Joe Ferraro

The Tennessee Athletic Commission should be reprimanded for the post-fight Strikeforce melee.

My initial reaction to the post-fight melee during Strikeforce's telecast was one of shock and embarrassment for the sport of MMA, but upon further review, I should have analyzed it further.

I was offering my thoughts throughout the night, via my Twitter and Facebook accounts, giving a coles notes version of each bout, but it was the brawl that ensued that made headlines across various online mediums that became the headline, taking away from three masterful performances in the championship bouts.

On the surface, it is easy to point the finger of blame on Jason Miller, Nick and Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, but I sincerely believe they were not the root of the problem. While each one of them should be reprimanded for their participation in this inexcusable situation, so should the Tennessee Athletic Commission (TAC).

I've promoted, co-promoted and been a part of my fair share of MMA events in Canada and the U.S. and if there's one place that knows how to keep order, it is the Athletic Commission in Quebec. For all the criticism they receive (including from yours truly), they do have a solid reputation of making sure it is "they" who run the show; not the promoter, not the fighters, not anyone else.

In Quebec, they only allow licensed fighters and seconds (cornermen) into the cage or ring. The Commission's inspectors work diligently to make sure no one else is anywhere near the combat area before, during or after a fight has been completed. Generally, during post-fight interviews, pictures, etc, they are monitoring everything in and around the cage/ring. If you aren't licensed, you are not getting anywhere near the festivities.

The TAC has been around for a long time and are a fairly well respected within the industry, but based on what happened on Saturday night, I believe they should review their own practices to make sure this type of scenario never happens again.

If Jason Miller was denied entry into the cage, none of this would have happened. I highly doubt he was looking to incite a brawl, and was more or less looking for face time on national television, to ask for a rematch with Shields. It was not the right time and place to do so, but he's a self-promoter who simply made a terrible judgement call. When you add the fact he did this right in front of Shields' teammates (who have a history of backing each other up physically), it makes Miller's decision appear asinine.

All parties have already publicly apologized for their actions, and this "black eye" is already beginning to fade away. Yes, it is definitely an example that MMA's harshest critics will use in the future, but honestly, basic statistics will easily shut down their arguments quicker than the blink of an eye.

Personally, I generally gauge a big MMA story by how many interview requests I receive from the main stream media across Canada vs. how many folks are talking about it on MMA forums and on my own personal pages. If it's big, I'll get requests from tv/radio stations from cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and even some in the Maritimes. Even The Fan 590 and Sportsnet, the two stations that I work for, will contact me to set something up.

Post UFC 112, I was contacted by numerous stations to discuss Anderson Silva's performance as well as the controversy that was the Edgar/Penn bout. As for what happened at Strikeforce, I did not receive a single request to discuss the events that unfolded. Mind you, my personal pages lit up like a fire, as passionate MMA fans were voicing their opinions, but from a Canadian main stream media perspective: complete silence.

Shields positional control is incredible

If you are not a fan of Jake Shields' fighting style, skip to the next section.

The California native's positional control is something to behold. Yes, call me an MMA purist, but I couldn't help but watch in awe as he would finish his takedowns impressively, working to get Dan Henderson onto his back, while already working to pass guard and get to side control or mount.

This is a natural welterweight, who is beating middleweight fighters. Agree or disagree, but doesn't this mean Jake Shields should be considered a serious candidate for MMA's 'Top Ten Pound for Pound' rankings?

I thought it was just me, but on Sunday morning, even Georges St-Pierre, David Loiseau and Steven J Wong (producer/director for "The Striking Truth") discussed this at length over breakfast. GSP and The Crow both expressed sincere respect for Shields' game, while none of us could understand why he does not get the credit he deserves.

The UFC Welterweight Champion is fully aware that Shields may be a free agent come June, and that a bout with Shields is not out of the question. We may see more of Shields in this season's Ultimate Fighter, as he is an assistant coach for Team Liddell, and word out there is that if he does sign with the UFC, he may be considered as a coach for Season 12, opposite GSP. Note: there is also talk that the winner of the UFC 113 Welterweight Co-Main event bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley may also get this slot.

As for St-Pierre, you heard it last night on "MMA Connected" - he believes Jake Shields is "the man" at 170 lbs, and as "a proud champion", he wants "to fight only the best", and Shields "is the best right now".

Melendez vs Aoki boring?

Not in my books.

I was knocked for quite some time for not ranking Shinya Aoki higher on my personal lightweight rankings. I've maintained that while I believe his submission wizardry is second to none, until I see him beat higher calibre opponents, and showcase some serious striking, I cannot honestly make him my number one or two in the world. Rankings are subjective, and folks all have their personal opinions, and mine is simple: prove to me you can consistently beat the best in the division (even with submissions) and then you have me convinced. I said it before the fight - I believed Gilbert Melendez was going to pound Aoki, and prove that the Japanese poster child was one dimensional, and with his right fist, he did just that.

From here, Aoki will likely go back to Japan, work on his striking and put a hurting on anyone who steps into the ring with him in Dream. He's still on my top ten, but not near the top. As for Melendez, he's made the case that he is one of the world's best, and I can only dream of what an 'El Nino" bout with Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard would look like. For the record, he stacks up well against all of them.

Official public apology to King Mo

I knew he was good, I said he was good, I just didn't think he was ready for Gegard Mousasi. And today, I am eating a large plate of crow for missing the boat on the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

I maintain that I am still surprised at Mousasi's gameplan, but King Mo's performance was stellar. Takedown after takedown after takedown. Mousasi couldn't stop them, so Lawal just kept on executing them. I wasn't ready to jump on his bandwagon, solely due to the fact his inexperience worried me, but he defeated a guy who I have long considered one of my favourites in the game. If there's room on the King Mo bandwagon, please let me on.

When it comes to the future of MMA, he's one of the prospects that might just be the next big pay per view draw. I'll go out on a limb and say that King Mo has joined my "Future Stars" list, which has already included the likes of Jon "Bones" Jones, Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis, Rory "The Waterboy" MacDonald, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Jose "Junior" Aldo and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

I'm curious to get your take on the post-fight brawl, the three title bouts and who you see as "Future Stars".