I can understand why some people have a problem with the stoppage in the Randy Couture-Brock Lesnar fight. That fight probably brought in new viewers who weren’t used to something like that. Experienced MMA fans could recognize the fight was stopped appropriately. Couture was trying to defend himself and trying to get back into the fight after he was floored by Lesnar.

It really is a complete non-issue. As is the first strike that started the onslaught. Lesnar threw a well-placed punch to the side of Couture’s head to take him down -- nothing illegal about it.
Couture himself, in a piece in the Los Angeles Times, said there was nothing wrong with the stoppage.

I do have to take an issue with one thing in the piece. And that’s this quote:

"When I see stuff like that, it looks like nothing more than a tough man contest," said Todd duBoef, president of boxing promotion company Top Rank, who attended the Couture-Lesnar fight. "There's no way it's safer than boxing."

I especially love this.

“There’s no way it’s safer than boxing.”

Really, Mr. President of a boxing promotion company? There’s no way this hot, new sport, the one that is driving boxing from the mainstream sports scene, is safer than boxing? That seems sort of desperate. If we’re just going to make things up and throw them out there to support boxing, why not get more creative? Like this:

“Watching boxing prevents cancer.”

See ... no one wants cancer. Think about that next time you chose to turn off a boxing match.
That one is for free, Mr. Boxing-lackey. Use it wisely.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Outside of the coronation of Brock Lesnar as the new heavyweight champ in the UFC, UFC 91 provided an entertaining night of fights. Only one made it past the second round and that match, a lightweight bout between Jorge Gurgel and Aaron Riley, won Fight of the Night honors, earning each fighter an additional $60,000.

* Speaking of Gurgel, it never made sense to me that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would refuse to use his best asset in the cage. When he wanted to take Riley to the ground, he couldn't be stopped. Instead, Gurgel stood and traded blows the whole fight, trying to put on a show. It worked, netting him a huge payday and probably saved his spot in the UFC, but it resulted with another loss. It's frustrating watching him fight now, knowing he's capable of so much more.

* Dustin Hazelett won submission of the night, picking up the 60K prize in the process. Hazelett won submission of the night for his second consecutive fight and he will probably make a habit of this as his BJJ is just sick.

* Demian Maia picked up a nice win and was able to finish off Nate Quarry quicker than everyone thought. Well played there.

* Kenny Florian had no trouble with Joe Stevenson. I don't think Florian will beat B.J. Penn, but at least now it looks like it could be an entertaining fight. I don't think Penn would be motivated enough for it, though, so he probably wouldn't have his A+ game.

* Brock Lesnar's post-fight speech was pretty entertaining. After thanking the Lord, he pointed up to the heavens and said "God bless you ... God bless you." God bless ... the Lord? That doesn't make much sense, for him to bless himself. 

What did you take away from UFC 91?

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

I've heard rumors from people with no connection to anything (read: pure speculation from my mailman) that the UFC will push for a Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko fight at UFC 100.

That won't happen, because it will be too soon after Lesnar's win over Nogueira, but now that Couture has been taken out of the equation as a top heavyweight, the natural assumption is to speculate on Lesnar's chances against the top heavyweight in the world.

I doubt UFC president Dana White will sign Fedor because he won't have control of him like he does Lesnar. It doesn't do White any good to have Fedor come in for one fight and possibly take his heavyweight championship before fading away again. Lesnar has nowhere to go, as he rakes in big-time cash, including a percentage of pay-per-view buys and money from merchandising and action figures.

Still, MMA fans can dream. Could Brock Lesnar defeat Fedor? 

No. At least not at this point. That being said, Lesnar's size and athleticism make me believe he could give Fedor the best fight. Fedor will demolish Andrei Arlovski when the two meet (Arlovski hasn't done anything to impress in a long time) and would do the same to Josh Barnett. 

Lesnar's aggressiveness and excellent wrestling could at least make things interesting, potentially ... maybe ... possibly. 

I think Fedor would submit Lesnar but it could be interesting. However, I don't think we will ever see it.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
                    

With a second-round TKO of an MMA legend, Brock Lesnar became the UFC heavyweight champion of the world. And, he may have that belt for a long time.

Couture looked efficient in the first round and pushed the pace on Lesnar several times. It looked like it could be another classic upset in Couture's file until Lesnar went on a tear in the second round. When you get down to it, what we saw was a more disciplined Brock Lesnar, one that didn't exhibit any weaknesses and one that showed he has a solid chin.

He took some shots from Couture but was too big, too strong and too fast for the champ. Make no mistake, Couture did not lose this fight; Lesnar won it. Couture wasn't too old or too slow. I still think he could beat every other heavyweight in the UFC. Lesnar simply outclassed him last night.

And with that, the UFC is in trouble. They have a marketable superstar, a legit heavyweight champion, with very few challengers. The only marketable fight he has left is with the winner of the Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir fight (which will be Nogueira).

After talking with a few friends around the MMA scene, they all think Nogueira would be in for a very long night against Lesnar. I think Nogueira has a better shot than that, but I would still have to pick Lesnar. After Nogueira, who is left to challenge Lesnar?

A rematch with Frank Mir (he wouldn't stand a chance in a rematch)? A match against Gabriel Gonzaga, an overrated fighter with good jiu-jitsu? Nope. A shock from an up-and-comer like Shane Carwin or Cain Velasquez? Both too young.

The UFC's heavyweight division is not very deep and Dana White's top priority (as far as bringing in new fighters, at least) should be fixing that. They have a very marketable star with a huge fan base with very few challengers. I'm looking forward to his match against Nogueira and a possible rematch with Couture (not likely), but other than those two matches, there's not much else.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

A commenter left this on an earlier entry about UFC 91:

This fight doesn't speak very well for MMA. I have no idea how Couture is even still around. He is so old.  And to give Lesnar a shot at anything at this point is a disgrace. It's not like he's proven that he deserves it.  So what if he beat down a weak-chinned Korean with a 3-6 record and managed to roll around on the ground with a fat man for 3 rounds for a decision.  Mir was his only real competition, and Lesnar lost. The sport deserves better. MMA should be about grit and determination, not this.

This is something I've seen from a few people and it doesn't make sense. I think UFC president Dana White deserves some credit for putting this fight together because it is intriguing. He always says he wants to put on the fights fans want to see, and whether it's fair or not, I'd much rather see Randy Couture-Brock Lesnar than Couture-Fabricio Werdum, even if Werdum deserved the title shot more. 

Couture is old but is also a legend. He was old when he first got into the sport and he was old when he beat Tim Sylvia for the title at UFC 68. Just because he's old doesn't mean he's not one of the top heavyweights in the world, because he is.

He's a great test for Lesnar, who has been fighting increasingly difficult competition. We will get to learn a lot about Lesnar in this fight and where his future in the sport will be. We will also know if Couture is still at the top of the heavyweight scene in MMA, especially poignant after months of rumors about a possible Couture-Fedor Emelianenko fight. We've since seen what Fedor is capable of and now we'll get to see if Couture could have (we will never see the fight, unfortunately) brought something to that fight.

Lesnar doesn't deserve a title shot, and Couture even suggested that when I spoke with him about this fight. But, everything else about this matchup makes sense. Especially the chief reason it was put together -- because it will sell like crazy.

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

The biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts! That's what it's being billed as by some writers and fans (and promoters). It's a big fight and it might do the most buys, but it's not the biggest fight in the sport's history.

Heck, UFC 94 is on the horizon with an even better main event as Georges St. Pierre takes on B.J. Penn. Randy Couture-Brock Lesnar can't top that because neither fighter is at their peak. Couture's best days are behind him and Lesnar's are ahead of him. 

Still, this fight is going to be great. I can't wait for it. I think Lesnar has a higher ceiling than most people want to admit and he will do big things in this sport, but I'm going with Randy Couture in this fight.

He's one of the smartest fighters I've seen and his experience will help him against Lesnar. Lesnar is bigger, stronger, and faster but we still don't know a ton about him. Couture wants to prevent Lesnar's takedowns, but that won't happen. I don't think anyone can stop Lesnar's takedowns. 

I do think Couture will be fine on his back and that his dirty boxing in the clinch will be a difference maker as well. Couture can't treat Lesnar like another Tim Sylvia because while Lesnar is big, he's a hell of a lot better on the ground and is quicker than Sylvia. Still, the rumor is that Couture is planning to do rely heavily on his ground and pound and I think that is a strategy that could work for Couture.

He's not going to be able to submit Lesnar, but I think he could keep him on his heels with an aggressive approach. We still don't know what Lesnar is capable of. He destroyed Heath Herring with a devastating punch early in their bout and Herring never recovered from that. If Lesnar can't get anything going very early, Couture should be able to execute his game plan. Frank Mir got lucky and caught a much more inexperienced Lesnar with a quick submission. No one has pressed Lesnar so that will be the key for Couture. I like him in a fourth-round TKO.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Randy Couture has a secret weapon against Brock Lesnar. I was tipped off to this fact by an anonymous insider (or by a not-so-anonymous PR-type).

Couture will be wearing a customized version of Everlast’s new Omnistrike Fight Trunks. It’s Everlast’s debut into MMA and it is making some great advancements in MMA gear. Or so I’ve been told.

What does this all mean? Apparently, these trunks are designed to give fighters an advantage by providing extra mobility to kick higher and to work with the movements of your body.

Basically, Couture has robot-trunks that will take down Lesnar in less than 10 seconds. Get ready world, because this will have serious ramifications for the sport. Or maybe not.

I do think it will be funny if Couture KOs Lesnar with an extra-flexible head kick.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I think one thing people have to understand about this weekend’s showdown between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar is that it’s not WWE vs. MMA. I’ve heard this a lot (more from casual fans, granted) in the past 10 days and I don’t think there could be a bigger misrepresentation of what this fight is about.

Lesnar’s pro wrestling background is why he’s popular. It’s why he’s getting a title fight in his third fight with only one credible win in his career. It’s why this will be a record-breaking night when it comes to pay-per-view buys. But I’ve heard too many people try to discredit MMA by saying “what does it say about your sport when a fake wrestler can walk right in and take out a legend?”

Lesnar has a legitimate background and was a national champion wrestler. He’s a phenom, legitimately, as his size, aggressiveness and athleticism make him a truly dangerous heavyweight prospect. But, this is something Lesnar is taking seriously. He’s not Kimbo Slice; he’s not a spectacle, he's a legit fighter. There’s not another professional wrestler that could’ve made this type of a leap this soon. Lesnar is a physical specimen, he’s not a clown. He didn’t make a name for himself by lighting himself on fire or by wearing clown makeup and hitting people with furniture. Most importantly, he respects MMA and is trying to do things the right way. He’s never come off as overly arrogant and doesn’t talk a lot of trash. He knows he has a lot to learn and he tries to keep his head down while he learns it.

If Lesnar wins, that will say something about Lesnar and his future as a mixed martial artists. If Couture wins, it will say something about how much he has left in the tank and it will help solidify his status as a legend in the sport. It’s a huge fight with huge consequences, but don’t make the mistake of reading more into this than there really is.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
                    

UFC 91 is banking heavily on the Randy Couture-Brock Lesnar main event. The phenom vs. the legend certainly has plenty of intrigue, but what if it’s a short fight? What else is there to look forward to? While this show doesn’t have the depth that UFC 92 possesses there are still two other very intriguing matchups to keep an eye on.

The first is Kenny Florian taking on Joe Stevenson. Florian has established himself as the top lightweight contender and has been on a hot streak, but Stevenson is another elite lightweight and this could be a very entertaining fight. Florian could have waited his turn for a shot at B.J. Penn and the lightweight championship but he wanted to stay active and took the best fight available. Risky play, to be sure, but he deserves respect for the decision.

The second is a fight that was just added to the main card. Welterweight Dustin Hazelett has a future as bright as any fighter in the UFC. He’s young (22) and is coming off a stellar performance against Josh Burkman in the The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale. Hazelett took home Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses for his win. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is not an elite welterweight yet but he’s on his way into breaking into that group. His fight against Tamdan McCrory will be one to keep an eye on. Hazelett is the superior fighter in this matchup and hopefully we’ll get another textbook submission from him in this one.

The Nate Quarry-Demian Maia matchup should also be entertaining. Couture-Lesnar drives this show but Florain, Hazelett and Maia will at least make the rest of the night interesting. This isn’t UFC 92, which has three huge fights, but this card is much better than it’s getting credit for and much better than UFC 90.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

We are days away from UFC 91, which is poised to be one of the biggest shows in the history of MMA. Its place in history will be secured by the record pay-per-view buys the UFC can expect thanks to the main event heavyweight title fight between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar. This might be the most perplexing fight of the entire year.

There have been better fights, to be sure. Lesnar isn’t in the top 5 in his weight class and Couture has to be considered a question mark after another year off. But as far as intrigue and sizzle, there are few fights that will be able to match this one. It’s almost impossible to predict how this bout will play out as both fighters come into the match with huge question marks.

Couture comes into Saturday night fighting for the first time in more than a year. We will see if that has any effect on him. During Couture’s "retirement," all the talk was about Couture and Fedor Emelianenko squaring off in a showdown of the top two heavyweights in the world (and possibly, the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the eyes of some), so after this event we’ll have a better understanding of where Couture really is as a fighter. That’s a long layoff for any fighter, especially one in his mid-40s.

On the other hand, Lesnar is fighting for the heavyweight title in his third UFC fight. He’s been pushed to the front of the line after demolishing Heath Herring but has a lot on the line. A win over Couture would be the ultimate stamp of legitimacy and would signal the true arrival of Lesnar on the MMA scene. He looked intimidating against Frank Mir but made a mistake that cost him the fight. He dominated Herring. A win against Couture would have to silence some of Lesnar’s critics.

At the same time, Couture seems to be a better version of Herring in that his strengths don’t really play to Lesnar’s weaknesses. Couture isn’t going to submit Lesnar and that might be the best way to defeat him, especially since Couture will be giving up a lot of weight in this fight.
What’s most surprising to me is that Lesnar is favored in this fight. Granted, it’s not a great matchup physically for Couture, but he’s faced long odds before. It’s a given that Couture will have a superb gameplan and has the experience factor. His resume is a "who’s who" of MMA legends. 

I’m not sure yet who to pick in this fight (I’m leaning toward Lesnar but it’s so hard to pick against Couture) but there’s no question it will be an exciting one.

***

View photos of UFC 91 fighters.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)