Bad Week for Strikeforce?

This past week several events transpired which undoubtedly brought concern to Strikeforce owner Scot Coker. The Strikeforce Challengers card on Friday night suffered from several problems. The referees for the event seemed to not understand even the most basic rules. At one point the third man in the cage told a fighter who just suffered a low blow, “You are all right…fight” The ref did not give the fighter the standard five minutes to recover. The championship fight was a lackluster affair and the co-main event ended quickly due to an eye poke resulting in the dreaded draw. Strikeforce is a growing org and obviously many of the above are out of their control. But Strikeforce’s problems went beyond Friday night’s event. News this week that Fedor will not fight on the upcoming CBS card also signaled a larger problem for the organization. Strikeforce seems unable or unwilling to set the card lineup up in advance of its next marquee show. When all these things happen on the same card and during the same week it makes Strikeforce seem second rate.

How did I do in my UFC 110 picks?

I went 4-1 and pushed my public picking record to 27-17. Here is how it breaks down.

Nog was a surprise KO victim to a hungry Cain Velasquez. It was a quick and brutal KO. Cain has put the rest of the division on notice. My picks was Big Nog so -1

I picked Wandy to look good at 185lbs and he did. IT was a good fight and Wandy beat Bisping by a close decision. My pick was Wandy so +1

I was proud of my George S. pick over Big Daddy. George was an underdog but I felt he had the ground game to get to Joe Daddy and that fighting in front of his country man would give him an edge. I was right so +1

I picked Bader to edge out Jardine and instead he KO ed him in the third so +1

I knew Krysztof would beat Bonnar and he did but I was surprised at how good Bonnar looked and at how great of a fight it was. It was stopped due to a cut but hopefully we will get a rematch. so +1

Wandy Heeds Dana’s Advice?

Wandy Heeds Dana’s Advice

After the Rua vs. Machida fight Dana White stated that fighters in the UFC needed to learn how to turn it on in the last minute of a round. White said “But at the end of every round, neither one of the guys went after it. Neither guy tried to steal the round. You saw it a lot in boxing – and these guys have got to learn it in MMA – is when that 30 seconds is left, go after it and try to steal that round." It seems that at least one UFC fighter heeded White’s advice. Wanderlei Silva turned it on in the closing minute of each round in his fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 110. He ended round 2 with a tight guillotine choke and he ended the third round with a flurry that sent Bisping to the mat. These last minute bursts served as exclamation points that pushed the judges to Wandy in a close fight. Hopefully more MMA fighters will adopt this strategy.

Pride Legends Carry On?

Pride Legends Carry On

Three of Prides biggest stars all fought on the UFC 110 card in Australia. Big Nog, Crocop, and Wandy were legends in Pride but all three had suffered some losses recently in the UFC. A lot was on the line for each man in his fights on Saturday night. These fighters were in must win situations in order to stay relevant or to even keep themselves in the UFC. Mirko Crocop succeeded over a last minute replacement. Wandy looked good at a new weight class and potentially revitalized his career. A younger and faster opponent, Cain Velasquez, however, quickly dispatched Big Nog. This fight was a signaled a changing of the guard in the heavyweight division, as Cain is now propelled into title contender and Big Nog is now out of the title picture. Despite this loss Big Nog will regroup and carry on. While all three Pride legends will surely continue on in the UFC, that outcome was in jeopardy prior to their fights ay UFC 110.

Changing of The Guard?

Cain Velasquez brutal KO of MMA legend Big Nog signaled a changing of the guard in the UFC heavyweight division. Cain looked, young, fast and hungry and his KO victory sent a shockwave throughout the MMA world. After the fight the Internet almost ground to a stop from all of the people jumping onto the Cain Bandwagon. Velasquez looked great against a dangerous, veteran opponent. His victory over Big Nog definitely has shaken up the heavyweight rankings.

Who will win UFC 110?

Here are some quick picks for the first UFC in Australia...

Big Nog vs. Velasquez...In this fight I think Big Nog's experience will shine through. Nofg has just had so many wars and I think he will weather Cain's early storm and then submit him late. Cain has not shown much power in his hands and Nog has a serious chin. I think that Cain will be able to take Nog down but eventually Nog will catch him in a sub. My pick Big Nog

Wandy vs. Bisping...Wandy has really been struggling lately but I think he will make a resurgence here at 185lbs. I don't think that Bisping will be able to trade with him and will get KOed, BUT I am nervous about this pick. I might be going with heart more than head hee. It is just hard to imagine that a beast like Wandy is could lose to Bisping. Imagine what the odds would have been on this fight 4 years ago. Wandy would be a huge favorite, but I guess he is in the twilight of his career. I lost on Bisping vs. Kang and I hope I don't get burned here again. My Pick Wandy

George S. vs. Joe Stevenson- I have to go with the Australian fighting in front of his home country in this one. Joe has looked improved but I think the travel and the home field advantage will be too much. George has good ju jitsu and I think he will catch Joe Daddy. My pick George S.

Jardine vs. Bader- Jardine is so up and down. I think that Bader will take the Dean of Mean down and lay and pray a decsion. I am not blown away by Bader and this is a great test for him. I think he pulls it out in a boring fight. My pick Bader

Bonnar vs. Krysztof - I think the Polish Experiment takes this fight. My pick Krystof

Did I win the Sunday Junkie contest?

The following in this post is not my writing...it is copied from the MMA Junkie website. It says I won their weekly contest. Pretty cool huh. I get to go on the radio on Monday too! The winning entry is in the post below this one.

Despite the romantic nature of Valentine's Day weekend, many mixed martial arts fans didn't seem to have much love for the UFC's decision to utilize Demian Maia at UFC 112 in place of an injured Vitor Belfort.

The biggest story of the past few days, feedback on Belfort's injury and Maia's upcoming bout with Anderson Silva received the bulk of the entries in this week's edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com's weekly reader-feedback feature.

And while there were some concerns about whether Maia deserved the title shot, this week's winner, Ryan Mahon, argued that the grappling ace is the best available option for now, and it's time for Silva to defend his title for the first time in nearly one year.

For his winning entry, Ryan wins a free one-year subscription to Fighters Only magazine, the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine. He'll also be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic with the show's hosts.

Maia- The Right Choice?

When Belfort’s injury forced his withdrawal from UFC 112, MMA fandom wondered who would replace Belfort in the title fight against Anderson. The announcement that Maia would have the opportunity to fight for the title caused forums to implode with widespread disapproval. Fans argued for delaying the title fight until Belfort or Sonnen could heal. Others pushed for Anderson to go up to 205 and face Couture or Thiago Silva. However despite the outcry against Maia, he really is the only choice. Anderson has to defend his 185-pound belt. The last time he defended it was April 18, 2009. Champions need to defend their belts more than once a year. This fight has to be at 185. This eliminates all of the 205 contenders. At 185 Maia is the only real option. He is 6-1 in the UFC with a victory over Sonnen. Belfort and Sonnen are injured and Marquart just lost. Joe Silva made the right choice in selecting Maia.

How did I do in my UFC 109 picks?

Well Couture won no shocker there so +1

What surprised everyone was the fact that Sonnen dominated Marquart. He layed and prayed and Marquart offered nothing from his back. It looks like Sonnen will get the title shot against Anderson. -1

My upset came through as Thiago Silva blasted and then Darce chocked Swick into sleepy land. Thiago lost to Fitch but looked good in that fight. His striking is looking better and he obviously has power in his hands. This guy is on his way up. +1

So that puts me 2-1 for the event and 23-16 overall. I think that puts me at 59% AGGGHHH!!! The agony.

Demian Maia: Striker?

Demian Maia made a successful return to the octagon in UFC 109. Maia was the favorite and his win not that shocking. However what was surprising was how Maia won. Unlike his other submission victories in the UFC this fight he won by unanimous decision. Even more interesting was the fact that he choose to keep the fight on the feet for the first two rounds. As Maia explained in his post fight interview he wanted to stand and trade during the first two rounds. Maia stood and traded with Miller and enjoyed enough success to win a decision. Maia got blasted in a quick KO in his last fight and many expected Maia to be gun-shy and try and keep the fight on the mat. But Maia wanted to show the fans his striking was in fact improving and he is becoming a more well rounded fighter. While the fight itself was not a barnburner, it did show that Maia is improving on his striking and could be a force to reckon with at 185 after all

Who will win UFC 109?

A couple of super quick picks...

Couture vs. Coleman- Randy is a huge favorite here and with good reason. My pick Couture

Marquart vs. Sonnen- Marquart is better in every aspect. I think he is headed back to a shot against Anderson. My pick Marquart

Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago- Thiago lost to Fitch but looked good. I think he will sub Swick and pull off the upset. My pick Thiago

Is that Gerald Harris?

After his fight in UFC Fight Night 20. Fighter Gerald Harris comes into the stands and takes a picture with Gavin. Harris won by TKO that night and got KO of the night bonus. Super nice guy who made a fan out of me and my family.

A WEC PPV?

For some time now we have known that WEC was planning on having a PPV and today we are getting more details. First it will be in April and two belts will be on the line. The Lightweight belt will be up for grabs as Benson "Smooth" Henderson rematches against Donald Cerrone and Jose Aldo will put the bantamweight title on the line against former champ Uriah Faber. The other interesting detail is that the WEC will be twice a year and it will priced at $44.95 roughly the same price as the UFC's PPV.

This brings up the question of will it sell, and is it appropriately priced? I love the WEC so of course I will buy it, so they have me as a customer. But will the casual fan shell out the big money for a product that is akin to one they have grown used to seeing on Versus for free? I hope so. I hope the WEC PPV does well enough that it will bring another stream of cash into the company and that this will lead to bigger paydays for the fighters.

I think that the WEC product is as good as the UFC and because of this I can see the logic in charging the same price. I just hope others feel the same way and the PPV sells so that the WEC continues to thrive and showcase the lighter weights. A twice a year PPV is not that big of a strain when the fan know that the cards are going to be stacked and there hasn't been a bad WEC card in recent memory. I hope others see the value in supporting these PPV for what it could mean to the organization. While there are always going to be the haters, I hope the WEC PPV succeed and intend to support it.

Did you watch "Unforgiveable Blackness" ?

If you did not watch this PBS documentary by Ken Burns then you should get it on Netflix. That is what I did and it was great to watch on a snowy day. The documentary is about the rise and fall of Jack Johnson the first black heavyweight champion of the world. What makes the film so great is it depicts a man who just did not give a damn. He lived his life exactly the way he wanted to and simply ignored the social mores and the taboos of his time.

He dated and married a white woman in 1912. All the while having affairs with multiple other white women. He drove fast custom built cars through the streets of Chicago. He dressed fancy, flaunted his money and his gold teeth and partied like a rock star before there were rock stars. He believed the best way to deal with prejudice was to act like prejudice did not exist. In a time when Booker T. Washington purported that Blacks should be like fingers on a hand with whites, separate but able to come together for the good of America, and W.E. Dubois pushed an alternate agenda of social equality, Jack Johnson offered a third way...his way. He did what he wanted because he could. And he dared anyone to stop him. Of course they tried.

Eventually Jack Johnson's interracial lifestyle brought down the ire of white America and like Ali after him, he faced jail time and exile from the country and the sport he loved. All these topics are covered in depth with a glorious array of photos, motion pictures and primary source narration, much of it in Johnson's own word read by Samuel L. Jackson. If you are a fan of boxing history or American history watch "Unforgiveable Blackness".