Forget what Dana White says, GSP continues to prove he’s the best pound-for-pound in the world.
It's been a few weeks since I've had a moment to jot down my thoughts on what's happening in the world of MMA. On the personal side, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind, what with the birth of my first child (a son I am projecting will take on Jose Aldo in 2028), and thus I haven't had a chance to provide analysis, fight breakdowns and "aftermath" pieces.
So while the little guy is taking a nap, let's do this:
UFC 124
Another stellar show at the Bell Centre in Montreal. I tweeted that I wasn't happy with the lack of fan support during the prelims. Every bout had a Canadian competing, yet unlike The Palace of Auburn Hills last month, last Saturday's venue wasn't jammed with true MMA fans.
It was approximately 75 per cent full, with the likely other 25 per cent being the ones related to the other fans that voted for Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck for "Fight of The Night," thoroughly robbing welterweights Sean Pierson and Matthew Riddle of the $100,000 bonus.
The UFC gave the fans the opportunity to pick the "FOTN" winners, and like Dana White said, they blew it. For once -- and I stress "FOR ONCE" -- it was the first time I have ever been at a post-fight press conference where ALL of the media agreed with the UFC prez. There were no debates, counter-arguments, etc. This is not something the fans should vote on, as it is obvious that the winners are likely going to be based on "popularity" amongst the voters.
If anything, create a "Fan's Fight of the Night" or "Performance of the Night." In fact, memo to Dana White, why not create a system where the media are allowed to vote?
(Note: I would have exempted myself from such voting for UFC 124, due to my business relationship with Pierson.)
The last WEC
I've long stated that World Extreme Cagefighting put on the best bouts in MMA and the proof was in the pudding with last Thursday's event. It was another case of solid matchmaking by Sean Shelby, while the fighters simply were fantastic:
-- For the record, I scored the opening bout of the broadcast for Bart Palaszewski, and not Kamal Shalorus.
-- Blaming Shawn Tompkins for Chris Horodecki's loss to Donald Cerrone is frustrating to read. Sometimes in MMA, you have to go into a bout or a round with the element of surprise. Would I have told Chris to take the fight down to the ground? Likely not. But Tompkins knows what he is doing, and hindsight is now giving many too many critics the right to blast him. I can name you dozens of bouts where the opposite of what was expected from a fighter was what actually took place inside of the cage. Live and learn, folks. Above all, what if the strategy worked? That's right, Tompkins would be looked upon as a genius today, and not with the various negative adjectives that are being used to describe him today.
-- Dominick Cruz, as awkward as he looks, is truly a sight to behold. Not sure if the fight with Urijah Faber will materialize sooner rather than later, but placing these guys as coaches on TUF would be a great move by the UFC. There is bad blood, and you know that Urijah will bring his Team Alpha Male crew with him as assistant coaches. It's a recipe for solid ratings. Viewers are always intrigued by the bad blood between the coaches, so for me, it's a no-brainer.
-- Anthony (Showtime) Pettis' Matrix kick, off the cage, nothing but face, on Benson (Smooth) Henderson was simply unforgettable. I've seen thousands of MMA fights, and have never seen anything like that. My original favourite move in a pro MMA bout was when Richard (The Monkey) Nancoo climbed the ropes in his Freedom Fight bout vs. Jeremy Bolt in 2005, setting up a triangle choke finish midway through the second round. It was a sight to behold live, in person, but what Pettis did on Thursday night was magical. A star was born inside that cage, and one that will shine for quite sometime inside the Octagon.
Random MMA news and notes
-- Fedor Emelianenko recently stated that when he retires, and his resume will show that he never competed for the UFC, it will be their loss. My politically correct analysis should state that "I am speechless," but I'm not. Unfortunately, that statement is absurd, and hopefully the greatest heavyweight of all time (and yes, I still believe he is) simply stated that in a tongue-and-cheek manner. If he's serious, we have some serious perception issues here. Bottom line, "The Last Emperor" is set to return to action in January, wait… I just read it's February. Nope, his camp just said January vs. Antonio Silva... hold on, another member of his management just confirmed February.
-- Strikeforce's last event was a barn burner for the fans, but many of the match-ups were simply, well, mismatched. Add to that the flawed strategy by some of the fighters on that card, questionable refereeing, and you get what you got. Some refer to it as a "classic night of fights" while others see it for what it is. I'm not sure which way you looked at it, but I know I enjoyed it, especially the fact that Dan Henderson proved me wrong by a landslide. Great job by "Hendo"... simply nostalgic to say the least.
-- Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez is moving on from the potential superfight bout vs. Bellator 155-pound title-holder Eddie Alvarez. "El Nino" is thinking of moving up to welterweight to face Paul (Semtex) Daley, should Strikefroce not pit the Brit vs. his teammate Nick Diaz. I like the match-up and I have no issues with it whatsoever.
-- Back to Georges St-Pierre for a moment. I disagree with Dana White. GSP is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, not Anderson Silva. There is minimal dispute here. And for those who say he cannot finish fights, your argument is falling on deaf ears. Finishing fights is great, but so is trying to finish fights. Georges did all he could to finish off Koscheck (and Hardy, Alves, Fitch, etc.) but these guys are as tough as nails. In future, I will dive a little deeper into this debate, to offer up my proof as to why I, and many others, disagree with Dana.
I have so much more to say, and I should be able to so soon enough. For now, it's back to tending to my little guy, while prepping for this week's episode of "MMA Connected," as well as our "Best of 2010" episode, which will air on Tuesday, and for the rest of the month on Rogers Sportsnet. It will be a great platform for many of our viewers to voice their thoughts (and for the haters, their displeasure) for our team picks for our "Top Stories of 2010," as well as "my" top-10 fights of the past 12 months.
