By Joe Ferraro

When Fedor Emelianenko submitted to Fabricio Werdum’s dual submission attempt at Strikeforce on Saturday night, it ended one era, while simultaneously  commencing another.

Similar to my original prediction of Werdum defeating “The Last Emperor”, I can just imagine the (same) amount of heat I will take for saying what I’m about to say. Such is the passionate, emotional and very vocal fan base that makes up the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. With that being said, I’m going to say it (all) anyway.

Today, and until we see the final result between the UFC 116 main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum is, according to my own personal rankings, the number one heavyweight in the world. By defeating Fedor, who has been number one on my list since 2003, he automatically earns the label as the top heavyweight in the game.

This is similar to when Matt Serra defeated Georges St-Pierre and when Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn. When you beat the man, you become the man, but similar to Serra and maybe Edgar, this distinction can only last for a specific period of time.

Werdum may have jumped from number seven on my list to number one, but come Sunday night, it will all change. The winner of Lesnar/Carwin will be my number one, and depending on the performance, the loser may be my number two, leaving Werdum at the very minimum, my number three. Rankings are subjective in nature, so you may disagree, but like many MMA fans, losing your marbles over it is silly. In fact, it’s almost comical.

Fedor, as we speak, is my number two, but may fall as low as number four after UFC 116. Pardon me as I dodge the vast amounts of verbal hatred right now.

With “The Last Emperor’s” era at the top of the division now over, we are in a seven day transition period that will see Werdum, a non-UFC based fighter hold fort, until the UFC’s Heavyweight straps are unified by either Lesnar or Carwin. Once that occurs, the new era of MMA Rankings will begin, one which may never end, and lay the final foundation for rankings as we know them.

Come Sunday July 04th, 2010, AND for the first time ever, the top of nearly every weight class will be a Zuffa ( UFC and/or WEC ) champion. Gone will be the days of any non-Zuffa contracted fighter ever making the top of a consensus rankings database. To say otherwise, would simply be holding on to traditional MMA values and not acknowledge the evolution of the sport.

Fedor’s career and number one rankings will likely never be duplicated. He is the greatest heavyweight of all time, but with the loss to Werdum, and the countless, yet real debate over his recent lack of top quality opposition aside, he will forever be known as “the man” in my books. For the “Russian Cyborg” to reach the top again, he will have to look in the mirror to make changes.

If I could convince him of what to do, I would say the obvious first: try and avenge the loss to Werdum as soon as possible. While I picked Werdum to win the first time, I do pick Fedor to win in a rematch. Problem is, does this mean a trilogy bout is warranted? I’ll wait to give my thoughts on that, pending the result of a rematch, should that bout happen.
To my knowledge, Werdum fought the last fight on his contract, and I have had a few sources tell me that the UFC will be courting him soon, in hopes to draw him back to the octagon, while teaming up with the Brazilian to bait Fedor to the big show, in hopes of somehow having the rematch on a UFC pay per view. While I still believe Fedor will likely never fight in the octagon, ever, “never say never” is a common adage in MMA, but alas, I’ll believe it when I see it.

If Fedor does want to further solidify is already immaculate legacy, he must, at the very least, avenge his loss to Werdum, defeat Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, then compete and defeat the best in the heavyweight class – that of which all resides in the UFC. While it’s only a dream many of us MMA die-hards share, the odds of it becoming a reality are not very good.

The heavyweight class is filled with young, hungry lions named Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. At the top are Lesnar and Carwin. In total, when you add Werdum and Overeem, that’s six potential fights for Fedor right there. If he was to fight three times a year, it would take him to the tender age of 35.

Now here’s where the real lunacy begins – and again, adjust your scopes accordingly prior to shooting me down. While this is not my idea, it is one that has peaked my interest and one I cannot help but salivate over.

Fedor’s physique has often been labelled as pudgy. There are those that say his spare tire does not do him justice. He weighed in at 229 lbs for his bout vs Werdum. “The Last Emperor” has long been considered a small heavyweight, yet has had the skills to destroy much larger man. With that said, can he do that to the monsters known as Lesnar and Carwin? Perhaps so, but what Fedor may want to consider, is taking a look at what he has in common with the likes of Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, Mauricio Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva and Quinton Rampage Jackson.
All of these fighters walk around at the same weight as Fedor, but they cut down to compete in the light heavyweight class of 205 lbs. Yes, you know exactly where I’m going here.

There is no difference with Fedor and any of these guys, other than the choice to compete in a lower weight class. Fedor can do it, no ifs, ands or buts. Can you imagine the multitude of bouts he could have against some of the LHW talent? Heck, do it after a run in the heavyweight class. He’s still young enough to do so, and especially if he chooses to be as active as possible.

Then again, the living MMA legend really has nothing to prove, so if he rides off into the proverbial sunset, he gets two thumbs up from me. But, if he has an epiphany, perhaps Fedor 2.0 era may prove to be a better, than the one that ended in San Jose, last Saturday night.

By Joe Ferraro

The return of “The Last Emperor” is upon us, as Fedor Emelianenko is set to take on Brazilian Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum on Saturday night, as part of Strikeforce’s latest card at the HP Pavilion on their home turf of San Jose, California.During last night’s Fan 590 broadcast of “The Showdown”, Tyler “The Intern” and I, offered up our predictions of who will emerge victorious, and to sum up our prognostication, we did not agree on the main event.

Before we get to the big fight, we did examine the other three bouts on the broadcast and did agree that Josh Thompson will have a difficult time with Pat Healey, but that Josh will find a way to win. In the rematch between Cung Le and everyone’s favourite fighter, Scott Smith (whose new nickname is or should be “The Comeback Kid”), it is expected that Le will fight a much smarter bout, and not engage the brawler that is Smith, and avenge the loss from December of last year.

As for the co-main event, Jan Finney is being touted as one of the biggest underdogs in MMA history, as she takes on Women’s Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in what is expected to be a merciless beating, maybe even worse that what happened to the beloved Rosi Sexton, when she was brutally knocked out by Zoila Frausto at Thursday night’s Bellator XXIII. Here’s hoping Finney’s puncher’s chance becomes a reality or that Cyborg defeats her as painlessly as possible.

As for the main event, hands down, Tyler picked Fedor – I did not.

While Emelianenko may be the greatest heavyweight of all time, and yes, number three on my pound for pound list, I get the inclination that there may be an upset here. His slow starts vs Andre Arlovski and Brett Rogers were a sign to me that he is “slowly” beginning to fade. Minus that devastating right hand, and his explosive submissions, I believe Werdum is going to pull off the upset.

I’m not sure what Werdum’s game plan is, but based on the history of both of their fights, if Werdum can protect his chin, score the takedown, and put Fedor on his back, he may be able to pull this off. If he cannot get the takedown and/or does get it but ends up with Fedor on top, I do not like his chances. Just watch this video here, of how Fedor’s ground and pound turns MMA legends, into mortals.

It’s too easy to pick Fedor in this fight, so I’m going out on a limb – Werdum will pull off the upset. If he does not, I’m sure Tyler and all of the callers will berate me during next week’s show.

Misc MMA News

•       Bellator XXIII results show that I missed the boat on Alexander Shlemenko def. Bryan Baker to win the middleweight tourney, as I picked Baker straight up, but, I was bang on with Joe Warren taking out Patricio Pitbull in the featherweight finals. Good for Warren, who by the way, is one of the funniest fighters out there. He was quite the character when I was interviewing Dan Henderson at UFC 100, and when I asked Hendo if he could match up any two fighters in any weight class, the MMA legend pointed at Warren, and stated he’d like to see him matched up against Brock Lesnar…I kid you not.

    •       Chael Sonnen is up to his old tricks on twitter, with his latest post not only taking a shot at Anderson Silva, but also towards Jose Canseco, when he stated “Maybe after I destroy the Anderson Silva myth, he can get work on fellow MMA “fighter” Jose Canseco’s upcoming porn flick as “fluffer.”

•       Speaking of Silva, you can file this next quote under “WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?”, as the UFC middleweight champion stated ”I don’t think a fight with GSP [George St. Pierre] will ever happen. It’s not a fight I want to have and I don’t think GSP wants it either.”

•       I echo Rashad Evan’s recent statements that he’s tired of trying to explain to fans (who do not get it) that his game plan vs Rampage Jackson was a sound one, and not a boring one. GSP has said it before as well, that why would he, Rashad, or any truly intelligent fighter want to shorten their career with punches to the head, when they can simply execute a strategy that minimizes striking damage, while maximizing that which you launch upon your opponent. It’s Mixed Martial Arts folks – not Boxing, Kick Boxing, or Muay Thai.

•       Rashad’s teammate, Keith Jardine has been cut by the UFC. Having lost four straight, and six of his last eight, it was an unfortunate outcome to an eventual situation. But, I disagree with what Zuffa did here. I explained, again, on last night’s broadcast of “The Showdown”, how and why, Keith Jardine can be kept on their roster, and sent down to the WEC. “What” you say? Listen to the show as to my reasoning why this makes sense.

•          When it comes to the featherweight division, most North American fans focus on what they see via the WEC, but their 145 lbs knowledge expansion should include what’s happening in Japan, where Marlon Sandro continues to take his stock value to a new high, where he recently knocked out Masenori Kanehara at SRC 13. So the question now is,  will he stay overseas, or will WEC Match Maker Sean Shelby, eventually scoop him up?

By Joe Ferraro

s we get closer to Fedor Emelieanenko’s bout on Saturday night vs Fabricio Werdum, everything he says, does, and even wears, will likely make headlines.

“The Last Emperor” and his management team are fielding “retirement” questions, stemming from a recent teleconference, where Fedor’s translator did not include the full translation, considering the legend stated that he is thinking more and more about retirement. As for elaboration, his management team simply stated that he cannot fight forever (ala Randy Couture / Dan Henderson) but that the overall retirement talk is overblown.

As for his own thoughts, Fedor did state that he wishes to fulfill the final two fights on his current Strikeforce contract, remain undefeated, then review his options. Fight number one is Saturday vs Fabricio Werdum. Should he emerge victorious (and I don’t know that he will) the next, most logical fight, will be with Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem. Question is: will Fedor and his camp accept the fight? I hope so, but I’m not holding my breath.

One thing that I’ve been saying since Pride FC collapsed was that Fedor would likely never fight in the UFC. Even during his free agency period, with all the hype at it’s highest, I researched and found information that made it clear: Fedor competing in the octagon would only happen in MMA fans’ wildest dreams. There are too many extenuating circumstances that made all of the “Fedor in the UFC” talk just seem silly.

UFC President Dana White has told us, me, you and everyone else, that he has tried. He flew to various parts of the world, offered Emelianenko more than every other offer imaginable, but a deal simply could not be struck. While unfortunate, even White is now stating that it’s time to move on. It doesn’t look like it’s ever going to happen – it’s sounds as if even the UFC has officially given up on having “The Last Emperor” end his storied career inside the octagon, fighting the best heavyweights in the world, the vast majority of which, reside under the UFC’s umbrella.

But, I will say this: I will not be surprised if the UFC has an ace up their sleeve, and are planning some tomfoolery, like they did when Kimbo Slice joined the cast of season ten of The Ultimate Fighter. I’ll never say never, and while I believe they cannot come to terms with M1-Global, Fedor’s management team, the organization does have a history of getting what they want, someway, somehow, be it positive, negative, or with a velvet hammer. It’s a pipe dream, but I’ll remain optimistic and never say “never”.

Misc MMA News

•       Guys like Carlos Newton and Anderson Silva are huge fans of traditional martial arts, like Karate, Kenpo and Aikido. So when you get a seventh dan black belt in Aikido like Steven Seagal visiting your gym, its safe to say they will be more than happy to learn some new techniques, even if they cannot be used in MMA competition.

•       While Silva’s next title defence takes place August 07th, vs Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, there has been talk that he may relinquish the middleweight title in favour of moving up to light heavyweight on a full time basis. I say, “hang on Anderson”. If he defeats Sonnen, there is one more person on the horizon that I believe he should fight; a pioneer who is all but cleared to return to action, and in this video here, is already beginning to build up his strength and conditioning.

•       Seems there are a variety of media hating on Shane Carwin, for his “lack of” promoting, considering his upcoming bout with Brock Lesnar is just over two weeks away. I’ll be the first to say that Carwin has drastically changed from the guy I met a year or so ago, but to each his own. I’m sure he’s still a great guy, family man and excellent fighter, but gone is the friendly, down to earth guy I had some good laughs with. Unfortunately, his disdain for the media has gotten the better of him and he’s lumped all (if not most) of us into one singular group. He’s not the first and definitely won’t be the last but come next week, he will likely be vilified for his actions as the media surround him for the UFC 116 scrums and pre-fight press conference. I won’t be surprised if it’s Carwin who may come out as the heel in this fight, as the media may choose to show some love for Lesnar. I doubt it, but I won’t be surprised. Both guys are polarizing figures, and I never take what they say or do personal; I just want to see the unification bout.

•       Many folks are messaging me via Facebook and Twitter about who’s next for Martin Kampmann. All signs are pointing to a showdown with Dan Hardy in London, this October, but “The Hitman” recently stated that Jake Shields is another option, should the UFC come to terms with the highly ranked middleweight, whose truly a welterweight.

•       While Shields is mulling over offers from Strikeforce, the UFC and others, rumours are swirling that former WWE Wrestler Dave Batista has signed with Strikeforce. TMZ caught up with Batista, who stated he will be fighting for them in the near future, but would not divulge the opponent. For their part, Strikeforce denies the claim. I hope this never takes place. If Batista was in his twenties, and not his forties, fine. But all of these freak show fights in MMA are passe; there were a staple within Pride FC…we don’t need to see them again.

•          There are various articles out there blaming MMA for various violent acts in North America, attributing the sport, it’s fans and some “fighters” as the reasoning behind recent assaults and murders. I highly doubt that any organization and / or sport has anything to do with how a bunch of random buffoons act while being intoxicated or high on narcotics. Something tells me this is going to be a hot topic on my radio show this Thursday.

By Joe Ferraro

Rogers Sportsnet is your exclusive Canadian broadcaster for The Ultimate Fighter Season Eleven Finale in High Definition, so before you can sit back and watch the fights in 1080p, let’s quickly go through the bouts, as well as take a look at some other interesting MMA tidbits – including which former opponent Brock Lesnar has brought in to help him prepare for Shane Carwin.

Saturday night’s main event pits middleweights Court McGee and Kris McCray against one another, with only one of them walking away with the distinction as “The Ultimate Fighter;” a label they can share with the likes of Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez and Rashad Evans.

It’s not an easy bout to breakdown, but on the surface, I’ll go with Court McGee. I believe his skill set makes it a bad match up for McCray, who by the way, is a sheer beast. This guy fought five times on the show, and has the ability to always figure out a way to win. But against McGee, I believe he will spend too much time playing defence, than churning out any offence.

The TUF 11 Finale seems to also have a “loser goes home” theme, as Matt Hammil takes on Keith Jardine in the co-main event, while Chris Leben faces off against Aaron Simpson. I’m going with Hammil over Jardine by TKO and Simpson via decision over Leben. I will not be surprised if this is the last we see of Jardine and Leben in the octagon. My heart hopes not, but my head says this may be the direction the UFC chooses to pursue.

The two other bouts on the main card will see Spencer Fisher vs Denis Siver, while TUF 11 housemates Rich Attonito and Jamie Yager look to settle their differences in the opening bout of the broadcast. It’s tough to against Fisher in this bout vs Siver, but the Denis hits fast, and hits hard. I just believe Fisher will be able to control him and stop him via TKO. As for Attonito and Yager, experience favours Rich, who has ten pro fights to Jamie’s three. If Rich can survive Yager’s early aggressiveness, keep getting inside and landing combinations, he will likely frustrate him, knock him down and finish him off at will.

On the undercard is a lightweight bout many Canadians will be close attention to, as Ottawa’s Mark “Boots” Holst makes his UFC debut vs John Gunderson. It’s a tough fight for Holst, but is he uses his footwork and lets his Muay Thai skills go, he will surprise Gunderson with his power and may actually pull off what fellow Canadians Rory MacDonald and Claude Patrick recently did in their UFC debuts, and that’s finish off their opponent.

The rest of the card is below, with my pics in bold:

• Seth Baczynski vs. Brad Tavares
• Josh Bryant vs. Kyle Noke
• Chris Camozzi vs. James Hammortree
• Travis Browne vs. James McSweeney

Misc MMA News and Notes
• Speaking of Matt Hamill, a movie based on his life entitled “Hamill” is due out soon, and by the looks of the trailer, it looks fantastic.
• Brock Lesnar has brought in Randy Couture to help him prepare for Shane Carwin – excellent high quality video here, showcasing the two training together and exchanging ideas…and yes, as pointed out by many, believe it or not, the 285 lbs Lesnar has abs.
• If you missed last nights episode of “The Showdown”, you can hear it hear. I was joined by “Tyler The Intern” as well as a variety of callers – lots of UFC 115 aftermath discussion, Chuck Liddell retirement talk and predictions for this weekend’s events.
• Rampage Jackson is blaming Greg Jackson for a “boring” fight vs Rashad Evans. For his sake, Evans responded via this video here, but again, this is proof positive that the animosity between the two will not be going away, anytime soon.
• Jacob Clark, Producer for MMA Connected, thought it would be a good idea to take our team out on a field trip to catch Rampage’s performance of Bosco BA Baracus in “The A-Team”. It was a welcome change and reward for the guys who have been a ton of extra work over the past few weeks. As for the movie, two thumbs up from yours truly.
• Bellator XXII went down last night, and as predicted, Ben Askren defeated Dan Hornbuckle in the welterweights final. I’m back to doing good on my predictions after a great run, which was destroyed by my poor picks for UFC 115, where I went two for eleven. I usually hit over 70%, so thankfully, the turnaround has begun.

By Joe Ferrao

Last night’s Strikeforce event at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, provided us with a glimpse of what’s in store for the company’s matchmaking in the future, some of which may force Scott Coker, and those assisting with the matchmaking, some fits and headaches.

Renato Babalu Sobral’s victory over Robbie Lawler should have lined him up with a title shot vs King Mo; problem is, the light heavyweight duo train together and do not appear for a showdown anytime soon. On the contrary, Sobral respectfully called out Dan Henderson, a rematch he has been dreaming of since February of 2000, where Hendo gave Babalu is first professional loss. Sobral was 12-0 at the time, and lost via majority decision but I do see his reasoning.

One would imagine that if a rematch is something he so keenly desires, perhaps Gergard Mousasi should be the one on his radar, but fighters do not get the credit they deserve. Like a predator hunting his prey, the apparent weak and slow make for the easiest catch (just ask Tito Ortiz and Brock Lesnar).

For Babalu, Henderson, who turns 40 in August, appears to be a far easier opponent to defeat, based on his recent loss to Jake Shields, as opposed to the twenty four year old Mousasi, who will be looking to make somebody pay dearly, after losing the Strikeforce middleweight title to King Mo in April. Sobral has already been on the other end of a motivated Mousasi beatdown, and I’m sure, would rather not be in that position again.

In the co-main event, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos needed just over two and a half minutes to dispose of Dream Welterweight Champion, Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis. Under the DREAM banner, Zaromskis (aka “Mini Cro Cop”) is 4-0, with victories over names like Hayato Sakurai and Jason High. His last two bouts were with Strikeforce, where he was easily defeated by the likes of Nick Diaz and Cyborg.
For Zaromskis to resurrect his MMA career, he needs to continue working with the American Kickboxing Academy and work his “M-M-A” game. If he sticks with just the stand up realm, sayonara Marius. Another option would be to test the lightweight market – he simply appears to small at 170 lbs, and I’m betting he would truly be a “Whitemare” at 155 lbs.

Tim Kennedy’s performance vs Trevor Prangley truly caught me off guard. I predicted Prangley easily dominating and defeating Kennedy and I completely misanalysed the bout. Kennedy, after being tossed around, showed resolved and stuck onto Prangley like an anaconda, until he was able to secure the submission. I was very impressed, so the next time he steps into the cage, I will ask those watching with me to keep it quiet or leave the room. I’m not saying the Green Beret is the second coming of  Anderson Silva at middleweight, but the military veteran is worth some serious respect when he fights again.

As for the opening bout of the evening, between KJ Noons and Connor Huen, it was an incredible display of courage and heart, especially by Huen, who took the fight on just a few weeks notice. It makes you wonder how he would have faired if he had a full training camp. I do not agree with the split decision, as I believed that Noons won two rounds to one, but KJ’s performance left a bit to be desired.

I respect the fact he left MMA after Elite XC folded to pursue a boxing career and he’s only had two bouts since his return, but after watching his Dream 13 bout vs Andre Amade, and this bout vs Huen, I can’t help but feel like his explosiveness is gone. I was more impressed with his MMA game before he left, when he defeated Nick Diaz for Elite XC title, and needed just 0:48 to defend the title vs Yves Edwards.

He was once one of the guys I would tell people to pay attention to; his striking alone was almost in a class of his own, and he would destroy guys with it. Now, that explosive fight and finisher, appears to be more of a cruiser, who is more than happy working at 80%. Here’s hoping I’m wrong, but I cannot help but feel that if he does get a rematch with Diaz, or a shot at Lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, he may just suffer the third loss of his MMA career.

Misc News and Notes

•    DREAM has finally made one of my MMA dreams come true; my long anticipated lightweight grudge match between champion Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri will finally take place on July 10th at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. To say I am salivating may just me an understatement. I’m counting down the days. Alistair Overeem and Gergard Mousasi are also being rumoured to be competing on the card, as well as announced match ups between Melvin Manhoef and Tatsuya Mizuno, as well as JZ Cavalcante vs Katsunori Kikuno.

•    Forty One Year Old David Batista, of WWE fame, was seen at the Strikeforce event, looking far smaller than his one time 300 lbs frame, and apparently contemplating a move to MMA, as he is tired of the professional wrestling word. With all due respect to Mr. Batista, I hope this is not a story I will be talking about ever again. If he was 21, maybe 31, fine…but he’s not.

•    So here’s a Brock Lesnar video where the champ is counting down the days to crushing Shane Carwin, and that his previous list of opponents is more credible than Shane’s. I do tend to agree, but I can’t help but believe that Carwin will be his toughest test to date. Lesnar’s loss to Frank Mir aside, Carwin is a completely different beast and will likely not showcase a passive game plan vs Lesnar. We’ve seen what happens when a bully is pushed backwards – I’m predicting this is what will happen in a few weeks at UFC 116.

•    Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson was in attendance for the last few bouts at GM Place for UFC 116. His thoughts and comments about the event were how a true politician should talk about something he may or may not like – speak for the people, not for yourself, like we’ve seen in Ontario and New York. I have a new found respect for Mr. Robertson and look forward to visiting his city again (and hopefully sooner rather than later).

•    Speaking of New York, the Senate passed the proposed MMA Bill with a vote of 32-26. It has a few more hurdles to clear before sanctioning can become a reality, but it’s obviously the closest that it’s ever been. If New York gets done, the Liberals in Ontario better be ready for an onslaught of MMA fans, Corporate big wigs, media and everyone and their brother, sister, family member and pet to show up once again on Queens Park asking “who, what, where, when, why and how” can we get this done in Ontario. I’m actually getting very excited at the prospect of watching all of this unfold.

•    Finally – for all the ladies and R’n'B fans, you can now add Grammy Award Winner, Usher, to the list of celebrities who are training in MMA. He was spotted at The Black House in Los Angeles, and was training with various folks, including Mark Munoz as can be seen here, in this picture.

By Showdown Joe

There was once a period in time when I wished I could watch any form of MMA on television; I would beg the networks to air content that I would deliver as well for some of the big shows. Thankfully, times have changed, as is evidenced by this week’s broadcasting schedule of MMA events.

First off is Strikeforce: Los Angeles tonight, featuring a 195 lbs catchweight main event bout between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Renato “Babalu” Sobral. The co-main event is a welterweight tilt between Dream champion Mariuz Zaromskis vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.

The rest of the main card will see Tim Kennedy vs Trevor Prangley, and KJ Noons vs Conner Huen. My quick picks are Lawler, Zaromskis, Prangley and Noons.

Thursday night (but airing Friday in Canada) is Bellator XXII, which features the finals of the welterweight tournament between Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren. The rest of the bouts include Jose Vega vs Jared Card and a female bout at 115 lbs between Stephanie Frausto and Lisa Ward.

I’m going against the grain in the main event and going to pick Ben Askren to win, while Card and Ward will be my safe selections.

On Saturday night, right here on Rogers Sportsnet, The Ultimate Fighter Eleven Season Finale will see the newest winner of the six figure contract decided between middleweights Court McGee and Kris McCray. The co-main event will see Matt Hammill take on Keith Jardine, while the rest of the card sees Chris Leben vs Aaron Simpson, Spencer Fisher vs Denis Siver and Jamie Yager vs Rich Antonitto.

Predicting the outcomes for these bouts is difficult, but I’ll go with McGee, Hammill, Simpson, Fisher and Antonitto.

On Sunday night, WEC 49 hits Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta with a main event featuring former lightweight champion Jamie Varner, taking on rising phenom Kamal Shalorus. It’s two Canadians in the co-main event as Mark Hominick takes on Yves Jabouin (don’t blink in this fight) while Hominick’s teammate Chris Horodecki will face off against Dan Downes (who steps in for the injured Ed Ratcliffe). Also on the card will be Josh Grispi vs LC Davis while Eddie Wineland takes on Will Campuzano.

I should note that the undercard is seriously stacked, but in the meantime, here are my quick picks: Shalorus, Hominick, Horodecki, Grispi and Wineland.

Misc MMA News and Notes

•       Due to legal issues from a previous Real Estate court case, UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen has been forced to withdraw from the political race for the Oregon State Senate.

•       Forrest Griffin’s sequel to the best selling “Got Fight?” has been released and it’s called  ”Be Ready When the Sh*t Goes Down: A Survival Guide to the Apocalypse“. If it’s anything like his first book, I highly recommend it; Griffin has an uncanny ability to make you laugh out loud while reading his thoughts, exploits and hilarious sense of what is and what is not “manly.”

•       UFC Live II (also available on Rogers Sportsnet) has been forced to relocate from Salt Lake City, Utah to San Diego, California. Poor ticket sales was the reasoning, couple perhaps, with the fact that Sunday events are frowned upon, and the local populous rarely attend anything (other than the odd Utah Jazz game) on the one day they hold sacred.

•       Mirko Cro Cop did not have a fun time with Canadian Immigration Officials who questioned the former military man to see if he had any involvement or had info on former ranking officers who may have committed war crimes and human rights violations. Cro Cop did not give up any info and the UFC’s lawyer’s were brought in to help with the situation; Mirko also claimed he would have had no issues walking away from his fight with Pat Barry and taking the next flight home back to Croatia. I’ve said on many occasions, but what these athletes go through mentally before a fight is sometimes mind boggling (no pun intended) and to be able to put that all aside, step into the competition area and compete is a true feat in and of itself.

•       As for Pat Barry, the heavyweight broke his hand and foot in the first round vs Cro Cop, which definitely explains his performance taking a downward turn as the fight progressed. The pic of his swollen right foot can be seen here.

•       There’s a new feature on Sportsnet.ca which highlights events and fighter bios – have a scroll through when you have a chance.

By Joe Ferraro

The UFC’s debut on Canada’s west coast was a successful one, so after experiencing UFC 115 at GM Place in Vancouver, what are some of the story lines that will make headlines in the foreseeable future?

First off is Chuck Liddell: while I can say I was lucky enough to be octagon-side for his last four fights, I sincerely hope that the word “last” holds up here. “The Iceman” has given us all a lifetime of memories, but seeing him lying on his back after Rich Franklin knocked him out was simply too much; enough is enough.

The MMA pioneer must hang them up as it is more than obvious his post-concussion syndrome just makes it that much easier for his opponents to finish him off with punches. He is still a great fighter, no ifs ands or buts, but his brain can no longer take that type of punishment. No matter what, I will always remember him far more for his dominance in the light heavyweight division, than for the fighter, who at the end of his career, was seen far too many times, laying on his back, staring at the lights.

Iceman – thanks for the memories and hopefully then next time we cross paths, I hope I am not interviewing you for an upcoming fight, rather, for whatever you may choose as your new career path.

As for Franklin, the diagnosis on his left arm is a broken ulna; no word on whether he may need surgery, but I definetly look forward to his next bout in the octagon. He is a class act, a company man who now deserves to be matched up against quality 205 lbs opponents.

Mirko Cro Cop and Pat Barry put on a great fight, but I can’t help but think if Pat kicked it up just one more notch, he would have won that fight. It “appeared” as if he was still having too much fun in there, and left his killer instinct backstage. Barry is tough, don’t kid yourselves – this guy should have won that fight but simply didn’t elevate to that point that we saw him against Antoni Hardonk.

Cro Cop looked good though. I was impressed with his tenacity but above all, his unexpected sense of humour, which was on display for all of the media since the workouts on Wednesday. He added to it at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday then again on Saturday night at the post-fight presser. With that being said, he did leave some hints that he “may” sign with the UFC, but was not sure if that was going to be “fighting” or in some other form or capacity.

The Rory MacDonald / Carlos Condit fight had the GM Place crowd in a frenzy. While “The Waterboy” was ahead on two of the three judges scorecards going into the third round, it was Condit who came out guns’a'blazing, and was on his way to earning a 10-8 round, and an overall draw, but the ref stepped in to stop the fight. The controversial stoppage sent the crowd into a frenzy, as there were mere seconds left in the fight.

Fans wanted the fight to go just a little longer, and it’s hard to argue that point. But, it is the referee’s job to protect the fighters and not pay attention to the clock. Unfortunately for MacDonald’s fans, he had taken too much abuse and the ref had seen enough. It’s far better for the twenty year old to have a loss on his record, than to never be allowed to compete again. I hear the argument loud and clear, that Condit wasn’t connecting anymore, but with seven seconds left, he could have landed more strikes that could have caused more unnecessary damage to Rory’s brain and face.

I was in contact with Rory afterward – he is fine, will head back home to recover, train hard and mark my words, will come back stronger than ever. He has a ton of talent, and if he fights until, say thirty five years old, we can just imagine the heights of success he will reach over the next fifteen years.

As for the controversy in the Mac Danzig / Matt Wiman bout, again, you can make arguments on both sides. Referee Yves Lavigne stopped the bout, but then Danzig immediately stood up, visibly upset with the stoppage, but hang on a moment.

Folks are complaining about Lavigne’s decision to pay attention to Wiman’s words that Danzig was out. This is not the first time a fighter or referee have been in this scenario. We have seen it dozens of times in MMA fights all over the world, so folks need to stop acting as if it’s the first time this has happened.  Second, it’s not easy to see when a fighter passes out, so an official may have to physically check to see if he has. Lavigne did, and he believed Danzig was, so he called the fight.

When I spoke to him afterwards, he explained all of this, with a conclusion that it is better to be safe than sorry. I also disagree with many of the assessments that Lavigne made a rookie mistake – last time I checked he has refereed all across North America for the better part of ten years. He is far from being a bad referee, and while the stoppage appeared to look weak, he made the best call he could make, based on the info he had available to him. The one good thing about this story is that the UFC paid Danzig his win bonus as well, so both fighters got full pay days, and their rematch will likely be added to an upcoming card, very soon.

Strangely enough, there is one fighter who was victorious on Saturday night, whose career may be cut by the UFC. Ben Rothwell did defeat Gilbert Yvel, but the UFC brass was vocal with their disappointment with his performance. I believe Rothwell fought the right fight and used the correct strategy over the known knockout artist that Yvel is. At the post-fight presser, Rothwell was the first to admit he wasn’t happy with his performance and that he needed to finish the fight. But rumblings afterwards are that Rothwell’s UFC career may be in jeopardy. I sincerely hope this is not the case.

Toronto’s Claude Patrick proved the UFC made the right call in signing him. I believed he was going to have a much tougher time with Riccardo Funch but he proved me wrong. He fought a fabulous fight and made a statement in his UFC debut. Look for Patrick to quickly rise up the welterweight food chain. He’s got the skills, so let’s see how he does versus more quality talent.

In closing, sources tell me David Loiseau is either going to retire from fighting, or seriously take some time away from the sport. So much so, that he may not even train at TriStar in Montreal for the foreseeable future. Whatever “The Crow” decides, MMA fans should support him 100%. What we saw in his fight vs Mario Miranda (and for that matter, vs Ed Herman) is NOT the Loiseau that I see when I visit TriStar on a regular basis. He does have a ground game. He does have wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills, and for whatever reason, it doesn’t translate when he leaves the gym and when he steps into the octagon.

He has all the talent in the world so hopefully he can figure this out, but if he cannot, then all Canadian MMA fans should thank the Quebec native for opening the doors for fellow fighters, Jonathan Goulet, Patrick Cote and even his close friend, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

By Joe Ferraro

As is with many societies in a democratic populous, it’s only a small minority of vocal politicians and media folk that seem to have issues with what “the people” truly want. I have been in the City of Vancouver since Tuesday evening, and to say people are excited about the UFC, and MMA in general would be an understatement.

Twice, I walked from the Sportsnet Pacific studios (which is an arms length away from GM Place, the host venue for UFC 115) to the hotel I am staying at. Generally about a 30 mins walk, took me about an hour each time. I was stopped every few blocks by MMA fans who couldn’t help but share their excitement for Saturday’s card. Both days, I stopped to grab a coffee about half way back, and each time I was met by more fans outside of the establishment(s).

People in Vancouver want MMA here – so hopefully local politicians can find a way to remove the two year trial period and make it a common occurrence here. There are legit promoters here – not the so called “bad apples of society”. There is a plethora of talent in this city and province that could easily join the likes of Rory MacDonald, and historically, Lance Gibson and Bill Mahood, inside the Octagon to represent Canada’s west coast.

If the City of Vancouver (which is absolutely stunning – my first time here) can emulate the MMA sanctioning model set forth by that of the state of Nevada, Province of Quebec, or even that of the commission in Enoch, Alberta, it would not only reap the economic impact the sport could bring to its municipal borders, but it foster the development of future MMA stars, that one day, will call the big show their home. If Van City can do this via sports like hockey, soccer, football, baseball (and don’t get me started on the amazing Olympic calibre athletes here), they it can definitely do it for the sport of MMA.

There is simply too much talent in this city and province to thwart it’s growth because of a few councillors who cannot see the forrest for the trees. What also disturbs me is that there are councillors and politicians here, whose sanity and out right intelligence are being mocked by a meagre few, whose opposition and ignorance is so archaic, that I can already see their remains alongside the dinosaurs in a museum.

It’s 2010 folks – not 1993, when the sport first came onto the North American scene; times have changed. Do your research, get your facts together and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. The successful model(s) are already out there for you to follow. Give the consumers, the promoters and above all, the athletes, the right to enjoy what could be a thriving MMA scene here.

Back to UFC 115

Wednesday was media workout day, and I was fairly impressed with the amount of coverage UFC 115 was getting. It was often a stampede in the workout room every time a new fighter was cycled into the room, and when the UFC’s PR staff informed Rich Franklin that his interviews would be conducted by the other UFC banner across the room, the herd of media that ran across to get into a prime position was eye popping. I’ve never encountered something similar like that at any UFC event before; it was actually a nice site to behold.

As for the fighters:

Chuck Liddell is definitely in shape and thankfully, is (sort of) making it clear that his past game plans of only looking for the knockout has changed. Look for “The Iceman” to mix it up on Saturday night, and to use his very underrated takedown, grappling and submission skills, to, gasp, set up the knockout against Rich Franklin.

Speaking of “Ace”, the Cincinnati native told me he is very well prepared and is fully expecting an MMA bout on Saturday night, not a stand up, kickboxing, forget that it’s a multiple disciplined sport, fight that has been the standard as of late. Franklin has his own surprises (aka setups) for “The Iceman”, and knows to expect anything and everything for three straight rounds.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic- ah yes, the legend. Well, it’s safe to say he’s turned a new leaf. The man brings with him a charismatic, yet deftly respectable persona into a room. This guy wreaks of MMA greatness and shockingly enough, addressed the media for what must have been the longest scrum in the Croatian’s career. Even when the UFC PR staff tried to end the questioning to keep the Croat happy, he stunned us all when he replied back with “No, it’s okay. I like this”. An awkward silence was followed by a cheerful laugh by many of us; it was definitely unexpected.

As for what we can expect from Cro Cop vs opponent Pat Barry on Saturday night? I believe the standard, stand up brawl until one of them truly gets into trouble and begins looking for the takedown. Cro Cop has come to terms with life after Pride FC, and understands the differences of competing inside of a cage vs a ring, as well as the evolution of the mixed martial artist. He (as well as Barry) mentioned that, gone are the days of the single disciplined fighter – to succeed nowadays in MMA, you must be well rounded. Here’s hoping he, and Barry can practice what they preach.

I’ve also ran into nearly every fighter on Saturday’s card, and spent some quality time with Kelowna, BC’s Rory MacDonald and trainer David Lea, from Toshido MMA. Our Sportsnet Connected feature on Rory MacDonald aired last night (and is available here as well) but I’ll be honest – we’ve just scratched the surface with “The Waterboy”. The welterweight is pegged as MMA’s version of Taylor Hall, the projected number one draft pick in this year’s upcoming NHL draft. MacDonald is also being described as the sport’s Stephen Strausberg, the Washington Nationals Pitcher whose future appears brighter than the sun.

At the tender age of twenty, MacDonald may soon be the welterweight division’s Jon “Bones” Jones, the stud light heavyweight that everyone believes will one day be a champion at the 205 lbs class. In fact, it was Georges St-Pierre who told me that “The Waterboy” will one day be wearing UFC gold – his time will come, but first, there is the problem known as “The Natural Born Killer”, Carlos Condit.

Condit has built a reputation for being unbreakable, so if MacDonald is to begin living up to the hype, he must defeat a former WEC Champion whose will to win is impeccable, and a guy who does not know how to quit. Rory will have his hands full on Saturday night, and unfortunately for him, if he defeats Condit, I can just imagine who UFC matchmaker Joe Silva pits up against next.

For more on all of these stories, make sure you tune in to our UFC 115 one hour preview show, this Saturday, on Rogers Sportsnet. Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

By Joe Ferraro

The sanctioning and regulation of Mixed Martial Arts in the State of New York moved one step closer this past week as the A-2009c bill was, strangely enough, passed onto the Committee, that last year, already voted to pass it. But don’t hold your breath just yet.

If voted in favour, it still has at least two more steps to go through before MMA truly becomes a reality in the state. While the UFC and other interested parties are bullish on this, at times, it has to be a frustrating endeavor.

Yes, you are correct, and that seriously makes no sense, but if you’ve ever followed what sometimes happens in the political realms, be it in New York or Ontario, you are often left scratching your head.

On to other things…

During my coverage of UFC 114 last week in Vegas, there was simply too much going and too many people that we ran into, to possibly share with everyone what was going on. I am left with ironic flashbacks, flashes of memory that trigger me to quickly share a story.

We ran into Shane Carwin at the UFC Fan Expo, who is set to take on Heavyweight Champions Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 116, July 03rd in Vegas. It was the first time I have ever seen in a bitter, foul mood. I’m sure there were numerous reasons as to why, so we went about our business across the show floor. With the biggest fight of his career just around the corner, and noticing that Lesnar was and is, nowhere to be found, it looks as if Carwin may have had some sort of epiphany; he’s doing everything possible to promote their fight, while Lesnar is, perhaps, training.

Carwin dropped the gauntlet yesterday and has had enough, stating on his twitter: “FYI I am not doing any media this month. If you have questions go to www.shane-carwin.com and you can post them in the forum thanks.”

An interesting precedent to say the least.

Another quick story that just came to mind was when MMA Connected Producer Jacob Clark and I were walking through the UFC Fan Expo en route to interview Carlos Condit. I was stopped by Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who was signing autographs and quickly caught up on some stuff. But it was when we walked away when Clark realized just how big Johnson truly was. Clark’s commentary revolved around “how can he actually make welterweight” and “he looks more like a light heavyweight, not a middleweight or even a welterweight”. I concur…Johnson’s frame and body structure are massive for the 170 lbs weight class, and like he’s said in a few interviews before, look for “Rumble” to move up to 185 lbs once he’s fully recovered from his knee injury.

Legendary Mixed Martial Arts Pioneer, Bas “El Guapo” Rutten, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, a stellar colour commentator and exceptional MMA analyst, has been nominated by the group who run the annual Holland Herring Festival in New York, as a finalist for the “Salute to Dutch Sportsmen”, a distinction that will have media and fans alike, select the greatest athlete from Dutch heritage.

Jerry Milani informs me that, “El Guapo” is amongst an A-list group, and “is joined on the ballot by soccer players Edgar Davids, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Johan Neeskens, Robin Van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp and Frank Rijkaard, big league pitchers Bert Blyleven and Curt Schilling, NBA players Rik Smits, Kiki Vandeweghe and Keith Van Horn, U.S. Open Tennis champ Tom Okker, and track and field stars Fanny Blankers-Koen, a quadruple-gold medalist at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and Cornelius Warmerdam, Men’s Pole Vault World Record Holder”.

And if you’re wondering what’s the latest coming from Chael Sonnen’s twitter, well, look no further, as the middleweight contender has once again taken a shot at champion Anderson Silva by tweeting “A.S. A fraud is living in your house. You see him each day when you shave, he is in the mirror. Tell him hello…”.

Misc MMA News
•       Strikeforce’s exclusive negotiation period with Jake Shields has expired, and now a term has commenced whereby the organization has the right to match any offer their middleweight champion receives. Speaking with MMA Junkie, Strikeforce’s public position appears as if they will not get into a bidding war and that they will be okay if Shields does leave the organization. I wonder if behind closed doors they are working the numbers to see if they can once again shock the MMA world, like they did with Fedor, and announce that MMA’s most coveted free agent, Jake Shields, will remain with the organization.

•       Canadian UFC MIddleweight Joe “El Dirte” Doerkson was victorious in his hometown of Winnipeg last night, defeating Shawn Marchand via TKO at 0:43 in Round One. During negotiations for his short notice / step in for the injured Tim Credeur vs Tom Lawlor, the UFC agreed to let Doerkson compete outside of the Octagon, as the bout was booked long before the UFC came calling, and “El Dirte” was the main event.

•       Miguel Angel Torres has spent some quality time training with Firas Zahabi, same coach for the likes of GSP, Loiseau, Florian, Evans, and more. Torres talks about the training while also discussing a potential bout with Urijah Faber, should “The California Kid” decide to drop down from Featherweight to Bantamweight.

•       Here’s an excellent analysis between Sherdog’s Jordan Breen and Fight Opinion’s Zach Arnold, discussing Japanese Olympic Judo Gold Medalist’s Satoshi Ishi’s MMA career path thus far. Great read to say the least.

By Joe Ferraro

Main stream MMA fans often wonder why, and sometimes when will they see Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC. It now looks as if that reality may never come to fruition as reports are surfacing that Fedor will be running for political office in Russia, and likely retire once the final two fights on his Strikeforce contract come to an end.

While we may never see “The Last Emperor” vs the likes of Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin and other top ranking heavyweights, we will see him face off against Fabricio Werdum on June 26th with his final bout likely a title fight vs current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem.

During last night’s edition of “The Showdown“, Tyler “The Intern” and I briefly discussed a “Fighter Union” and whether or not it will one day become a reality. Fan 590 listeners were brought up to speed on our thoughts, most of which centred around the fact that unless big name fighters can convince the vast majority of other level fighters to “stand up” to their employers, don’t expect a union to materialize anytime soon.

We also briefly discussed UFC President Dana White’s recent comments regarding rankings, and were then joined by MMA Expo founder Gerald Chopik. For more info on the MMA Expo going down next weekend at the Toronto International Centre, click here.

Speaking of “Fighter Unions”, during last weekend’s UFC Fan Expo, Lorenzo Fertitta (UFC Majority Owner) gave his thoughts regarding the issue. Matt Lindland also gives his thoughts on this issue, to balance out the argument.

Over the years, many male Olympians have transitioned to MMA but it was just a matter of time before we started seeing female competitors of the Olympic caliber make their way into a ring or cage near you. Here is a link to a story and video of judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey, as well as discussion about Sara McMann, a freestyle silver medalist prepping for her MMA debut.

In closing, the postponed bout between welterweights Paul Kelly and Jacob Volkmann is beginning to heat up in the trash talking department. Due to visa issues, Kelly is unable to make it to their UFC 116 date on July 03rd, so the bout has been moved to UFC Live II, on August 01st. But, Volkmann apparently had some disparaging remarks, to which Kelly responded with a warning that “Christmas” is in for a minimum of “thirty stitches”.

There’s more, and you can check it out here.