance in the main event did far more harm, than good.

As Silva defended his middleweight title against challenger Demian Maia, he showed glimpses of sheer brilliance. In the first few rounds, he struck with razor sharp precision while showcasing why is the best pound for pound fighter in the sport today. But as the fight progressed, his mockery of Maia had man asking “why”?

Why taint his legacy? Why act in a manner to disrespect the sport of MMA and do so in front of the UFC’s newest partners, the thousands of fans in attendance and those who ordered the show on pay per view? Why erase all that was forgotten from his bouts with Patrick Cote and Thales Leites with his magical performance over Forrest Griffin? Why?
White was so incensed in round four, that he left is octagon side seat and gave the middleweight championship belt to Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, while informing him that he refused to present the title to Silva upon completion of the bout.

At the post fight press conference, White stated “I don’t think I’ve been more embarrassed in the 10 years of being in this business. It’s the first I’ve ever walked out on a main event, given the belt to the guy’s manager and told him to put it on him.”

He continued “This was an historic event for us. The arena tonight was incredible, the energy was amazing and to end it the way we did is an embarrassment. For me, the Fertitta’s, the UFC and the sport in general. I apologize, and I will and I don’t know how yet, but I will make this up for the fans who bout this (expletive) tonight.”

Prior to the bout, Silva had hinted that he would entertain dropping to welterweight where a potential bout with champion Georges St-Pierre would be a no-brainer, but White quickly squashed any ideas of this mega-superfight, insinuating that “The Spider” doesn’t deserve a bout with GSP.

Silva appeared apologetic during his post-fight interview in the cage, but his tune changed at the post fight press conference.

Referring to pre-fight comments made by Maia, Silva stated “Demian disrespected me, not as a person, but he disrespected me as a fighter. I take that very seriously. I came here to do my job, which was to beat him up and punish him. That’s exactly what I did.”
Silva’s actions during the fight and his apparent lack of remorse afterwards may cost him thousands of fans in the process while igniting what may be a personal vendetta from White. If the UFC President has his way, “The Spider” may be the first champion to fight in a preliminary bout. While I doubt this will happen, moving forward, look for the organization to stack the cards that Silva appears on, so as to guarantee pay per view revenue and not run the risk of losing buys (and profits) by making him headline the card.

“The Answer” Puzzles “The Prodigy”

On paper, BJ Penn should have easily defeated Frankie Edgar, but like Gray Maynard told us on Wednesday, “paper doesn’t fight paper”.

Frankie Edgar earned a unanimous judges decision to become the UFC’s new lightweight champion, taking out one of the sport’s best pound for pound fighters in the process.
Rumours are quickly circulating that Penn was injured during his training camp and that he was also ill coming into the bout, but this should not take away from a masterful performance by Edgar.

As I watched the bout, I couldn’t help but notice Penn was on cruise control and was not his usual self – a fighter who picks apart his opponents then goes in for the finish the moment it presents itself.

In Edgar, he faced a foe that was relentless with his strikes and with his footwork; so good in fact that going into rounds four and five, many of us who were watching new Edgar had a great chance of pulling off the upset. As the fight continued, it became more evident that this was going to be “The Answer’s” night.

My mental scorecard had the fight very close and I believed it could have gone either way. I immediately stated that I would watch the fight again and re-score the bout on paper (the irony), and then I heard Bruce Buffer’s voice state “AND NEW UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION”.

Kudos to Edgar for putting on the performance of a lifetime, but I do believe judge Douglas Crosby was off with his scorecards; his calculations showed a scorecard favouring Edgar 50-45, a perfect shutout, and I personally disagree. To wit, I will re-watch the fight and present my own scorecard shortly.

Hughes Takes Out Gracie

This was another bout on paper that easily predicted Matt Hughes dominating Gracie, grinding him into a unanimous judges decision. But, Hughes’ gameplan and Gracie’s lack of striking defence proved otherwise.

The American picked apart The Brazilian with low leg kicks, having many of us voicing (out loud) our surprise as to why the ladder was not checking any of the kicks. One after another, they pounded away at his legs until in the third round, be began to fall from the abuse. In the end, Hughes’ strategy was a wise one, as he TKO’d the legend, adding another victory to his already stellar MMA record.

UFC 112 Full Results

Main Card
•    Anderson Silva def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
•    Frankie Edgar def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 49-46)
•    Matt Hughes def. Renzo Gracie via TKO, Round 3, 4:40
•    Rafael Dos Anjos def. Terry Etim via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:40
•    Mark Munoz def. Kendall Grove via TKO, Round 2, 2:50

Preliminary Card
•    Phil Davis def. Alexander Gustafsson via anaconda choke, Round 1, 4:55
•    Rick Story def. Nick Osipczak via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
•    DaMarques Johnson def. Brad Blackburn via TKO – Round 3, 2:08
•    Paul Kelly def. Matt Veach via guillotine choke, Round 2, 3:41
•    Jon Madsen def. Mostapha Al-Turk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Misc.
•    UFC 112 was the first outdoor show for the organization, selling out at 11,008 spectators for an estimated gate of $3.5 million.
•    $75K in bonuses were handed out to Munoz/Groves (Fight of the night), Dos Anjos (Submission of the night) and Johnson (Knockout of the night)
•    As mentioned on “The Showdown” radio show, keep your eyes on Phil “Mr.Wonderful” Davis. I said he deserves to be on main card or at least on Fight Night shows to build him up. He is a true prospect and will be right behind Jon Bones Jones if he gets his striking to catch up with his stellar wrestling.
•    The Paul Taylor / John Gunderson bout was pulled off the card due to Taylor experiencing “last minute medical issues”

By Joe Feraro

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship prepares to make history with their first outdoor event, Company President Dana White has minimal concerns about the weather, but does believe there is a strange intangible Mother Nature may force the competitors to deal with.

“UFC 112: Invincible” is set to go down this Saturday, April 10th on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi. The venue for the event is Concert Arena, located within the Ferrari World Theme Park, a brand new arena which recently had to reconfigure it’s seating arrangement to meet the demand for the upcoming UFC pay per view.

It took some convincing to get White to buy into putting on an outdoor show.

“I’ve always been terrified of doing an outdoor show”, stated White, during a recent satellite interview with Rogers Sportsnet.

The dangers that come with putting on an open air show does have it’s risks, but the organization is confident enough that a backup plan is unnecessary.

White fully understands the unpredictability of the weather, but the organization believes all will be fine.

“If it starts raining and the wind starts blowing…right now there’s no ‘Plan B’, if that starts happening.”

Many outdoor MMA shows all around the globe have gone off without a hitch, but even in the most beautiful of climates, clouds of rain can appear out of nowhere.

“The high possibility of rain happening…it’s not gonna happen.” said White. “It’s not gonna rain there; we know it’s not gonna happen. It would have to be crazy for it to rain in Abu Dhabi.”

But, there is one weather predicament that the UFC President believes can pose a problem for those fighters who are stepping into the Octagon on Saturday.

“Wind could be a factor. It’s very dusty and sandy there. I’m worried about the wind.”

In saying so, many believe that any wind that will be felt by the fighters at Concert Arena will be more like a breeze, as the design of the venue reportedly minimizes this concern.

The UFC 112: Invincible card will see two title fights and Renzo Gracie, a forty three year old MMA pioneer make his octagon debut vs UFC legend, Matt Hughes.

MAIN CARD

Middleweight Title Fight
Anderson Silva ( champion )  vs. Demian Maia

Lightweight Title Fight
B.J. Penn ( champion ) vs. Frankie Edgar (for lightweight title)

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz

PRELIMINARY CARD

Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen

By Joe Ferraro

After a tumultuous week that saw UFC 115 tentatively moved from Vancouver to Cincinnati, the organization finally confirmed that GM Place will in fact play host to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay per view event in British Columbia.

MMA fans on Canada’s West Coast are elated that the sport’s premier organization will bring what is looks to be a fantastic card.

The main event will likely feature the coaches of the current season of the popular reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. As of Wednesday’s premier episode, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is set to square off in a trilogy bout vs arch nemesis Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz.

But rumours have been swirling for weeks, that during filming in Las Vegas, Ortiz may have been injured ( and had once again got into a heated disagreement with UFC President Dana White). On March 19th, White refuted these claims via his twitter, stating “Nothing happened to Tito. Tito and I are cool.”

Rumours began to quickly spread that Ortiz was replaced by Rich “Ace” Franklin, but once again, via his twitter, White attempted to set the record straight by stating “Not true! We are doing Couture vs Franklin not Chuck”.

Multiple MMA websites stood by their sources saying the Liddell / Franklin bout was verbally agreed upon, and that it would be just a matter of time before the UFC would announce it. Even my sources have told me that Liddell / Ortiz III is still a go, but upon further review, there are a few variables to this equation that may offer up a different result.

I still believe that Liddell / Ortiz III will happen, but perhaps at a later date, as I’m beginning to believe more and more that “The Iceman” will face Franklin first, likely in Vancouver.

My reasoning is two fold.

First – when I sat Dana down at Toronto’s Eaton Centre for a one on one interview, I asked him if he could provide an update on the bout, but he wouldn’t confirm that the two current coaches of TUF 11 would square off, and that the only way to find out is to tune into Rogers Sportsnet to find out.

Personally, I chalk this up to White using his genius promoting skills in making sure viewers tune in every week to watch the drama unfold, but a second piece of this match making pie had me raising an eyebrow.

Second – when the UFC 115 in Vancouver debacle was unfolding, the organization chose to relocate the show to Cincinnati, which just so happens to be Rich Franklin’s hometown. The proverbial light bulb went off which has me believing it’s Rich vs Chuck at UFC 115.

Either way, no matter who the UFC matches up in this light heavyweight threesome, fans at GM Place will likely be honoured to witness a main event between two octagon legends. They may not be in their prime, but it would be like watching Wayne Gretzky in a New York Ranger uniform, or Michael Jordan in a Washington Wizards uniform. I’m not saying these MMA fighters were the greatest of all time, I’m simply stating that although they may not be in their prime, they will go down as UFC Hall of Famers as pioneers of a sport still in it’s stage of infancy.

The rest of the rumoured UFC 115 in Vancouver is a stellar one:
•       Patrick Barry vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
•       Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
•       Evan Dunham vs. Tyson Griffin
•       Martin Kampmann vs. Paulo Thiago
•       Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald (from Kelowna, BC)
•       Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman
•       Jesse Lennox vs. Mike Pyle
•       Peter Sobotta vs. James Wilks
•       Claude Patrick (from Toronto) vs. TBA

Saturday, June 15th cannot come soon enough; I for one am ecstatic to be heading out West to cover another UFC event in Canada, in one of Canada’s major corporate marketplaces, which will no doubt prove to be a very profitable one for the City of Vancouver; likely to the tune of several million dollars.

On a side note: unfortunately for MMA fans in Ontario, on March 23rd, Premier Dalton McGuinty stated he was “tapping out to MMA”.

I am told the next provincial election is on October 06th, 2011.

I’m counting down the days.