Urijah Faber: Best of the Rest

If Urijah Faber manages to pull off the upset against Renan Barao, on Feb 1, he will be adorned with UFC gold. If he fails, however, he may be the recipient of another crown - the best fighter in UFC history to have never won a title.

This unwanted and unfortunate honour has a few potential candidates, Kenny Florian and Dan Henderson perhaps being the most noteworthy. Faber is slightly unique though, he can't quite win a world title but he is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. 

He is the best of the rest.

Faber has had 36 professional fights - 30 wins and 6 losses. All six of his losses came in title fights. In fact, he is 0-5 in his last five opportunities to become a world champion. Never though has he lost a non-title fight, those he usually wins comprehensively. 

He occupies an unusual space in the MMA landscape, mere yards below the champions but a mile above everyone else. The Team Alpha Male leader is trapped in no-man's-land.

It must be a frustrating position to be in, akin to finishing in fourth place at the Olympics. Good, just not good enough for something shiny. 

His last successful title bout was a defence of his WEC featherweight championship against Jens Pulver. Yeah, it was that long ago. Since then Faber is 9-5. All nine wins were obtained in non-title fights and all five losses came when challenging for a belt - the story of Faber's career.

Of those nine victories, seven were finished inside the distance - all by submission. The two bouts that did go the distance were unanimous decisions. This highlights Faber's dominance - when not competing for a championship. He has strong boxing, wrestling and wicked chokes. There are no holes in his game which is why he is only ever beaten by pure class.

He may reign over the rest of the division but the fact that he has lost his last five title fights suggests that, maybe, he just isn't at the level needed to be a UFC champion.

That might not be the whole story though.

Perhaps he is merely a victim of circumstance. Unlucky that the champions in his way have been as elite as it gets. Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao, the men at the top of the bantamweight division, are unbeaten in the UFC and hold a combined record of 8-0. 

UFC 169 will be Faber's third attempt for the UFC bantamweight title. Considering he is 0-2 in his previous endeavours, it seems rather likely that this will be his last opportunity to take home the bantamweight strap.

That, however, was the consensus after his last failed attempt - a loss to Dominick Cruz - and yet here we are. His popularity and dominance over the remainder of the division continues to supersede his age and poor track record in title fights. So this may not be Faber's last chance after all, if he continues to be the best of the rest.

Chris Weidman: Breaking Free of Anderson Silva

Chris Weidman has now beaten Anderson Silva, the man universally regarded as the greatest of all time, twice. First, to win the UFC middleweight title and then to retain it. So one week on, Weidman has been soaking up the plaudits. Right? Well, not quite.

I know Weidman has a world championship belt and functional limbs but he, too, can be considered rather unfortunate following his duels with Silva.

Bear with me.

Weidman's victories, life changing career-propelling wins, can both conceivably be called flukes. If not flukes, then certainly the results of freak occurrences.

The manner in which his wins were obtained is inescapable. Naysayers will always be able to point to their fluky nature. In many ways, the magnitude of his accomplishments have been diminished and by no fault of his own. 

In the lead up to those defining moments, Weidman was dominating but Silva toyed in the first and then toiled in the second. As a result, everyone was robbed of a conventional result. Most importantly, Chris Weidman was robbed. He was robbed of a definitive win over the greatest of all time, twice.  

The nature of the wins caused the aftermath, on each occasion, to be focused on Silva's shortcomings. The adulation, the praise, it has all been diluted for Weidman.

Which is unfortunate because it can be argued, and argued convincingly, that both wins were as a result of Weidman's competence as a fighter. Perhaps each occasion was merely a case of his skill and preparation being presented with an opportunity. Nevertheless, there will always be an asterisk beside those wins.

As fight fans, we want decisive answers. We dislike what ifs and maybes. It is why we yearned to see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao and why questionable decisions urk us so much. We need closure.

This is something we didn't get and likely never will from Weidman fighting Silva.

So not only does Weidman have to follow Silva's historic reign as middleweight champion, he has to do it with a monkey on his back.

Weidman will have to face a murderers row straight away. Fighters like Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, Jacare Souza and Gegard Mousasi are waiting in the wings.

Luckily, and I use the term lightly, Belfort is up next for Weidman. I say lucky because Weidman needs a guy like Belfort next. He has been on an absolute tear and will provide an excellent litmus test for the champion. 

Following the bizarre nature of the Silva fights, this bout will be pivotal. If Weidman wins then he will have proven himself to the doubters and if he loses many will consider the Silva fights to be flukes.

As Jon Jones has shown, it only takes a couple of years and a string of big wins to forge a legacy. Weidman now has this opportunity and he has to take it if he is to break free and leave the shadow of Anderson Silva.

A Blockbuster End of the Year for the UFC

The UFC has finalized its schedule for the remainder of 2013 and, should the injury bug stay away, it promises to be an impressively prolific spell. 

From now until the end of the year, all nine of the UFC's active champions will defend their belts. This remarkable period of MMA will begin at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27 with Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga and climax at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 when Anderson Silva rematches Chris Weidman. Two of the events in this time, UFC 165 and UFC 168, will even feature two title fights, the only other event in UFC history to do so was UFC 100 in 2009. During this time, there will also be some very fine UFC on Fox Sports 1 events. Examples being, Chael Sonnen vs. Shogun Rua, Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann and Michael Bisping vs. Mark Munoz.

Interestingly, Johnson vs. Moraga will be the only title bout to not headline a pay-per-view event, it will instead be shown on Fox. Johnson holds the reluctant honour of being the only champion in the UFC to have never headlined a pay-per-view event. It is, however, an understandable decision, the flyweight division is still relatively unknown and Johnson has little name recognition. At this point in his career he would struggle to carry a pay-per-view, appearances on Fox, with more viewers, should help boost his celebrity.

It has occurred purely by coincidence but as the year moves closer towards its end, the events ascend in both size and star power. Like a good opera, this period of events in the UFC appears to form a rising crescendo until it hits a peak and finishes with a big finale. 

Seven events from now until the end of the year will feature title fights. The first three of these will be headlined by title fights in three of the lighter weight classes, flyweight, featherweight and lightweight. First, it will be Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27. Then, José Aldo vs. Jung Chan-Sung at UFC 163 on Aug. 3 and Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 on Aug. 31. 

The concluding four events will be headlined by light-heavyweight, heavyweight, welterweight and middleweight title bouts. In chronological order, these fights will be Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on Sept. 21, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct. 19, Georges St-Pierre vs Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 and Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28.

Historically, events headlined by the lighter fighters are not as financially and commercially successful as their heavier counterparts. So this crescendo begins with events headlined by three of the lighter champions, it then ascends onto the two heaviest and climaxes with events headlined by the two biggest pay-per-view stars in the sport. The final event of the year, UFC 168, the big finale, even has the possibility of being the biggest in UFC history. The rest of 2013 should be a blockbuster period for both the UFC and its fans.

Ricardo Lamas: The Forgotten Featherweight

UFC 162 on Saturday night showcased four of the best featherweights in the world. So, consequently, the featherweights have been a hot topic of discussion in the days following the event. Due to the 'out of sight out of mind' nature of this sport, Ricardo Lamas has been missing from these discussions. Lamas, it seems, is quickly becoming the forgotten featherweight.

Lamas actually started the year in style by impressively finishing Erik Koch in January at UFC on Fox 6, a man who would have fought for the title in 2012 if it wasn't for the injury bug. However, since then Lamas just can't catch a break.

First, less than a fortnight after his win over Koch, the UFC announced that Anthony Pettis would drop down to 145 pounds to challenge José Aldo. Even though, that meant Aldo would be fighting a guy who had never competed at featherweight before, for the second consecutive time. 

Then, last month, when Pettis got injured and was removed from his UFC 163 title bout with Aldo, Lamas was again overlooked for the title shot. Instead, the UFC called on Jung Chan-Sung aka the Korean Zombie. Despite the fact that Lamas is currently above the Zombie in the UFC's official rankings and he is riding a longer winning streak in the division.

Following UFC 162, and just in case Lamas hadn't been disregarded enough, all the talk of Aldo's next challenger was focused on Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. Many are proposing that the two should fight to determine a number one contender. Some have even suggested that Swanson has done enough and should fight the winner of Aldo/Zombie. A quite ludicrous notion when you consider that Lamas submitted Swanson in 2011 and hasn't lost since, arguably defeating higher caliber opponents along the way. 

Lamas's career is strikingly similar to TJ Grant's, albeit with a different outcome. Both had respectable, but not exactly dazzling, stints in one weight class before a move down in divisions reinvigorated their careers. Lamas and Grant went from being middle of the pack in one division to elite contenders in another. They did this by going unbeaten at their new home, beating everyone the UFC put in front of them. Although, neither possesses a big name or personality, Grant's performances alone were enough to get him a title shot. Lamas, on the other hand, is still waiting for his.

It is starting to feel like Lamas isn't 'sexy' enough for a shot at the title. By which i mean he doesn't have a flamboyant fighting style, a loud mouth or any star power. Neither does Grant you might say, which is true but there was basically no other option at lightweight. Featherweight, however, has almost a plethora of contenders to choose from. Twice now, Lamas has lost out to the sexier option. First there was Pettis, a much flashier fighter with a bigger name. Then there was the Korean Zombie and come on, what is sexier than a Korean Zombie?

It is an arduous time for fighters like Lamas in the UFC. This year the likes of Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz have jumped the queue and received title shots based on their star power and marketability, rather than merit. A few months ago the UFC introduced their official ranking system, which theoretically should stop this type of practice in its track. However, the fact that the UFC chose the Zombie to face Aldo instead of Lamas who is ranked higher shows that this isn't the case. 

By rights, Lamas should face the winner of Aldo/Zombie and Edgar vs. Swanson should determine the number one contender after Lamas. His immediate future though is unclear, he reportedly still received his show money after the Zombie was removed from their UFC 162 bout but as of yet he does not have a fight booked. 

MMA is a 'what have you done for me lately' kind of sport and Lamas needs to fight while he waits for the outcome of Aldo/Zombie. Otherwise, the title moves further and further away from him. An impressive performance from another featherweight in the meantime or an injury in training while he waits would again result in him missing out on a title shot. Other than remodeling himself into something he isn't, winning is all Lamas can do in order to avoid becoming the forgotten featherweight.

Chris Weidman: The Man to Dethrone the King? Part II

In part I, the reasons why Chris Weidman might be successful at UFC 162 were explored. This second and final installment will focus on what may prevent him from becoming the UFC middleweight champion.

A substantial proportion of the MMA community, relative to previous Anderson Silva fights, believe that the champion will lose his belt on Saturday night. However, those that side against Weidman usually site one reason, his inexperience. 

Weidman's talent is irrefutable. What isn't, is whether or not he is ready for a fight of this magnitude.

With less than ten professional fights on his record, Weidman is still somewhat green in the sport. It is also easy to forget that he basically became the number one contender by default as all potential adversaries for Silva started dropping like flies. Michael Bisping was being groomed for a title shot, all he had to do was get past Vitor Belfort and the opportunity was his. He consequently got knocked out and the UFC had to look elsewhere. With very few viable contenders at middleweight, light heavyweight stand-out Rashad Evans entered the discussion. However, he then suffered a lackluster loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and the chance was gone. With essentially no other options the UFC turned to Weidman.

The step up in competition will be enormous for Weidman, his toughest tests to date have been Demian Maia and Mark Munoz. In an ideal world his title shot would have come further down the line, after he had gained more experience fighting in the upper echelon of the division. Fights with the likes of Yushin Okami and Michael Bisping would have provided a greater test of where he is at. As is he untested against the best in the world, it is difficult to classify him as anything other than a talented prospect. 

If you are about the face the greatest fighter of all time, it isn't exactly ideal to go into the fight with no big fight experience. Weidman has never even fought on the main card of a pay-per-view before and he is about to headline the biggest event of the year, a championship fight in Las Vegas against the pound-for-pound king. That is some jump to make. 

For someone who is used to fighting without much hoopla, participating in an event of this significance could be a bit of a shock to the system. A baptism of fire like this will be a real test of his mental fortitude. The media obligations alone during fight week can be enough to drain a fighter mentally. As well as the pressure and nerves that come along with such a high profile bout. This particular fight, mentally, brings with it a certain x factor. That x factor is his opponent. Silva has a unique aura about him, an aura similar to what Mike Tyson possessed in his prime. When Tyson was at his murderous best, his opponents would be defeated by their own anxiety. The combination of fear and the likelihood of being embarrassed in front of millions would cripple them. The same can be said of Silva. He has the potential to make talented fighters look like clowns. Silva's opponents have to face the fact that they may be romoshopped all over the internet the next day. Just making it to the fight with all his emotions in check could be a herculean task in itself.

As if the challenge wasn't already difficult enough for Weidman, he is going to have to face the greatest fighter of all time coming of a one year hiatus and shoulder surgery. He will also have to beat him twice. Dana White has announced that should Silva lose, there will be an instant rematch. 

Silva has never been beaten in the UFC, he has defended his middleweight title ten times, he is the pound-for-pound king and he is widely considered to be the greatest of all time. Can Weidman defeat that man and overcome all the obstacles presented in this article? Well on Saturday night at UFC 162 in Las Vegas we will find out if Chris Weidman is the man to dethrone the king.

Is There Anything Left for Anderson Silva to do at Middleweight?

For the past seven years, Anderson Silva has been king of the middleweight division. On Saturday night at UFC 162, he will attempt to defend his title for the eleventh time.

Since he acquired the belt by defeating Rich Franklin in 2006, Silva has defeated every single challenger that has been put in front of him. However, Saturday night may very well be the night that he finally runs out of worthy contenders for his middleweight crown. If Silva defeats Chris Weidman, he may have finally cleared out the division. After all, Weidman only became the number one contender by default. After a number of top middleweights suffered losses, he was basically the only viable man left standing.

Trying to pick Silva's next title defense is no easy task, in terms of contenders, it is slim pickings in the middleweight division. Ignoring Weidman, who is the number one ranked fighter in the division, and moving down the list we reach number two and three ranked fighters (Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami), both of whom were knocked out by Silva in 2011. So barring fighting the same guys again, there isn't much left to do for Silva at middleweight if he beats Weidman.

Outside of those top three ranked guys, there just isn't anybody else who deserves a title shot. Michael Bisping is probably the best of the rest but he has consistently fallen at the last hurdle. He has participated in three title eliminator fights in the UFC, against Henderson, Sonnen and Belfort, and lost all three. This is a shame because Silva vs. Bisping could actually be a big event for the UFC if it was to be held in England. It would have the potential to be the sport's breakthrough moment in the UK, a market that Dana White has been desperate to crack for years.

Silva is widely considered to be the pound-for-pound king and the greatest of all time but he is aging and, although he shows no signs of slowing down, he has a limited amount of time left in the sport. He has firmly established himself as the greatest middleweight of all time, there is nothing left to prove in the division and with no real challengers left now would be the time to turn his attention toward super fights before father time catches up to him.

Silva's rhetoric leading up to UFC 162 would suggest that his focus is intensifying on the super fights. I cannot recall a single word being said regarding his next fight at middleweight. Apart from Weidman, the two names to come out of Silva's mouth the most have been Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones. Quite the contrary to his past behaviour on the subject, Silva has actually been fairly vocal on the subject of super fights. 

However, his attitude toward his two potential adversaries has been night and day. When asked about GSP, Silva has been unusually mischievous in his answers. On Monday in an interview with ESPN, Silva made the comment that GSP was "no good" and also insinuated that Pierre was scared to fight him. This is in complete contrast to his answers about Jones, in which Silva has been nothing but respectful and courteous. At a press lunch on the same day, he even went as far as saying "If I fight Jon Jones, I don't think I'm going to win". 

It is always difficult to second guess Silva, notorious for having fun with the media, he seems to enjoy misleading them wherever possible. So it is wise to take what he says, in public, with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, he seems to have his sights set firmly on a super fight. Which is probably the right move, he is 38 and his accomplishments at middleweight are indisputable, he has a finite amount of time left in the sport and it would be more effectively spent on pursuing fights that would enhance his legacy. 

Chris Weidman: The Man to Dethrone the King? Part I

At UFC 162, just ten fights into his professional career, Chris Weidman will face Anderson Silva for his middleweight crown, a fighter who is universally recognized as the greatest in the sport. 

Due to middleweight contenders falling by the wayside over the last year, Weidman basically got the title shot by default.

Weidman and his progress, for a while now, have carried a sense of excitement similar to that surrounding the early career of Cain Velasquez. Before Velasquez became heavyweight champion or even a heavyweight contender, we would always hear his name mentioned by 'people in the know' who would wax lyrical about an up and coming beast who would be champion someday. The same thing has been happening with Weidman. It seems like the majority of the MMA community believe he is destined to become champion.

Ever since Silva became a seemingly unbeatable demi-god, it feels like his next opponent is always the one who has the tools to beat him. The marketing machine goes into overdrive and we hear all about how this challenger could be the one to finally dethrone the champion, Joe Rogan uses his "if I had to design a fighter in a lab to beat Anderson he would have... (describes the opponents skill set)" bit and some of us fall for it. Then inevitably, Silva brings a ballet of violence to the octagon and we feel foolish for ever doubting him. So we have danced this dance before.

The difference this time is the size of the hype train. Even though all of Silva's opponents are sold to us as having the best chance yet to beat him and possessing the ideal tools to do so, this fight is different. Never have so many fans, fighters and writers picked against the champion. So why is this the case? What makes Weidman different from the rest?

Well the fights with Chael Sonnen showed that Silva's Achilles heel, so to speak, is his wrestling. His two fights with Sonnen were the only in his UFC career where his opponent was able to have continued success. Sonnen proved that Silva can be taken down and kept there. Now considering that Weidman is also a big powerful wrestler, it's easy to see why many believe he is a bad match up for Silva. 

Weidman, like Sonnen, has impressive wrestling credentials, he is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and had victories over current light heavyweight contenders Phil Davis and Ryan Bader. However, the key difference between the two, and perhaps the reason Weidman is so heavily backed, is that he has much more of a propensity to finish the fight once it hits the ground. 

Along with his accomplished wrestling, he is also somewhat of a jiu-jitsu prodigy. He has taken to the discipline phenomenally quickly. In 2009, after only eight months of training he qualified for and competed at ADCC, known as the Super Bowl of grappling. He lost in the second round to BJJ superstar Andre Galvao, but gained a lot of praise for his performance against the two-time ADCC champion. He is now a brown belt under former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra.

Unlike Sonnen, who uses his wrestling to maintain a dominant position once the contest hits the ground, Weidman utilizes his well rounded grappling skills as a tool to finish the fight. Once he is on top of his opponent, he will constantly be on the offensive looking for a way to finish, usually searching for chokes.  

Weidman's striking, despite not advancing as quickly as his BJJ, is competent. Whilst standing and trading with a master like Silva will obviously not be a part of his gameplan, Weidman will need to use his striking to exchange with Silva and punch his way in to get close enough to complete a takedown. Talented grapplers like Demian Maia and Thales Leites fought Silva and simply refused to strike, instead they limited their attacks to hopeful lunges towards Silva's legs. As we know, that didn't work out to well for them. Weidman's striking, whilst nowhere near Silva's level, is more capable than that possessed by Sonnen, Maia and Leites so there will be no need for desperate lunges, he should at least occasionally be able to work his way in to secure a takedown.

Because Silva has never lost in the UFC, we can only examine the fights in which he was least impressive. Top of that list would be his first fight with Sonnen. Sonnen managed to consistently get the fight to the ground and control Silva there for the majority of the fight. 

Well Weidman is essentially a better version of Sonnen, his game has more dimensions to it. He has the wrestling pedigree of Sonnen as well as the added layers of potent BJJ and more competent striking. He is also younger and more athletic. So if Sonnen and his skill set can have that level of success against the middleweight champion, logic would suggest that a Weidman victory on Saturday night is certainly feasible. One thing is for certain, it will certainly be much more difficult for Silva to submit Weidman off his back.  

In part II, coming in a couple of days, I will look at the reasons why Chris Weidman may not be the man to dethrone the king.

UFC 161: The Event That Doesn't Really Matter

For the very first time, the UFC will be heading to Manitoba, Canada. More specifically, the MTS Center in Winnipeg. And it feels like nobody cares. 

UFC 161 is a card that has been broken and put back together again, rather shoddily. As a result, the enthusiasm for this event is somewhat non-existent.

This event and its original line-up wasn't the strongest of pay-per-views to begin with, so once it lost its main event and a prominent main card bout it became a card more suited to a Fuel TV slot. 


May 21 was the beginning of the end for UFC 161. It was the day that Renan Barao pulled out of the main event, an interim bantamweight title fight against Eddie Wineland. It would have been Barao's second defense of his title and the fight was the event's main source of credibility. With the fight scrapped, a lot of the drawing power of UFC 161 was lost.

After this, in a bid to reinforce the main card, the UFC decided to remove Soa Palelei from his fight with Stipe Miocic and replace him with Roy Nelson. A fighter with a much bigger name.

The final nail in UFC 161's coffin came just twelve days before the event was due to take place, when it was announced that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira had to pull out of his rematch with Shogun Rua due to a back injury. Rather cruelly for the much suffering Western Canadian fans, a potential Sonnen vs. Rua fight was dangled in front of them only to be taken away because of Sonnen's alleged visa issues. That fight will now main event the UFC's inaugural event on Fox Sports 1 in Boston. 

These changes decimated the card. The fight that has now been bumped up to the main event is Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson, both of whom are coming off losses. Hardly what you would expect from the main event of a pay-per-view. In fact, in the main three fights, five out of the six fighters are coming off losses. Only Roy Nelson is riding a winning streak. To call this pay-per-view fight card shallow would be kind.

To say that this event 'doesn't really matter' is obviously hyperbole, but hyperbole that has its base in truth. UFC 161 will not feature a title fight nor will it even feature a fight to determine a number one contender, very unusual for a pay-per-view event. 

Other than pride, there isn't much else to fight for on Saturday night. Very few of the fighters involved are ranked high enough to cause an impact upon their division with a win and the majority of those that are actually ranked in the top ten are coming off a loss. The only fighter who is in the top ten of his division and is carrying some momentum is Roy Nelson. However, he is facing someone he is expected to dispose of handily. Miocic has only been fighting professionally a little over three years and was knocked out in his last outing, a win over him will do little to advance Nelson's standing in the heavyweight division.

So UFC 161 will have little to no effect in the big picture, that isn't to say it won't be fun though. Both Evans and Henderson suffered lackluster losses in their last fights, the loser in this fight is finished as a contender. This should prompt an exciting fight, an impressive win is the only way to ensure one of them stays relevant. The card also features two heavyweight bouts, the other being Barry vs. Jordan, in which all four fighters are aggressive strikers. It's almost certain that both those fights will end with someone on their back dazed and confused. Alexis Davis will fight Rosi Sexton in only the fourth women's fight in the UFC and if they follow the example set by the last three, they will most likely steal fight of the night.

So UFC 161 will likely be a fun night of fights with very little consequence. Which sounds perfect for an event on Fuel TV, but this won't be shown on free television. The UFC are expecting fans to pay for the privilege of watching this card and that may prove to be a very difficult task for an event that 'doesn't really matter'.

TUF 18: Trailblazing or Gimmick?

The Ultimate Fighter divides opinion among MMA fans. For some it is compulsory MMA viewing, for others it is nothing more than a flailing reality show. 

Many detractors will point to the show's waning ability to produce a star. Post-TUF 4 only two winners of the show have fought for a title (Nate Diaz and John Dodson), both losing. Ever since Matt Serra shocked the world and knocked out Georges St-Pierre to become the welterweight champion, TUF has largely produced fighters who occupy mid to low level slots on the roster. Fighters who rarely break into the top fifteen. 

This begs the question. What is the point of The Ultimate Fighter? Is it to find promising talent or is it to make compelling reality TV? Obviously, the answer is both but for the past few years the priority appears to have shifted to the latter.

This season, more than any in recent memory, seems to blur these lines. This is because it will be the first to feature both men and women in the house, a decision that could produce two very different outcomes.

On the one hand, this season reinforces the notion that TUF is becoming nothing more than a gimmick. A reality show that only cares about viewing figures. We are all adults here, we know what will likely happen when you put men and women in the same house and throw alcohol into the mix. These people are fighters, they are not school teachers and office workers, they are slightly wilder than the rest of us. The likelihood of drama is going to be pretty high. Because, come on, without TV or internet what else are they supposed to do?

But maybe that is the point. After all, that is what makes a successful reality TV show. The Real World and Big Brother have proven that. 

Conversely, some would argue that, because of the inclusion of the women, this season will be the first time in years that TUF will be a legitimate search for talent. In terms of the women, this is basically TUF 1 all over again. The women's division in the UFC is in its infancy and its roster is shallow. This consequently means there is a lot of unsigned talent out there. So the talent level in the house will be very high, comprising of fighters already at a UFC standard. As was the case in early seasons of TUF. 

As yet, there has not been an official cast list for the show. However, Dave Meltzer has released a rumored one that features a stacked line-up of veterans and up-and-comers. Tara Larosa is arguably the early favourite, she holds wins over current UFC top 10 ranked fighters Alexis Davis and Julie Kedzie. Whilst housemates Shayla Baszler and Tonya Envinger have shared the cage with the likes of Cyborg Santos, Gina Carano and Sarah McMann. The first season of the ultimate fighter was such a pivotal moment in MMA, it's possible that TUF 18 will have a similar effect for the women.

Bearing this in mind, it seems odd that the UFC has decided that the women should share the house with the men. As was briefly discussed, there is enough talent for the women to carry the show by themselves. There is no need to include the men; this could have been a watershed moment in women's MMA, a season with an all female cast, coached by two of the best female fighters in the world. Instead, by combining them both, the show comes across as gimmicky. Maybe we should question the UFC's motives. Are they looking for sex, relationships, drama or serious talent? 

The problem is that it feels like they don't know. The show is confused; it isn't sure what it wants to be. Right now, it is hard to predict which way it will go. But one thing is for sure, TUF 18 will either be remembered as trailblazing and pioneering or as a transparent attempt to revitalize a dying show.

TJ Grant: A Fighter Rejuvenated

On Saturday night at UFC 160, TJ Grant faced Gray Maynard in the biggest fight of his career. The stakes were high, with the winner receiving a shot at the lightweight title against Benson Henderson. 

Somewhat surprisingly, Grant knocked out Maynard in the first round. Producing the greatest performance of his career and also earning himself a knockout of the night bonus, worth $50,000. A bonus that was originally destined for Junior Dos Santos until Mike Tyson urged Dana White to award it to Grant.

Interestingly, Grant's victory over Maynard at UFC 160 was his first ever appearance on the main card of a UFC event. His previous ten fights in the UFC have all been conducted on the prelims. A low profile career for a low profile man.

Arguably, Grant's lightweight title shot was the most captivating story to come out of UFC 160. This is a fighter who has fought the majority of his career at welterweight, it's where he fought the first six of his fights in the UFC. During his time as a welterweight in the UFC, Grant managed a 3-3 record. His three wins in that period came to fighters who were immediately released following the loss. He was a fighter whose career was going largely unnoticed.

Then came the pivotal moment in his career, following his loss to Ricardo Almeida in 2010, Grant decided to move down to lightweight. A decision that rejuvenated his career. Since his transition into the 155 pound division, Grant has won five in a row and his next fight will be for the world title.

TJ Grant is now the poster boy for changing weight classes. 

A fighter moving weight classes is relatively common in MMA. What isn't common is when a fighter's career is significantly improved because of that change. Typically, a fighter will move into another division as a last resort. It's usually a desperation move when a career is in its death throes. A ploy to prolong their career, at least with the UFC. Lost a couple a fights in a row? Hey, why not seek a fresh start in another weight class. The problem is, if you are a mediocre fighter struggling for a win, changing the division you fight in isn't likely to change that. You will just be a mediocre fighter in a different division. This is the reason why TJ Grant's story is so interesting.

Grant was a .500 fighter at welterweight who became a wrecking machine once he moved down to lightweight. Rarely, if ever, has there been such a disparity in a fighter's performance between weight classes. There are many examples to compare. Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Brian Stann and Kenny Florian have all fought in different divisions. However, there was not a stark contrast in their performances immediately before and after the move. If they were a top 10/15 fighter in one division they became a top 10/15 fighter in their new division. So why is Grant so different?

Maybe it was simply a case of fighting in the wrong division for the majority of his career. All of his three losses at welterweight in the UFC came against big strong grapplers (Dong Hyun Kim, Johny Hendricks and Ricardo Almeida). So the theory that the reason for his deficiencies at welterweight was due to him being undersized holds some weight. It's also possible that the move to lightweight gave his career a new lease of life which reinvigorated him. Who knows. It doesn't really matter anyway. However it happened, it is one hell of a story.

The fact is that later in the year, TJ Grant will fight Benson Henderson for the lightweight title. In doing so, he will be one of the unlikeliest title challengers in a long time. He doesn't have a big name, a charismatic personality or a flashy fighting style. Following the recent title shots given to Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen though, this is just what we needed. A deserving gritty contender who has risen up the rankings to earn his shot. For that reason, plus we all love an underdog, a lot of MMA fans will be in the corner of the Nova Scotian come fight night.

Are the Gloves the Issue?

Over the past few days, the adequacy of the gloves used by the UFC have been called into question.

The debate was obviously ignited following the peculiar events of UFC 159, in which, among other things, two of the fights were stopped due to eye pokes. Although this event and it's oddities were certainly an outlier, it seems that the eye pokes at UFC 159 were the last straw for many. And it is the gloves that have taken the brunt of the criticism.

Following the controversy, the UFC has decided to design a new glove. On Tuesday Dana White explained, "we have started to work on a new glove that actually curves your hand," adding that "the glove is curved like a 'U' so you can still open your hand, but your fingers don't point straight out." 

Social media has been set ablaze with images of how the apparent new gloves will look, an example being this monstrosity. Many, however, are suggesting that the new gloves will be very similar to the ones used in Pride.

But are the gloves the real issue? Well, they certainly aren't the primary reason fighters are getting poked in the eye. That is the fault of their opponents. This is the issue that needs to be addressed. Instead of wasting time and money partaking in research and development into new gloves, why not stop the problem at its source. The fighters. 

Eye pokes are a workplace hazard in MMA, the same as low blows and headbutts. However, because eye pokes are a phenomenon based mainly in MMA they seem to have slipped under the radar of the ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions). Which is the reason the St. Preux vs Villante debacle was able to occur. Marc Ratner (UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs) is aiming to change this, he plans to request changes to the unified rules at the ABC's summer convention. 

Getting back to the root of the problem, it is either poor technique or malicious intention that will cause an eye poke. An emphasis needs to be placed on keeping the fist closed when striking. Fighters who repeatedly paw out at their opponent should be penalized accordingly. Knowing that points will be taken away if they do this should be enough to deter the frequency of these types of incidents. There is absolutely no need for outstretched fingers to be anywhere near your opponents face when you are striking. This common flaw in technique is what needs to be addressed and altered, not the gloves.

Other than wasting time and money, redesigning the gloves could present different problems. Ever since UFC 14: Showdown in 1997, wearing the current type of UFC glove has been mandatory. Therefore, the majority of the fighters in the UFC today have spent their entire career fighting and training in these gloves. Changing the gloves in any significant way may be difficult to adapt to, at least initially. 

Another concern, perhaps the main concern, is how will the new gloves affect performance. We know why these new gloves are being developed, to avoid eye pokes. However, if too great of an emphasis is placed upon it's function in the striking realm then the grappling aspect of the sport may suffer. Movement of the hand and it's digits is essential for grappling in MMA, restricting that too much would hamper a grappler's effectiveness. Designing the gloves incorrectly may turn MMA into a striking biased sport.

Rules and regulations are what is needed, not redesign.

Daniel Cormier: A Fighter Without a Home

Daniel Cormier is in a peculiar position. The division in which his fighting future lies is still undecided. 

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion is currently in career limbo until he decides which title it is he wants to make a run at.

There are two clear paths for Cormier to take, both of which have their own respective roadblocks.


The first one is to stay at heavyweight. This seems like it would be the most logical option, it certainly makes the most sense from a purely fighting perspective. He has fought his entire career at heavyweight, he was/is the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, he hold wins over two former UFC Heavyweight Champions and he owns a knockout victory over the the man about to fight for the title. Oh yeah, he is also undefeated at the weight. 

The only problem with staying at heavyweight is that, his good friend, Cain Velasquez is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. The pair, who train together at AKA, have stated numerous times that they would be unwilling to fight one other. So, like any job, why stick around when there is no chance of progression.


Ok, so Cormier should move down to the light heavyweight division then? Well that too has its issues.

Cormier has spent his entire career at heavyweight, usually weighing between 235 and 250 pounds. Not since his wrestling days, at 211 pounds, has he weighed anywhere near the 205 pound light heavyweight limit. When you consider he has consistently made 211 pounds in the past, only 6 pounds above the light heavyweight limit, moving down a weight class seems very plausible. The issue is that the last time he attempted to make this weight, at the 2008 Olympic Games, his kidneys failed and he could not compete. If that's how your body reacts to making 211 pounds, maybe trying to make 205 pounds isn't such a good idea. 

Cormier has admitted that he lost the weight incorrectly, nevertheless any future attempts to do something similar must be met with serious consideration. When participating in a sport like this, the last thing you need is an extra health risk.

A definitive decision has not been made regarding which of these paths he is going to take. Ideally this decision would have been made before his UFC debut, that way he could have focused his efforts on getting a title shot in that particular division. Instead, he is stalling slightly. Lacking purpose. 

He recently fought and defeated Frank Mir, a fight that didn't really get him any closer to a title. It felt more like a stop-gap fight. In fact, because of this current indecision, he isn't really mentioned in the heavyweight title picture at all. 

This is evident in the matchmaking too. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby can't second guess what Cormier's intentions are, so he is being matched up with the top gatekeepers of the division. It is difficult to put a fighter in a number one contender bout if he isn't willing to face the champion.

Following Roy Nelson's impressive TKO victory over Cheick Kongo, Dana White announced that he liked a potential match up with Cormier. A proposition that he promptly agreed to on Twitter;

Hey @danawhite ur right I think Roy nelson and I would be a damn good fight. How about it @roynelsonmma
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 28, 2013

Does this mean that he is staying at heavyweight? Possibly. Why else would you continue to take fights in a division that you plan to leave. Perhaps the strategy is to continue to take fights at heavyweight until Velasquez relinquishes his title. Or maybe they have decided that if the time should come, they will fight one another for the title. Logically, those are the only two reasons for sticking around at heavyweight. Otherwise, he is an undersized (at 5'10") fighter in a weight class with no real prospects.

We know Dana White's opinion on the matter, he would like to see Cormier move down to light heavyweight. He believes his power will be much more effective at 205 pounds. At this stage it is largely unclear what Cormier's intentions are, I'm not sure even he knows. It's possible he is waiting to let the chips fall where they may and then going from there. A risky strategy, he is behind a growing number of men in the queue for title shots. Until he comes out and dedicates himself to a division, his career is lacking impetus. He is a fighter without a home.

UFC 159: Can Chael Do It?

The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night will be the scene of a one-sided beat down according to a large proportion of the MMA world. 

Many, including the odds makers, believe that Chael Sonnen has little to no chance of dethroning Jon Jones at UFC 159.


That opinion is perfectly valid and the controversy of this fight announcement is somewhat understandable. The light heavyweight bout will be Sonnen's first since his UFC debut against Renato Sobral at UFC 55 in 2005. Which, of course, means that he is 0-1 at light heavyweight in the UFC. He is also coming off a loss in a completely different division. Chael, certainly, does not 'deserve' this fight in any conventional sense. 

However, all that is now irrelevant. The fact is they will both step into the octagon and only one of them will leave as the UFC light heavyweight champion. The only real pertinent discussion now is, can he actually pull it off?

Well Jones is about as unbeatable as it gets in MMA. Ignoring the disqualification loss to Matt Hamill, he has never been beaten. Not only that, but baring a briefly deep armbar courtesy of Vitor Belfort, his MMA career has pretty much been smooth sailing. His extraordinary reach and unpredictable fighting style causes his opponents to resemble a deer caught in the headlights. He possesses that rare ability to mesmerize and remove his opposition from their game plans. It is in this area of the contest that Chael may complicate things.

One of the funnest aspects about Chael as a fighter is his go go go attitude whilst in the cage. There are no Greg Jackson-esque game plans, he simply tucks his chin in and moves forward. This, such a simple rudimentary technique, could potentially be his most useful asset. 

Scared is a strong term, especially in the testosterone fueled world of MMA, so instead lets use wary. Many, if not all, of Jones's title defenses have been against challengers who seem very wary to engage. They fight prudently. Very rarely do we see the fight being taken to Jones. Yet, this is precisely what we are likely to see at UFC 159. 

Chael only comes with one mode and that is attack mode. He will not stand in awe while Jones uses his length to dictate the distance at which the fight will fought. Instead, he will be constantly aggressive and will plow forward to a fault in an attempt to get inside, grab a hold of and hopefully take down the champion. After all, gangsters from Oregon have no concern for oblique kicks.

Jones doesn't possess one punch knockout power, instead he breaks you down gradually with a wide ranging assault round after round until he seizes his opportunity to finish the fight. This could be encouraging for Chael. He may be willing to eat the odd shot on the way in if it means he can complete a take down. Then what? We have never really seen Jones on the back foot or even how he reacts to adversity. There is no telling how he will respond if he cannot dictate the pace or range of the fight. He may crumble, he may rally and find a way to win. 

Jones's take down defense has been impregnable, however the same was said about Anderson Silva and Chael took him down and beat him up for the majority of their seven rounds with one another. He will be hoping for similar success against Jones, minus the triangle chokes and failed spinning back fists. 

The journey towards UFC 159 started back in August of last year, when the fight was announced. It has been long and it has been controversial. Eight months and one reality TV show later we are about to find out if Chael Sonnen can finally back up his rampant mouth and become a world champion.

So can a blown up middleweight who has lost on three separate occasions to Jeremy Horn beat the greatest light heavyweight of all time? Maybe. To paraphrase Chael P., he may go down, but if he does he will go down like a gangster.

The 'not quite' Super Fights

Super fight is a term that gets thrown around a lot in combat sports. It is also a term that is tricky to define.

In my last post, I discussed super fights in the UFC. I, personally, used the term 'super fights' to describe potential bouts involving the top three pound for pound fighters in the sport. However, a lot of the time it is simply used as a promotional tool to hype up fights that are not really deserving of the label.

Maybe the term has been bastardized over time. Words are often overused to the point where they lose their true meaning. Love, hate and literally hit their saturation points a long time ago, the significance behind them has been diminished greatly. One could argue that this is what is happening with the term 'super fight'. 

The truth is there is no real definition. We just need to decide how we are going to use it.

So which fights do we brand as a super fight? Is it simply champion vs. champion or is it more complicated than that? Maybe legend vs. legend is deserving of the title? What about pound for pound great vs. pound for pound great?

I think the answer is much more subjective.

A true super fight is, in part, determined by the fans. The desire to see those two particular individuals face off must be intense. It is the kind of fight that your mum will know is happening. The kind of fight the mainstream media take notice of. Usually, these fights seem destined not to take place. And that’s why we are fascinated by them, if shooting stars were witnessed every night they wouldn't be as special. A true super fight is generally years in the making, it's the teasing and anticipation that makes it that much more enticing.

On that basis, I would determine that there are only two true super fights to be made in the UFC, George St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva and Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones.

There, does however, seem to be an awkward no man’s land when it comes to super fights. They occupy the area between a run of the mill title fight and a contest that decides who is the pound for pound king. The fights that operate in this space are fights I like to call the ‘not quite’ super fights.

A recent example of what I’m talking about was the Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar fight. This was even talked about as a super fight, but almost half-heartedly. The anticipation and excitement for this fight was higher than that of Aldo’s previous title defenses yet was distinctly lower than what could be expected if GSP was to fight Silva. Maybe this was because Edgar was no longer a champion and was riding a two-fight losing streak. Nevertheless, these were two of the top ten pound for pound fighters in the world doing battle, the featherweight king versus the former lightweight king. There was just a certain something missing, they were not fighting for the right to be known as the greatest fighter on Earth.

There are more of these ‘not quite’ super fights to be made in the UFC. As my previous post discussed, they are plenty of obstacles to overcome in order for a true super fight to go down. The fun part about the ‘not quite’ super fights is that they are much more likely to take place.

Working from bottom to top let’s start with Jose Aldo vs. Benson Henderson. Earlier this year, it was revealed that if Aldo beats Anthony Pettis in August he will move up and face Henderson for the lightweight title.

Next up there is Henderson vs. GSP. In February, Henderson called out the long-time welterweight champ. This was days after Pettis decided to move down to featherweight and fight Aldo instead of fighting Henderson for the lightweight title, for which he was the number one contender. They have previous and Henderson was upset Pettis moved down so maybe his call out of GSP was just a bit posturing. Nonetheless, if Henderson continues winning there could be big paydays for him down the line.

Finally, to complete our list, there is Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez. It was pretty much inevitable that Jones will move up to heavyweight at some point, he has even stated that it could be as early as the end of this year. Which means a bout between Jones and Velasquez could conceivably take place in 2014.

These are all big fights. They are fantasy fights. They are champion vs. champion fights. Yet they still fall within that no man’s land. They are more special than typical title fights but not quite as epic as the GSP vs. Silva or Silva vs. Jones super fights would be. They are the ‘not quite’ super fights.