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Sam Caplan has the goods:

A preview video from Inside MMAs latest episode breaks down each fight from the IFL World Grand Prix. - [Read more]

In this interview with Punchdrunk Gamer Frank talks a lot of trash about Renzo Gracie and Cung Le:

Someone should tell Punchdrunk Gamer that when referring to the scrotum as in this instance the word "sac" is not spelled with a "k". - [Read more]

A great video thats well put together covering the sports biggest upsets this past year. The nice touch to this video is the inclusion of upsets from Japans smaller shows and lighter weightclasses. The only thing I cant figure out is why the video includes Shinichi Kojimas win over Mamoru Yamaguchi. That fight took place in 2006. No bother, still worth checking out. - [Read more]

Kevin Iole scores a rare interview with Lorenzo Fertitta at Yahoo sports:

Hes right about this, but four years ago the IFL would not have debuted at the rating they did.  Nobody has been able to turn the increased interest into profit though besides the UFC. - [Read more]

The UFC has a chokehold on top contenders in this division that would do Babalu proud. And like Babalu, theyre showing no desire to let go. The consensus of the ranking sites Sherdog, FightMatrix, Irish Whip Fighting, 411 Mania, MMA HQ is that 90 or 100% of the worlds top 10 Light Heavyweight Fighter are fighting for UFC. Even the notoriously biased-against-UFC fightersMMA Weekly only has 2 non-UFC fighters in their top 10. And even MMA Weekly admits those fighters are barely holding on to their top 10 rankings.

For me its FightMatrix computer generated rankings that really show the extent of the UFCs dominance in this division since they go all the way to #25. Out of the top 25 Light Heavies in the world, only 8 are NOT in the UFC: Ricardo Arona #9, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira #12, Renato "Babalu" Sobral #15, Vitor Belfot #17, Vladimir Matyushenko #19, Mike Whitehead #20, Reese Andy #24, and Yuki Kondo at 25.

Both of the non-UFC fighters getting any Top 10 nods, Ricardo Arona and Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (aka "Little Nog") have multiple losses to fighters currently with the UFC. Aronas lost to Jackson, Wanderlei Silva (after scoring an upset in a non-title match in 2005), Shogun and most recently Sokoudjou. Little Nogs losses to Shogun and especially Sokoudjou  really derailed his title run. Arona has talked about his desire to fight for the UFC many times but so far no deal has been signed. Little Nog has been in limbo, mostly concentrating on amateur boxing competitions but will return in February at HCF in Canada against BoDog Fighting Vet Todd Gouwenberg. This is not a fight that will propel Little Nog back to the top of the rankings but it does keep him active and should get him back on the winning track against credible competition.

Of the other top 25 "ronin", Babalu got famously shitcanned from the UFC for holding a choke too long against David Heath. Hes apparently decided to remain very busy while he tries to get back in Danas good graces having already fought once in the Philippines since being dropped and due to fight against Tiger White in February. Hes also signed deals with Strikeforce and HCF although no fights have been announced yet. Hopefully hell sweep the lesser competition and get invited back to UFC in 2009. A rematch with Shogun would be fun, as would Babalu against any of the big PRIDE names hes never faced.

Vitor Belfort is another UFC vet whos been in something of a steroid exile since losing to Dan Henderson and failing a steroid test at PRIDEs October 2006 Las Vegas event. Since then hes had two wins in the UKs Cage Rage and recently met with Dana about returning to the UFC. Hes a fighter with pretty good name recognition among UFC fans and would be a good matchup for any of the PRIDE refugees -- rematches with Wanderlei, Chuck and Tito would all draw fan interest as would a match with Shogun.  

Mike Whitehead is a guy who has been on a tear, winning 11 straight, since his only UFC appearance -- a loss to Keith Jardine. With wins over names like Ruben Villareal, Mark Kerr, and Vernon "Tiger" White, he probably merits a return chance to the big show. I think hes done with the IFL so well see what happens there.

Vladimir Matyushenko is another IFL fighter whos undefeated since his last UFC appearance (a KO loss to then Heavyweight Champ Andrei Arlovsky). Hes thriving in the IFL, but with only 3 career losses and a track record of fighting top competition (often at heavyweight), Vladdy is someone Id love to see back in the UFC.

The backwards named Andy Reese is another IFL fighter whos been putting together a sterling record with that promotion. Hopefully well see him against Andre Gusmao -- another top prospect who wouldve been signed to the UFC if the pesky detail of being under contract to the IFL hadnt interfered -- in the IFLs 2008 season.

Yuki Kondo, the last non-UFC fighter making FightMatrix top 25 is a vet at the sunset of his carreer with over 70 fights. Hes already gone 1-2 in the UFC and is undersized for the 205 division anyhow. I doubt well see much more of Kondo. - [Read more]

We all likely recognize BJ has the obvious advantage in the striking department both in terms of polished technique and power. But what about the ground game or each fighters cardio? Desert Dog correctly assess the situation. Notable quote:

Im not familiar with any head-and-arm choke set-ups from failed guillotine attempts, but the point still stands: even if you give Stevenson the edge in strength, its not as if BJ hasnt routinely fought stronger opponents. Everyone bags on BJ for fighting in weightclasses for beyond his natural size, but perhaps that pays dividends with respect to experience. When youve fought significantly stronger fighters, e.g. Lyoto Machida, grappling with "strong" fighters in your weightclass cant be nearly as bad.

The fact is that aside from strength, Im not sure Stevenson is better than BJ at anything. Stevenson has a more diverse wrestling arsensal, but BJ has an excellent skillset to neutralize capable wrestlers. Stevenson always has a "grapplers chance" in this fight, but I dont think he has much more. - [Read more]

And Im glad Im not the only person who sees that. Notable quote:

That streak will likely continue, so we can go ahead and bank on that. How do we know? Look at the prospects that Fedor himself sees in 2008 (this was written just prior to his fight with Hong Man Choi):

Fedor already defeated - soundly - Semmy Schilt and Im beginning to view this Couture/Fedor posturing to be something akin to two kids on the school yard professing their desire to hurt one another from the comfort of their respective group of friends holding them apart. Its easy to be Billy Bad Ass at those junctures. Ill give Couture the benefit of the doubt given what a stink hes created trying to find a way into a fight with Fedor, but Fedor gets no such treatment.

As for the ranking, Fedor has long since not been #1 on my rankings. I vote for HDNets Inside MMA television show and for at least 2 months Ive been putting Fedor #2. In order to stay at the top you have to face top competition. You have to defeat those in your weightclass who are also ranked highly and you must do so on a regular basis. Right now Fedor is surfing the wave of his image that he cultivated with his tremendous run in PRIDE. But as far as Im concerned, that image is decaying at almost the same rate as PRIDE itself. He has done virtually nothing within the specified requirements to merit a #1 ranking for quite some time. And its about time we recognize hes made a bed that he must now lie in even if it tarnishes the image we all adored for so long. - [Read more]

I know, I completely forgot this was coming, too. For a guy as popular as Ortiz and for a show thats been heavily hyped by NBC, the buzz isnt that strong for this show. Is it because shows that feature "celebrity" as a descriptor usually involve C-list actors and other reality show washouts? Probably, but here are the details nevertheless:

You have to give Tito some credit here: he does a TON of charity work, if not for sick kids then certainly for the armed forces. Obviously Tito is promoting himself and his Punishment Athletics clothing line, but hes entitled to a little self-promotion.

Also, Tiffany Fallon - the IFLs hot girl who does something or other - will be a contestant on the show as well. Its good to see MMA being so heavily represented and who knows if this will lead to NBC being warmed over to do more MMA-related programming. I also want to see if Tiffanys appearance does anything for the struggling IFL organization. Im not sure if Ill watch tonight, but I might take a sneak peek at some point. - [Read more]

Brock Lesnar talks about his UFC debut on February 2nd against Frank Mir. - [Read more]

ESPN only gives us videos like this when the UFC puts on an event, but beggars cant be choosers. No new amazing details revealed here, but extra content is extra content. Take a peek.

Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes:

Chuck Liddell:

HT: Five Ounces of Pain - [Read more]

Yours truly stunk up the joint with Elias Cepeda of Inside Fighting and the Fightlinker boys. We talked about UFC 79, Yarrenoka, whats next for Fedor, the rankings system and who we each thought was the pound-for-pound best fighter in professional MMA.

One point made by the Fightlinker fellas about Fedor: what Fedor is doing - by fighting space goon nobodies and arranging a contract situation - is precisely what we criticize boxers with unblemished records of doing. The two points arent exactly identical in that in boxing pugilists are brought up differently and losses tend to mean more in that sport. That being said, that Fedor has positioned himself to fight dirtbag nothings rather than the best in the world, the point is quite salient. Part of boxings problem - some of which was corrected in 2007 - was that the top athletes within divisions were reluctant to fight one another.

I dont think Fedor is scared of top competition or solely interested in fighting cans to pad his record. He probably holds out the hope that top talent can somehow be roped into deals with M-1 or whatever promotions those athletes represent. Whatever the case, hes not working hard to position himself to fight the best and thus, is a perfect receptacle of our fan-based antipathy. Shit or get off the pot, Fedor. - [Read more]

I never thought Id see the day where a MMA fighter becomes the face of an animal rights campaign, but you have to get in where you fit in. To wit:

I always feel like PETA is just too preachy and far-reaching with their messages, particularly when they tie in environmental arguments. But Ive heard from folks whove rolled with him that Mac is strong as an ox. How hes able to produce that sort of strength and performance without eating meat is truly a special feat. The rigors of the life of a professional MMA fighter are taxing enough. To be so disciplined such that you consume an all vegan diet throughout that difficult lifestyle is truly something special. As for me, Ill stick to the Ken Shamrock "chicken and steak" diet, even if that means heart disease and stroke. I love meat and Ill take the risks of eating it throughout my life. Danzig is a very interesting spokesperson for PETA, but its not enough for me to lay down the steak knife. - [Read more]

The belt that Ricco Rodriguez won when he beat Randy Couture at UFC is for sale at eBay. Minimum bid -- $29,999.

Update [2008-1-2 18:45:29 by Kid Nate]:

MMAJunkie has more:

Adam Swift of MMA Payout thinks the motorcycle company qualifies as the first blue chip sponsor. To wit:

The sooner Xyience is gone the better, but Id actually say this isnt the first blue chip sponsor the UFC has had. I recall during one of the UFCs in the 40 range (I think it was UFC 44 specifically), Miller Lite was the chief sponsor and took center of the Ocatgon space. In fact, my hunch is that Mickeys "fine" malt liquor (a contradiction in terms if there ever was one) gets huge play because they are actually owned by the Miller Brewing Company. In other words, Miller Lite probably didnt want to associate their name with such a speculative product, so they saddled up their malt liquor line instead. The UFC probably wanted to cement any sort of relationship they could with such a big company, so viola, here we are: the Mickeys Instant Replay.

As for Harley Davidson, Im all for the relationship as long as they change that MORONIC tag line: "Harley Davidson, the only motorcycle worthy of being in the Octagon". Seriously, the dumb motherfucker who came up with that tag line needs to be taken out back and beaten with a blunt object. - [Read more]

Rami Genauer, the creater of FightMetric, has some interesting facts about this past weekends Liddell vs. Silva main event fight at UFC 79. Clearly Liddell won the contest no matter how you slice it and its facts like these that - when put together - shed some specific light on why that happened. Notable quote:

Lets be clear: there is a bit of arbitrariness to the FightMetric system in terms of meaningfulness of the measurements. That being said, Genauer knows that and asks that we use his system more as a helpful compliment instead of the final, mathematical word. The numbers dont lie, but they also dont tell the full story. Still, though, interesting stuff. - [Read more]

And no, thats NOT Aoki in the crazy position going for a sub. For my money, this fight was the biggest shocker of the weekend. Seeing Aoki get caught in multiple tight armbars and gutting out a win with GnP was NOT something I expected to see.

"Read more" to see vid of the whole fight. Jung Bu-Kyung is one Olympic Silver medalist with a big future in MMA if he can survive being thrown in at the deep end against the very best in the sport.

And heres a bonus fight -- Luis Azeredo vs Tatsuya Kawajiri