Tito finally put to bed this rivalry and the two managed to even come out of it looking classy and respectful. Well, assuming Shammy has enough sense to retire anyway. If anything I was surprised it took Tito so long to finish it. Hell, Shammy looked pretty good for a while.
The rest of the night seemed to be a showcase for Team Punishment. Matt Hamill beat a game Seth Petruzzelli. Classing ground n pound with a smidgeon of lay n pray. Seth really needs to work on his boxing and sprawl and was a little too quick to slip to guard rather than fight for dominant position. Yeah Hamill is a world class wrestler but you still have to try. The Silverback's takedown defense looked pretty good so I really think he could have had a chance to get Matt on his back at least once and I think the wrestler might just fold as a lot do in that spot.
Kendall Grove is the perfect protege` for Tito. A solid framework of heart and work ethic that the former champ can pour his knowledge and skills into. With him and Hamill, Team Punishment looks pretty damn solid. Kendall didn't look overpowering in any area other than relentlessness but at his age and with the tools he has he could be very dangerous in five years.
Jason McDonald had the upset of the night when he soundly beat a talented fighter in Ed 'Short Fuse' Herman. Not only that but out grappled a strong grappler. And a guy from Quest at that! This was the fight of the night, beating Hamill/Petruzzelli by a good margin. Each fighter showed that he could overcome adversity and reverse his opponent. On more than one occasion then getting reversed himself!
Having never seen the Canadian I half groaned when they said he was a submission fighter. Maybe Shammy fighting later that night had me thinking of his Lion's Den 'submission fighters'. Wow was that the wrong reaction. McDonald's jiu-jitsu was phenomenal. Honestly, Minotoro came to mind and that his high praise. When he came out of that roll with a triangle choke I swear I thought I felt urine trickling down my leg. (I just spilled my water thanks for the concern though.)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The Further Evolution of MMA
It's this humble writer's opinion that we are finally seeing in the game today the strikers standing up and (yes, pun intended) pushing their collective way to the forefront. For years grapplers have dominated MMA but finally we are seeing some strikers excel. And it's not just Chuck Liddell I am talking about here. A short list would include :
Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski
Mark Hominick
Sam Stout
David Loiseau
Luke Cummo
and maybe, hopefully, Anderson Silva
Now it's not to say that strikers have never acheived anything in MMA. Not at all, but by and large it has been the grapplers. First the Jiu-Jitsu wave led by the Gracie clan. Then, and especially in America and the UFC, the wrestlers. BJJ was dominant for so long because of the lack of knowledge of submission moves but now that awareness has circulated they aren't as dominant, if you don't have some ground and pound to soften up your foe then against a decent fighter you just won't win. More recently the wrestlers have taken over with their ability to control their opponents body. At first they were susceptible to the submissions holds but now that they are training to recognize and defend they have, in my opinion, become the most dominant group. i.e. Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, GSP, Ed Herman, Randy Cout....okay let's just say Team Quest and stop there.
It's no surprise that the standup guys have borrowed from the grapplers, and more specifically the wrestlers to finally push themselves to a higher level. Liddell is the best but not the only example of this. Other high level examples would include Pride's Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson (formerly of Pride) and Cro Cop.
Part of wrestling is controlling the level and that is what had been lacking in the typical strikers arsenal. Developing a strong sprawl is now fundamental to excelling in MMA. All the Muay Thai, boxing or Tae Kwon Do credentials in the world don't do a damn bit of good once you're underneath the next NCAA champ to hit the Octagon. It's just plain fact.
Defend the takedown. Keep things standing and then finally let the grapplers get a taste of what it's like to be out of their element. From the big picture vantage point it plays out like a chess game.....but who makes the next move? I don't know but I will be watching!
Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski
Mark Hominick
Sam Stout
David Loiseau
Luke Cummo
and maybe, hopefully, Anderson Silva
Now it's not to say that strikers have never acheived anything in MMA. Not at all, but by and large it has been the grapplers. First the Jiu-Jitsu wave led by the Gracie clan. Then, and especially in America and the UFC, the wrestlers. BJJ was dominant for so long because of the lack of knowledge of submission moves but now that awareness has circulated they aren't as dominant, if you don't have some ground and pound to soften up your foe then against a decent fighter you just won't win. More recently the wrestlers have taken over with their ability to control their opponents body. At first they were susceptible to the submissions holds but now that they are training to recognize and defend they have, in my opinion, become the most dominant group. i.e. Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, GSP, Ed Herman, Randy Cout....okay let's just say Team Quest and stop there.
It's no surprise that the standup guys have borrowed from the grapplers, and more specifically the wrestlers to finally push themselves to a higher level. Liddell is the best but not the only example of this. Other high level examples would include Pride's Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson (formerly of Pride) and Cro Cop.
Part of wrestling is controlling the level and that is what had been lacking in the typical strikers arsenal. Developing a strong sprawl is now fundamental to excelling in MMA. All the Muay Thai, boxing or Tae Kwon Do credentials in the world don't do a damn bit of good once you're underneath the next NCAA champ to hit the Octagon. It's just plain fact.
Defend the takedown. Keep things standing and then finally let the grapplers get a taste of what it's like to be out of their element. From the big picture vantage point it plays out like a chess game.....but who makes the next move? I don't know but I will be watching!
How to Beat : Current Champions
Tim Sylvia
Tim's style is straight up boxing. One two, one two. With his reach, knockout power and a pretty good sprawl that's all he's really needed.
How to beat him : Use leg kicks to soften up those long legs of his then when he's softened up and sluggish take him down and put him on his back, see how good his guard is, i'd bet not that great.
Biggest threat in the division : Might be Monson. The two are polar opposites in size and style. If Sylvia can defend the takedown then he'll knockout the Snowman at some point. But if Monson can use his low center of gravity to shoot in and grab a leg then he'll get Sylvia in a submission, just a matter of time.
I have to wonder if things would have been different if Andrei Arlovski had taken him to the ground and went for GnP or a sub attempt. Interestingly Andrei's kicking is good enough to wear out the legs of Sylvia he just didn't do enough in the regard. I think Andrei was too worried about how he wanted to win rather than if he could win.
Chuck Liddell
Chuck's preferred method is, gasp, to knockout his foe. He's willing to give his opponent a target to throw knuckles at so that he in turn can throw his own. And we know who hits harder, don't we? When things get slow he's more than willing to open up his hands, drop them a bit and even at times look to his corner; All with the intention of inviting his opponent to swing so he can counterpunch. Hey, it works.
How to beat him: Randy Couture proved you can beat him with more technical boxing and in the clinch but he also got KO'd twice trying to do it, so it's a gamble to be sure. If you were to fight the Iceman you'd want to take him down and neutralize his best weapon, that right hand, but it's proven a very difficult task to get him down and even more so to keep him down.
Biggest threat in the division: Coincidently it's his next opponent, Tito Ortiz. I think at this stage Tito has better takedowns than Randy so there is that chance he can get the champ down and we know what happens when Tito gets you down. I think it best to mixup standing and trading with shooting, make him wonder when the shoot is coming and use it to get some punches our kicks in then shoot. Easier said than done but not impossible, especially for Tito who has all the tools he needs already.
Anderson Silva
Well it's a good thing I procrastinated on this blog as long as I have or I would have Rich Franklin here instead of the Spider, and how foolish would that look. Then again we would be able to see if I was right. I wouldn't have been. I would not have said Silva would demolish Franklin in the clinch. No way, never.
Silva has great standup, hits hard and is very, very accurate with the strikes. Silva has pretty much every middleweight in the UFC at a disadvantage on the standup.
How to beat him: Take him down. Silva has his BJJ black belt from 'Minotoro' Nogueira so he's not pushover on the mat but I do think he's a little less dangerous there. Take him down, control him and pound on him and I think he can be beaten.
Biggest threat in the division: Tough call. There doesn't seem to be one guy that embodies the weaknesses that the Spider possesses like in the HW and LHW classes. Maybe Marquardt but I think more than him would be Franklin when he gets going on his comeback.
Franklin didn't work to attack Silva's areas of weakness, he wanted to beat him at his own game and we see that this was not effective. Franklin's GnP would be perfect for taking out the new champ.
Matt Hughes
While he has a complete game Matt sticks to his bread and butter as much as possible. Taking his man down and pounding on him until the referee steps in or until a submission opening arises.
How to beat him: Stuff the takedown attempts like BJ did and instantly you have Hughes scratching his head. Be quicker than the champ and use striking to your advantage and if it has to go to the ground be on top, test his guard.
Biggest threat in the division: BJ Penn & George St. Pierre. Both have the strength and grappling technique to defend teh takedown as well as have the quickness to give Hughes fits. Not to mention they both have superior striking skills as well. Hughes says he wants to KO someone so use his ego and try to get him to prove he can do it.
It would also be interesting to see Hughes versus Sanchez. They have similar styles so it would be a matter of who can dominate who. Interestingly Sanchez could be undefeated when they do finally meet up.
Sean Sherk
Sherk is a Matt Hughes clone but with faster hands and less of a submission game. He wants to take you down and beat on you with elbows and that's about it. His standup looks better than Hughes' albeit not as varied. Sherk relies on the old one two and little else.
How to beat him: Like any wrestler, put him on his back. Test his guard. In the GSP fight he was on his back and got beat down. Stuff the takedowns, ala GSP and you'll be in his head for sure. Then just use superior striking to pick him apart. No kicks though, please.
Biggest threat in the division: I think Spencer Fisher is the best lightweight in the UFC but his skillset actually plays into Sherk's hands. Sherk would most likely take him down pretty easily. Fortunately Fisher's guard is dangerous. Spencer's judo takedowns could counteract Sherk's wrestling ones but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Sherk isn't unbeatable by any means but at the lightweight level there doesn't seem to be anyone ideally suited to beat him. I'm not saying Fisher can't beat him just that he's not best suited for it. If BJ Penn comes back down to lightweight I think he could get the belt fairly easily.
Tim's style is straight up boxing. One two, one two. With his reach, knockout power and a pretty good sprawl that's all he's really needed.
How to beat him : Use leg kicks to soften up those long legs of his then when he's softened up and sluggish take him down and put him on his back, see how good his guard is, i'd bet not that great.
Biggest threat in the division : Might be Monson. The two are polar opposites in size and style. If Sylvia can defend the takedown then he'll knockout the Snowman at some point. But if Monson can use his low center of gravity to shoot in and grab a leg then he'll get Sylvia in a submission, just a matter of time.
I have to wonder if things would have been different if Andrei Arlovski had taken him to the ground and went for GnP or a sub attempt. Interestingly Andrei's kicking is good enough to wear out the legs of Sylvia he just didn't do enough in the regard. I think Andrei was too worried about how he wanted to win rather than if he could win.
Chuck Liddell
Chuck's preferred method is, gasp, to knockout his foe. He's willing to give his opponent a target to throw knuckles at so that he in turn can throw his own. And we know who hits harder, don't we? When things get slow he's more than willing to open up his hands, drop them a bit and even at times look to his corner; All with the intention of inviting his opponent to swing so he can counterpunch. Hey, it works.
How to beat him: Randy Couture proved you can beat him with more technical boxing and in the clinch but he also got KO'd twice trying to do it, so it's a gamble to be sure. If you were to fight the Iceman you'd want to take him down and neutralize his best weapon, that right hand, but it's proven a very difficult task to get him down and even more so to keep him down.
Biggest threat in the division: Coincidently it's his next opponent, Tito Ortiz. I think at this stage Tito has better takedowns than Randy so there is that chance he can get the champ down and we know what happens when Tito gets you down. I think it best to mixup standing and trading with shooting, make him wonder when the shoot is coming and use it to get some punches our kicks in then shoot. Easier said than done but not impossible, especially for Tito who has all the tools he needs already.
Anderson Silva
Well it's a good thing I procrastinated on this blog as long as I have or I would have Rich Franklin here instead of the Spider, and how foolish would that look. Then again we would be able to see if I was right. I wouldn't have been. I would not have said Silva would demolish Franklin in the clinch. No way, never.
Silva has great standup, hits hard and is very, very accurate with the strikes. Silva has pretty much every middleweight in the UFC at a disadvantage on the standup.
How to beat him: Take him down. Silva has his BJJ black belt from 'Minotoro' Nogueira so he's not pushover on the mat but I do think he's a little less dangerous there. Take him down, control him and pound on him and I think he can be beaten.
Biggest threat in the division: Tough call. There doesn't seem to be one guy that embodies the weaknesses that the Spider possesses like in the HW and LHW classes. Maybe Marquardt but I think more than him would be Franklin when he gets going on his comeback.
Franklin didn't work to attack Silva's areas of weakness, he wanted to beat him at his own game and we see that this was not effective. Franklin's GnP would be perfect for taking out the new champ.
Matt Hughes
While he has a complete game Matt sticks to his bread and butter as much as possible. Taking his man down and pounding on him until the referee steps in or until a submission opening arises.
How to beat him: Stuff the takedown attempts like BJ did and instantly you have Hughes scratching his head. Be quicker than the champ and use striking to your advantage and if it has to go to the ground be on top, test his guard.
Biggest threat in the division: BJ Penn & George St. Pierre. Both have the strength and grappling technique to defend teh takedown as well as have the quickness to give Hughes fits. Not to mention they both have superior striking skills as well. Hughes says he wants to KO someone so use his ego and try to get him to prove he can do it.
It would also be interesting to see Hughes versus Sanchez. They have similar styles so it would be a matter of who can dominate who. Interestingly Sanchez could be undefeated when they do finally meet up.
Sean Sherk
Sherk is a Matt Hughes clone but with faster hands and less of a submission game. He wants to take you down and beat on you with elbows and that's about it. His standup looks better than Hughes' albeit not as varied. Sherk relies on the old one two and little else.
How to beat him: Like any wrestler, put him on his back. Test his guard. In the GSP fight he was on his back and got beat down. Stuff the takedowns, ala GSP and you'll be in his head for sure. Then just use superior striking to pick him apart. No kicks though, please.
Biggest threat in the division: I think Spencer Fisher is the best lightweight in the UFC but his skillset actually plays into Sherk's hands. Sherk would most likely take him down pretty easily. Fortunately Fisher's guard is dangerous. Spencer's judo takedowns could counteract Sherk's wrestling ones but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Sherk isn't unbeatable by any means but at the lightweight level there doesn't seem to be anyone ideally suited to beat him. I'm not saying Fisher can't beat him just that he's not best suited for it. If BJ Penn comes back down to lightweight I think he could get the belt fairly easily.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Why 'Spider' Silva is dangerous to Rich Franklin
The weakest part of Rich's game is his chin. In his only loss he got knocked out and I haven't seen his chin tested sufficiently since then to negate the image of him crumpling. Now add a little Muay Thai technician, ala Anderson Silva, and you have an interesting mix. Am I saying Rich is going down? No but the threat is real folks. Especially if he pops down to one knee after they touch gloves. Hahahaha sorry a little TUF humor there.
Rich has a lot going in his favor for this fight, don't get me wrong. Just the size disparity alone will be pretty obvious. I look at Silva and wonder how he can weigh 185lbs. I look at Rich and think the same thing but for the opposite reason. As long as they stand, and Rich says he's willing to throw hands with anyone in the middleweight division, the risk is that he could get caught and bam, we have a new champ. On the ground I give the advantage to Rich and his ground and pound would win over rather quickly i'd say.
Still I would hazard to say that Chris Leben's chin is a cut above Franklin's and he was.....sorry for this UFC fans but it is appropriate....rocked by Spider at least twice.
Rich has a lot going in his favor for this fight, don't get me wrong. Just the size disparity alone will be pretty obvious. I look at Silva and wonder how he can weigh 185lbs. I look at Rich and think the same thing but for the opposite reason. As long as they stand, and Rich says he's willing to throw hands with anyone in the middleweight division, the risk is that he could get caught and bam, we have a new champ. On the ground I give the advantage to Rich and his ground and pound would win over rather quickly i'd say.
Still I would hazard to say that Chris Leben's chin is a cut above Franklin's and he was.....sorry for this UFC fans but it is appropriate....rocked by Spider at least twice.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Power Rankings 9/24
Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.
I have added the TUF guys to the lists.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Sylvia's next bout would be against Jeff Monson it looks like and Big Tim has already said he won't get taken down. We'll see. He's gone if he does get taken down though. Monson is monster on the canvas.
Jeff Monson - I'd love to see Monson take the belt from Sylvia. The grapplers get second son status sometimes but Monson is an Abu-Dhabi vet and can hang with or beat anyone on the floor. It would be one hell of a reach advantage for Sylvia though.
Brandon Vera - Vera beat Ass. Silva quickly, which is nice but proves very little other than a half step up in competition. Rumor has it that Vera fights Mir next which will be a stern test and one that would most likely, if he wins, get him a title shot. Hell if either man wins he'll get a title shot i'd guess.....there's just no one else.
Arlovski - What now for Arlovski? I bet we see him in K1 for a bit until he can get a good streak going or until we get a new champ.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz? Mir?
Frank Mir - Can Vera make a name off the former champ? Can Mir actually make some sort of comeback?
Assuerio Silva - Is his contract up yet?
Seth Petruzzelli - Man I hope this is true that he'll be fighting in August. Seth needs a ground game but if he gets it he could be a contender in this weakest of UFC divisions. His striking is superb and he has a strong feel for it but rumor is he's going against Matt Hamill, ouch. If Seth can get one or two good shots to the head on Hamill and ring his bell, which looks to be very susceptible to it, then he can steal this match and maybe get something going in the UFC.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Lost to Mir but looked okay doing it, maybe gets another shot in the UFC.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddel destroyed Sobral easily but man I can't wait for the Liddell Ortiz rematch. My god that could be a war. Can Liddell stuff an Ortiz takedown? I'm thinking maybe some, but not all.
Tito Ortiz - Beatdown and owned Shamrock but then that was kind of expected wasn't it. Who next for Tito? Liddell's dance card seems full with Babalu and then Wanderlai Silva so Ortiz needs someone. Bisping would be interesting but probably counterproductive for the UFC.
Renato Sobral - At some point I want to see Sobral vs Ortiz but that wouldn't be until next year at the earliest....and will it be a title fight? Until then there are a few nice options for Babalu to fight. Griffin.....Rashad Evans...and Bisping would be interesting choices.
Michael Bisping - I'm surprised Bisping hasn't had a fight yet sine the TUF finale. I'm sure one day we'll see a Bisping/Hamill match which would be compelling indeed, i'd also like to see Bisping against the young guy Gouveia. You know, a warm up before he takes on some of the heavies.
Rashad Evans - Evans hasn't shown much improvement at all since TUF. His style is basically lay and pray and avoiding submissions. Still shows potential with his boxing but like I said, no improvement. He beatdown Lambert nicely but still it seems his only ground weapon is to get a mount and then do the deed, he showed nothing from any other position. He can control anyone but do we want another, more athletic, Matt Lindland? NO.
Forrest Griffin - Who next for Forrest? Did someone say Babalu?
Ken Shamrock - Look for Shammy to retire after Tito puts it on him.....again.
Matt Hamill - Tito's love child will get some action in the UFC and while wrestling/ground and pound is not my favorite style Hamill can do it very effectively. Future champion though........? Eh. Looks like he gets a crack at the Silverback, Seth Petruzelli. It will go to the ground but will Matt be able to finish?
Alessio Sakara - He lost to Dean Lister but Sakara is still fighting at a higher level than the guys below him so he sits here still. I'd like to see him against Bonnar in a nice little boxing match. At least until Bonnar takes him down and submits him.
Stephan Bonnar - Things are getting ugly for Bonnar, he's not improving, he's losing and now tested positive for banned substances. AND HE STILL LOST?!? Get it together man.
Keith Jardine - I kind of think Jardine got robbed in that fight with Bonnar, I think we'll see more of him. Jardine looked slow, stiff and awkward against Wilson Gouveia but he should that he's tough and has good cardio which was enough. There really hasn't been much improvement though and my enthusiasm for Jardine is waning.
Wilson Gouveia - This guy looked really good. He dominated the first round and despite collapsing in the final two I believe he was the better fighter. If he works on his cardio he could go bigtime. He was comfortable and light on his feet and his kick boxing was better than Jardine's and Gouveia is a BJJ guy, we didn't even see that part of his game.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans. He really hasn't lived up to the potential I saw in him when he was on TUF, he just hasn't improved any.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - The fight with Anderson Silva is going to be dangerous. The only knocks on Ace are his chin and lack of wins against credentialed fighters. This fight will test both of those things. I'd look for Rich, despite what he says, to take it to the floor and GnP. The middleweights are pretty deep and there is a lot of intriguing fights that could happen and any number of guys who could put a run together for a title shot. Rich is going to stay busy.
Spider Silva - Wow that was one hell of a victory over Leben. Silva made a huge splash in his first UFC bout. I don't know how good the groundgame is but you can see his standup is worldclass. What will happen when he lands flush on Rich's jaw?
Mike Swick - He looked like the better fighter against the Crow. Too bad Loiseau forgot to show up. Swick is making a run for a title shot but first you have Spider, then the winner of TUF 4, so it could be a while.
Nate Marquardt - It's rumored that Marquardt will be facing David Terrell next which would be a nice little jiu-jitsu match. I'll take Nate.
David Loiseau - I want Loiseau vs Spider Silva so bad I can taste it. Loiseau looked like he was seeing ghosts agains Mike Swick and he was afraid to throw hands.......and feet. He needs a good bounceback fight. Leben would be a stiff test but I would like to see it.
Evan Tanner - What next for the former champ? I'd like to see him go against Leben at some point that would be a war!
Dave Terrell - Needs a fight, Marquardt would be a good one.
Chris Leben - It looked like Leben got knocked out twice in that fight and at any rate he was thoroughly dominated in a 49 second fight. OUCH. Still I wonder what would have happened once the fight went to the floor.
Dean Lister - Bring on Dave Terrell, what a grappling exhibition that would be.
Joe Riggs - Riggs is over-rated. He didn't deserve a shot at Hughes and he lost. I think he should be on TUF 4 myself. Can you say Riggs vs Leben??? Mmmmmm.
Kalib Starnes - Kalib looked great on the show despite injuries, he's got a lot of skills. I'd like to see him fight Ed Herman.
Ed Herman - He really deserved that contract and I look forward to seeing him fight again. Not talking though.
Kendall Grove - The kid has heart...and vicious knees. He still needs polishing but he's intriguing with that crazy length he has, if he learns to use it to maximum effect he could be really good and having that crazy cardio certainly helps.
Chael Sonnen - Lost to Jeremy Horn, yet again. I'd be surprised to see Sonnen in the Octagon anytime soon but then again I was surprised to see him get another shot this last time.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Luigi Fioravanti - The kid is tough and pretty god all around. I'd like to see him against Starnes or Herman.
Rory Singer - Rory really choked on TUF so i'm not terribly impressed with him but he has some skills. I think he'll get beaten once or twice more and be out of the UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal? He's on TUF 4 so we'll get to see a bit more of Hands of Steel.
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Matt beat Penn because of patience and cardio but for those two rounds Penn looked like the better fighter. Truth be told Hughes didn't win so much as Penn lost when he gassed out big time. Next up, St. Pierre. The welterweights are deep and have some really spectacular fighters.
George St. Pierre - You can bet GSP's cardio will be where it needs to be and the fact that Penn made Hughes look thoroughly human only helps. Would Hughes have been as upset with GSP saying he was unimpressed by his (Hughes') performance against Penn if it weren't true?
Diego Sanchez - Diego looked his strongest against Karo at the end which speaks volumes for his cardio. He's a legit contender and will get the call after the Hughes/GSP bout.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? Does Penn drop down to lightweight now with losses to the champ and the number one contender? That would make a dynamite division just full to bursting. If so I want to see Penn/Sanchez first. Oh yeah. It would be after Diego gets a title shot of course, UFC won't risk a prime contender getting a loss before he gets the title shot.
Karo Parisyan - I was disappointed at the Karo that showed up against Diego. The standup looked to be a step backward from Karo's last fight.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words. He could stand to be a little less defensive and go for some sub attempts.
Josh Koscheck - Josh's standup looked very good and very crisp, very light on his feet. He looks ready to make some serious noise.
Josh Burkman - What next for Burk? I'd like to see him against Kos.
Josh Neer - Neer looks like he can give just about anyone a good fight. I'd like to see a Fickett rematch with Neer rearranging his grill but that's just me.
Jon Fitch - Beat Thiago Alves who looks like he has some talent of his own. We'll see more Fitch.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. He's a jiujitsu guy and thats about it.
Josh Haynes - Rumor has him fighting Rory Singer. Who cares?
Thiago Alves - Alves has ability he's just not using it.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Lightweight
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating. MMAWeekly says that Sherk fights KenFlo for the title. There's a few guys that seem to get left out of that picture but I guess there will be time to sort that out after a champion is crowned....er..belted. This is the deepest division to say the least.
Kenny Florian - This guy is a genius on the ground and his standup is coming along too. Throw in smarts and heart and you have the making of a potential champion. Sherk is not a walk in the park though he's a great wrestler and has quick hands what a battle that will be and possibly for the belt! I'm not sure Florian can deal with Sherk's power but then again look at what Penn was doing to Hughes. KenFlo isn't nearly as quick though.
Spencer Fisher - Fisher has it all. Great boxing, great takedowns, great submissions. I would be surprised if Fisher doesn't win the belt at some point, he's a monster. I'd like to see him fight, well, anyone really. Fisher is as exciting a fighter as there is in the UFC.
Jens Pulver - A very suprising upset at the hands of Joe Lauzon. I was wondering why the UFC didn't just hand him his belt back since he was the champ and there hasn't been one since. Now I know.
Mark Hominick - Hominick executed his gameplan perfectly against Jorge Gurgel, though I am sure many people give him grief for literally running from the Brazilian on a couple occasions. I say if you can suck up that pride and execute your gameplan like that, good job. Just don't expect to improve your fan base. He fights Joe Stevenson next so we'll see more of the same i'd imagine.
Joe Stevenson - Can he take down Hominick?
Yves Edwards - Got a beatdown from the very strong Stevenson. What next for Edwards who's 0-2 in recent UFC bouts? Sam Stout would be a good start.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Joe Lauzon - Bursting onto the UFC with a win against a former champ is a big deal. Lauzon might have been the beneficiary of a bad matchup for Pulver though. Pulver's a striker and wanted to keep things standing but Lauzon had a huge reach advantage. The next fight will tell us if Lauzon is for real or not. Oh, and get a decent nickhame man. J-Lo? Ughhhh. (shivers)
Jorge Gurgel - I was surprised that Jorge couldn't get a takedown on Hominick. Not one and by the 3rd he had a couple shots that he just couldn't take advantage of because of his wind. Surprising.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight. Or Cummo.
Luke Cummo - Luke is rumored to be fighting Ross Pointon. Luke will have the advantage on the standup for sure and should be able to win this if he doesn't get caught with a haymaker. I'm still waiting for Cummo to get someone he can stand and trade with, maybe this will be it.
Melvin Guillard - In this the deepest weight class Melvin seems to have the ability to give just about anyone a run for their money on 'any given Sunday'. Raw power, explosive quickness, very good striking, uncanny balance.....it's just not fair. Melvin is drawing very close to the point where he can't be taken down. When someone tries he is superb at reversing it and taking them down and getting on top. Which is good but then again he's better off not being on the ground at all at this point in his career. Anyway he could give anyone a run for their money it seems. Will he be champ one day? I couldn't say for sure but he could make just about any champ lose some sleep. Guillard vs Fisher needs to happen.
I have added the TUF guys to the lists.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Sylvia's next bout would be against Jeff Monson it looks like and Big Tim has already said he won't get taken down. We'll see. He's gone if he does get taken down though. Monson is monster on the canvas.
Jeff Monson - I'd love to see Monson take the belt from Sylvia. The grapplers get second son status sometimes but Monson is an Abu-Dhabi vet and can hang with or beat anyone on the floor. It would be one hell of a reach advantage for Sylvia though.
Brandon Vera - Vera beat Ass. Silva quickly, which is nice but proves very little other than a half step up in competition. Rumor has it that Vera fights Mir next which will be a stern test and one that would most likely, if he wins, get him a title shot. Hell if either man wins he'll get a title shot i'd guess.....there's just no one else.
Arlovski - What now for Arlovski? I bet we see him in K1 for a bit until he can get a good streak going or until we get a new champ.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz? Mir?
Frank Mir - Can Vera make a name off the former champ? Can Mir actually make some sort of comeback?
Assuerio Silva - Is his contract up yet?
Seth Petruzzelli - Man I hope this is true that he'll be fighting in August. Seth needs a ground game but if he gets it he could be a contender in this weakest of UFC divisions. His striking is superb and he has a strong feel for it but rumor is he's going against Matt Hamill, ouch. If Seth can get one or two good shots to the head on Hamill and ring his bell, which looks to be very susceptible to it, then he can steal this match and maybe get something going in the UFC.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Lost to Mir but looked okay doing it, maybe gets another shot in the UFC.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddel destroyed Sobral easily but man I can't wait for the Liddell Ortiz rematch. My god that could be a war. Can Liddell stuff an Ortiz takedown? I'm thinking maybe some, but not all.
Tito Ortiz - Beatdown and owned Shamrock but then that was kind of expected wasn't it. Who next for Tito? Liddell's dance card seems full with Babalu and then Wanderlai Silva so Ortiz needs someone. Bisping would be interesting but probably counterproductive for the UFC.
Renato Sobral - At some point I want to see Sobral vs Ortiz but that wouldn't be until next year at the earliest....and will it be a title fight? Until then there are a few nice options for Babalu to fight. Griffin.....Rashad Evans...and Bisping would be interesting choices.
Michael Bisping - I'm surprised Bisping hasn't had a fight yet sine the TUF finale. I'm sure one day we'll see a Bisping/Hamill match which would be compelling indeed, i'd also like to see Bisping against the young guy Gouveia. You know, a warm up before he takes on some of the heavies.
Rashad Evans - Evans hasn't shown much improvement at all since TUF. His style is basically lay and pray and avoiding submissions. Still shows potential with his boxing but like I said, no improvement. He beatdown Lambert nicely but still it seems his only ground weapon is to get a mount and then do the deed, he showed nothing from any other position. He can control anyone but do we want another, more athletic, Matt Lindland? NO.
Forrest Griffin - Who next for Forrest? Did someone say Babalu?
Ken Shamrock - Look for Shammy to retire after Tito puts it on him.....again.
Matt Hamill - Tito's love child will get some action in the UFC and while wrestling/ground and pound is not my favorite style Hamill can do it very effectively. Future champion though........? Eh. Looks like he gets a crack at the Silverback, Seth Petruzelli. It will go to the ground but will Matt be able to finish?
Alessio Sakara - He lost to Dean Lister but Sakara is still fighting at a higher level than the guys below him so he sits here still. I'd like to see him against Bonnar in a nice little boxing match. At least until Bonnar takes him down and submits him.
Stephan Bonnar - Things are getting ugly for Bonnar, he's not improving, he's losing and now tested positive for banned substances. AND HE STILL LOST?!? Get it together man.
Keith Jardine - I kind of think Jardine got robbed in that fight with Bonnar, I think we'll see more of him. Jardine looked slow, stiff and awkward against Wilson Gouveia but he should that he's tough and has good cardio which was enough. There really hasn't been much improvement though and my enthusiasm for Jardine is waning.
Wilson Gouveia - This guy looked really good. He dominated the first round and despite collapsing in the final two I believe he was the better fighter. If he works on his cardio he could go bigtime. He was comfortable and light on his feet and his kick boxing was better than Jardine's and Gouveia is a BJJ guy, we didn't even see that part of his game.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans. He really hasn't lived up to the potential I saw in him when he was on TUF, he just hasn't improved any.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - The fight with Anderson Silva is going to be dangerous. The only knocks on Ace are his chin and lack of wins against credentialed fighters. This fight will test both of those things. I'd look for Rich, despite what he says, to take it to the floor and GnP. The middleweights are pretty deep and there is a lot of intriguing fights that could happen and any number of guys who could put a run together for a title shot. Rich is going to stay busy.
Spider Silva - Wow that was one hell of a victory over Leben. Silva made a huge splash in his first UFC bout. I don't know how good the groundgame is but you can see his standup is worldclass. What will happen when he lands flush on Rich's jaw?
Mike Swick - He looked like the better fighter against the Crow. Too bad Loiseau forgot to show up. Swick is making a run for a title shot but first you have Spider, then the winner of TUF 4, so it could be a while.
Nate Marquardt - It's rumored that Marquardt will be facing David Terrell next which would be a nice little jiu-jitsu match. I'll take Nate.
David Loiseau - I want Loiseau vs Spider Silva so bad I can taste it. Loiseau looked like he was seeing ghosts agains Mike Swick and he was afraid to throw hands.......and feet. He needs a good bounceback fight. Leben would be a stiff test but I would like to see it.
Evan Tanner - What next for the former champ? I'd like to see him go against Leben at some point that would be a war!
Dave Terrell - Needs a fight, Marquardt would be a good one.
Chris Leben - It looked like Leben got knocked out twice in that fight and at any rate he was thoroughly dominated in a 49 second fight. OUCH. Still I wonder what would have happened once the fight went to the floor.
Dean Lister - Bring on Dave Terrell, what a grappling exhibition that would be.
Joe Riggs - Riggs is over-rated. He didn't deserve a shot at Hughes and he lost. I think he should be on TUF 4 myself. Can you say Riggs vs Leben??? Mmmmmm.
Kalib Starnes - Kalib looked great on the show despite injuries, he's got a lot of skills. I'd like to see him fight Ed Herman.
Ed Herman - He really deserved that contract and I look forward to seeing him fight again. Not talking though.
Kendall Grove - The kid has heart...and vicious knees. He still needs polishing but he's intriguing with that crazy length he has, if he learns to use it to maximum effect he could be really good and having that crazy cardio certainly helps.
Chael Sonnen - Lost to Jeremy Horn, yet again. I'd be surprised to see Sonnen in the Octagon anytime soon but then again I was surprised to see him get another shot this last time.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Luigi Fioravanti - The kid is tough and pretty god all around. I'd like to see him against Starnes or Herman.
Rory Singer - Rory really choked on TUF so i'm not terribly impressed with him but he has some skills. I think he'll get beaten once or twice more and be out of the UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal? He's on TUF 4 so we'll get to see a bit more of Hands of Steel.
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Matt beat Penn because of patience and cardio but for those two rounds Penn looked like the better fighter. Truth be told Hughes didn't win so much as Penn lost when he gassed out big time. Next up, St. Pierre. The welterweights are deep and have some really spectacular fighters.
George St. Pierre - You can bet GSP's cardio will be where it needs to be and the fact that Penn made Hughes look thoroughly human only helps. Would Hughes have been as upset with GSP saying he was unimpressed by his (Hughes') performance against Penn if it weren't true?
Diego Sanchez - Diego looked his strongest against Karo at the end which speaks volumes for his cardio. He's a legit contender and will get the call after the Hughes/GSP bout.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? Does Penn drop down to lightweight now with losses to the champ and the number one contender? That would make a dynamite division just full to bursting. If so I want to see Penn/Sanchez first. Oh yeah. It would be after Diego gets a title shot of course, UFC won't risk a prime contender getting a loss before he gets the title shot.
Karo Parisyan - I was disappointed at the Karo that showed up against Diego. The standup looked to be a step backward from Karo's last fight.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words. He could stand to be a little less defensive and go for some sub attempts.
Josh Koscheck - Josh's standup looked very good and very crisp, very light on his feet. He looks ready to make some serious noise.
Josh Burkman - What next for Burk? I'd like to see him against Kos.
Josh Neer - Neer looks like he can give just about anyone a good fight. I'd like to see a Fickett rematch with Neer rearranging his grill but that's just me.
Jon Fitch - Beat Thiago Alves who looks like he has some talent of his own. We'll see more Fitch.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. He's a jiujitsu guy and thats about it.
Josh Haynes - Rumor has him fighting Rory Singer. Who cares?
Thiago Alves - Alves has ability he's just not using it.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Lightweight
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating. MMAWeekly says that Sherk fights KenFlo for the title. There's a few guys that seem to get left out of that picture but I guess there will be time to sort that out after a champion is crowned....er..belted. This is the deepest division to say the least.
Kenny Florian - This guy is a genius on the ground and his standup is coming along too. Throw in smarts and heart and you have the making of a potential champion. Sherk is not a walk in the park though he's a great wrestler and has quick hands what a battle that will be and possibly for the belt! I'm not sure Florian can deal with Sherk's power but then again look at what Penn was doing to Hughes. KenFlo isn't nearly as quick though.
Spencer Fisher - Fisher has it all. Great boxing, great takedowns, great submissions. I would be surprised if Fisher doesn't win the belt at some point, he's a monster. I'd like to see him fight, well, anyone really. Fisher is as exciting a fighter as there is in the UFC.
Jens Pulver - A very suprising upset at the hands of Joe Lauzon. I was wondering why the UFC didn't just hand him his belt back since he was the champ and there hasn't been one since. Now I know.
Mark Hominick - Hominick executed his gameplan perfectly against Jorge Gurgel, though I am sure many people give him grief for literally running from the Brazilian on a couple occasions. I say if you can suck up that pride and execute your gameplan like that, good job. Just don't expect to improve your fan base. He fights Joe Stevenson next so we'll see more of the same i'd imagine.
Joe Stevenson - Can he take down Hominick?
Yves Edwards - Got a beatdown from the very strong Stevenson. What next for Edwards who's 0-2 in recent UFC bouts? Sam Stout would be a good start.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Joe Lauzon - Bursting onto the UFC with a win against a former champ is a big deal. Lauzon might have been the beneficiary of a bad matchup for Pulver though. Pulver's a striker and wanted to keep things standing but Lauzon had a huge reach advantage. The next fight will tell us if Lauzon is for real or not. Oh, and get a decent nickhame man. J-Lo? Ughhhh. (shivers)
Jorge Gurgel - I was surprised that Jorge couldn't get a takedown on Hominick. Not one and by the 3rd he had a couple shots that he just couldn't take advantage of because of his wind. Surprising.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight. Or Cummo.
Luke Cummo - Luke is rumored to be fighting Ross Pointon. Luke will have the advantage on the standup for sure and should be able to win this if he doesn't get caught with a haymaker. I'm still waiting for Cummo to get someone he can stand and trade with, maybe this will be it.
Melvin Guillard - In this the deepest weight class Melvin seems to have the ability to give just about anyone a run for their money on 'any given Sunday'. Raw power, explosive quickness, very good striking, uncanny balance.....it's just not fair. Melvin is drawing very close to the point where he can't be taken down. When someone tries he is superb at reversing it and taking them down and getting on top. Which is good but then again he's better off not being on the ground at all at this point in his career. Anyway he could give anyone a run for their money it seems. Will he be champ one day? I couldn't say for sure but he could make just about any champ lose some sleep. Guillard vs Fisher needs to happen.
Post Ultimate Finale 3
Things pretty much shook out the way I expected though I cannot say I called Grove to win, just hoped. Both he and Ed deserved contracts, it was the right way to go for sure. I procrastinated my way out of putting my picks down for posterity prior to the fights so no need to humble yourselves before me.
I did have every intention of taking KenFlo though, ya know. Okay bady rhyming but I couldn't resist. The guy has heart and he's tough on the ground and weathered a few storms on his feet and looks like a real fighter for sure. Not that Stout couldn't beat him just that Florian has that all around game. Rumor has it that Florian will be fighting Sean Sherk for the belt later this year. While that will be a nice fight, watchout for Sherk's quick hands, it seems a bit odd. Edwards, Hominick and now Pulver get left out fo the mix? Okay I could see Edwards not playing a factor since Hominick beat him but why not have Pulver in there fighting for the belt? Maybe that is why it's just a rumor.
The Gouveia/Jardine fight was decent. Jardine is just slow, stiff and awkward looking but his cardio is good and he's tough and that is how he pulled out the win. That and a nice leg kick jab. Gouveia was pretty impressive in that first round, if he gets his back sorted out and gets on a better cardio regimine he could be someone to watch out for. We didn't get to see his groundwork but he's a BJJ guy from American Top Team so you know he's got skills there. His standup looked very fluid and he was in a comfort zone. Truly he beat himself in this fight more than anything else. Not that Jardine doesn't deserve credit for hanging tough but Gouveia looked like the better fighter.
I did have every intention of taking KenFlo though, ya know. Okay bady rhyming but I couldn't resist. The guy has heart and he's tough on the ground and weathered a few storms on his feet and looks like a real fighter for sure. Not that Stout couldn't beat him just that Florian has that all around game. Rumor has it that Florian will be fighting Sean Sherk for the belt later this year. While that will be a nice fight, watchout for Sherk's quick hands, it seems a bit odd. Edwards, Hominick and now Pulver get left out fo the mix? Okay I could see Edwards not playing a factor since Hominick beat him but why not have Pulver in there fighting for the belt? Maybe that is why it's just a rumor.
The Gouveia/Jardine fight was decent. Jardine is just slow, stiff and awkward looking but his cardio is good and he's tough and that is how he pulled out the win. That and a nice leg kick jab. Gouveia was pretty impressive in that first round, if he gets his back sorted out and gets on a better cardio regimine he could be someone to watch out for. We didn't get to see his groundwork but he's a BJJ guy from American Top Team so you know he's got skills there. His standup looked very fluid and he was in a comfort zone. Truly he beat himself in this fight more than anything else. Not that Jardine doesn't deserve credit for hanging tough but Gouveia looked like the better fighter.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Starnes vs Grove TUF4
This was a decent fight, best of the show i'd say but then that's not saying much this year. Anyway Kalib showed some really sharp skills in there and may not have been ahead on points but defintely was the better fighter out there. It will be interesting in the future to see if this rib injury is real or not, as well as the leg injure that has been rumored. Is he a strong fighter who can be beaten phyically into losing his cool or has he just been plagued by injuries and been stoic about the pain? Honestly this is a guy with less to lose than the other guys because he clearly belongs in the UFC and I wonder if that played a factor.
Nothing against Kendall but yes he looked to be the second best man in there. Give him credit for cardio because he was still fresh at the end of the fight. His strikes lacked pop and I don't think they did much bad toward Kalib but scoring points is important too. Grove's knees loooked to be about his best weapon. I also wonder if there was a typo in the tale of the tape because despite being 6'6 Kendall only had a half inch reach advantage on the Canadian. Kendall looks raw and in need of polishing but he also looked very coachable in there so he could have a nice future.
Nothing against Kendall but yes he looked to be the second best man in there. Give him credit for cardio because he was still fresh at the end of the fight. His strikes lacked pop and I don't think they did much bad toward Kalib but scoring points is important too. Grove's knees loooked to be about his best weapon. I also wonder if there was a typo in the tale of the tape because despite being 6'6 Kendall only had a half inch reach advantage on the Canadian. Kendall looks raw and in need of polishing but he also looked very coachable in there so he could have a nice future.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
TUF 4 Seminfinals
Well finally we get down to the nitty gritty. Here's our analysis of the fighters and what could happen.
Light Heavyweights
Michael Bisping
I think it will be quite an upset if 'the Count' doesn't bring in that contract. His Muay Thai looked very sharp in his only fight and he's been in JJ for something like fifteen years so that should be a strength as well. His biggest weakness is his wrestling and one worry is that the rest of the LHW's all have wrestling background, so he'll have to watch for that. His biggest threat seems to be his training partner, Matt Hamill. In what little I have seen of Bisping I would say the best way to attack him would be to work the clinch, keep him close and try to pound on him. He doesn't have a very muscular frame so a good wrestler could probably keep him close and control him as long as they don't get caught with a sub attempt. I see a good future for Bisping in the UFC and him being a contender in the mid term future.
Matt Hamill
This guy's wrestling is superb and his boxing was okay. Keep in mind he beat Nichels who's standup looked almost as good as my four year olds, so lets not get too high on his boxing. I think his biggest threat is Bisping or maybe Josh Haynes. Hamill doesn't take shots to the head too well so i'd ring his bell and then go all out on him. He doesn't seem to have much of a sub game and isn't a knockout artist so he cannot win a fight suddenly so at worst you're looking at most if not all of his fights being by lay n pray. I don't see much of a future for Hamill in the UFC unless he shows he can take a beating and keep coming.
Josh Haynes
He looks like a big puncher and has some wrestling so expect a sprawl and brawl gameplan from Haynes. I wasn't terribly impressed over all but I bet if he connects flush things would get interesting in a hurry. His biggest threat would be Bisping. The way to attack Haynes would be to stay back and use length against his short arms. His hands have decent speed but he seems to react slow so I think a Bisping could slip in and land something then back off and evade the berserker like response from Haynes. Haynes could see some fights in the UFC but I don't expect much of a splash from him. Sorry man.
Jesse Forbes
Well what can I say he doesn't deserve to be here but he is so lets get down to it. Jesse is a wildcard and seems to have a nice ground game but maybe susceptible to a submission, ala Noah. His biggest threat would be Bisping for that very reason. To beat Jesse i'd keep it on the feet as much as possible and look for the knee when he shoots. If that doesn't connect try for a quick sub as you tumble to the ground. Jesse could have a future in UFC mainly because he's young and has time to improve.
Middleweights
Rory Singer
I'm not sure about this guy. Is he a well rounded fighter with some experience or is he a journeyman who has peaked? Yes his kick to the head on Soloman was a bit of a fluke but he finished it nicely and took advantage which is what you want. Singer could be a sleeper. His biggest threat would probably be Ed because of the raw power disparity between the two. Despite his wrestling experience I think I would keep it standing against Rory, I don't see him taking down his opponent consistently, and beat on him. Unfortunately none of the remaining guys are strikers so that could play into his favor. Singer could have something of a future in the UFC but probably never be a contender.
Kendall Grove
Probably the biggest x-factor in the group. His length makes him dangerous whether on the ground or standing up. If his standup is decent he could use that to his advantage whomever he fights. His biggest threat would be Ed most likely because, again, of the strength disparity. I would attack Grove, take him down and try to isolate one of those long limbs. Grove could have a future in the UFC but how much of one remains to be seen, I just haven't seen enough of his game yet.
Ed Herman
Ed looked good in his win over Danny but then again Danny has no groundgame. Ed and Kalib have to be the favorites to with this weightclass in my estimation. His groundgame looked good, the pounding aspect okay and yes he won by sub but Danny was pretty much begging for an arm bar at that point so there are still some question marks. Ed's biggest threat is most likely Kalib. It plays to Ed's favor that there are no true strikers left as that is his big weakness. Ed could have a bright future in the UFC as he is young and has a solid looking game right now. His big mouth could be one thing that helps him out even if he is seen as a heel.
Kalib Starnes
Kalib seems cool and calm under pressure and he made such quick work of his first opponent that I would pick Starnes to win if it were not for his broken leg. His biggest threat would probably be Ed and his power. To beat Kalib i'd try to work standup and just generally frustrate his game plan. Kalib is older than a lot of TUF guys which means he has probably less upside but he's already good and could be a solid UFC fighter tomorrow.
How the fights will play out.....well who knows other than Dana White. It would be a shame to not have Matt and Mike in the finals facing off so expect that to happen. The middleweight class is more wide open but look for Ed against Kalib or maybe Kendall.
Light Heavyweights
Michael Bisping
I think it will be quite an upset if 'the Count' doesn't bring in that contract. His Muay Thai looked very sharp in his only fight and he's been in JJ for something like fifteen years so that should be a strength as well. His biggest weakness is his wrestling and one worry is that the rest of the LHW's all have wrestling background, so he'll have to watch for that. His biggest threat seems to be his training partner, Matt Hamill. In what little I have seen of Bisping I would say the best way to attack him would be to work the clinch, keep him close and try to pound on him. He doesn't have a very muscular frame so a good wrestler could probably keep him close and control him as long as they don't get caught with a sub attempt. I see a good future for Bisping in the UFC and him being a contender in the mid term future.
Matt Hamill
This guy's wrestling is superb and his boxing was okay. Keep in mind he beat Nichels who's standup looked almost as good as my four year olds, so lets not get too high on his boxing. I think his biggest threat is Bisping or maybe Josh Haynes. Hamill doesn't take shots to the head too well so i'd ring his bell and then go all out on him. He doesn't seem to have much of a sub game and isn't a knockout artist so he cannot win a fight suddenly so at worst you're looking at most if not all of his fights being by lay n pray. I don't see much of a future for Hamill in the UFC unless he shows he can take a beating and keep coming.
Josh Haynes
He looks like a big puncher and has some wrestling so expect a sprawl and brawl gameplan from Haynes. I wasn't terribly impressed over all but I bet if he connects flush things would get interesting in a hurry. His biggest threat would be Bisping. The way to attack Haynes would be to stay back and use length against his short arms. His hands have decent speed but he seems to react slow so I think a Bisping could slip in and land something then back off and evade the berserker like response from Haynes. Haynes could see some fights in the UFC but I don't expect much of a splash from him. Sorry man.
Jesse Forbes
Well what can I say he doesn't deserve to be here but he is so lets get down to it. Jesse is a wildcard and seems to have a nice ground game but maybe susceptible to a submission, ala Noah. His biggest threat would be Bisping for that very reason. To beat Jesse i'd keep it on the feet as much as possible and look for the knee when he shoots. If that doesn't connect try for a quick sub as you tumble to the ground. Jesse could have a future in UFC mainly because he's young and has time to improve.
Middleweights
Rory Singer
I'm not sure about this guy. Is he a well rounded fighter with some experience or is he a journeyman who has peaked? Yes his kick to the head on Soloman was a bit of a fluke but he finished it nicely and took advantage which is what you want. Singer could be a sleeper. His biggest threat would probably be Ed because of the raw power disparity between the two. Despite his wrestling experience I think I would keep it standing against Rory, I don't see him taking down his opponent consistently, and beat on him. Unfortunately none of the remaining guys are strikers so that could play into his favor. Singer could have something of a future in the UFC but probably never be a contender.
Kendall Grove
Probably the biggest x-factor in the group. His length makes him dangerous whether on the ground or standing up. If his standup is decent he could use that to his advantage whomever he fights. His biggest threat would be Ed most likely because, again, of the strength disparity. I would attack Grove, take him down and try to isolate one of those long limbs. Grove could have a future in the UFC but how much of one remains to be seen, I just haven't seen enough of his game yet.
Ed Herman
Ed looked good in his win over Danny but then again Danny has no groundgame. Ed and Kalib have to be the favorites to with this weightclass in my estimation. His groundgame looked good, the pounding aspect okay and yes he won by sub but Danny was pretty much begging for an arm bar at that point so there are still some question marks. Ed's biggest threat is most likely Kalib. It plays to Ed's favor that there are no true strikers left as that is his big weakness. Ed could have a bright future in the UFC as he is young and has a solid looking game right now. His big mouth could be one thing that helps him out even if he is seen as a heel.
Kalib Starnes
Kalib seems cool and calm under pressure and he made such quick work of his first opponent that I would pick Starnes to win if it were not for his broken leg. His biggest threat would probably be Ed and his power. To beat Kalib i'd try to work standup and just generally frustrate his game plan. Kalib is older than a lot of TUF guys which means he has probably less upside but he's already good and could be a solid UFC fighter tomorrow.
How the fights will play out.....well who knows other than Dana White. It would be a shame to not have Matt and Mike in the finals facing off so expect that to happen. The middleweight class is more wide open but look for Ed against Kalib or maybe Kendall.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Power Rankings 5/28/06
Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. What a Surprise that fight was, wow. Well we have a new champ and a 3rd match between these guys is assured. Next up for Sylvia will probably be Monson who seems like the only viable contender at this point. At least until Mir can get a little win streak under his belt and we see Sylvia/Mir 2.
Arlovski - Arlovski smelled blood and went in for the kill and Sylvia caught him. It's called killer instinct not being reckless Joe Rogan you hatorade sipping pansy. So who will Arlovski fight on his way back to Sylvia? Assuerio Silva would be my guess. Though the results of UFC 59 were a suprise things really couldn't have worked out better for the UFC. With Monson winning you get the next title contender. Andrei having to fight back to his belt will create more fights with the same pool of talent. Arlovski gets a shot at the title immediately, interesting.
Jeff Monson - Look for the Snowman to get the next title shot after Arlovski/Sylvia 2. He's rumored to be fighting at UFC 61 but who.....? Buentello? Vera?
Brandon Vera - I'm not sure what to do with Vera. It may be too soon to put him here but there just isn't anyone else to put ahead of him.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz? Mir?
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings. He gets fed a can in Cristison next and should make quick work of the TUF guy.
Assuerio Silva - Someone give Silva a can to fight so we can see him do something. Please!
Seth Petruzzelli - Man I hope this is true that he'll be fighting in August. Seth needs a ground game but if he gets it he could be a contender in this weekest of UFC divisions.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Beat Imes but doesn't have the name that Brad does.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 62 i'm guessing. I don't see that ending much differently than the first time. I'll go out on a limb (no pun intended) and say it won't be a kick though.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - The first round was vintage Tito. His boxing looked okay he had some nice counterpunches. Either his knee really, really went out or he threw that fight. How do you throw a fight you won? You make the UFC poster boy look really good, like he gained something in defeat. Which he did. I don't know that fight was just odd to look at, very odd. Regardless, if Tito can do what he did in the first round for whole fights........well that showdown with Chuck will be a bloodbath.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - Okay so we hear that Forrest is working the standup in preparation for this fight but did anyone think it looked any better? I sure as hell didn't it. Maybe that was just a way of saying he's been working on his sprawl. Griffin, like he said, can go toe to toe with just about anyone and make it a fight. Well maybe I added the just about because lets be real Chuck would put him down in short order. I would like to see Griffin/Sobral.
Stephan Bonnar - Bonnar won a very, very close decision to Jardine but to be honest I would have called it for Keith. Bonnar did not look very impressive at all but then his ground game is probably his biggest asset right now and he didn't use it. Who next for Bonnar? According to rumor he gets Rashad Evans next and he should pull that out.
Alessio Sakara - He lost to Dean Lister but Sakara is still fighting at a higher level than the guys below him so he sits here still. I'd like to see him against Bonnar in a nice little boxing match. At least until Bonnar takes him down and submits him.
Rashad Evans - He beat Hoger but it wasn't a great win by any means so who next for Evans? Bonnar? Evans has the tools to beat him but I don't see it happening.
Keith Jardine - I kind of think Jardine got robbed in that fight with Bonnar, I think we'll see more of him.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans. He really hasn't lived up to the potential I saw in him when he was on TUF.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in and that should be a good fight. I wonder if it will happen this year though with all of Franklin's injuries.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but who knows maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
Spider Silva - Where will Silva start? He's got a nice list of credentials so maybe he gets a title shot right off the bat? To me that says that the UFC thinks guys from the outside are better than the current contenders which seems bad for business. I'd pit Silva against Marquardt for the rank of #1 contender. Just announced today (5/30/06) that Silva fights Leben on 6/28/06
David Loiseau - Loiseau vs Spider Silva. I call it!
Evan Tanner - What next for the former champ? Horn hopefully.
Jeremy Horn - I am still bummed that Horn/Tanner didn't happen. Grrrrrr. He beat Sonnen, whoopdy doo. Hopefully Tanner/Horn will still happen.
Chris Leben - Leben didn't look all that impressive in his win over Luigi. Is it possible that Leben just wanted to prove that he can go in and dominate a fight for three rounds and win a decision? That's what it looked like to me. Going against Spider Silva will be a big test for Leben. The winner might get the next title shot though I am not sure how Marquardt fits into the picture.
Mike Swick - Yep I said it. Viva la Swickotine! I think Swick will beat Riggs.
Dean Lister - I'd love to see Lister and Horn rolling around like to tangled up pythons.
Joe Riggs - Riggs is over-rated. He didn't deserve a shot at Hughes and he lost.
Dave Terrell - Pretty much owned Scott Smith so expect to see more of him. He's be a nice matchup with Quarry.
Chael Sonnen - Lost to Jeremy Horn, yet again. I'd be surprised to see Sonnen in the Octagon anytime soon but then again I was surprised to see him get another shot this last time.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal?
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Yeah yeah yeah I called it, whoopdy doo. I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog. Hughes better be ready for GSP because in the first fight GSP was DOMINATING until giving up to an arm bar. Hughes has a busy next year or two ahead of him. GSP, Parisyan (i'm betteing), Penn and then Diaz after he wins TUF 4.
George St. Pierre - GSP will get his title shot soon and oh what a fight that will be. His confidence has to be soaring after beating BJ.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? I'd love to see Newton and Penn go at it. Hmm since Newton took a job as coach for the IFL I suppose this means he's not going to fight in the UFC.
Karo Parisyan - God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup... God
...um.....thank you! Karo owned the Goat and his hands looked much, much improved. He whiffed the first one but from then on they were on target and you could hear the slap. With this newfound striking that makes him somewhat dangerous standing but even more dangerous on the ground which he showed against Thompson. Karo looked really improved and would be a big threat to guys like GSP and Penn. Looks like he gets a shot at Diego in August or so. That will be a great fight. I'm taking Karo to show everyone how one dimensional Diego is. I'm sorry I am just getting sick of ground and pound specialists.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if & when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - He scraped out a win against John Alessio but it was not convincing. I think it's time for Parisyan/Sanchez.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words. TUF 4?!?!
Josh Neer - Looked good beating Stevenson and his starting to make a name for himself. The kid has a lot of heart and a good all around game.
Josh Koscheck - Beat Chalangov quickly so what's next for Koscheck? Maybe Diaz or Burkman or a rematch with Sanchez? Dave Menne?? Wow, Josh is going to lose.
Josh Burkman - Tough loss to Fitch. Next fight is Neer.......ouch that could be another loss.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo. He's facing Jon Fitch next in what could be a war.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Lightweight
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating. MMAWeekly says that Sher fights the winner of KenFlo/Stout for the title. I'm not sure how Hominick gets left out of that picture but I guess he can get the first title shot. This is a stacked division to say the least.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup. Rumored to be fighting Kenny Florian at the TUF finale.
Spencer Fisher - This guy has as much game as Nick Diaz, look out. I really think that Fisher is better than Stout but since the Canadian has the victory he stays on top.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting. MMAWeekly says he'll be fighting Stout. I'll take KenFlo.
Joe Stevenson - After that last ugly fight Stevenson needs to prove himself again. Looks like he might be fighting Yves Edwards at UFC 61. I was disappointed in Stevenson in his last fight and he's show that strikers can connect on him and if Edwards connects it'll be a short night.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. Rumor has Cummo fighting Jonathan Goulet which should be a good fight. I'll take Luke.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Jorge Gurgel - Finally we see Jorge fight. It's rumored he's going to be facing Mark Hominick which would be a nice fight.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. What a Surprise that fight was, wow. Well we have a new champ and a 3rd match between these guys is assured. Next up for Sylvia will probably be Monson who seems like the only viable contender at this point. At least until Mir can get a little win streak under his belt and we see Sylvia/Mir 2.
Arlovski - Arlovski smelled blood and went in for the kill and Sylvia caught him. It's called killer instinct not being reckless Joe Rogan you hatorade sipping pansy. So who will Arlovski fight on his way back to Sylvia? Assuerio Silva would be my guess. Though the results of UFC 59 were a suprise things really couldn't have worked out better for the UFC. With Monson winning you get the next title contender. Andrei having to fight back to his belt will create more fights with the same pool of talent. Arlovski gets a shot at the title immediately, interesting.
Jeff Monson - Look for the Snowman to get the next title shot after Arlovski/Sylvia 2. He's rumored to be fighting at UFC 61 but who.....? Buentello? Vera?
Brandon Vera - I'm not sure what to do with Vera. It may be too soon to put him here but there just isn't anyone else to put ahead of him.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz? Mir?
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings. He gets fed a can in Cristison next and should make quick work of the TUF guy.
Assuerio Silva - Someone give Silva a can to fight so we can see him do something. Please!
Seth Petruzzelli - Man I hope this is true that he'll be fighting in August. Seth needs a ground game but if he gets it he could be a contender in this weekest of UFC divisions.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Beat Imes but doesn't have the name that Brad does.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 62 i'm guessing. I don't see that ending much differently than the first time. I'll go out on a limb (no pun intended) and say it won't be a kick though.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - The first round was vintage Tito. His boxing looked okay he had some nice counterpunches. Either his knee really, really went out or he threw that fight. How do you throw a fight you won? You make the UFC poster boy look really good, like he gained something in defeat. Which he did. I don't know that fight was just odd to look at, very odd. Regardless, if Tito can do what he did in the first round for whole fights........well that showdown with Chuck will be a bloodbath.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - Okay so we hear that Forrest is working the standup in preparation for this fight but did anyone think it looked any better? I sure as hell didn't it. Maybe that was just a way of saying he's been working on his sprawl. Griffin, like he said, can go toe to toe with just about anyone and make it a fight. Well maybe I added the just about because lets be real Chuck would put him down in short order. I would like to see Griffin/Sobral.
Stephan Bonnar - Bonnar won a very, very close decision to Jardine but to be honest I would have called it for Keith. Bonnar did not look very impressive at all but then his ground game is probably his biggest asset right now and he didn't use it. Who next for Bonnar? According to rumor he gets Rashad Evans next and he should pull that out.
Alessio Sakara - He lost to Dean Lister but Sakara is still fighting at a higher level than the guys below him so he sits here still. I'd like to see him against Bonnar in a nice little boxing match. At least until Bonnar takes him down and submits him.
Rashad Evans - He beat Hoger but it wasn't a great win by any means so who next for Evans? Bonnar? Evans has the tools to beat him but I don't see it happening.
Keith Jardine - I kind of think Jardine got robbed in that fight with Bonnar, I think we'll see more of him.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans. He really hasn't lived up to the potential I saw in him when he was on TUF.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in and that should be a good fight. I wonder if it will happen this year though with all of Franklin's injuries.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but who knows maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
Spider Silva - Where will Silva start? He's got a nice list of credentials so maybe he gets a title shot right off the bat? To me that says that the UFC thinks guys from the outside are better than the current contenders which seems bad for business. I'd pit Silva against Marquardt for the rank of #1 contender. Just announced today (5/30/06) that Silva fights Leben on 6/28/06
David Loiseau - Loiseau vs Spider Silva. I call it!
Evan Tanner - What next for the former champ? Horn hopefully.
Jeremy Horn - I am still bummed that Horn/Tanner didn't happen. Grrrrrr. He beat Sonnen, whoopdy doo. Hopefully Tanner/Horn will still happen.
Chris Leben - Leben didn't look all that impressive in his win over Luigi. Is it possible that Leben just wanted to prove that he can go in and dominate a fight for three rounds and win a decision? That's what it looked like to me. Going against Spider Silva will be a big test for Leben. The winner might get the next title shot though I am not sure how Marquardt fits into the picture.
Mike Swick - Yep I said it. Viva la Swickotine! I think Swick will beat Riggs.
Dean Lister - I'd love to see Lister and Horn rolling around like to tangled up pythons.
Joe Riggs - Riggs is over-rated. He didn't deserve a shot at Hughes and he lost.
Dave Terrell - Pretty much owned Scott Smith so expect to see more of him. He's be a nice matchup with Quarry.
Chael Sonnen - Lost to Jeremy Horn, yet again. I'd be surprised to see Sonnen in the Octagon anytime soon but then again I was surprised to see him get another shot this last time.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal?
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Yeah yeah yeah I called it, whoopdy doo. I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog. Hughes better be ready for GSP because in the first fight GSP was DOMINATING until giving up to an arm bar. Hughes has a busy next year or two ahead of him. GSP, Parisyan (i'm betteing), Penn and then Diaz after he wins TUF 4.
George St. Pierre - GSP will get his title shot soon and oh what a fight that will be. His confidence has to be soaring after beating BJ.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? I'd love to see Newton and Penn go at it. Hmm since Newton took a job as coach for the IFL I suppose this means he's not going to fight in the UFC.
Karo Parisyan - God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup... God
...um.....thank you! Karo owned the Goat and his hands looked much, much improved. He whiffed the first one but from then on they were on target and you could hear the slap. With this newfound striking that makes him somewhat dangerous standing but even more dangerous on the ground which he showed against Thompson. Karo looked really improved and would be a big threat to guys like GSP and Penn. Looks like he gets a shot at Diego in August or so. That will be a great fight. I'm taking Karo to show everyone how one dimensional Diego is. I'm sorry I am just getting sick of ground and pound specialists.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if & when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - He scraped out a win against John Alessio but it was not convincing. I think it's time for Parisyan/Sanchez.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words. TUF 4?!?!
Josh Neer - Looked good beating Stevenson and his starting to make a name for himself. The kid has a lot of heart and a good all around game.
Josh Koscheck - Beat Chalangov quickly so what's next for Koscheck? Maybe Diaz or Burkman or a rematch with Sanchez? Dave Menne?? Wow, Josh is going to lose.
Josh Burkman - Tough loss to Fitch. Next fight is Neer.......ouch that could be another loss.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo. He's facing Jon Fitch next in what could be a war.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Lightweight
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating. MMAWeekly says that Sher fights the winner of KenFlo/Stout for the title. I'm not sure how Hominick gets left out of that picture but I guess he can get the first title shot. This is a stacked division to say the least.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup. Rumored to be fighting Kenny Florian at the TUF finale.
Spencer Fisher - This guy has as much game as Nick Diaz, look out. I really think that Fisher is better than Stout but since the Canadian has the victory he stays on top.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting. MMAWeekly says he'll be fighting Stout. I'll take KenFlo.
Joe Stevenson - After that last ugly fight Stevenson needs to prove himself again. Looks like he might be fighting Yves Edwards at UFC 61. I was disappointed in Stevenson in his last fight and he's show that strikers can connect on him and if Edwards connects it'll be a short night.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. Rumor has Cummo fighting Jonathan Goulet which should be a good fight. I'll take Luke.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Jorge Gurgel - Finally we see Jorge fight. It's rumored he's going to be facing Mark Hominick which would be a nice fight.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Power Rankings 4/16/06
Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. What a Surprise that fight was, wow. Well we have a new champ and a 3rd match between these guys is assured. Next up for Sylvia will probably be Monson who seems like the only viable contender at this point. At least until Mir can get a little win streak under his belt and we see Sylvia/Mir 2.
Arlovski - Arlovski smelled blood and went in for the kill and Sylvia caught him. It's called killer instinct not being reckless Joe Rogan you hatorade sipping pansy. So who will Arlovski fight on his way back to Sylvia? Assuerio Silva would be my guess. Though the results of UFC 59 were a suprise things really couldn't have worked out better for the UFC. With Monson winning you get the next title contender. Andrei having to fight back to his belt will create more fights with the same pool of talent.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent. Monson/Sylvia could be a good fight.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz?
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster. Rumored to be fighting Vera next that could be a good one.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. It will be interseting to see if he can beat Silva
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Beat Imes but doesn't have the name that Brad does.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 61 i'm guessing.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - The first round was vintage Tito. His boxing looked okay he had some nice counterpunches. Either his knee really, really went out or he threw that fight. How do you throw a fight you won? You make the UFC poster boy look really good, like he gained something in defeat. Which he did. I don't know that fight was just odd to look at, very odd.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - Okay so we hear that Forrest is working the standup in preparation for this fight but did anyone think it looked any better? I sure as hell didn't it. Maybe that was just a way of saying he's been working on his sprawl. Griffin, like he said, can go toe to toe with just about anyone and make it a fight. Well maybe I added the just about because lets be real Chuck would put him down in short order.
Stephan Bonnar - Bonnar won a very, very close decision to Jardine but to be honest I would have called it for Keith. Bonnar did not look very impressive at all but then his ground game is probably his biggest asset right now and he didn't use it. Who next for Bonnar? Griffin I suppose since neither really has any other logical choice at this point.
Alessio Sakara - I'm not sure where to put this guy but I am intrigued and want to see more. Looks like he'll be fighting Dean Lister soon which means we'll see more of his groundgame and sprawl. If they're there this guy could go far.
Rashad Evans - He beat Hoger but it wasn't a great win by any means so who next for Evans? Maybe a rematch with Jardine?
Keith Jardine - I hope Jardine found a ground game or else Bonnar will submit him if things get rough in the striking game.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in and that should be a good fight. I wonder if it will happen this year though with all of Franklin's injuries.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
David Loiseau - Loiseau gets bumped down a little after losing to the champ but he showed a lot fo toughness and heart and drew out Franklin's first decision win so he doesn't fall far. I see Loiseau/Marquardt looming large in the future and I can't wait. Chris Leben would be another good choice for a fight.
Evan Tanner - Tanner looked impressive in his win but
Jeremy Horn - I am still bummed that Horn/Tanner didn't happen. Grrrrrr.
Chris Leben - Leben didn't look all that impressive in his win over Luigi. Is it possible that Leben just wanted to prove that he can go in and dominate a fight for three rounds and win a decision? That's what it looked like to me.
Mike Swick - I think Swick will beat Riggs.
Joe Riggs - Riggs and Swick are going to throw down and that will be a good one to watch.
Nate Quarry - I'd like to see Quarry back in the octagon. He fell quite a bit in my rankings but he never was a true top contender so I guess that is what happens. Doerksen would be good or one of the two veterans, Tanner and Horn. Okay maybe someone else for starters. Swick? Prangley?
Dave Terrell - Pretty much owned Scott Smith so expect to see more of him. He's be a nice matchup with Quarry.
Chael Sonnen - Got revenge on Prangley, good job. Chael keeps getting shots in the UFC so he'll probably stick around.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal?
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog.
George St. Pierre - GSP will get his title shot soon and oh what a fight that will be. His confidence has to be soaring after beating BJ.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? I'd love to see Newton and Penn go at it.
Karo Parisyan - God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup... God
...um.....thank you! Karo owned the Goat and his hands looked much, much improved. He whiffed the first one but from then on they were on target and you could hear the slap. With this newfound striking that makes him somewhat dangerous standing but even more dangerous on the ground which he showed against Thompson. Karo looked really improved and would be a big threat to guys like GSP and Penn.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if & when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - Diego should be about ready for another fight....Penn or Newton?
Josh Koscheck - Beat Chalangov quickly so what's next for Koscheck? Maybe Diaz or Burkman or a rematch with Sanchez? Hopefully not Sanchez because I don't see Koscheck beating him yet.
Josh Burkman - Tough loss to Fitch.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words.
Josh Neer - Looked good beating Stevenson and his starting to make a name for himself.
Joe Stevenson - Joe showed a lot of submissions but got beaten by Neer.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo.
Lightweight
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Spencer Fisher - He lost but he took the fight on ultra short notice and had to cut a lot of weight so he doesn't drop much. That and there aren't really any proven guys behind him.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. He's set to fight Jason Von Flue which should be good. Jason is the underestimated guy who just keep winning. I think Cummo gets him though, he's just too focussed and too dedicated.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Heavyweight
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. What a Surprise that fight was, wow. Well we have a new champ and a 3rd match between these guys is assured. Next up for Sylvia will probably be Monson who seems like the only viable contender at this point. At least until Mir can get a little win streak under his belt and we see Sylvia/Mir 2.
Arlovski - Arlovski smelled blood and went in for the kill and Sylvia caught him. It's called killer instinct not being reckless Joe Rogan you hatorade sipping pansy. So who will Arlovski fight on his way back to Sylvia? Assuerio Silva would be my guess. Though the results of UFC 59 were a suprise things really couldn't have worked out better for the UFC. With Monson winning you get the next title contender. Andrei having to fight back to his belt will create more fights with the same pool of talent.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent. Monson/Sylvia could be a good fight.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight. Or maybe Vera.
Marcio Cruz - Cruz looked alright despite losing to Monson. Who next for Cruz?
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster. Rumored to be fighting Vera next that could be a good one.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. It will be interseting to see if he can beat Silva
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Lost to Cristison
Dan Cristison - Beat Imes but doesn't have the name that Brad does.
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 61 i'm guessing.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - The first round was vintage Tito. His boxing looked okay he had some nice counterpunches. Either his knee really, really went out or he threw that fight. How do you throw a fight you won? You make the UFC poster boy look really good, like he gained something in defeat. Which he did. I don't know that fight was just odd to look at, very odd.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - Okay so we hear that Forrest is working the standup in preparation for this fight but did anyone think it looked any better? I sure as hell didn't it. Maybe that was just a way of saying he's been working on his sprawl. Griffin, like he said, can go toe to toe with just about anyone and make it a fight. Well maybe I added the just about because lets be real Chuck would put him down in short order.
Stephan Bonnar - Bonnar won a very, very close decision to Jardine but to be honest I would have called it for Keith. Bonnar did not look very impressive at all but then his ground game is probably his biggest asset right now and he didn't use it. Who next for Bonnar? Griffin I suppose since neither really has any other logical choice at this point.
Alessio Sakara - I'm not sure where to put this guy but I am intrigued and want to see more. Looks like he'll be fighting Dean Lister soon which means we'll see more of his groundgame and sprawl. If they're there this guy could go far.
Rashad Evans - He beat Hoger but it wasn't a great win by any means so who next for Evans? Maybe a rematch with Jardine?
Keith Jardine - I hope Jardine found a ground game or else Bonnar will submit him if things get rough in the striking game.
Sam Hoger - He looked pretty good in his loss to Evans.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in and that should be a good fight. I wonder if it will happen this year though with all of Franklin's injuries.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
David Loiseau - Loiseau gets bumped down a little after losing to the champ but he showed a lot fo toughness and heart and drew out Franklin's first decision win so he doesn't fall far. I see Loiseau/Marquardt looming large in the future and I can't wait. Chris Leben would be another good choice for a fight.
Evan Tanner - Tanner looked impressive in his win but
Jeremy Horn - I am still bummed that Horn/Tanner didn't happen. Grrrrrr.
Chris Leben - Leben didn't look all that impressive in his win over Luigi. Is it possible that Leben just wanted to prove that he can go in and dominate a fight for three rounds and win a decision? That's what it looked like to me.
Mike Swick - I think Swick will beat Riggs.
Joe Riggs - Riggs and Swick are going to throw down and that will be a good one to watch.
Nate Quarry - I'd like to see Quarry back in the octagon. He fell quite a bit in my rankings but he never was a true top contender so I guess that is what happens. Doerksen would be good or one of the two veterans, Tanner and Horn. Okay maybe someone else for starters. Swick? Prangley?
Dave Terrell - Pretty much owned Scott Smith so expect to see more of him. He's be a nice matchup with Quarry.
Chael Sonnen - Got revenge on Prangley, good job. Chael keeps getting shots in the UFC so he'll probably stick around.
Trevor Prangley - Lost to Chael Sonnen, ouch. Too bad because I think he was on the fastrack to contendership by UFC.
Scott Smith - I wonder if he signed a three fight deal?
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog.
George St. Pierre - GSP will get his title shot soon and oh what a fight that will be. His confidence has to be soaring after beating BJ.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? I'd love to see Newton and Penn go at it.
Karo Parisyan - God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup... God
...um.....thank you! Karo owned the Goat and his hands looked much, much improved. He whiffed the first one but from then on they were on target and you could hear the slap. With this newfound striking that makes him somewhat dangerous standing but even more dangerous on the ground which he showed against Thompson. Karo looked really improved and would be a big threat to guys like GSP and Penn.
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if & when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - Diego should be about ready for another fight....Penn or Newton?
Josh Koscheck - Beat Chalangov quickly so what's next for Koscheck? Maybe Diaz or Burkman or a rematch with Sanchez? Hopefully not Sanchez because I don't see Koscheck beating him yet.
Josh Burkman - Tough loss to Fitch.
Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words.
Josh Neer - Looked good beating Stevenson and his starting to make a name for himself.
Joe Stevenson - Joe showed a lot of submissions but got beaten by Neer.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo.
Lightweight
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sean Sherk - Sherk looked pretty damn good against Diaz. His handspeed was excellent on the standup and he looked pretty comfortable. At 155 he will be devastating.
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Spencer Fisher - He lost but he took the fight on ultra short notice and had to cut a lot of weight so he doesn't drop much. That and there aren't really any proven guys behind him.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. He's set to fight Jason Von Flue which should be good. Jason is the underestimated guy who just keep winning. I think Cummo gets him though, he's just too focussed and too dedicated.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
New Talent for the UFC
the following are some fighters that i could see the UFC bringing in to their ranks, guys who would make a splash as it were. not being a part of the UFC i do not know anything about the money and obligation aspect of things and so i cannot say that these guys are are likely to come just that it would make good sense. i think with the bringing back of bj penn and royce gracie te UFC has shown a willingness, maybe a even a newfoundone, to bring in guys to compete in addition to cultivating the younger talent that they have been working on from the TUF shows.
KAZUSHI SAKURABA
This guy is a true showman. I've only seen some of his fights but I can't think of too many people who are as fun to watch for fans as this man. His fight against Rampage Jackson is one of my all time favorites. He's a jiu-jitsu guy who shows a mastery of grappling as well as a good standup game, if not a punishing one. Sakuraba is just exceedingly clever and is a tough warrior. Sakuraba isn't young at 37 or so but i'd bet he's got enough in the tank to shake things up in the UFC ranks easily. He's not a champion in Pride as far as I know so why not pack it up and come to the states. I know he would be a fan favorite in no time. I believe he goes about 190 so he'd probably have to drop to 185 but I can see him giving Rich Franklin all he can hanlde and then probably a little more!
RAMPAGE JACKSON
At middlewieght or light heavyweight Rampage would be a contender. Rampage is known for his slams and his power, for those of you not in the know, on these over seas fighters but he has a pretty good all around game. He can use his knees knows some submission defense has a good sprawl and he's beaten the Iceman. Nice resume topper there. Jackson is a nother guy that would just blow up over here in the US. I've heard rumors to this effect already.
MIRKO 'CRO COP' FILIPOVIC
Cro Cop has been kicking ass in Pride for a long time but can he bet Fedor? He's lost his only chance thus far and if he were to lose again he might be better off coming to America and showing his skills. At either light heavyweight or heavyweight he would come in and be number one contender and quite possibly take the belt from whoever he faces. He's that good.
ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO
At 6'6 250 pounds this guy is huge. His brother is the reigning heavyweight champ in Pride so there's little room to move up for Aleksander. He's another guy that would be a title contender immediately in UFC and a showdown with Andrei Arlovski would be HUGE.
HEATH HERRING
I have seen very little of Herring other than when he KO'd that Japanese guy who kissed him right before their fight but rumor has it he could come to the UFC and he would be a top contender immediately and it could be quite a homecoming for the 6'4 250 pounder.
KAZUSHI SAKURABA
This guy is a true showman. I've only seen some of his fights but I can't think of too many people who are as fun to watch for fans as this man. His fight against Rampage Jackson is one of my all time favorites. He's a jiu-jitsu guy who shows a mastery of grappling as well as a good standup game, if not a punishing one. Sakuraba is just exceedingly clever and is a tough warrior. Sakuraba isn't young at 37 or so but i'd bet he's got enough in the tank to shake things up in the UFC ranks easily. He's not a champion in Pride as far as I know so why not pack it up and come to the states. I know he would be a fan favorite in no time. I believe he goes about 190 so he'd probably have to drop to 185 but I can see him giving Rich Franklin all he can hanlde and then probably a little more!
RAMPAGE JACKSON
At middlewieght or light heavyweight Rampage would be a contender. Rampage is known for his slams and his power, for those of you not in the know, on these over seas fighters but he has a pretty good all around game. He can use his knees knows some submission defense has a good sprawl and he's beaten the Iceman. Nice resume topper there. Jackson is a nother guy that would just blow up over here in the US. I've heard rumors to this effect already.
MIRKO 'CRO COP' FILIPOVIC
Cro Cop has been kicking ass in Pride for a long time but can he bet Fedor? He's lost his only chance thus far and if he were to lose again he might be better off coming to America and showing his skills. At either light heavyweight or heavyweight he would come in and be number one contender and quite possibly take the belt from whoever he faces. He's that good.
ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO
At 6'6 250 pounds this guy is huge. His brother is the reigning heavyweight champ in Pride so there's little room to move up for Aleksander. He's another guy that would be a title contender immediately in UFC and a showdown with Andrei Arlovski would be HUGE.
HEATH HERRING
I have seen very little of Herring other than when he KO'd that Japanese guy who kissed him right before their fight but rumor has it he could come to the UFC and he would be a top contender immediately and it could be quite a homecoming for the 6'4 250 pounder.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Power Rankings 3/5/06
Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.
Heavyweight
Arlovski - Arlovski may be the best all around fighter in the UFC and physically is a monster. The second fight between he and Sylvia I suspect will end much like the first though I will go out on a limb and say knockout for AA.
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. This should be a nice little boxing clinic though.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent. Looks like he will be facing Cruz, who beat Mir, soon in a grapple to the death showdown. Cool.
Marcio Cruz - a consummate grappler who will be tested against Monson and we can see not only what he has but guage if Mir came back too early or ir Cruz is the real deal.
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. Mir or Sylvia would be a big jump up in competition so maybe he gets a shot at Ass. Silva or Monson. Silva would be best for Vera, if he gets in trouble he can try and take it to the ground. Monson would probably maul him because of the strength disparity.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Faces Gabrial Gonzaga, he of the most boring fight ever. My money is on Imes and I hope Gonzaga is willing to do some work this time.
Wesley Correira - I want to see more Cabbage. He's not on par with the division heavies but the next tier would be fine. Buentello, Vera...
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 61 i'm guessing.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - I hope Ortiz doesn't turn UFC into WWE. He should have a good win against Griffin but Forrest is tricky so we'll see. Liddell/Ortiz 2 does look like a heck of a fight.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - I think Griffin has a shot at beating Tito. Forrest has the better standup and if he can keep Tito up with good sprawl or good knees he can pick him apart. If not then he has an outside shot at a submission. I don't see a knockout happening at all. Another thing to consider is that Griffin has been training with some of the heavies in the UFC so there is no telling where he is ability-wise right now.
Stephan Bonnar - I suspect if Griffin loses to Ortiz we'll see Griffin/Bonnar 2. In the meantime it's Bonnar against fellow TUF alumn Jardine in what should be a standup battle until and unless Bonnar gets worried then to the ground and submission win.
Alessio Sakara - I'm not sure where to put this guy but I am intrigued and want to see more. Looks like he'll be fighting Dean Lister soon which means we'll see more of his groundgame and sprawl. If they're there this guy could go far.
Rashad Evans - Still waiting to see who is first test will be. Hoger would be a good choice. Booya! I nailed that one. Evans hasn't beaten anybody who looked decent so this could be a stiff test for him. Evans has great grappling, he's quick and strong and shows potential with his boxing. If he loses does he bulk up to HW?
Sam Hoger - I think this guy could very well be a title contender one day, there's potential is all i'm saying. Set to fight Rashad Evans and that could be an interesting fight. If Hoger wins it will push him into the lower upper half of the division. If he loses he could be gone for a looong time. He could surprise Evans.
Keith Jardine - I hope Jardine found a ground game or else Bonnar will submit him if things get rough in the striking game.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - There's a chance we'll have a new champ, honest. Not a big chance mind you but a chance. Personally I think Franklin will pick the Canadian apart with his footwork. I pretty much hit that one 'on the button'. Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
David Loiseau - Loiseau gets bumped down a little after losing to the champ but he showed a lot fo toughness and heart and drew out Franklin's first decision win so he doesn't fall far. I see Loiseau/Marquardt looming large in the future and I can't wait. Chris Leben would be another good choice for a fight.
Jeremy Horn - I don't know if Horn and Franklin would fight each other. I could see Marquardt against Horn for a title shot but it probably won't happen that way. Horn against Evans would be a great fight. Come one UFC make it happen! Dude, I SO called this one. Joe Silva, call me brother!!! I can do this stuff all night long like Lionel Ritchie. And I can type!! Hell i'll be your secretary if need be, no skirts. Yes that's a firm rule.
Evan Tanner - Tanner against Horn. Two cagey veterans with UFC history.....eh? Good stuff right? Sorry Evan I have to take Horn on this one, you know how it is.
Chris Leben - Leben is ready for a stiffer test. Rumor has it that he'll be fighting Riggs, presumably at 185 pounds. I'll take Leben.
Joe Doerksen- Doerksen doesn't seem to be a contender but would be a stiff test for just about anyone in the division.
Mike Swick - So he does have a ground game!
Joe Riggs - Fresh off beating Nick Diaz, Riggs deserves another fight soon. I personally don't think he's ready to be an upper echelong guy yet. Chris Leben huh? This will be a brawl and could get ugly. Thank you UFC!
Nate Quarry - I'd like to see Quarry back in the octagon. He fell quite a bit in my rankings but he never was a true top contender so I guess that is what happens. Doerksen would be good or one of the two veterans, Tanner and Horn. Okay maybe someone else for starters. Swick? Prangley?
Robbie Lawler - I'd like to see Ruthless back fighting. He's so damn quick. Lawler vs Swick....eh?..eh?
Trevor Prangley - Another guy who has been around but not beaten anyone of note.
Dave Terrell - The kid could have a future. He beat Matt Lindland but lost to Evan Tanner. Still a loss to Tanner isn't so bad.
Chael Sonnen - Hasn't been anyone of note and I expect him to get beat by Trevor Prangly, again.
Scott Smith - Dude gets a crack at the big show against Terrell. Should be a decent matchup, they seem about even
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog.
George St. Pierre - I'm taking GSP over Penn but it's hard. I nailed this one too. It's kind of a shame that Karo loses the number one contender slot without losing fight but Rush did take out Penn so this is the reality of the situation.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? Kind of soon for Penn though since he just fought.
Karo Parisyan - Who does Karo fight if not the champ? BJ Penn maybe? That would be interesting. MMAWeekly has it rumored that he'll be fighting Nick Thompson. Hell i'll just be happy to see Karo fighting. God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup...
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - Diego whould get a shot at someone higher up than him. Parisyan, Penn or Sherk. Okay I don't have Sherk ranked higher but he is a more proven warrior.
Sean Sherk - Hmmm he deserves a fight somewhere. A rematch against Karo who he's beaten twice would be nice. Fighting Nick Diaz soon that will be interesting.
Josh Koscheck - Fights Ansar Chalangove soon, that will be a stiff test for the TUF guy.
Josh Burkman - He's looked real impressive in his wins but then again so did Quarry. Next fight is John Fitch who I know nothing about but I will take Burkman for the hell of it. He has looked good.
Nick Diaz - He's lost two in a row but to decent fighters, even though Riggs was on a big skid. Not to mention he apparently knocked out Riggs in the E/R after their fight so who knows what happens. I love Diaz's ability but I hate his attitude and that is a common feeling as far as I can tell. Looks he might be fighting Sean Sherk who's been the forgotten man lately. This will end up on the ground but I have to take Diaz either way. Diaz might try to keep this standing and pound out a decisive victory to ensure he stays in the UFC. He's got to be on thin ice even if he doesn't really understand.
Joe Stevenson - A great groundgame and excellent takedowns. Will be taking on Josh Neer and I expect a win from "Daddy".
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. Good job Burkman! He faces Thiago Alves next. C'mon Thiago deliver unto 'the master' a Brazillian buttwhooping of the highest order.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo.
Lightweight
Jens Pulver - Lil Evil was the reigning champ so it will be interesting to see if he comes back to reclaim the title.
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Spencer Fisher - He lost but he took the fight on ultra short notice and had to cut a lot of weight so he doesn't drop much. That and there aren't really any proven guys behind him.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. He's set to fight Jason Von Flue which should be good. Jason is the underestimated guy who just keep winning. I think Cummo gets him though, he's just too focussed and too dedicated.
Hermes Franca - A Jiu-Jitsu wiz who hopefully we'll see in UFC again.
Marcus Davis - Another TUF guy who could get a call. He would be good against Cummo. That would be a nice standup battle.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Heavyweight
Arlovski - Arlovski may be the best all around fighter in the UFC and physically is a monster. The second fight between he and Sylvia I suspect will end much like the first though I will go out on a limb and say knockout for AA.
Tim Sylvia - Tim gets another chance to take back a belt that he once had. I don't see it happening to be honest but I suppose there is a chance. This should be a nice little boxing clinic though.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands but that reach would be hard to deal with. Ass. Silva would be another nice fight.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent. Looks like he will be facing Cruz, who beat Mir, soon in a grapple to the death showdown. Cool.
Marcio Cruz - a consummate grappler who will be tested against Monson and we can see not only what he has but guage if Mir came back too early or ir Cruz is the real deal.
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. Mir or Sylvia would be a big jump up in competition so maybe he gets a shot at Ass. Silva or Monson. Silva would be best for Vera, if he gets in trouble he can try and take it to the ground. Monson would probably maul him because of the strength disparity.
Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.
Brad Imes - Faces Gabrial Gonzaga, he of the most boring fight ever. My money is on Imes and I hope Gonzaga is willing to do some work this time.
Wesley Correira - I want to see more Cabbage. He's not on par with the division heavies but the next tier would be fine. Buentello, Vera...
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - Liddell vs Sobral at UFC 61 i'm guessing.
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time. If Griffin wins it will be interesting to see who fights Liddel. I would hope Renato would get the shot. Rumor has it he's fighting Marvin Eastman next. Wha?! Shonie Carter wasn't available? Jeez. Deserves a title shot gets a can. S'okay Renato we know you're the man.
Tito Ortiz - I hope Ortiz doesn't turn UFC into WWE. He should have a good win against Griffin but Forrest is tricky so we'll see. Liddell/Ortiz 2 does look like a heck of a fight.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - I think Griffin has a shot at beating Tito. Forrest has the better standup and if he can keep Tito up with good sprawl or good knees he can pick him apart. If not then he has an outside shot at a submission. I don't see a knockout happening at all. Another thing to consider is that Griffin has been training with some of the heavies in the UFC so there is no telling where he is ability-wise right now.
Stephan Bonnar - I suspect if Griffin loses to Ortiz we'll see Griffin/Bonnar 2. In the meantime it's Bonnar against fellow TUF alumn Jardine in what should be a standup battle until and unless Bonnar gets worried then to the ground and submission win.
Alessio Sakara - I'm not sure where to put this guy but I am intrigued and want to see more. Looks like he'll be fighting Dean Lister soon which means we'll see more of his groundgame and sprawl. If they're there this guy could go far.
Rashad Evans - Still waiting to see who is first test will be. Hoger would be a good choice. Booya! I nailed that one. Evans hasn't beaten anybody who looked decent so this could be a stiff test for him. Evans has great grappling, he's quick and strong and shows potential with his boxing. If he loses does he bulk up to HW?
Sam Hoger - I think this guy could very well be a title contender one day, there's potential is all i'm saying. Set to fight Rashad Evans and that could be an interesting fight. If Hoger wins it will push him into the lower upper half of the division. If he loses he could be gone for a looong time. He could surprise Evans.
Keith Jardine - I hope Jardine found a ground game or else Bonnar will submit him if things get rough in the striking game.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - There's a chance we'll have a new champ, honest. Not a big chance mind you but a chance. Personally I think Franklin will pick the Canadian apart with his footwork. I pretty much hit that one 'on the button'. Marquardt will be next barring something bizarre or someone being brought it in.
Nate Marquardt - I suspect that this will be the next contender for Franklin's title. His hands might not be a quick as Loiseau's but maybe a little heavier. He's got a few KOs on his record but 2 are with knees. Being a black belt in jiu-jitsu and training Muay Thai for years (according to an interview) I think Marquardt's all around game is better than the Crow so this could be a dangerous fight for Franklin.
David Loiseau - Loiseau gets bumped down a little after losing to the champ but he showed a lot fo toughness and heart and drew out Franklin's first decision win so he doesn't fall far. I see Loiseau/Marquardt looming large in the future and I can't wait. Chris Leben would be another good choice for a fight.
Jeremy Horn - I don't know if Horn and Franklin would fight each other. I could see Marquardt against Horn for a title shot but it probably won't happen that way. Horn against Evans would be a great fight. Come one UFC make it happen! Dude, I SO called this one. Joe Silva, call me brother!!! I can do this stuff all night long like Lionel Ritchie. And I can type!! Hell i'll be your secretary if need be, no skirts. Yes that's a firm rule.
Evan Tanner - Tanner against Horn. Two cagey veterans with UFC history.....eh? Good stuff right? Sorry Evan I have to take Horn on this one, you know how it is.
Chris Leben - Leben is ready for a stiffer test. Rumor has it that he'll be fighting Riggs, presumably at 185 pounds. I'll take Leben.
Joe Doerksen- Doerksen doesn't seem to be a contender but would be a stiff test for just about anyone in the division.
Mike Swick - So he does have a ground game!
Joe Riggs - Fresh off beating Nick Diaz, Riggs deserves another fight soon. I personally don't think he's ready to be an upper echelong guy yet. Chris Leben huh? This will be a brawl and could get ugly. Thank you UFC!
Nate Quarry - I'd like to see Quarry back in the octagon. He fell quite a bit in my rankings but he never was a true top contender so I guess that is what happens. Doerksen would be good or one of the two veterans, Tanner and Horn. Okay maybe someone else for starters. Swick? Prangley?
Robbie Lawler - I'd like to see Ruthless back fighting. He's so damn quick. Lawler vs Swick....eh?..eh?
Trevor Prangley - Another guy who has been around but not beaten anyone of note.
Dave Terrell - The kid could have a future. He beat Matt Lindland but lost to Evan Tanner. Still a loss to Tanner isn't so bad.
Chael Sonnen - Hasn't been anyone of note and I expect him to get beat by Trevor Prangly, again.
Scott Smith - Dude gets a crack at the big show against Terrell. Should be a decent matchup, they seem about even
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - I think Hughes will pound out Gracie in short order but Gracie is no stranger to being the underdog.
George St. Pierre - I'm taking GSP over Penn but it's hard. I nailed this one too. It's kind of a shame that Karo loses the number one contender slot without losing fight but Rush did take out Penn so this is the reality of the situation.
Carlos Newton - Rumor has it...okay I guess Newton said it...that he's coming back against a TBD opponent. Penn or Diaz maybe? Kind of soon for Penn though since he just fought.
Karo Parisyan - Who does Karo fight if not the champ? BJ Penn maybe? That would be interesting. MMAWeekly has it rumored that he'll be fighting Nick Thompson. Hell i'll just be happy to see Karo fighting. God it's me again...please tell me Karo has been working some standup...
BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? A drop down to lightweight or a shot at Parisyan? Maybe a shot at Gracie if when he loses to Hughes?
Diego Sanchez - Diego whould get a shot at someone higher up than him. Parisyan, Penn or Sherk. Okay I don't have Sherk ranked higher but he is a more proven warrior.
Sean Sherk - Hmmm he deserves a fight somewhere. A rematch against Karo who he's beaten twice would be nice. Fighting Nick Diaz soon that will be interesting.
Josh Koscheck - Fights Ansar Chalangove soon, that will be a stiff test for the TUF guy.
Josh Burkman - He's looked real impressive in his wins but then again so did Quarry. Next fight is John Fitch who I know nothing about but I will take Burkman for the hell of it. He has looked good.
Nick Diaz - He's lost two in a row but to decent fighters, even though Riggs was on a big skid. Not to mention he apparently knocked out Riggs in the E/R after their fight so who knows what happens. I love Diaz's ability but I hate his attitude and that is a common feeling as far as I can tell. Looks he might be fighting Sean Sherk who's been the forgotten man lately. This will end up on the ground but I have to take Diaz either way. Diaz might try to keep this standing and pound out a decisive victory to ensure he stays in the UFC. He's got to be on thin ice even if he doesn't really understand.
Joe Stevenson - A great groundgame and excellent takedowns. Will be taking on Josh Neer and I expect a win from "Daddy".
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. Good job Burkman! He faces Thiago Alves next. C'mon Thiago deliver unto 'the master' a Brazillian buttwhooping of the highest order.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. If he gets another shot I think Diaz (if he isn't kicked from the UFC) would be interesting. Wait wait wait....Joe Riggs in a standup war! Yeah baby!
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential. I saw his fight against Josh Neer and he was lighting up Neer. He looked powerful and quick...which is a nice combination to have.
Thiago Alves - A good striker who got caught by Spencer Fisher but was holding his own until then. I'd like to see him against Guillard or Cummo.
Lightweight
Jens Pulver - Lil Evil was the reigning champ so it will be interesting to see if he comes back to reclaim the title.
Mark Hominick - A win over one-time champ Edwards puts him right here. But will Pulver come back?
Yves Edwards - Edwards was shocked by Hominick so maybe his next fight is Stout? Take it out on another Canadian eh?
Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.
Spencer Fisher - He lost but he took the fight on ultra short notice and had to cut a lot of weight so he doesn't drop much. That and there aren't really any proven guys behind him.
Kenny Florian - I guess he kind of stays still after not fighting.
Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher. He's set to fight Jason Von Flue which should be good. Jason is the underestimated guy who just keep winning. I think Cummo gets him though, he's just too focussed and too dedicated.
Hermes Franca - A Jiu-Jitsu wiz who hopefully we'll see in UFC again.
Marcus Davis - Another TUF guy who could get a call. He would be good against Cummo. That would be a nice standup battle.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Next Generation Fighters
...or as I think of them First Generation MMA fighters. What I am talking about is guys who excel standing and on the ground. When you have that ability the fights become more of a chess match and you see guys weighing their relative strenghts against opponents relative weaknesses. Not to take anything away from Matt Hughes or Diego Sanchez but there really isn't much chess there. You know what they are going to do....can you stop them? Hughes might be getting the short end of the stick here since his striking is hardly ever called upon but then that's the point isn't it? I don't blame the guy for sticking to his bread and butter but neither can I applaude his diversity. Similary is Chuck Liddell. Don't get me wrong I am not trying to say Chuck is a striker and that's all he is but the fact is his greatest non-striking skills are his ability to stay off the mat (i.e sprawl) and to get back off the mat. Not exactly excelling I would say. So here is my list of the guys who can do the job wherever it needs to be done.
Rich Franklin
Probably the benchmark for these guys. Yes he'll stand and trade with you. Trade his darting away from your shots for your eating his hammer hands! If it goes to the ground though Ace goes right to work on submissions and he can ground and pound as well. He even does that stand over a guy and pound on a guy ala Ken Shamrock....hell he did it to Ken Shamrock! And this guy is a workout warrior so ever round he's going to be bringing it. Oh and every round you have to stand up against him for at least a little bit. Hahahahahahaha
Nick Diaz
The guy has a serious attitude problem and to be honest I am not sure I want him polluting the pure thing we have right now in MMA. I do hope he gets his head on straight though because he is a very good all around fighter at a young age. He rolls well, boxes well, has at least some knockout power and is aggressive. Teach the kid some honest respect and the world could be his in a few years.
Andrei Arlovski
Okay so he's the heavyweight champ at 6'3 245, has the punching power you would expect from a guy that size, has like no body fat and has some of the best footwork in MMA?! Damn right it's not fair. He's a lot like Franklin and just like him the chink in his armor, so some proclaim, is a weak chin which may or may not be true but what's not open for debate is the all around skill he brings to the table. The Sylvia fight was probably the best display of that with a nice punch that knocked the big fella down and then finish with the ankle lock. Really it's too bad that Mir lost his fight because I was looking forward to seeing the two roll.
Forrest Griffin
Does the 'hillbilly' get too much publicity for too little accomplishment? Maybe.....maybe even probably but does he have an all around game? Definitely. Maybe more than anyone else. Griffin can box (some), can take a punch (many), works in the clinch (well), has some nice takedowns and is really more of a grappler! He took it to Elvis who is pretty much a veteran grappler, if not a great one. The Bonnar fight really showed some great flashes though. How about when he threw Bonnar off of him, against the fence and then through what could have been a vicious right hand. It looked tentative to be honest but if he had but some mustard on that and meant it.....wow...cue the Sportscenter theme. The guy has a mountain of potential.
David Loiseau
I agonized over this one, really. From what I have seen his ground game consists of really good defense and some ground & pound which makes it debatable on whether he belongs in this group but as he did beat Evan Tanner on the ground I feel obligated to throw him in there.
Brandon Vera
From what little I have seen the guy has a good standup game and is supposed to be better on the ground so I am taking a little bit of a chance on him. He looks well rounded though.
Stephan Bonnar
He's got Golden Gloves boxing trophies, can eat a punch or three and is a jiu-jitsu guy so yeah he fits. He's not as fluid as Griffin nor as good at takedowns but he can win standing or with a sub so he belongs. I do have some questions though, like can he ground and pound and can he knock someone out? If he doesn't have those things maybe he doesn't belong, we'll see.
GSP
The kid shifts fluidly from striking to takedown to grappling and it looks seemless. He seems to have an nice array of punches and kicks but does he have KO power? That's about the only possible hole in his game I can see. As far as transitioning smoothly fron one thing to the other i'd say he's right up there with Rich Franklin and Andrei Arlovksi with Griffin a half-step behind.
Honorable Mention (more to follow)
Nathan Marquardt
Spencer Fisher
Christ Leben
Rich Franklin
Probably the benchmark for these guys. Yes he'll stand and trade with you. Trade his darting away from your shots for your eating his hammer hands! If it goes to the ground though Ace goes right to work on submissions and he can ground and pound as well. He even does that stand over a guy and pound on a guy ala Ken Shamrock....hell he did it to Ken Shamrock! And this guy is a workout warrior so ever round he's going to be bringing it. Oh and every round you have to stand up against him for at least a little bit. Hahahahahahaha
Nick Diaz
The guy has a serious attitude problem and to be honest I am not sure I want him polluting the pure thing we have right now in MMA. I do hope he gets his head on straight though because he is a very good all around fighter at a young age. He rolls well, boxes well, has at least some knockout power and is aggressive. Teach the kid some honest respect and the world could be his in a few years.
Andrei Arlovski
Okay so he's the heavyweight champ at 6'3 245, has the punching power you would expect from a guy that size, has like no body fat and has some of the best footwork in MMA?! Damn right it's not fair. He's a lot like Franklin and just like him the chink in his armor, so some proclaim, is a weak chin which may or may not be true but what's not open for debate is the all around skill he brings to the table. The Sylvia fight was probably the best display of that with a nice punch that knocked the big fella down and then finish with the ankle lock. Really it's too bad that Mir lost his fight because I was looking forward to seeing the two roll.
Forrest Griffin
Does the 'hillbilly' get too much publicity for too little accomplishment? Maybe.....maybe even probably but does he have an all around game? Definitely. Maybe more than anyone else. Griffin can box (some), can take a punch (many), works in the clinch (well), has some nice takedowns and is really more of a grappler! He took it to Elvis who is pretty much a veteran grappler, if not a great one. The Bonnar fight really showed some great flashes though. How about when he threw Bonnar off of him, against the fence and then through what could have been a vicious right hand. It looked tentative to be honest but if he had but some mustard on that and meant it.....wow...cue the Sportscenter theme. The guy has a mountain of potential.
David Loiseau
I agonized over this one, really. From what I have seen his ground game consists of really good defense and some ground & pound which makes it debatable on whether he belongs in this group but as he did beat Evan Tanner on the ground I feel obligated to throw him in there.
Brandon Vera
From what little I have seen the guy has a good standup game and is supposed to be better on the ground so I am taking a little bit of a chance on him. He looks well rounded though.
Stephan Bonnar
He's got Golden Gloves boxing trophies, can eat a punch or three and is a jiu-jitsu guy so yeah he fits. He's not as fluid as Griffin nor as good at takedowns but he can win standing or with a sub so he belongs. I do have some questions though, like can he ground and pound and can he knock someone out? If he doesn't have those things maybe he doesn't belong, we'll see.
GSP
The kid shifts fluidly from striking to takedown to grappling and it looks seemless. He seems to have an nice array of punches and kicks but does he have KO power? That's about the only possible hole in his game I can see. As far as transitioning smoothly fron one thing to the other i'd say he's right up there with Rich Franklin and Andrei Arlovksi with Griffin a half-step behind.
Honorable Mention (more to follow)
Nathan Marquardt
Spencer Fisher
Christ Leben
Sunday, February 26, 2006
UFC 58 USA vs Canada
Far from being a 'who's better' type of scenario the adversarial nature of this pay-per-view just adds a little flavor to what looks like a pretty nice lineup. My predictions follow.
Franklin/Loiseau
Ace is just too well rounded, too smart and in too good of shape to lose unless Loiseau pulls one of his kicks and knocks the champ out. Personally though I don't see it happening. Kicking a guy with some of, if not the, best footwork in MMA is going to difficult.
GSP/Penn
This is a tough one. GSP is tough everywhere but Penn is one of the best on the ground in MMA. GSP should have plenty of motivation because if he loses this one he'll have a loss to Hughes and Penn which would put him behind the eightball in terms of being a contender. He'll need to punish Penn with his striking and keep it there as long as possible. Both have won over some tough competition but Penn has more big names. Still I am going GSP but damn it's hard.
Marquardt/Doerksen
A fight between two veteran guys so this ought to be a good one and can go either way. If I were a betting man my money would be on Marquardt. I think he'll be the next big contender for the middleweight belt.
Swick/Vigneault
I am looking foward to seeing the quick one in action again. I'd like to see his ground game but these are two strikers so I won't hold my breath. Swick has a deadly combination of fast hands (think Belfort) and KO power. I'm picking Swick but to be honest I know nothing about his competitor.
Edwards/Hominick
Return of the lightweights. I have never seen either so I cannot pick one, sorry guys.
Florian/Stout
Florian has a better all around game so I have to chose him but Stout can end it quick so the American will have to watch out.
MacDonald/Lambert
As much as I hated listening to MacDonald cry when he was on TUF he did look pretty decent. Good quickness. I'm taking him but somewhat reluctantly.
Murphy/Midoux
Midoux!
Sanchez/Alessio
Diego by GnP.
Franklin/Loiseau
Ace is just too well rounded, too smart and in too good of shape to lose unless Loiseau pulls one of his kicks and knocks the champ out. Personally though I don't see it happening. Kicking a guy with some of, if not the, best footwork in MMA is going to difficult.
GSP/Penn
This is a tough one. GSP is tough everywhere but Penn is one of the best on the ground in MMA. GSP should have plenty of motivation because if he loses this one he'll have a loss to Hughes and Penn which would put him behind the eightball in terms of being a contender. He'll need to punish Penn with his striking and keep it there as long as possible. Both have won over some tough competition but Penn has more big names. Still I am going GSP but damn it's hard.
Marquardt/Doerksen
A fight between two veteran guys so this ought to be a good one and can go either way. If I were a betting man my money would be on Marquardt. I think he'll be the next big contender for the middleweight belt.
Swick/Vigneault
I am looking foward to seeing the quick one in action again. I'd like to see his ground game but these are two strikers so I won't hold my breath. Swick has a deadly combination of fast hands (think Belfort) and KO power. I'm picking Swick but to be honest I know nothing about his competitor.
Edwards/Hominick
Return of the lightweights. I have never seen either so I cannot pick one, sorry guys.
Florian/Stout
Florian has a better all around game so I have to chose him but Stout can end it quick so the American will have to watch out.
MacDonald/Lambert
As much as I hated listening to MacDonald cry when he was on TUF he did look pretty decent. Good quickness. I'm taking him but somewhat reluctantly.
Murphy/Midoux
Midoux!
Sanchez/Alessio
Diego by GnP.
Lightweights
With UFC bringing back the lighweight division I thought I would give a quick breakdown of who the players are, or could be, at this weight. The welterweight is one of the deepest but will lose some of that depth to the lighweight division but in the long run I think it will be good as both will have experienced contenders and this will let some of the second or third tier guys get some action.
Jens Pulver - Lil Evil was the reigning champ so it will be interesting to see if he comes back to reclaim the title.
Yves Edwards - Edwards looks like the top dog here unless Pulver decides to come back and what a fight that would be!
Mark Hominick - I don't know much about this guy but the fact he's fighting Edwards would indicate some ability.
Spencer Fisher - Another Militech guy but he looks great. A striker with a varied array of submissions and great strike defense from the bottom. He has a bright future ahead of him.
Kenny Florian - KenFlo actually getting to fight at his natural weight? Sweet. The kid is tough and determined unfortunately so far those are the only strengths he has shown on his feet but I think he'll improve.
Joe Stevenson - I think Joe will drop down to here and could be a monster at this weight. A great groundgame and excellent takedowns. His TUF fame puts him higher than some people who might be better or at the least more experienced.
Duane Ludwig - He needs more of a groundgame but he's working with Bas Rutten so he should get there and just ask Goulet if he can really "Bang".
Sam Stout - I don't know much about the Canadian but after he fights KenFlo we'll have a good idea where he stands.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher.
Hermes Franca - A Jiu-Jitsu wiz who hopefully we'll see in UFC again.
Josh Thomson - Another guy we could see back in the UFC.
Marcus Davis - Another TUF guy who could get a call. He would be good against Cummo. That would be a nice standup battle.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
BJ Penn - If he loses to GSP could Penn come down to lightweight? Hmmm. If so he would be much higher than this believe me.
Jens Pulver - Lil Evil was the reigning champ so it will be interesting to see if he comes back to reclaim the title.
Yves Edwards - Edwards looks like the top dog here unless Pulver decides to come back and what a fight that would be!
Mark Hominick - I don't know much about this guy but the fact he's fighting Edwards would indicate some ability.
Spencer Fisher - Another Militech guy but he looks great. A striker with a varied array of submissions and great strike defense from the bottom. He has a bright future ahead of him.
Kenny Florian - KenFlo actually getting to fight at his natural weight? Sweet. The kid is tough and determined unfortunately so far those are the only strengths he has shown on his feet but I think he'll improve.
Joe Stevenson - I think Joe will drop down to here and could be a monster at this weight. A great groundgame and excellent takedowns. His TUF fame puts him higher than some people who might be better or at the least more experienced.
Duane Ludwig - He needs more of a groundgame but he's working with Bas Rutten so he should get there and just ask Goulet if he can really "Bang".
Sam Stout - I don't know much about the Canadian but after he fights KenFlo we'll have a good idea where he stands.
Luke Cummo - I want to see Cummo fighting and soon! Him and Ludwig would be a nice fight or maybe Fisher.
Hermes Franca - A Jiu-Jitsu wiz who hopefully we'll see in UFC again.
Josh Thomson - Another guy we could see back in the UFC.
Marcus Davis - Another TUF guy who could get a call. He would be good against Cummo. That would be a nice standup battle.
Melvin Guilliard - Not sure if this is do-able or not but it could allow him some breathing room for away from the welterweights but then again with so many people coming down here maybe he'd be better at 170.
BJ Penn - If he loses to GSP could Penn come down to lightweight? Hmmm. If so he would be much higher than this believe me.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Power Rankings 2/6/06
Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.
Heavyweight
Arlovski - I read where someone in Sherdog's forums where someone said 'Arlovski is a lion amongst retards.' Endquote. I'm not saying that is dead-on...but it's close enough.
Tim Sylvia - For lack of any other legit contenders in this division a rematch between Sylvia and Arlovski looks inescapable unless some new talent is brought in.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands.
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. Mir or Sylvia would be a big jump up in competition so maybe he gets a shot at Ass. Silva or Monson. Silva would be best for Vera, if he gets in trouble he can try and take it to the ground. Monson would probably maul him because of the strength disparity.
Assuerio Silva- He would be fun to watch against Buentello or maybe Monson. He might benefit from fighting someone he can roll through though to get his feet under him.
Brad Imes - He'll see action in the Octagon at some point. Cabbage would be a good first test or maybe Vera.
Wesley Correira - I want to see more Cabbage. He's not on par with the division heavies but the next tier would be fine. Buentello, Vera...
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - ....and still Champion! Congrats to the Iceman. Okay who's next? I'm sure Chuck would say, "whoever." His last fight saw him possibly in his best form so it doesn't look like it matters all that much. Ortiz probably down the road. Sobral before that.
Randy Couture - Randy has officially retired but out of massive amounts of respect I am leaving him on here for the time being and besides I think he'd beat the next guy, Babalu, anyway. A true warrior and champion I sincerely hope the UFC finds something for the Natural to do. He has been the face of the league for a while lets keep him in the spotlight Dana, please!
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time.
Tito Ortiz - I hope Ortiz doesn't turn UFC into WWE. His next fight is Griffin one that he should win.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - I think Griffin has a shot at beating Tito. Forrest has the better standup and if he can keep Tito up with good sprawl or good knees he can pick him apart. If not then he has an outside shot at a submission. I don't see a knockout happening at all. Another thing to consider is that Griffin has been training with some of the heavies in the UFC so there is no telling where he is ability-wise right now. Maybe geographically too but that's another discussion.
Stephan Bonnar - He's too good all around and too smart not to take Irvin to the mat and submit him. ( damn can I pick them or what) Next fight? Babalu or maybe Shamrock, assuming they lose their next fights. And there's always Forrest that would bring in some people but I think it's too soon.
Rashad Evans - Still waiting to see who is first test will be. Hoger would be a good choice. Booya! I nailed that one. Evans hasn't beaten anybody who looked decent so this could be a stiff test for him. Evans has great grappling, he's quick and strong and shows potential with his boxing. If he loses does he bulk up to HW?
Sam Hoger - I think this guy could very well be a title contender one day. Set to fight Rashad Evans and that could be an interesting fight. If Hoger wins it will push him into the lower upper half of the division. If he loses he could be gone for a looong time.
James Irvin - Sam Hoger would be a decent fight but then again Hoger would just do the same thing Bonnar did. How about TUF fighter Keith Jardine in a standup battle or maybe throw Irvin to Evans and see if Irvin has gotten the point that you can't live in the UFC without a groundgame.
Travis Wiuff - Might want to think about going up to heavyweight where there is more room to breathe. Evans would be a good matchup.
Keith Jardine - Nice win over Whitehead who continues to disappoint. I like Jardine I hope he's got a groundgame now.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - I CAN'T WAIT FOR FRANKLIN/LOISEAU. There's a chance we'll have a new champ, honest. Not a big chance mind you but a chance. Personally I think Franklin will pick the Canadian apart with his footwork and we all know if you leave one opening against Ace you wake up a few minutes later and have to watch the replay.
David Loiseau - The standup portion of Loiseau/Franklin will be beautiful. Does the Crow have a ground game to match the champ though? Can he kick someone as light on their feet as Franklin?
Jeremy Horn - Horn has been on the skids lately but he's got ability so I say either the loser of Franklin/Loiseau or Marquardt if Nate wins he gets next title shot.
Nate Marquardt - I think this guy will be champ one day. I think he deserves a shot at anyone above him on this list as long as its confirmed that he fights clean, no doping.
Evan Tanner - Have Evan and Jeremy ever fought? Two cagey veterans with UFC history.....eh? Good stuff right?
Joe Doerksen- A seasoned vet who has to beat a tough Marquardt if he wants to be a player in the middleweights.
Chris Leben - Leben is ready for a stiffer test. Horn? Tanner you say? Hmm interesting.
Nate Quarry - This guy has skill despite the fact that he was so thoroughly owned by Rich Franklin. I doubt he'd fight Leben, though I could be wrong, so maybe Tanner or Horn.
Robbie Lawler - I'd like to see Ruthless back fighting. He's so damn quick. Lawler vs Swick....eh?..eh?
Mike Swick - Has a torn MCL so will be out a while but man I can't wait to see him fight again. Talk about fast hands.
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Are you kidding me? Royce Gracie?? Wow. I'll take Hughes but damn I hate going against an underdog like Royce.
Karo Parisyan - Will Karo get the title shot again, he got injured before the fight last time and GSP is so popular. Regardless Karo needs better striking. He swings wild and lets his aggression carry him on the feet and that kind of glaring weakness will get you beat down one day. Realistically GSP is better than Parisyan at this point in their careers but Karo was due for a shot and Hughes already beat St. Pierre once so he goes higher in my ranking.
George St. Pierre - GSP is so good everywhere. If Karo does fight Hughes then GSP should fight Penn. (damn did i call that or what! i'm taking GSP over Penn but it's hard.)
BJ Penn - Okay so if Penn loses to GSP and Gracie loses then maybe, just maybe we get Penn vs Gracie? Yeah baby!! Should Penn be higher than GSP and Karo? Maybe but until he fights in the Octagon again he goes right about here.
Diego Sanchez - Diego needs a fight against a bigger name guy too. Josh Burkman called him out but that would be in effect a step backward for Diego. Maybe he gets Parisyan who seems to be out in the cold right now. Sherk is another possibility.
Sean Sherk - I took some flak from some Sherdoggers on having Sherk too low but they were right for the most part. He's got a ton of experience but no name victories other than two wins over Karo back in 2000 & 2001. Karo must have been like 19 or something. Still Sherk is a legit fighter. Koscheck would be a good matchup, maybe Diaz or Stevenson too.
Joe Riggs - Just keeps losing. Someone throw this guy a can! Damn they threw him a Diaz and he won, nice job.
Joe Stevenson - I still want Stevenson/Sanchez but i'll take Stevenson/Burkman
Josh Koscheck - Koscheck/Stevenson would be fun to watch.
Spencer Fisher - I'm somewhat impressed with this guy. He wants to stand and strike with you but if it goes to the ground he has very good defense to wait it out until he can get a submission.
Kenny Florian - I'd like to see KenFlo against Diaz.
Josh Burkman - He's looked real impressive in his wins but then again so did Quarry.
Nick Diaz - He's lost two in a row but to decent fighters, even though Riggs was on a big skid. Not to mention he apparently knocked out Riggs in the E/R after their fight so who knows what happens. I love Diaz's ability but I hate his attitude and that is a common feeling as far as I can tell.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. Good job Burkman!
Luke Cummo - I want Cummo versus Florian. Wouldn't mind seeing him whip up on Fickett either.
Duane Ludwig - Dude knocked Goulet the f*** out! Him against Cummo would be a great fight.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. Cope vs Cummo could be something to see.
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential.
Heavyweight
Arlovski - I read where someone in Sherdog's forums where someone said 'Arlovski is a lion amongst retards.' Endquote. I'm not saying that is dead-on...but it's close enough.
Tim Sylvia - For lack of any other legit contenders in this division a rematch between Sylvia and Arlovski looks inescapable unless some new talent is brought in.
Paul Buentello - I think we'll see the Headhunter against Sylvia or Mir pretty soon. Personally I think Sylvia would be the better fight. Lots of hands.
Frank Mir - A crushing loss to an fellow grappler will knock Mir down a peg or two. Both in ego and in these rankings.
Jeff Monson - Hell he might get a title shot if the UFC doesn't come up with some better talent.
Assuerio Silva - A poor debut puts this guy below any other legit contenders but he is still better than 90% of the other heavyweights that the UFC can muster.
Brandon Vera - He's more suited for LHW but with the dearth of talent in this division he's a player. Mir or Sylvia would be a big jump up in competition so maybe he gets a shot at Ass. Silva or Monson. Silva would be best for Vera, if he gets in trouble he can try and take it to the ground. Monson would probably maul him because of the strength disparity.
Assuerio Silva- He would be fun to watch against Buentello or maybe Monson. He might benefit from fighting someone he can roll through though to get his feet under him.
Brad Imes - He'll see action in the Octagon at some point. Cabbage would be a good first test or maybe Vera.
Wesley Correira - I want to see more Cabbage. He's not on par with the division heavies but the next tier would be fine. Buentello, Vera...
Light heavyweight
Chuck Liddell - ....and still Champion! Congrats to the Iceman. Okay who's next? I'm sure Chuck would say, "whoever." His last fight saw him possibly in his best form so it doesn't look like it matters all that much. Ortiz probably down the road. Sobral before that.
Randy Couture - Randy has officially retired but out of massive amounts of respect I am leaving him on here for the time being and besides I think he'd beat the next guy, Babalu, anyway. A true warrior and champion I sincerely hope the UFC finds something for the Natural to do. He has been the face of the league for a while lets keep him in the spotlight Dana, please!
Renato Sobral - Babalu deserves the next title shot and i'd like to see that rematch. Sobral isn't the same kid he was when he lost the first time.
Tito Ortiz - I hope Ortiz doesn't turn UFC into WWE. His next fight is Griffin one that he should win.
Ken Shamrock - I don't think he's going to beat Tito so look for him to face someone like Babalu or one of the TUF guys, if he doesn't retire like Randy.
Forrest Griffin - I think Griffin has a shot at beating Tito. Forrest has the better standup and if he can keep Tito up with good sprawl or good knees he can pick him apart. If not then he has an outside shot at a submission. I don't see a knockout happening at all. Another thing to consider is that Griffin has been training with some of the heavies in the UFC so there is no telling where he is ability-wise right now. Maybe geographically too but that's another discussion.
Stephan Bonnar - He's too good all around and too smart not to take Irvin to the mat and submit him. ( damn can I pick them or what) Next fight? Babalu or maybe Shamrock, assuming they lose their next fights. And there's always Forrest that would bring in some people but I think it's too soon.
Rashad Evans - Still waiting to see who is first test will be. Hoger would be a good choice. Booya! I nailed that one. Evans hasn't beaten anybody who looked decent so this could be a stiff test for him. Evans has great grappling, he's quick and strong and shows potential with his boxing. If he loses does he bulk up to HW?
Sam Hoger - I think this guy could very well be a title contender one day. Set to fight Rashad Evans and that could be an interesting fight. If Hoger wins it will push him into the lower upper half of the division. If he loses he could be gone for a looong time.
James Irvin - Sam Hoger would be a decent fight but then again Hoger would just do the same thing Bonnar did. How about TUF fighter Keith Jardine in a standup battle or maybe throw Irvin to Evans and see if Irvin has gotten the point that you can't live in the UFC without a groundgame.
Travis Wiuff - Might want to think about going up to heavyweight where there is more room to breathe. Evans would be a good matchup.
Keith Jardine - Nice win over Whitehead who continues to disappoint. I like Jardine I hope he's got a groundgame now.
Middleweight
Rich Franklin - I CAN'T WAIT FOR FRANKLIN/LOISEAU. There's a chance we'll have a new champ, honest. Not a big chance mind you but a chance. Personally I think Franklin will pick the Canadian apart with his footwork and we all know if you leave one opening against Ace you wake up a few minutes later and have to watch the replay.
David Loiseau - The standup portion of Loiseau/Franklin will be beautiful. Does the Crow have a ground game to match the champ though? Can he kick someone as light on their feet as Franklin?
Jeremy Horn - Horn has been on the skids lately but he's got ability so I say either the loser of Franklin/Loiseau or Marquardt if Nate wins he gets next title shot.
Nate Marquardt - I think this guy will be champ one day. I think he deserves a shot at anyone above him on this list as long as its confirmed that he fights clean, no doping.
Evan Tanner - Have Evan and Jeremy ever fought? Two cagey veterans with UFC history.....eh? Good stuff right?
Joe Doerksen- A seasoned vet who has to beat a tough Marquardt if he wants to be a player in the middleweights.
Chris Leben - Leben is ready for a stiffer test. Horn? Tanner you say? Hmm interesting.
Nate Quarry - This guy has skill despite the fact that he was so thoroughly owned by Rich Franklin. I doubt he'd fight Leben, though I could be wrong, so maybe Tanner or Horn.
Robbie Lawler - I'd like to see Ruthless back fighting. He's so damn quick. Lawler vs Swick....eh?..eh?
Mike Swick - Has a torn MCL so will be out a while but man I can't wait to see him fight again. Talk about fast hands.
Welterweight
Matt Hughes - Are you kidding me? Royce Gracie?? Wow. I'll take Hughes but damn I hate going against an underdog like Royce.
Karo Parisyan - Will Karo get the title shot again, he got injured before the fight last time and GSP is so popular. Regardless Karo needs better striking. He swings wild and lets his aggression carry him on the feet and that kind of glaring weakness will get you beat down one day. Realistically GSP is better than Parisyan at this point in their careers but Karo was due for a shot and Hughes already beat St. Pierre once so he goes higher in my ranking.
George St. Pierre - GSP is so good everywhere. If Karo does fight Hughes then GSP should fight Penn. (damn did i call that or what! i'm taking GSP over Penn but it's hard.)
BJ Penn - Okay so if Penn loses to GSP and Gracie loses then maybe, just maybe we get Penn vs Gracie? Yeah baby!! Should Penn be higher than GSP and Karo? Maybe but until he fights in the Octagon again he goes right about here.
Diego Sanchez - Diego needs a fight against a bigger name guy too. Josh Burkman called him out but that would be in effect a step backward for Diego. Maybe he gets Parisyan who seems to be out in the cold right now. Sherk is another possibility.
Sean Sherk - I took some flak from some Sherdoggers on having Sherk too low but they were right for the most part. He's got a ton of experience but no name victories other than two wins over Karo back in 2000 & 2001. Karo must have been like 19 or something. Still Sherk is a legit fighter. Koscheck would be a good matchup, maybe Diaz or Stevenson too.
Joe Riggs - Just keeps losing. Someone throw this guy a can! Damn they threw him a Diaz and he won, nice job.
Joe Stevenson - I still want Stevenson/Sanchez but i'll take Stevenson/Burkman
Josh Koscheck - Koscheck/Stevenson would be fun to watch.
Spencer Fisher - I'm somewhat impressed with this guy. He wants to stand and strike with you but if it goes to the ground he has very good defense to wait it out until he can get a submission.
Kenny Florian - I'd like to see KenFlo against Diaz.
Josh Burkman - He's looked real impressive in his wins but then again so did Quarry.
Nick Diaz - He's lost two in a row but to decent fighters, even though Riggs was on a big skid. Not to mention he apparently knocked out Riggs in the E/R after their fight so who knows what happens. I love Diaz's ability but I hate his attitude and that is a common feeling as far as I can tell.
Drew Fickett - I flat out don't like this guy. Good job Burkman!
Luke Cummo - I want Cummo versus Florian. Wouldn't mind seeing him whip up on Fickett either.
Duane Ludwig - Dude knocked Goulet the f*** out! Him against Cummo would be a great fight.
Kit Cope - Work on that ground game man. Cope vs Cummo could be something to see.
Melvin Guillard - I hope he sticks around the UFC until he can improve, he's got amazing potential.
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