UFC Lightweight Scene

With the UFC bringing back the ultra-exciting Lightweight division, the race for the soon-to-be title is on. Rumors have Hermes Franca, Jorge Gurgel, possibly Jens Pulver, and more coming to the UFC to compete. This is a run down of my Top Ten Lightweights, and reasons why.

1 Mark Hominick 10-4-1-The Canadian came down and shocked the world by defeating Yves Edwards at UFC 58. Already a champion (145lbs.) at the TKO promotion, Mark has to be the front runner after taking out the "uncrowned champion" Yves.
2 Sam Stout 9-1-1-Sam is yet another Canadian champion from TKO (155lbs.). He is an amazing striker who hasn't lost since his first fight (the 2nd was a draw). It would be interesting to see if he would fight fellow Team Thompkins member Mark Hominick if they end up being the top two in the divison.
3 Yves Edwards 28-10-1-The afore mentioned "uncrowned champ," would've been the last Lightweight title holder for the UFC, but they ended up getting rid of the division. Yves has gone far with his trademarked "Thug-jit su" style, and beaten many great fighters. The upset loss to Mark will hurt him, but he has a 3-fight deal with the UFC so there will be more opportunities for redemption.
4 Sean "Muscle Shark" Sherk 28-2-1-Sean is fighting Nick Diaz at UFC 59 at 170lbs. After that, he will begin his new 3-fight deal with the UFC as a Lightweight. Everyone should be scared if this monster can make the weight. He is an amazing wrestler who fights a lot like Matt Hughes! He has amazing power and vicious ground and pound. He will be one to watch!
5 Jens "Little Evil" Pulver 19-6-1-Jens has a fight at Bushido 10, but the former UFC Lightweight Champion, will no doubt be coming home to reclaim his belt. The Miletich fighter has some of the heaviest hands in his division and is always exciting.
6 Jorge Gurgel 9-1-Rich Franklin's right hand man and training partner, is rumored to be coming soon to the UFC. He is amazing on the ground and always in great shape. The complete package, he can stand with the best of them. His one weakness is his arrogance which sometimes gets him into trouble.
7 Spencer "The King" Fisher 17-2-The King took his last fight on just over a weeks notice and had to drop almost 20lbs! He made weight, but lost to Sam Stout by decision. Another Miletich fighter, this kid is touted by Pat Miletich as the "next big thing" to come out of their camp. With that kind of praise from the master, he will be one to watch. A great fighter on the feet, or on the ground.
8 Duane "Bang" Ludwig 12-4-Bas Rutton's prize student was brought into the UFC to lose to Jonathan Goultet. Instead, he KO'd Goulet in 11 seconds! Bang is a world class striker and kickboxing expert who has fought some of the best in the world. Though not officially signed, he is rumored to be returning soon.
9 Hermes Franca 11-5-This UFC vet fell on hard times and took a break from the sport. He returned with a vengance at WEC 19, capturing their Lightweight title by KO. If the UFC brings him back to the dance, he can continue his comeback in style.
10 Kenny "Kenflo" Florian 3-2-I've never been a big fan of the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 vet, but he has shown a lot of heart and great ju-jit su skills. He also cuts up opponents with his boney elbows and is ready to fight in the UFC at his true weight.

Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi vs Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio: WINNER-Gomi Maximus is 2 &1 in Bushido. Gomi is undefeated. Max is a submission fighter with some striking skills. Gomi does everything well. This is also Gomi's first title defense so he will look sharp as always. Look, Max is a good fighter and anything can happen, but it won't. Gomi is on an amazing roll and is the #1 lightweight in the world. This is a tune-up fight, getting Gomi ready to fight in the upcoming Open Weight Tournament.

Dan Henderson vs Kazuo Misaki:WINNER-Henderson Dan is defending his welterweight championship for the first time in Pride Bushido. This is a tune-up fight for Dan as well. Kazuo is an ok fighter who usually wins via submission. Dan is a greco wrestler who is very hard to take down. The right hand is what will end Misaki's night. KO victory for Dan as he moves on to the Open Weight Tournament.

Yuki Kondo vs Phil "New York Bad Ass" Baroni:WINNER-Baroni For some reason, Kondo has said he wants to stand with the NYBA. I personally hate Baroni, but his hands are deadly. If Kondo was smart, he'll take Baroni down to the mat and out wrestle him. Kondo is the better fighter on the mat by far! Kondo also has better conditioning and is dropping down to his true weight class (welterweight). Kondo has this problem with proving he can beat his opponents at their strengths (i.e. when he tried to slug with Josh Barnett). That is what will lead to his loss here.

Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs Pauli Filho:WINNER-Filho I know I know, what am I thinking here? Ninja is coming off the fight where his brother lost, and the Chute Boxe/Hammer House rivalry started up again. Not to mention this continues the rivalry between Chute Boxe (Ninja) and Brazilian Top Team (Filho). He will be looking to impress and call out a member of Hammer House. Problem is, Filho is no joke. He is undefeated for a reason. The guy is good at all aspects of the game. Of course, Rua is no slouch. It will help that Ninja is finally fighting at his normal weight (welterweight), but I feel like Filho is on the rise. This could be the fight of the night, but look for the underdog, Filho, to pull out a win for BTT.

Joachim Hansen vs Luiz Azeredo:WINNER-Hansen I really like Luiz I do. He is a lanky fighter with a strange style on the ground and feet. He squirms and attacks at weird angles and is amazing with submissions. That being said, Hansen has absolutely brutal power. Don't let his last 2 losses fool you, this guy is good. His last fight he lost by accidental kick to his opponents groin. Before that, he took Sakuri to a decision (which sent Sak to the lightweight tournament finals) in a close fight. Hansen has fought tougher opponents and is very hard to submit. Hansen wins by ground and pound or KO.

Jens "Little Evil" Pulver vs Masakazu Imanari:WINNER-Pulver Jens has to get back on a winning track soon. The guy is just too good to keep losing. He has the best KO power of all the lightweights (except champ Gomi). Imanari is stepping up in competition level, and has struggled at the lower levels. Look for the Miletich fighter to win via KO and get back to his winning ways.

Denis Kang vs Mark "The Wizard" Weir:WINNER-Kang Denis hasn't lost in his last 15 fights! Not bad. He has been touted as the "next big thing" for quite some time. This will be his 3rd Pride fight and he has handled the step up in competition well. A submission specialist, he can throw hands as well. He is always in amazing condition and a part of American Top Team. The Wizard is a decent striker and decent with submissions. He has not fought fighters the caliber of Kang. Kang wins this one.

Mitshuhiro Ishida vs Paul Rodriguez:WINNER-Ishida Ishida is yet another lightweight coming over from the Shooto promotion. Paul is from Gracie Barra, but doesn't have a very good track record. Ishida wins his debut in the Pride ring.

Akihiro Gono vs Dae Won Kim:WINNER-Gono Akihiro has 41 professional fights, while Kim has 3. Yes, 3 pro fights. Gono has fought the better,.....ok look, Kim shouldn't be here. Gono is going to win. I don't really understand this match. Kim hasn't fought anybody and will not win. I say good day to you sir.

This all goes down at Pride Bushido April 2nd. Bushido shows are always good even if we don't know the fighters that well. There are two title fights, a grudge match, and some pretty interesting debuts. KO's should rule the day here, and this is a pretty good PPV for betters, as most of the fights seem rather cut and dry. That being said, anything can happen. Good luck, and next up, Ultimate Fight Night 4, April 6th on Spike TV.

Mixed Martial Arts Rumor Mill

• Frank Shamrock, coming off his recent 21 second victory over Cesar Gracie, is rumored to be heading to Japan to fight in Pride. His opponent could possibly be Sakuraba, or Frank may find himself in the Open Weight Grand Prix. Frank is only 33 years old, and has stated he will only sign one fight deals, as he wants to remain a free agent, allowing him to fight anywhere, in any promotion. This is all tentative, since Shamrock may have broken his hand in the Gracie fight.
• Josh Thompson is upset over his loss to Clayton Guida. He had Guida in a vicious guillotine, but Clay was able to slip out. Josh claims Guida had a slippery substance in his hair, that made it easy for him to slip out. This is interesting because Nick Diaz's corner had the same complaint in the Diego Sanchez fight. They wanted the ref to check it out and he refused. Peculiar, because refs always seem to check if there is even a question of a foul. Josh never raised the issue during the fight. Thompson was also angry about the many eye gouges he received in the fight. Referee Herb Dean did deduct a point from Clay for this foul. Josh mentioned that other fighters had warned him Clay was a dirty fighter and used this tactic often.

MMA Injuries

• Chuck Liddell-Dislocated Toe, possibly out 3 months.
• Rich Franklin-Broken left hand, bad ankle, possibly out 6-8 months.
• Fedor Emelianenko-Surgery on right hand, out 6 months.
• Shogun Rua-Dislocated elbow, will require surgery, out 6 months.
• BJ Penn-Possible broken hand
• David Loiseau-Medical suspension (for healing) until May 6th.
• George St. Pierre-Medical suspension (for healing) until April 19th.
• Spencer Fisher-Medical suspension (broken nose) until April 19th.
• Nathan Marquardt-Medical suspension until April 19th. No reason given.
• Diego Sanchez-Contracted flu/virus and lost ten pounds in a few days. No time table for his return.

Frank Shamrock Defeats Cesar Gracie

Frank Shamrock took all of 21 seconds to KO Cesar Gracie! In his first MMA fight in 3 years, Frank came out with a kick/punch combo that sent Cesar to the mat. Frank threw down around 5 more heavy shots as the ref stepped in just as Cesar's corner tossed in the towel. Not much of a fight, but now Frank can move on as the biggest free agent in MMA today.

San Sho superstar, Cung Le, also successfully crossed over into MMA with a KO victory in round 1. It will be interesting to see where this undefeated fighter goes to fight next. Hopefully, he will step up against a more qualified opponent.

Also on the card, Josh "Punk" Thompson was upset by Clayton Guida by decision. Former WWE wrestler Daniel Puder, won his 2nd MMA match by rear naked choke in round 1. Finally, heavyweight Mike Kyle continues to prove why he is one of the biggest assholes in MMA by poking his opponent in the eye causing a technical draw. This is the same bitch that has bit an opponent in the ring. No shit, he bit Wes Sims in the UFC.

Next up is Pride's Bushido series, April 2nd. It guarantees a much better fight card that this Strikeforce event. Bet.

Mike Tyson Joins Cage Fighting

Mike Tyson will be the referee at the upcoming World Cage Fighting Championship March 18, 2006. Tyson has been training for the event in Vegas, and is flying to the United Kingdom to referee two main even fights. There will be an eleven man tournament that night as well as some, as yet not officially announced, super fights. The card boasts such amazing fighters as Alistair Overeem, Jeff Monson, James Thompson, and many more. Most of the fighters are under current contracts in Pride or the UFC, so we shall see who exactly fights at this event. It could be the "big" names will just be appearing.

I can't wait for some MMA guy to challenge Mike Tyson, at which time all hell will break lose as it always does around the formerly, "Baddest Man On The Planet."

UFC 58 Results and Fallout

UFC 58 had some epic fights and a suppressing upset! Matt Hughes was on hand to watch GSP and BJ Penn go to war, and the crowd was raucous all through the event.



Rich Franklin defeats David Loiseau by unanimous decisionn after 5 grueling rounds. What was unknown (and amazing) at the time, Rich Franklin actually broke his right hand after dropping The Crow, at the end of the first round! In the second, Rich just flat out dominated David dropping him with yet another punch. Loiseau seemed desperate and could not find his game plan as he ran from Rich hearing the boo's from the crowd. In the 3rd, the doctors had to check a mouse over David's eye but he was allowed to continue. Then the Crow stunned Rich dropping him with a punch! Rich recovers quickly and ends the round strong, with a flurry of scoring shots. In the 4th, Rich slams David with an amazing suplex and almost drops him with a punch again. David's face is badly swollen and he continues to try and stay away from the dominating champion. For the final round, Rich seemed much fresher and took his opponent down at will. He almost secures a choke but David escapes and for the first time in his career, Rich will hear the judges scorecard.
No surprise, Rich scores a unanimous victory winning every single round. We will learn later Rich also may have broken his foot during the fight as well. The Crow was absolutely dismantled and sent to the hospital for his multiple injuries.

Georges St. Pierre scored a split decision victory over BJ Penn. The crowd was completely behind BJ as he dominated the first round cutting GSP open very badly. The cut may have been from a poke, but BJ also landed an uppercut that almost broke the nose of Rush. The 2nd round was close, but GSP just seemed to do a little more, scoring on takedowns and kicks. For the 3rd and final round, GSP would not be denied, slamming BJ to the canvas and then taking him down yet again. GSP controlled with the ground and pound, and though still badly bleeding, easily won the last round.
Somehow, one judge scored the fight for BJ, though the other two judges (along with myself, Matt Hughes, & Eddie Bravo) awarded GSP the victory and a guaranteed shot at Matt Hughes title. BJ felt robbed (as did the crowd) because of all the damage on GSP's face. Yes, he won the first, but in the judges eyes, each round is a new fight. Momentum does not count for points. The ignorant crowd boo'd GSP as he took the mic and thanked them, BJ, and the world. Rush showed true class, while BJ complained that he had won. He didn't.

Mark Hominick scored the huge upset defeating Yves Edwards. Mark lost the first round, but in the 2nd, scored a knee to the stomach, that Yves never seemed to recover from. Mark gets the win through an armbar at the end of the 2nd.

Nathan Marquardt defeats Joe Doerksen by unanimous decision. Most people thought Nathan was boring in his first fight, so the ground specialist almost refused to go the ground here. He managed to dominate Joe and make the fight very exciting as well.

Mike Swick defeats a tomato can by guillotine in round 1.

Tom Murphy defeats Iccho by TKO (strikes) in round 3.

Jason Lambert defeats Rob MacDonald by kimura in round 1.

Sam Stout defeats Spencer Fisher by split decision.

4 decisions, 3 submissions, and one TKO bring UFC 58 to a conclusion. We went 6-1 on our picks (I'm not counting the Iccho/Murphy fight since I was just making a joke out of the fight, much like the UFC did by putting together this lame event).
Next up, will be the Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie card, March 10th. 51-20!!

UFC 58 Fight Picks!

UFC 58 USA vs Canada is finally here. In breaking news, Diego Sanchez will not be fighting in his bout against John Alessio. Diego got sick with the flu and reportedly dropped down to 162lbs. The doctors would not clear him to fight and there will be no last minute replacement. When healthy, the fighters will meet at a later PPV. Now, on to the card............

Rich "Ace" Franklin 21-1 vs David "The Crow" Loiseau 15-4: There is no doubt The Crow is a #1 contender who earned his title shot. The man has 5 wins in a row, his last dispatching former champ Evan Tanner. The Crow's elbows and speed are what to watch. He can cause cuts at any time and win the fight. Ace has won 7 fights in a row and has become a superstar in the sport. The man is always in phenomenal shape and throws some of the hardest, most accurate punches in the business. What people don't realize, is how good he is at submissions as well.
WINNER-Rich Franklin Ace will find a way to win this match up. If he's smart, he won't try to fight up close to the Crow, instead, keeping his distance and jabbing. Taking his time, he should find and opening in David's attack. If it goes to the ground, Rich will have the edge, but David is good at defending, and ground and pound (as he showed against Tanner). The Crow has a punchers chance, but I believe there aren't many at 185 who can hang with Rich Franklin's hands and smarts.

BJ "The Prodigy" Penn 10-2-1 vs George "Rush" St. Pierre 11-1: The winner of this Super Fight will become the #1 contender for Matt Hughes Welterweight Championship! I was surprised to see how many people believe GSP will pull the upset. BJ is amazing at everything he does. GSP is amazing at everything he does. This fight will be GREAT! This is really a pick-em fight between to uber-talented fighters.
WINNER-GSP I believe in the under dog. Rush is always in the best shape, while BJ sometimes comes in soft. BJ also has not fought since July of last year. Look for GSP to overpower BJ and get the win through decision.

Yves Edwards 28-9-1 vs Mark Hominick 9-4: The Lightweight division returns (FINALLY) to the UFC. Yves was the uncrowned champion for years before the weight class was eliminated. Hominick is a striker which is Yves favorite type to fight. Yves has the experience, submission skills edge, and better fists and feet. Thanks for showing up Mark.
WINNER-Yves Edwards Yves brings his "thug-jitsu" back to American soil with a big KO victory. It will be interesting to see if the UFC brings in any lightweights that can challenge this guy. Currently, I would just hand him the belt and get it over with.

Mike "Quick" Swick 7-1 vs Steve "Lionheart" Vigneault 11-5: The UFC continues to feed its Ultimate Fighter reality stars tomato cans. Both of these guys are strikers yes, but "Lionheart" (the king of unoriginal nicknames) has been KO'd in 2 of his last 3 fights. Swick is faster bla bla bla, he'll win.
WINNER-Quick earns (ha ha, earns) another quick KO for his resume. Give this guy a real opponent so we can see how good he is.

Sam "Hands Of Stone" Stout 8-1-1 vs Spencer "King" Fisher 16-1: Now what the hell? At the last second Kenflo pulls out, and Fisher steps in (making weight 3/3/06). I had Stout to win against Kenny, and I'll stay with that pick against Fisher. Fisher is a badass fighter from the Miletich system. But, how can he be ready to go on 3 days notice, and having to drop 20 lbs. If he wins, he is badass! I like both of these fighters much more than Florian. Glad he's out.
WINNER-Sam Stout Sam is the current TKO Lightweight champ and had much more time to prepare. However, he opponent is now much, much better. Could be a show stealer if Fisher has the stamina after the last second notice and dramatic weight loss. With proper time to train, I would've picked Fisher.

Nathan Marquardt 20-6-2 vs Joe Doerkson 32-8: Finally a decent Middleweight bout between two good fighters. Marquardt is a former Pancrase Champion (in company with Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Yuki Kondo, ect.) who is either really good, or a little off his game. He bored everyone to sleep and escaped (barely) against Ivan Salavarry. Joe has more fights against better opponents and great submissions.
WINNER-Marquardt Nate needs to redeem himself after the Salavarry debacle. He has good hands, which we haven't even seen yet. You can't be a Pancrase champ without knowing submissions, though Joe is good with them as well. I just pray he has a chip on his shoulder after his poor debut and the whole steroid thing (which is another story). Nate gets the nod.

Jason "Punisher" Lambert 19-5 vs Rob "Maximus" MacDonald 3-0: This is a tough one. Jason is coming off great wins against Marvin Eastman and Travis Wiuff, two really good fighters. Jason impressed me a lot though he lost in the Ultimate Fighter Season 2. He has very little experience which worries me against the veteran fighter.
WINNER-Jason Lambert How can you pick the guy with only 3 fights? Coming off an injury and new to the sport, it would be a surprise win for Mac.

Tom Murphy 4-1 vs Iccho Larenas 3-1: Great, yet another injury, and another last second replacement fighter. OK lets see, Murphy is a puncher, Larenas is a puncher. This fight will stay on the feet and one guy will get KO'd.
WINNER-Larenas? Sure, why not. Both guys have a punchers chance. Iccho looks bigger. This fight still means nothing.

If it wasn't for the title fight and the GSP/Bj fight, nobody would watch this weak ass card. Fighters are dropping out left and right. This card is a mess. I actually expect more at Ultimate Fight Night April 6th on Spike TV.