10 Things I Learned Last Night from UFC 101

1. Anderson Silva Stands Alone as the P4P King
When you flatten a former Light Heavyweight champion with a quick right jab while backing up after doing your best Ali / Sugar Ray Leonard impression, you're a bad, bad man.

Yes, Forrest has a suspect chin, but the guy who submitted Shogun and chopped Rampage down with leg kicks could barely land a punch, yet alone defeat "The Spider" via submission as some grappling coaches may have predicted.

2. BJ Penn at 155 is a Monster
The win streak keeps going and the questions about his cardio and new training regime have been answered. Kenny Florian did as good a job as any has against "The Prodigy" of late at lightweight, but was simply beaten by a better man.

Now, the key will be keeping Penn on course to defend his belt with regularity as, despite some people's thoughts, 155 is a deep talent pool of worthy contenders including Diego Sanchez, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar.

3. We've Still Got Stoppage Issues
Not to take anything away from Johny Hendricks, but that was horrible stoppage in my books. Yes, he shook Amir Sadollah with those uppercuts, but most of those wild attempts to finish when the TUF 7 winner was on the ground were misses before Dan Miragliotta jumped in to wave it off.

I know you have to protect the fighters and I'd rather see fights stopped too soon than have guys get in serious trouble, but man. Besides Hendricks missing half those swings, Sadollah was trying to get back to his feet and Miragliotta was behind all the action. Can he see through people to determine the severity of their injuries?

4. Bring on the Replay
Add the Jesse Lennox - Danillo Villefort stoppage to the growing pile of evidence for the inclusion of instant replay into Mixed Martial Arts.

Headbutts and punches are two very different things.

A headbutt causing the gash that led to the stoppage means a No Contest and no complaints. Ruling the cut Villefort suffered was from a punch means he gets a loss, Jesse Lennox gets a win and we get another glaring example of why we need some degree of replay in MMA.

5. Take Your Beating Like a Man, Forrest
I know you're disappointed and I know you're embarassed, but c'mon.

If you can get up that quickly and run to the locker room, you can stand in the Octagon, congratulate your opponent who was clearly the better man and answer any questions Joe Rogan may have for you.

Running to the locker room is bad form and poor sportsmanship, and coming from the guy who is always promoted as a "heart-and-soul" guy, I was thoroughly disappointed.

6. Tough Night for the TUF Boys
Kenny Florian lost, Forrest Griffin lost and Kendall Grove lost too, giving the UFC's flagship show an 0-fer evening in Philadelphia.

The show has unquestionably been great for the sport and the UFC, but maybe the time for hyping guys and introducing them as the former Ultimate Fighter winner is just about over.

I mean, Mac Danzig is a former TUF winner and no one has any more interest in Mac Danzig, right?

7. We've Still Got Judging Issues
I'm no Thales Leites fan, but Thales Leites got robbed. How does one judge see it 30-27 Leites and the other two score the fight for Alessio Sakara?

Additionally, while all the judges saw Matt Riddle as the clear winner, how can three guys have it so different: 29-27, 30-27, and 30-26?

Personally, even the Ricardo Almeida Unanimous 30-27 was dicey to me. Grove had the second round on my scorecard with the armbar attempt.

8. Speaking of Thales Leites...
PEACE OUT HOMEBOY!

Two straight fights where he doesn't want to fight? While I understand not engaging with Anderson Silva, but when you don't even really want to fight Alessio Sakara, a dude who was 4-4 coming into things, you deserve to be cut.

I mean, Jason MacDonald took on everyone the UFC put in front of him, fought hard to a 5-5 record and got his walking papers. This dude certainly deserves the same fate.

9. UFC at Fenway Would Be So Dope!
More of a "What We Learned at the UFC 101 Post-Fight Press Conference" note, but tell me this wouldn't be absolutely awesome?

So too would an outdoor event at Aloha Stadium when the UFC makes their first foray into Hawaiian sometime next year.

And don't even get me started on shows in Vancouver and Toronto...

10. A UFC / WEC Merger is Coming
This has been discussed before and while nothing was even remotely close to being announced last night, there were signs that this is going to happen.

Rogan and Goldie talked up some of the big name talents in the WEC and the promo for tonight's card got lots of airtime on the broadcast. Besides, it would make total sense.

Some of the best fights of every year come from the Mighty Mights of the WEC and with growing recognition for guys like Miguel Torres, Mike Brown and Urijah Faber, bringing everyone under one umbrella would make sense.

Extra Point: 5-5 on the Punch Drunk Predictions
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Punch Drunk Predictions: UFC 101

All the hype and build-up is done.

The fighters have done their preparations, as have the scribes, breaking down all the fights and examining every angle imaginable to try and come up with the best picks possible.

UFC 100 was a rebound event for me, delivering an 8-3 record while going a perfect 5-for-5 on the televised card to bring me a little closer to respectability.

Time to build off that success and keep the ball rolling...

Josh Neer (25-7-1) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (13-4-0)

While Pellegrino has the better ground game, Neer is the more complete fighter and he's actually earned more wins via submission than his black belt counterpart.

"Batman" is sure to be a tough test, as he's a solid all-around veteran who can give anyone fits. Asks Joe Stevenson and Nathan Diaz. But Neer is a talented kid who needs to show that his head is on straight and a chance to move up the ladder in the lightweight division is what he's after.

Kendall Grove (12-5-0, 1 NC) vs. Ricardo Almeida (10-3-0)

Almeida has the BJJ pedigree to make this an interesting test between a striker and a grappler, but he also has a penchant for emptying the gas tank somewhere near the middle of the second round.

Grove, once on the verge of getting the pink slip from the organization, can make it three-in-a-row with a win and should use his length to keep Almeida from getting inside and trying to bring this fight to the ground.

Amir Sadollah (1-0-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0-0)

There really is no good way to predict this fight. On paper, Hendricks is the winner simply because he has spent more time inside the cage under the bright lights than his opponent.

Then again, his opponent thrived with the camera on his 24/7 in winning TUF 7 before becoming, as my man Zak Woods from Watch Kalib Run described him to me earlier, a sickly leper who has been out of the ring for over a year.

Training gets the nod from me in this one, and the boys at Xtreme Couture will ensure the UFC's next goofy and likeable TUF winner is ready to go.

Anderson Silva (24-4-0) vs. Forrest Griffin (16-5-0)

After weeks of going back-and-forth over this fight in my mind and on WKR podcasts with Zak, I've come to one conclusion:

Anderson Silva is not going to lose this fight.

I love Forrest and think there are ways he can claim a victory over the Middleweight champ, but there are just too many things that Silva does freakishly well for Griffin to game plan against.

And for the record, I fully expect to see "The Old Anderson Silva" this time around.

BJ Penn (13-5-1) vs. Kenny Florian (13-3)

I'm rooting for Kenny, but the objective, professional side of me that wants to exhibit my journalistic integrity knows this might be a long night for my man from Massachusetts.

Penn made weight and looked in good shape from various accounts, and that could be all the indication anyone needs. After all, it has been seven years since he lost a fight at 155.

That's not to say an upset can't happen, I just don't think it will.

Punch Drunk Predictions
Record: 44-37 (Getting better...)

Preliminary Card
Danillo Villefort over Jesse Lennox (Submission, R1)
George Sotiropolous over George Roop (Unanimous Decision)
Matt Riddle over Dan Cramer (Unanimous Decision)
Thales Leites over Alessio Sakara (Submission, R2)
Tamdan McCrory over John Howard (Split Decision)
Aaron Riley over Shane Nelson (TKO, R1)

Main Card
Josh Neer over Kurt Pellegrino (Unanimous Decision)
Kendall Grove over Ricardo Almeida (TKO, R3)
Amir Sadollah over Johny Hendricks (Submission, R2)
Anderson Silva over Forrest Griffin (TKO, R2)

And in the Main Event of the evening...

BJ Penn over Kenny Florian via Unanimous Decision to remain UFC Lightweight Champion.

Now touch gloves and come out swingin'...



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FWP: Penn vs. Florian

Stupid job and domestic responsibilities interfering with my daily routine! I've been waiting all day to write this preview...

24 hours before the fight, everyone knows the stories by now, so there is no need to rehash them.

What there is a need for is complete objectivity in breaking down the main event of UFC 101.

"The Prodigy" BJ Penn (13-5-1) versus Kenny "KenFlo" Florian (13-3)

Since BJ's training and preparation is one of things he's often criticized about, that seems like a logical place to start.

You know what you're going to get with Florian.

Training with his brother Keith (congrats on the baby!) and Team Sityodtong's Mark Dellagrote and Peter Welch, Florian has transformed into a visibly different fighter since his loss to Sean Sherk.

His boxing is better. His Muay Thai is better. His cardio and game plans have been better. Essentially, every aspect of his game has improved to a point where he is, as he said when we spoke two weeks ago, at the top of his game in every aspect and ready to prove he can compete with the best in the world at 155.

Then there is BJ.

Reports from the weigh-ins say he looked great; I believe the word Jake Rossen used was "lean," which is a welcome change from "pudgy" or "doughy" when we last saw BJ step on the scale.

The question mark going into this fight is what kind of difference will we see in the champion after leaving Hilo to train in California with Marv Marinovich?

Personally, I think anyone who would push their own flesh and blood (son Todd was an NFL mega-bust) to the brink in pursuit of professional athletic stardom wouldn't have much of a problem putting the boots to a relative stranger and his entourage.

To me, this isn't one of those fights where you can look at each skill category and pick apart the fight from that angle. The totality of the skills of both of these fighters is what makes them as dangerous as they are.

Florian has better all-around stand-up because of his length and Muay Thai, but Penn has outstanding boxing and ridiculous athleticism. On the ground, both hold black belts in BJJ, but only one of them earned a World Championship at the 2000 Mundials.

Looking at mutual opponents, both ran through Joe Stevenson. While Florian managed to finish the fight in quicker fashion, Penn left the former Ultimate Fighter winner an utter mess of his own blood at the close of their encounter.

Obviously, Sean Sherk stands as the only shared opponent and the outcomes of the two fights are polar opposites.

"The Muscle Shark" was left dead in the water at the close of the third round when he challenged Penn for his Lightweight title back at UFC 84, a finish now somewhat famous for Penn licking the blood of his gloves in celebration.

Things went drastically different when Florian faced Sherk for the strap 20 events earlier.

Sherk, then in his prime and dropping to lightweight for the first time, used his superior wrestling to throw the inexperienced Florian from pillar to post in earning a Unanimous Decision and the Lightweight title.

But if anyone believes that the Florian who faced off with Sherk then is the same as the Florian stepping into the cage tomorrow, you clearly haven't been paying attention.

Normally, in breaking down fights, we have no real insight into the minds of the fighters. While we really don't here either, I'd be remiss not to mention the recent quote and subsequent apology from BJ Penn in regards to Georges St-Pierre and steroids.

Personally, if I'm the lightweight champ and anyone other than the fighter I'm squaring off with comes up in an interview, especially my nemesis, I tell the interviewer that I'm focused on Fighter X and move on.

Not BJ; he offers opinions that become major stories, forces himself into a mea culpa situation and gives everyone the opportunity to question his focus heading into a very tough title defense.

Well, that's all of it.

We've covered every inch of this fight and the card in total.

All that's left now is to make some Punch Drunk Predictions and settle in to watch the fights tomorrow night.
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FWP: Silva vs. Griffin

Is it Saturday yet?

From the time this fight was announced, Zak Woods from Watch Kalib Run and I have been talking about it incessantly. Every time we've done a podcast since the announcement, it has somehow come up.

And why wouldn't it?

The UFC wants to see "The Old Anderson Silva" back in action and there is no one better to potentially bring that out of him than Forrest Griffin.

This is going to be awesome... maybe.

Anderson "The Spider" Silva (24-4) versus Forrest Griffin (16-5)

Before I get too excited, I must offer up this disclaimer:

This fight has the potential to be pretty boring in all honesty. If Anderson Silva remains defensively-minded like he has been the last few fights and Forrest Griffin looks to stick and move, this could be 15 minutes of pawing at one another.

With that out of the way, let's focus on how explosive this fight could turn out to be.

There isn't a more dangerous striker on the planet than Anderson Silva. Maybe some people have forgotten that in the boredom that was his last two fights, but I haven't.

As Griffin said on UFC Countdown, Anderson Silva makes great fighters look bad. See Franklin, Rich. Twice.

What makes him even deadlier is that he doesn't have to be the aggressor to take your head off. In his first fight at 205, Silva shuffled around the outside, picking at James Irvin and letting "The Sandman" bring the fight to him.

You know the rest: leg kick, catch, WHAMMO!

In the same way that some diminish Silva's greatness following his last two outings, Griffin's tremendous all-around skills often get skipped over because he's such an entertaining character and endearing fan favorite.

Make no mistake about it: Forrest Griffin could beat Anderson Silva. Anyone who thinks otherwise should contact Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, the last two heavy favorites to be upset by "The Original Ultimate Fighter."

This fight is undoubtedly going to come down to game plans.

Griffin, who everyone was thrilled to hear announced as the man chosen to challenge Silva, should actually eschew the brawling style that endeared him to so many at the beginning of his career and maintain the style he's employed since he was knocked out by Keith Jardine.

I know he lost the belt to Rashad Evans last time out, but he was controlling that fight through the first two rounds by picking his spots and striking effectively from the outside.

As for Silva, the truth is that he could probably employ any game plan he wants and have success; he's just that damn talented.

We've seen that Griffin can be knocked out, so maybe that will be the spark to rekindle the fire in the UFC Middleweight champ and bring about a return to the stalking, predatory "Spider" that everyone has been longing for.

However, he could also just stick and move, pick his spots and wait for counterstriking opportunities.

And that's the beauty of this fight and why it is so highly anticipated.

Until the opening bell sounds and the fight begins, nobody has any real idea what is going to happen.



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B. J. Penn: "I Think GSP Does Steroids"

Over these last few weeks, I've actually started to find myself defending B.J. Penn a great deal.

As I've stated time and again, I've never been one of the many crazed B.J. fans who thinks he can do no wrong; I acknowledge his talents, but he's always been, well, the way he is that sends the other half of the MMA community to websites and message boards galore to criticize him relentlessly.

But lately, I've been migrating a little towards Team Penn amidst the nonsensical "Kenny Florian is going to kill him because he's a whiner" type logic floating about. And remember, this is coming from a guy who just had the best interview of his life with Kenny Florian not two weeks ago.

However, all of that growing support has now gone out the window with Penn's latest bout with verbal diarrhea. Sorry, I can't cheer for an idiot.

The title quote comes courtesy of "The Prodigy" in Kevin Iole's latest effort asking whether B.J. Penn is misunderstood.

While I know the legions of B.J. Penn supporters are going to stand and be counted in agreement with their favorite Hawaiian, when you follow up a statement - slash - allegation like that with, "I can’t hand you any proof, but that’s my opinion," maybe you should think about keeping your opinion to yourself for once?

Damn editing having me all fooled. Here I thought, after watching UFC Countdown for a second time tonight that B.J. was focused on beating Kenny Florian, silencing the critics and making a dominant run through the lightweight division.

Clearly, that isn't the case.

If it was, he wouldn't be dropping accusations like this two days and change before his fight with Florian.

For a guy who has come out recently and declared that he won't do business with the websites he feels haven't given him a fair shake over the years, making claims like this with absolutely nothing to back it up is what fuels those fires.

And what brilliance reasoning does Baby Jay have for his steadfast belief that St-Pierre uses performance-enhancers?

“In my opinion, he doesn’t play by the rules when it comes to steroids and growth hormones and that stuff. Look at him. He’s the worst. He looks like that every day. That’s cheating. There is a reason why there are rules against using steroids. The rest of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time. Come on.”

Wow.

Most of us get fat because we don't workout as diligently as we should, eat a whole bunch of crap and spend more time on the couch than we do a treadmill.

Did it ever occur to Penn that while he's hanging out in Hilo following a fight, getting fat so he can train and drop the weight again, GSP is the kind of guy who just trains every day and approaches each day the same way, fight or no fight?

I know a ton of people who are workout freaks that stick to their programs 365-24-7. None of them are ever fat and none of them are in consideration as the best fighter in the business today.

If guys I grew up with are able to maintain a consistent weight and physique through diet and training, is it not entirely possible that a high-performance athlete like GSP could do the same?

Apparently not in the mind of B.J. Penn.

What a strange and terrifying place that must be.


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FWP: Sadollah vs. Hendricks

Though nothing is 100% etched in stone, it looks like TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah is actually going to make his return to the Octagon on Saturday.

The last time we saw him in the cage was the night he earned his contract, June 21, 2008. Since then, it's been injury after injury, scraping two fights and leaving Sadollah far enough off the radar that the UFC installed him as the "host" of their Inside the Octagon segment during the last season of TUF.

Barring anything catastrophic, he's finally going to get that second professional fight under his belt and it's not going to be a walk in the park either.

Amir Sadollah (1-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0)

Honestly, this fight has no business being the third fight on a pay-per-view, but it's presence there should signal something to everyone if it hasn't been clear this whole way already.

The UFC has some serious time invested in Amir Sadollah and sees a bright future for him. Sadollah has a lot of the same qualities as his coach on TUF, Forrest Griffin, including the natural charisma to draw people in.

This is why he saw him hosting that little segment every week; he's a sharp guy who is pretty entertaining, but since he's been off the grid for so long, the UFC needed to remind us all how much we liked him.

Now they stick him in there with a tough kid who reminds me a lot of Josh Koscheck.

Johny Hendricks is an outstanding wrestler. A three-time All-American, Hendricks wrestled at Oklahoma State with Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller and earned two National Championships.

Okay, so he's actually a better wrestler collegiately than Kos.

Anyway, what makes me think of Koscheck when I watch Hendricks is his propensity for standing up and striking. Just like the AKA product and TUF alum, Hendricks uses his wrestling when he needs to, but is just as interested in standing and banging with his opponents.

It's very hard to handicap this fight; Sadollah has just one fight to his name and is coming off a long layoff and numerous injuries, while Hendricks is good enough to be 5-0, including two wins in the WEC, but if he was that good, he would have been in the UFC and not the WEC, right?

Bottom line: the UFC needs Sadollah to win this fight and Hendricks should be just enough of an opponent to not make it look easy, but still come out holding the short straw if you know what I mean.

P.S. Keyboard Kimura Post #100...

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FWP: Grove vs. Almeida

Back at the finale for The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, a loss would have most likely meant the end of the line for Season 3 winner Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove.

After earning a Split Decision victory that night over Evan Tanner in what would turn out to be the former champion's last fight, Grove is set to take on former King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida at UFC 101 and looking to stretch his winning streak to three.

Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (10-5, 1 NC) versus Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida (10-3)

Almeida is an interesting case.

After leaving the UFC back in 2002, Almeida dominated in Pancrase for four years, earning victories over the likes of Kazuo Misaki and Nathan Marquardt.

Following three years off to focus on running his school in New Jersey, he returned to the UFC and has looked only average in going 2-1. Now he has declared his intentions to drop down to 170 following this fight, something that makes this bout all the more interesting.

Both Grove and Almeida have losses to Patrick Cote on their resumes; Grove in spectacular fashion under a flurry of fists and Almeida via Unanimous Decision. It's their performances since then that are most telling.

While Grove battled the former champion Tanner to a hard-fought victory and sent Jason Day packing with a first round knockout, Almeida was only able to grind out a decision victory over Matt Horwich back in April.

Grind is the key word with Almeida; outside of his return win over complete unknown Rob Yundt, Almeida looks to control fights with his high-level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and take few risks, wearing out the opposition and grinding out a win.

Grove, on the other hand, is the kind of fighter many fans love; a guy who is going to come get you, even if it means getting caught and dropped from time-to-time.

What makes the Hawaiian such an study at middleweight is his length; Grove stands 6'6" tall and has a significant reach advantage over everyone he faces.

While Almeida will surely need to get inside and bring the fight to the ground, Grove has the length and striking skills to pick at Almeida from a distance and keep him on the outside.

In terms of training camps, I personally give the edge to Grove, who trains with close friend and fellow Hawaiian BJ Penn.

I know what you're thinking: how can anyone get the advantage when they train with "The Legend of Lazy" BJ Penn?

Easy: Penn has shifted his camp for the UFC 101 Main Event to California and rededicated himself to coming into this fight in the best shape of his life.

Assuming Grove also made the trip to train under Marv Marinovich, a man who basically bred his son to be a star quarterback and pushed him into oblivion in the process, will have Grove entering the ring in ridiculous condition.

One last thing: four of Grove's five losses come by way of knockout, something Almeida has never done to an opponent in his career.

I'm just sayin' is all.
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FWP: Neer vs. Pellegrino

Yawn ...

Not to take anything away from either fighter, but are you kidding me?

How is this fight taking place on the main card of a UFC Pay-Per-View event? Thales Leites goes from "fighting" Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title to non-televised preliminary card and we get this battle between two middle of the pack lightweights?

Though it could be billed as one of the weirdest children's book titles of all-time (Batman Meets The Dentist), this fight has Ultimate Fight Night written all over it.

"The Dentist" Josh Neer (25-7-1) vs. "Batman" Kurt Pellegrino (13-4)

So Nate Diaz loses two in a row and headlines September's UFN, the last two guys he's beaten get the opening spot on UFC 101's broadcast and Gray Maynard and Roger Huerta get second or third billing on that same September card?

Sounds about right ...

Since it's already been mentioned, these two share defeats at the hands of Nathan Diaz; Pellegrino famously via the "Dual Middle Finger Triangle Choke of Death," while Neer lost a Split Decision that many, myself included, think should have gone the other way.

Make no mistake about it, Josh Neer is a talented kid who could be a contender in the lightweight division. He's earned wins over tough veteran Din Thomas and former TUF winner Mac Danzig to go along with his loss to Diaz and used to train with Miletich Fighting Systems.

Pellegrino is as tenacious as they come and doesn't get beaten easily. He went the distance with Joe Stevenson two years ago and earned a very hard fought decision over Thiago Tavares at UFC 88 that became an instant classic.

Both fighters are coming in off wins at UFN 17 back in February; Neer over Danzig and Pellegrino over Rob Emerson.

One of these guys will earn a victory and take another step up the ladder into the deeper-than-you-think lightweight talent pool, while the other will be left treading water.
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A Warning to Kenny Florian

I don't consider myself a B.J. Penn fan.

As an athletically-challenged individual without any natural talents in the realm of sports, watching a guy like Penn coast along on the gifts he's been given sometimes leads me to hope his opponents smash him.

That being said, you're out of your mind if you think Kenny Florian is going to beat B.J. Penn come UFC 101.

I'll give Florian all the credit in the world for his evolution as a fighter. He's come a long way since losing to Diego Sanchez in the Middleweight finale of TUF 1 and he's looked pretty good in racking up six straight wins heading into his second Lightweight title shot.

But this is B.J. Penn we're talking about here.

I may not be a fan of Penn, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing and acknowledging great talents when I see them. Dislike him all you want, but there is no questioning the immense skills and proven track record "The Prodigy" has when fighting at his natural weight class.

Penn has five losses in his Mixed Martial Arts career. Three are at welterweight and one is an open weight decision loss at the hands of Lyoto Machida. That leaves just one loss at his natural 155 pound class, coming to Jens Pulver ... more than seven years ago.

The UFC Lightweight champion is 9-1-1 when fighting at 155 pounds, earning a draw against Caol Uno following the Pulver loss. That was in February 2002.

Do the math: BJ Penn is undefeated as a lightweight in the last seven years.

In that time, he made Takanori Gomi tap, did the same in avenging his loss to Pulver, and then destroyed both Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk in earning and defending the UFC Lightweight title.

He also scored wins over respected veterans Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie outside of the 155 weight class during that time too, not to mention taking Matt Hughes' UFC Welterweight belt.

Can B.J. Penn be an obnoxious complainer and a frustrating fighter to watch? Absolutely, as we learned through "Greasegate" and his portrayal on "UFC Primetime" leading into the second GSP fight.

Can you question his level of dominance in the Lightweight division? Absolutely not.

Going into this fight at UFC 101, don't maintain the beaten and tired image of B.J. Penn losing to Georges St-Pierre in your head. That's not the Penn you'll be seeing.

The guy Kenny Florian is set to face is the human wrecking ball that decimated Sean Sherk, leaving him collapsed against the cage, a bloody mess that was unable to continue.

Maybe I'm going to be proven wrong.

Or maybe this will be the start of B.J. Penn running through the entire lightweight division, erasing all doubts about how great a fighter he truly is ... when he wants to be.



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No Other Options

Dana White and the UFC hype machine painted themselves into a corner and the only foreseeable way out was to put together a fight that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

What do you do with a fighter you promote as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world when he seems to be uninterested in fighting to the best of his abilities? You give him his second fight at light heavyweight and make it against a fan favorite and former champion.

And so, Anderson Silva versus Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 was born.

Silva has been completely underwhelming in wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, but what purpose does a move to 205 serve? Should he win, what comes next? The light heavyweight title picture is already a crowded affair and adding Anderson Silva to the mix only muddies the waters more.

Regardless of who wins the upcoming Rashad Evans/Lyoto Machida title fight, the loser doesn't fall into oblivion, as it will be the first loss for either competitor. Machida would have to work his way into another shot should he lose, but Evans would be, at most, two fights away from another shot at the strap. Of course, that logic brings Rampage Jackson into the question.

Since losing the title to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, Rampage has disposed of top tier contenders Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, giving him a valid claim to the #1 contender spot. But what of the original Ultimate Fighter?

Griffin falls into the same former champion lineage as Jackson, with this fight against Silva being his first since dropping the light heavyweight title to Evans at Ultimate 2008. Beating the "best pound-for-pound fighter in the world" would certainly make Griffin #1-A in the title picture, potentially setting up an outstanding rematch with Rampage.

Where would that leave Silva though? A loss removes all serious interest in Anderson Silva fighting at 205, as he would fall behind the aforementioned contenders and be faced with the prospect of fights with the likes of Keith Jardine and Rich Franklin. Sure, he's still got the middleweight belt, but he's cleaned out the division and seems bored fighting at 185.

That being said, Silva's destruction of James Irvin was impressive enough to merit the step up in competition and if the Anderson Silva who tore through the middleweight division shows up inside the cage, there is no reason to believe another win at 205 would be far behind.

Two wins, including one over a former champion, and a lot of name recognition seems like it would be enough to put "The Spider" into the title picture. Except that there is no way he would ever fight Lyoto Machida, should "The Dragon" defeat Evans later this month.

He'd have beaten a legitimate title contender and have no where to go, except into another fight that would only further muddle the murky light heavyweight title picture or back down to 185 where he seems to have no interest in putting on a good fight.

While this is certainly a fight that fans - myself included - are very excited to see, no matter how it plays out, the UFC is left with far more questions than answers and that is never a good thing. Continue reading...