2007: The Next Steps In MMA

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic The Croation steamrolled his way through the Pride Grand Prix, and then signed with the UFC, for the largest guaranteed sum ever! Cro Cop dominated Minowa, Yoshida, W.Silva, and Josh Barnett yet again, to win the best tournament in many years. Now coming to America, Mirko looks to kick his way through the weak UFC Heavyweight division, in route to Tim Sylvia's belt. Is Tim too big? Remember what Cro Cop did to Aleksander Emelianenko? Cro Cop should have the belt by the fall, and a lot more fame and fortune.

UFC WEIGHT DIVISIONS

• WELTERWEIGHT WAR: Georges St. Pierre shocked the MMA world, not by beating Matt Hughes, but by absolutely dominating him! Now he must get healthy, and be ready for a busy 2007. The Welterweight division is stacked with contenders like Diego Sanchez, Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan, and contenders Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Chris Lytle, a returning BJ Penn (later in the year), and of course, his obligation to school TUF 4 winner, Matt Serra. Easily the best division in the UFC, the 170 class is just sick with talent. I love GSP and his "riddum," but keeping the belt all year long is unlikely, with this littnay of challengers.
• CHUCK LIDDEL'S 205 DIVISION: Yes, it is Chuck's division. He has absolutely dominated Randy Couture, Babalu Sobral, and Tito Ortiz this year alone! Tito and Babalu should fight soon (there is much bad blood there after Tito's recent snipes at Babs), but the winner can't get a shot against Liddel since he's beaten both, twice. If Quinton "Rampage" Jackson thinks he is ready, he'll get the #1 spot for sure, since he is the only loss Chuck has yet to avenge. Brandon Vera could deserve a title shot, if he comes down in weight. First, he must decide if he is staying in the UFC. In the contenders area, Mike Bisping works his way in slowly (this guy is for real, and a legit superstar), along with Keith Jardine who upset Forrest. Forrest Griffin is still in the mix, but needs a big win against fellow mid-pack stars like Rashaad Evans (this guy is improving at an alarming rate), and Eric Schafer (granted he just lost, but he has tons of talent, and a will be heard from again). If Chuck does get beat (he is the only Champ who kept his belt all year), Tito and Babalu are right back in, and the weight class is wide open.
• MIDDLEWEIGHT MADNESS: Expect Anderson Silva to beat Travis Lutter, but not Rich Franklin in their forthcoming rematch. Rich got caught at a bad, unhealthy time, but I believe he'll come back with renewed vigor, to reclaim his title. Rich has more tools, and he won't fight stupid again. From there the division is a little murky. Nathan Marquardt is a legit contender, but the UFC doesn't seem to want him to get a title shot. Mike Swick's potential is still unknown, and he must face more top tier talent, before being thrown to the lions in a title match (though Mike thinks he's ready, & the UFC wants him there because he is so marketable and popular). David Terrell is still out there somewhere (I think), but Cote isn't a contender, neither is Leben, Scott Smith, Dean Lister, or Kendall Grove. Yushin Okami has potential, as does Ed Herman (yes, he'll rebound), and Jason MacDonald (though his next fight is a true test against Rich Franklin). Rich Franklin is still the man to watch in this division, where he has a good shot at ending the year with the belt. By the way, is Nate Quarry ever coming back?
• HEAVYWEIGHT HIJINX: Cro Cop the champ, not so fast. Tim Sylvia's next title defense is against Gabriel Gonzaga. People may laugh, but the ju jitsu black belt has a real shot of winning. Unlike Monson, he has the size, and some striking, that will allow him a much better chance of taking Tim down and submitting him. Either way, Cro Cop will beat whoever holds the strap. Heath Herring comes in, but what does the old vet have left? Arlovski is an instant contender if, and only if Tim loses (since he lost twice to Sylvia), but below him it is thin at best. If Monson can pull the upset of the year and beat Fedor in Bodog, he'll be in the mix. But I doubt it. Jake O'Brien has potential, but he's years away from contention. Kongo? Perosh? I think not. Brandon Vera may be leaving the UFC, and even if he stays, he wants to go down to the 205 division. Its not really the UFC's fault, there just aren't that many good big men out there.
• THE BEST, MOST EXCITING, AND DEEPEST DIVISION: The Lightweight champ, Sean Sherk, is recovering from shoulder surgery. Hermes Franca and Spencer Fisher fight soon, and the winner will really be at the top of the class. Both men could also give Sherk a tough fight. Kenny Florian is there on popularity alone, while Din Thomas, Melvin Guillard, and possibly Jorge Gurgel, are vying for the top spot as well. Talented youngsters include Tyson Griffin (powerful guy), Clay Guida (one of the toughest in any weight class), and Dan Lauzon (who upset Jens Pulver). After TUF 5, which features all Lightweight fighters, we'll have even more fighters to add. Don't forget BJ Penn and Jens Pulver will fight as well. A win puts Jens in a top spot, but a win for BJ probably just sends him back to the 170 or 185 division (his words not mine). Sean Sherk should have his hands full, and with all this talent losses seem undeniable, but he has size, and experience on about everybody.

PRIDE FC FUTURE

• Wanderlei Silva has a bad 2006, and 2007 doesn't look better. His first title defense will be against Rogerio Nogueira, who could win the fight. Wand is getting worn down, and has seen many, many wars. Ricardo Arona seems like he will take the title in time, while Shogun awaits his turn. Nakamura isn't quite there. A Grand Prix in this weight class this summer, will decide a lot.
• Can anyone beat Fedor Emelianenko? Monson has the next shot, Barnett will happen at some point in 2007, and Hunt just put himself up there as well. Nogueira has already fought Fedor 3 times, while Werdum continues to improve, and everyone is forgetting the legit Sergei Kharitonov. They need new blood here almost as bad as the UFC.
• Dan Henderson's title is in real trouble with guys like Denis Kang, Paulo Filho, and Misaki (Grand Prix winner). I can see Denis or Paulo taking the belt away. We wait for both men to heal, and one of these two will be the class of the division.
• Gomi, Gomi, Gomi. Takanori is back to his old "Fireball" self it seems. He has recoverd from his burnout and is ready to take on all comers. And there are a lot. Gilbert Melendez was challenged by Gomi, and that could be fight of the year! Aoki, Sakurai, and Kawajiri are all top tier fighters. Melendez seems to be the toughest test, but I wish Pride would bring in underrated Kid Yamamoto from K-1, to really make things interesting.

Pride's biggest concern for 2007, will just be keeping their fighters, and establishing themselves in America.

• Frank Shamrock returned for about 15 seconds in 2oo6. He and Showtime's Elite XC are supposed to turn heads in '07 but we'll see.
• The IFL is adding new teams by the day, but nobody is watching. How long can they last with all of this spending, and little to show for it in ratings?
• Matt Lindland went out on his own and became, possibly, the best fighter in the 185 division, and the most sought after free agent in the world. You can be a force in MMA without a promotion company behind you.
• Bodog is just unwatchable, and don't expect to see Fedor there after the fight in Russia. Their TV show returns in 2007, but their first attempt was god awful.

Holy shit that's a lot of information, but it was tearing apart my brain. Now its all down in print, and we can look forward to a truly momentous year in MMA!