Even on vacation in beatiful Italy, one day without the world of mixed martial arts is more than Showdown Joe can handle.
Since many at Sportsnet and The Fan 590 have urged me to enjoy my vacation time in Italy, I did that... for one day. I quickly had to connect online to see what is happening in the world of MMA. Call it a sickness or an obsession, but one day without the world of MMA is more than I can handle.
In scrolling through many of the top stories, there are few that caught my eyes and raised my eyebrows as well:
It appears as if the lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez has been moved from UFC 105 in England on Nov. 14 to UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis. I'm not sure as to the reasoning why, but it is a little strange. The UFC 107 card already has hometown representation in Quinton (Rampage) Jackson, who is taking on (Sugar) Rashad Evans. Take into consideration that this fight will be promoted intensely by The Ultimate Fighter and its own Primetime series, will Penn-Sanchez end up having a countdown only? Seems to me there is going to be a shuffle with some of these big-time bouts.
The Penn vs. Sanchez bout was set to headline UFC 105, but now there is no main event on that card (which is also rumoured to be on free TV). As it stands, Michael Bisping is set to take on Canadian Denis Kang on that card, but will that be the main event? The card also features TUF 9 winners James Wilks and Ross Pearson. Stay tuned for more updates as I get them.
Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk has pulled out of his bout with Gleason Tibau. The bout was schedueled for UFC 104 in California, the same state in which Sherk tested positive for steroids. He basically stated he would never fight there again. Up until now, everything has been great, but after he did not show up for a random drug test issued by the commission, his manager stated he pulled out of the bout with a separated shoulder and that an MRI has been sent to the UFC as proof. I'm not one for conspiracy theories but I also know if I were Sherk, I wouldn't be fighting in California until their drug testing policies are cleaned up (no pun intended).
Sherk's replacement appears to be Josh Neer -- I wonder if Tibau thinks he hit the jackpot? Sherk is a much tougher opponent than Neer, to be sure, but I would not be taking Neer lightly. This guy can pose problems to anyone in the lightweight division...he always seems to surprise folks and is game for anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Another fighter who is about to go through a whirlwind of shame through a commission is former UFC light-heavyweight Sean Salmon, who recently stated that he was misquoted in his own article on MMAjunkie that he threw a fight. Salmon appears to be backpeddaling right now and saying he never meant what he said and that he should have typed it differently.
Either way, it's tough to sympathize with any fighter who "throws" a fight, admits to it and is now changing his tune. By all accounts, I am told he's a great guy, but when the sport of MMA has to start dealing with fighters purposely losing fights, the balance of innocence and greed starts favouring the latter.
Imagine being able to wager on your own fight, where you are the favourite, and simply betting on your opponent -- a huge underdog -- and then losing on purpose. Most guys don't get paid much, but if you take your $500 (show money) and bet on your opponent at 4-to-1 odds... I'm sure you see where I'm going here.
It appears Little Nog (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) is set to make his Octagon debut at UFC 105 (cough, cough, match him up vs. Luiz Cane, cough, cough). He will be a great addition to the already stacked light-heavyweight class.
I'm not sure how he will do. I believe he will have his work cut out for him, but the fact there is talk that the UFC wants him to fight for a title soon... am I missing something here? He is a long way from a title shot but if he's set to get a yellow brick road path to the title, can somebody explain that to me? Why?
