By Joe Ferraro

The aftermath from UFC 114 continues to make headlines for some of the fighters who competed last Saturday night, but none more than UFC President Dana White’s comments about some of the media.

During a recent radio interview, White suggested that there were some websites whose rankings may be skewed due to the fact some promoters are paying to have some their fighters listed. If this is the case, then it’s only fair that MMA media and fans are told which sites they may be.

White was likely just stirring the pot, shooting from the hip and perhaps taking a shot at some of the sites he is simply not happy with. But, to throw out  such a (serious) allegation is a risky one, as it puts him and the organization under an unnecessary microscope, with many looking for answers and proof.

I was sitting with friends when I first heard the interview, and while we all sincerely laughed and simultaneously shook our heads at the comments, it did not take long for us to realize there was going to be some backlash. Even if White was joking, not everyone will laugh. Some will take it as a small fib, others as a an erroneous lie; but there are a select few that will take it is a personal attack on their character.

Unfortunately, and this is not just isolated within the industry of MMA, but every major sport, and in every walk of life that has the ability to disseminate news, it’s up to each individual, as to how they decide to take the story. Was it a joke? Was it all in good fun? Was it a personal shot? Should there be consequences for making such statements or should shoulders be shrugged, eye brows raised and the proverbial “whatever” be spouted in response?

There is a segment of the MMA population that will walk away and say “it’s just Dana being Dana”, while another select group that will go at the UFC President with their verbal guns a blazing. I personally do not have any proof that any of the websites out there are taking cash for their rankings. I for one am not, and above all, I’m not sure anyone would pay me for something that is extremely subjective. My theory when I create my rankings is such a personal one, that incorporates a fighters record, his skill set, tie breaking rules, who they have competed against recently, have they defeated somebody within the top ten, and much, much more. Again, no one will pay me for this type of headache, hence the subjective nature of many of the ranking systems out there.

Misc MMA News

•    The first chapter of Rampage Jackson’s feud with Rashad Evans is in the history books, and as he prepares for another one with Hollywood, my initial suggestion that he should rematch Forrest Griffin later on this year is now being squashed, as it appears the UFC is contemplating a match up with another former champion, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

•    No word yet on whether Dan Miller, who lost his co-main event bout versus Michael Bisping is on the verge of being cut. White mentioned that even though he has lost his last three fights, the New Jersey native is a fighter who always brings it, and likely will remain with the organization for at least one more fight.

•    While Todd Duffee relied on a strict boxing strategy in his KO loss to Mike Russow, the youngster admits he should have mixed it up throughout the fight. He is still young enough, smart enough and humble enough to realize his errors and will learn from his UFC 114 experience, and will definitely return to the octagon a much better fighter.

•    At the UFC 114 post-fight press conference, many of us were blown away by twenty two year old John “The Hitman” Hathaway’s professional demeanor and stellar PR skills. There were not many who gave the young Brit a shot vs Diego Sanchez, and he proved his critics wrong. This welterweight has a bright future in the sport and will turn heads for many years to come.

•    There has been very little attention being paid to “The Stun Gun”, Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim, who defeated Amir Soddolah via unanimous judges decision at UFC 114. His only loss, was a split decision to Karo Parisyan which was later overturned to a no contest, after Parisyan tested positive for banned pain killers. While Kim is not a world beater just yet, pay attention to this welterweight. If he can take his striking to the next level, he will be a serious force at 170 lbs.

•    Yesterday’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter had its fair share of controversy, as Jamie Yager refused to answer the bell in the third round vs Josh Bryant. Coach Tito Ortiz was “fired”, after Dana White recommended he go see a doctor in LA to get a second opinion on his neck injury. Since the filming, Ortiz has undergone surgery, but I do find it strange that he was let go. Historically speaking, not all coaches were able to compete after the reality show ended (think Serra / Hughes, Jackson / Evans) but eventually they did fight. I get the feeling that the UFC brass must have realized Ortiz would either be out for a very long time (at worst, be unable to return) and thus, they had to move forward and bring in Rich Franklin as a replacement coach, who will now be facing Chuck Liddell next weekend at UFC 115 in Vancouver. As for the assistant coaches for the new Team Franklin, pictures have surfaced online that he will be joined by Forrest Griffin, Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard.

•    There are those who like trash talk and there are those who despise it. And then there is Chael Sonnen, who is pushing the bar with some of the most classic rants to have ever hit twitter, as well as the video medium. Love him or hate him, this guy gets it, and the ride to his UFC 117 middleweight title shot vs Anderson Silva is going to be fun. Should he emerge victorious, it may just go down as one of the most epic rises to MMA fame ever.

•    Speaking of trash talk, James Toney has shown up online again, talking about his upcoming UFC 118 bout vs Randy Couture, how he wanted Brock Lesnar first and of course, what all his haters can look forward to from “Lights Out”.

•    Strikeforce has officially announced Le vs Smith II, Krazy Horse is out vs KJ Noons, as well as some info regarding the recent filming of a Rape Prevention DVD, staring Miesha Tate and Frank Shamrock.

•    Sengoku has announced their card for their upcoming show on June 30th, and it features a middleweight championship bout between Marlon Sandro and Kazuo Misaki, as well as a featherweight title fight between Marlon Sandro and Masanori Kanehara.

•    In closing, former UFC middleweight Lee “Lightning” Murray was recently sentenced to ten years in a Moroccan prison for his role in one of the biggest (in not THE biggest) bank heists in UK history, which went down in 2006. Murray was the epitome of a natural born fighter. The stories of his street fights and street cred are legendary within the old school MMA fan base, and make the stories of Kimbo Slice almost appear bleak. One of those legendary scuffles included a duel with Tito Ortiz, outside of an English establishment while the UFC was holding court in the UK. Murray was far from a law abiding citizen, but it is truly unfortunate he was unable to use MMA, like so many others, to turn his life around. He was a fearless warrior, who in 2004, took Anderson Silva the distance, in a three round battle under the Cage Rage promotional banner.