My Subjective Decision is Better: Looking at Controversial Decisions from a Different Angle

Quickly: Who is getting the better of this exchange?

The fact of the matter is that there is no definitive answer, and getting three people to agree certainly wouldn't be the easiest task of the day.

In all honesty, coming up with a definitive answer to the first question depends on how you respond to a series of related questions first:

Which strike landed first? Who initiated the action? Where are you sitting? Does Machida's punch connect? Did Rua's kick land?

If a consensus can't be reached looking at a photograph, why are so many people up in arms when the same thing happens in real time?

For better or for worse, whenever something is scored subjectively, these things are going to happen.

Just as individuals have different tastes in music, clothes and food, each judge weighs certain elements of the fights they score differently.

The outcry over what is perceived as a rash of bad decisions as of late is a little much for me.

While my scorecards have certainly looked different than those read aloud from time-to-time, it's the reactions of some in the media that interest me most.

This past weekend, both Jorden Breen of Sherdog and Mike Fagan of Bloody Elbow expressed their displeasure with judge Glenn Trowbridge's scorecard following the Tito Ortiz - Forrest Griffin fight at UFC 106. Trowbridge was the judge who scored things 29-28 Ortiz.

One called him "the most dangerous man in the sport" while the other petitioned for his license to be pulled. I wonder whether they have the same anger and frustration with their colleague Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated, who had the same scorecard as Trowbridge?

Probably not.

What actually interests me more than debating who won the fight, going back through the video to watch it again or vehemently rattling off Fight Metric numbers about the contest is comments like those offer up by Fagan in his recap:

A card of 29-28 Ortiz is atrocious. Absolutely atrocious. I personally had the fight 30-26 Griffin, though I find 30-27 and 29-28 Griffin acceptable as well.

My question is what makes one subjective decision better than another?

For the sake of putting all the cards on the table before we go any further, I had this fight scored as a draw (28-28) with Ortiz winning Rounds 1 and 2, but Griffin earning a 10-8 in the final round to even things out.

Apparently, the way I saw the fight is unacceptable.

First and foremost, each of these last three UFC main events that have drawn criticism were close fights.

To me, if you can't concede that, there is no point in having this discussion. You're cemented in your view and nothing anyone says will get you to budge, not even an inch.

While the commitment and conviction is commendable, it's also flawed in my opinion; scoring these fights is completely subjective, therefore by definition there are going to be differing views and potentially different outcomes.

Yes, you saw the fight going one way, but that doesn't mean it is outside of the realm of possibility that someone else saw it a different way.

Besides, it's not like any of these decisions were nearly as bad as the Mike Easton - Chase Beebe bout at UWC 7, and other than the Luke Thomas-led charge to change the results, not a lot of people were outwardly angered about that fight.

Or in the very least, they weren't calling for people's jobs.

But when you put it on the biggest stage and have the most eyes watching, close fights become cause for boisterous outcries for judging reform and the removal of these incompetent people who offered up differing opinions.

While we're certainly in the business of generating hits and controversy brings the crowds, there is something to be said for having a little perspective.

After all, Forrest Griffin still won the fight... crisis averted.

Are there areas of improvement and opportunities for growth in the judging of Mixed Martial Arts bouts?

Absolutely, just as there is in boxing, figure skating, diving and every other subjectively scored sport.

But when things are left up to interpretation, telling someone their interpretation is wrong, invalid or ridiculous is pointless and ultimately proves nothing.

One person looks at a Jackson Pollack and sees art, while the other sees a mess of paint with no purpose.

At the end of the day, both think the other is mistaken and no one can tell them otherwise, no matter how loud they yell and demand they return their museum membership.


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UFC 106: 10 Things We Learned Last Night

1. Best Entrance Music Ever

Before breaking down the fights, let's get one thing clear: the choice of "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba as Forrest Griffin's entrance song was awesome.

Coming off an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Anderson Silva, there was no better song for Griffin to walk out to than one whose chorus states, "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down."

Well played, Forrest Griffin. Well played.

2. Play It Again, Sam

Chances are, we'll see Forrest - Tito 3 somewhere down the road, just because it's (a) 1-1 in their series and you have to have a winner and (b) both these guys bring in the crowds and would make for a great #2 or #3 fight on a stacked card.

While it might not be warranted in some people's estimations because Griffin was clearly the victor last night while Ortiz eeked out a decision in their first fight, they seem to enjoy fighting each other and matchup well against one another, so why not do it again down the road?

You have to admit: this was far better than Ortiz vs. Coleman would have been.

3. Sorry Tito, But You Missed the Evolutionary Bus

No, I'm not saying Tito is a caveman or anything disparaging when it comes to the real world application of the word evolution. But in terms of Mixed Martial Arts, Tito missed the bus in a big, big way.

Back when Tito dominated the 205 pound division, being outstanding at one skill could propel you to numerous victories and Tito was a prime example. His wrestling was tremendous and few could defend his double leg takedown. From there, a little Tito ground and pound and the fight was done.

But we're creeping up on 2010 and being one dimensional isn't going to cut it today. Even a guy like Forrest who started out as a brawler has evolved, tightening up his striking, adding some Muay Thai and developing a very underrated ground game under Robert Drysdale.

If Tito wants to have any success moving forward, he's going to have to disprove the theory that you can't teach and old dog new tricks.

4. Not Quite Ready to Rumble

He's close, but Anthony Johnson just isn't quite there yet and Josh Koscheck showed that last night, by utilizing his strong wrestling base and superior submission skills to force the Cung Le protegee to tap in the second round of their much-anticipated bout.

What a novel concept, using your strengths in accordance with your opponents weaknesses to earn a victory. Why didn't someone think of that sooner... or at least tell Jorge Gurgel?

Results aside, this was an ugly fight. Both guys got poked in the eye and we were extremely close to seeing the fight end in a disqualification thanks to Johnson's blatant and brutal knee of a downed Koscheck.

Regardless of what the replays showed and however you want to spin it, Johnson should know better and until those mental errors are erased and he develops his defensive skills against submissions, "Rumble" will remain an outstanding prospect who can't quite get over the hump.

5. That Was Fight of the Night?

As entertaining as the Koscheck - Johnson tilt was, am I the only one wondering how a fight filled with fouls and accidental eye gouging was awarded Fight of the Night?

My understanding of things is that the $60,000 bonus should go the bout that provided the most action throughout or was the most evenly contested fight of the evening, not a scrap that didn't see the third round and was stopped repeatedly for rest and regaining clear vision.

Griffin - Ortiz and Thiago - Volkmann were far more deserving of the money in my books, but these aren't my books we're talking about.

6. Speaking of Jacob Volkmann...

Two things I liked from the debuting Minnesota Martial Arts Academy welterweight:

1. His nickname

As Joe Rogan said, we have enough pitbulls and spiders and guys with menacing names who are far from menacing, so now we have a guy his friends call "Christmas" and I love it. Even better is that it comes from his ever-so-slight resemblance to Jim Carrey's character "Lloyd Christmas" in Dumb & Dumber.

2. D'Arce Choke off His Back

Yeah, you don't see that one every day, especially against a guy who is known for having a great jiu jitsu game of his own. While he was able to secure the choke enough and score the win, pulling moves like that out is certainly a glimmer of hope for future fights with the UFC.

7. The Best Part of Phil Baroni's Performance...

... was his entrance.

Honestly, someone needs to tell me why Baroni was given an opportunity to collect whatever money he made last night while countless fighters are denied chances to fight pay-per-view cards or even fight in the UFC at all.

Remember, the UFC re-signed "The New York Bad Ass" after Strikeforce had released him, so it's not like he was a big-name talent who could have helped the competition. This was brutal, just as everyone outside of the Baroni family knew it would be.

8. Sadollah Looked Solid

Actually, he looked more than solid. He looked strong and despite my history of ragging on the former Ultimate Fighter, I won't even qualify that with an "against the equivalent of a human punching bag in Phil Baroni."

His Muay Thai was terrific; powerful kicks and well-placed elbows that would cut up anyone, and he showed a killer instinct to keep pushing the fight when he clearly could have coasted through the final round.

While the memory of the Johny Hendricks fight still lingers, it's not as salient and I look forward to seeing what's next for Sadollah.

9. Introducing Antonio Rogerio "Minotouro" Nogueira

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Lil' Nog. Nog meet the UFC fan base.

This was one of the best debuts I can remember, as Nogueira made quick and easy work of a very game opponent in Luis Cane, showing those who were unaware that there are two talented Nogueiras in the game.

Unlike Koscheck - Johnson, Rogerio was more than deserving of his $60,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night and the rest of the light heavyweight division has officially been put on notice that a new knockout artist has arrived.

10. Still A Couple Judging Questions

As always, there are a couple points of discussion concerning scorecards and judges.

a) Did anyone else think Phil Baroni won a round besides the one judge who scored it 29-28?
b) I still don't know how you can have a fight scored 30-27 Griffin and 29-28 Ortiz...
c) If ever there were a 10-8 round it was Round 3, right? Ortiz did zero...

While there are always going to be a couple questions, at least we didn't have a main event that yielded a controversial decision!

On to The Ultimate Finale!







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UFC 106 Punch Drunk Predictions

In the words of Bruce Buffer, "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's (big inhale) TIIIIMMMMEEEE!"

UFC 106 is upon us and despite numerous injuries, illnesses and last minute decisions, this is still a pretty solid fight card and one that will help to bring clarity to some muddied division moving forward.

As has now become custom, before the picks comes the quick hit coverage of the preliminary fights, including Paulo Thiago and Jacob Volkmann which will now be on the PPV portion.

Enjoy the fights!

The Prelims

George Sotiropoulos (10-2-0) vs. Jason Dent (19-9-0)

Dent was a member of Team USA on Season 9 of the Ultimate Fighter and is getting his second go round with the UFC. Sotiropoulos is also a TUF alum (Season 6... yikes!) who looked very good in his debut at 155 last time out in a battle of the Georges.

Sotiropoulos is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a fairly large lightweight, standing 5'10" and having competed previously at welterweight. While Dent is a submission guy as well, he simply isn't on the same level as the fluid Aussie.

Caol Uno (25-12-4) vs. Fabricio Camoes (10-4-0)

The debuting Camoes is a BJJ black belt under Royler Gracie and apparently once went 27 minutes with Anderson Silva in a bare-knuckled fight when he was 17-years-old. No word on whether he's killed a bear with a knife and fork like Aleks Emelianenko...

Uno is a long-time veteran and one of the most respected lightweights in the game. He has four losses in his last seven fights, including a difficult decision against Spencer Fisher in his return at UFC 99. The others are against some of the best the sport has to offer: Shinya Aoki, Gesias "JZ Calvan" Cavalcante and Andre "Dida" Amade.

If you like grappling, you'll love this fight, as these two will surely transition through attempts and reversals for the majority of the fight.

Brock Larson (26-3-0) vs. Brian Foster (12-4-0)

Going to keep this one short and sweet.

Brian Foster lost last time out to Rick Story, who secured an arm triangle from inside Foster's half guard, while Larson is coming off a decision loss to Mike Pierce and has more submission wins than Foster has professional fights.

Please, feel free to do the math.

Kendall Grove (10-6-0) vs. Jake Rosholt (6-1-0)

Let the requisite "Will Kendall Grove be the first Ultimate Fighter winner released if he loses this fight?" discussion begin. Just ignore the guy in the background yelling something about Travis Lutter.

Jokes and speculation aside, Grove needs a win here in a bad way, as four losses in six fights usually doesn't help you maintain employment, Ultimate Fighter winner or not.

Rosholt looked okay against Chris Leben last time out and is still a good-looking prospect at 185 thanks to a great wrestling pedigree and strong training camp led by Boba Fett, Team Takedown's Mark Laimon, who promises to break out more from the Ecko Star Wars collection tonight.

Ben Saunders (7-1-2) vs. Marcus Davis (16-5-0)

This one is intriguing because it could go one of two ways.

Option 1: Davis smashes on Saunders the way Mike Swick did in Germany, pummeling the big man into submission under a flurry of precision boxing and power shots.

Option 2: Saunders uses his massive height and reach advantage, keeps Davis at bay and then locks in that deadly Thai clinch we saw against Brandon Wolff and turns the face of the "Irish Hand Grenade" into Sheppard's Pie.

Either way, should be a slugfest.

Paulo Thiago (11-1-0) vs. Jacob Volkmann (9-0-0)

It's always a risky proposition picking fights involving fighters you don't know much about. It's no help when the only interesting information that can be gleaned about Volkmann's career to date is that his ring name is "Christmas" and he trains with Brock Lesnar & Co. at Minnesota Martial Arts.

On the other side of the cage, Paulo Thiago has been extremely impressive in two trips into the Octagon, knocking out Josh Koscheck in his debut and going the full 15 with Jon Fitch at UFC 100.

What impressed me most is the combination of those two fights, as we've seen a deadly uppercut drop Koscheck and some slick submission work against Fitch, neither of which bode well for the newcomer.

Punch Drunk Predictions
Record: 111-80

Preliminary Card
George Sotiropoulos over Jason Dent - Submission, Round 2
Caol Uno over Fabricio Camoes - Split Decision
Brock Larson over Brian Foster - Submission, Round 1
Jake Rosholt over Kendall Grove - Unanimous Decision
Marcus Davis over Ben Saunders - TKO, Round 2

Main Card
Amir Sadollah over Phil Baroni - Submission, Round 2
Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira over Luis Cane - Unanimous Decision
Paulo Thiago over Jacob Volkmann - Submission, Round 1
Josh Koscheck over Anthony "Rumble" Johnson - Split Decision

And in the Main Event of the evening...

"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz over Forrest Griffin via Unanimous Decision.

Now touch gloves and come out swinging!

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UFC 105 Fight Week Previews: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin

A lot of people are lamenting this bout being atop the marquee for UFC 106.

They complain about two fighters coming in on losing streaks; one not having stepped into the cage for over a year, the other coming off an embarrassing defeat less than four months ago.

While this may not be the best main event the sport has ever seen, injuries and illness are to blame, not Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. Besides, the inclusion of Griffin over the aging Mark Coleman is an upgrade and the last time these two met in the center of the Octagon, fight fans were treated to a tremendous back-and-forth bout.

Now Tito's healthy and Forrest has something to prove. Expect a repeat of Round 1.

"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) vs. "The Original Ultimate Fighter" Forrest Griffin (16-6-0)

Tito Ortiz is Team Punishment; he is the driving force behind the camp and while he certainly has a wealth of experience and a routine that works for him up in Big Bear, Forrest Griffin's affiliation with Xtreme Couture gets the nod in the opening assessment category.

While Ortiz can bring in any number of well-known partners in advance of this bout, Griffin spends each day working with some of the best in the business, not to mention striking coach Ron Frazier, wrestling coach Neil Melanson and grappling / jiu jitsu instructor Robert Drysdale.

Thankfully, the 2007 ADCC Absoulte champ didn't make any bold predictions heading into this bout.

Experience and strength of schedule fall to the longest reigning UFC light heavyweight champion in history. While some will diminish Tito's run atop the 205 pound division because it involved a good year or two of dodging friend and challenger Chuck Liddell, Ortiz still handily beat every opponent put before him over a three-and-a-half year span, including earning the belt over Wanderlei Silva.

Of course, he also has the edge head-to-head against Griffin as well, though some would argue differently.

Their first fight was one that cemented Griffin's standing as a fan favorite and helped begin his transformation into an eventual champion. For Ortiz, it was the last good win of his impressive career and a win that was achieved with a back that required major surgery.

But things have changed this time around, as Griffin is no longer the brawler who simply tried to trade blows with his opponents that Tito fought the first time. Though he's lost his last two fights, Griffin has matured into a more technical fighter, at least he had previous to the Anderson Silva debacle.

That being said, Ortiz is essentially a big bag of question marks coming into this fight, as more than 18 months have passed since we last saw him in the ring, losing a unanimous decision to current light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

While Ortiz is always one to sell himself to the hilt and do what is necessary to hype a fight, who can truly say how much the back problems affected him all this time. Could a surgically-repaired back lead to a return to relevance for Ortiz?

Obviously, this isn't the fight the UFC and fans were hoping to have as the Main Event of UFC 106; it wasn't even the fight originally booked for Ortiz in the first place.

But in terms of last minute replacements and compared to the likes of UFC 97 (cough Thales Leites cough), this really isn't that bad of a bout.

Chances are that by the time Sunday rolls around, you'll have been pleasantly surprised.

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UFC 106 Fight Week Previews: Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck

Quickly put together in the wake of Brock Lesnar's inability to headline UFC 106, this is a welterweight matchup many fans have been looking forward to since it was announced.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is widely considered one of the top prospects in the sport, an entertaining young striker who many feel is destined for greatness and championship gold.

Standing across the cage will be the always eager to fight Josh Koscheck, an Ultimate Fighter 1 alum who is never afraid to speak his mind or test himself against the best available opponents.

This fight may have been a reactionary move, but it's a good one and could certainly end up proving to be the most exciting fight of the night.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-2-0) vs. Josh Koscheck (13-4-0)

Without question, Koscheck takes the opening element of analysis - training team - as he is a part of the welterweight trio that works together with Dave Camarillo and "Crazy" Bob Cook at American Kickboxing Academy, while Johnson doesn't present any real team affiliation.

Along with Jon Fitch and Mike Swick, the three all reside inside the Top 10 in the division and work well together, preparing each other for their upcoming fights along with the rest of the AKA team.

Experience and strength of schedule certainly come out as wins for Koscheck as well, as the bleach-blond battler will be making his 16th appearance inside the Octagon, twice as many as his opponent.

While Johnson has certainly delivered some memorable finishes inside the cage, Koscheck has faced the far stiffer competition, having gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Frank Trigg, Thiago Alves and Dustin Hazelett, in addition to having spent 15 minutes fending off divisional kingpin Georges St-Pierre.

Johnson's most noteworthy win to date came in his last fight against the one opponent he shares with Koscheck, Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida.

As impressive as Johnson's striking was in the brief amount of time it took to knockout Yoshida, it was also a carbon copy of Koscheck's performance against the Japanese fighter at UFC Fight for the Troops last December. Johnson may have been a little quicker to the finish line, but this isn't a race.

Where Johnson earns his one edge in this matchup is in the style department.

Both are accomplished wrestlers, and while Koscheck certainly owns an advantage if the fight goes to the ground, he's shown a penchant for punching as of late and that could spell danger against a lightning-quick powerhouse like Johnson.

A lot of attention will be paid to this bout even before the step into the ring, as Friday's weigh-in will be under the microscope when it comes to Johnson.

Last time out, a knee injury and need weight-cutting routine left him an unacceptable six pounds overweight, leading many to wonder whether his future resides in the middleweight division.

While Johnson insists that he'll come in on weight without issue this time around, many are taking a wait-and-see approach.

If you're placing bets on which bout produces the "Knockout of the Night," this is the horse you want to be backing.




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UFC 106 Fight Week Preview: Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

Am I the only one who looks at this picture of Phil Baroni and immediately thinks of a stylized-MMA version of "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff?

While Jason "Mayhem" Miller brings flare to the fight game, he additionally backs it up inside the cage and has a number of quality wins to speak of. Baroni? Not so much.

Pair that with Amir "The UFC Segment Host" Sadollah and you have a very, very unappealing fight that has been promoted to the main card courtesy of a number of injuries and illness and the name recognition of two middle-of-the-pack-at-best fighters.

Can you tell how excited I am?

Amir Sadollah (1-1) vs. "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-11-0)

Remember last week when my predictions for the first two fights on the UFC 105 card were horribly wrong and lacked depth?

Well, the shocking lack of depth returns and we'll see about the results later in the week.

This could certainly be a very exciting fight, as Baroni has seriously heavy hands and Sadollah showed - albeit against one of the worst seasons of TUF competition out there - some skills but standing and with submission.

That being said, the TUF 7 winner lasted just 29 seconds in his official UFC debut against Johny Hendricks at UFC 101 and while he is extremely charismatic, self-deprecating and people seem to like him, none of those things help him in the cage.

As for Baroni, the last fight he won with any relevance whatsoever was quite some time ago depending on your opinions of Yuki Kondo, Ryo Chonan and Ikuhisa Minowa. If those guys don't register with you, we're going all the way back to UFC 39 where Baroni beat the first middleweight champ, Dave Menne.

That was in 2002.

Now, he's lost a boatload of name brand fights since then, dropping bouts to Matt Lindland, Evan Tanner, Kazuo Misaki, and Frank Shamrock, but just like Sadollah's smile doesn't help his cause, the list of guys that have beaten Baroni doesn't change the fact that he's a bare minimum of two years removed from being relevant.

How Jake Rosholt beats Chris Leben on the PPV portion of UFC 101 and gets relegated to the preliminaries when these two come in off losses and get middle of the broadcast coverage is beyond me...




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UFC 106 Fight Week Previews: Luis Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

After years of being considered one of the top 205-pound talents outside the UFC, Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira will make his debut against fellow Brazilian light heavyweight Luis Arthur Cane.

From here on out, The Noguiera's will be referred to by their middle names, Rodrigo and Rogerio. It's just easier that way, especially when they have the same nickname.

While his debut is hotly anticipated, this match-up is certainly not a showcase fight, as Luiz Cane has been dominating fights and putting on impressive performance after impressive performance since joining the UFC in 2007.

Both men have a lot to prove with this fight, as one will climb higher up the ladder, while the other will be forced to regroup.

Luis Arthur "Banha" Cane (10-1-0) vs. Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (17-3-0)

It's not often that the breakdown of training camps results in a push, but what other decision can be rendered when one fight trains with the vaunted Black House team and the other spends his days in Coconut Creek with American Top Team?

Both have great partners and great teachers, meaning both will have great game plans and be in optimal shape coming into this fight. This is a clear cut push.

Experience and strength of schedule goes to Nogueira, as in addition to having nearly twice as many fights as his younger counterpart, Rogerio holds wins over Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem and "The Gracie Killer" Kazushi Sakuraba to name a few.

Despite looking strong in wins over Sokoudjou and Steve Cantwell, Cane cannot hold a candle to the number of rounds Nogueira has logged inside the ring and under the bright lights of the Pride stage.

Interestingly enough, these two fighters share an opponent, the aforementioned Thierry Sokoudjou.

While Cane dominated "The African Assassin" in earning a stoppage victory at UFC 89, Sokoudjou's 23 second victory over Nogueira served as the first of his back-to-back upset wins that put him on the map and propelled him to serious prospect status following the fall of Pride.

Advantage Cane.

Stylistically, this has the potential to be an interesting bout, as Nogueira isn't one to shy away from a boxing match and Cane has shown strong stand-up skills of his own, as well as a good chin.

However, if this fight goes to the floor, Nogueira has a serious advantage, as just like his brother, Rogerio is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with an ability to snatch the minute you leave it exposed for too long.

Just ask Dan Henderson.

One of these fighters will push their name forward into the title discussion after this bout, while the other will have to take a step back before trying to advance again.

Both want to keep climbing the ladder, so expect one hell of a fight come Saturday night.




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Amir Sadollah: Two Fights In and Already Working on His Post-Fighting Career

Is it just me or is are the UFC and Amir Sadollah already laying out the blueprint for his post-fighting career, despite the fact that the former Ultimate Fighter has all of two professional fights under his belt?

During Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah, pictured with former coach Forrest Griffin, hosted a weekly update segment.

While part of the purpose of the show was to keep fans up to date on upcoming UFC events, a secondary goal was to re-introduce fans to the affable Sadollah, the charismatic winner of Season 7 who had been off the radar for a number of months thanks to multiple injuries.

In the end, Amir had more success as a host than he did in the ring, as Johny Hendricks ruined his return in just 29 seconds at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.

Now, with veteran Phil Baroni on the horizon at UFC 106, instead of finding Sadollah inside the gym at Xtreme Couture working on his skills in the ring, he's back on camera, working on his skills on the mic, hosting The Ultimate Fighter: The Aftermath on Spike.com.

As charming and talented as Sadollah is as a host and television personality, after getting overwhelmed in 29 seconds, is this really what he should be focusing on right about now or are we seeing a quick shift in focus for the former Ultimate Fighter?

While a career in the cage certainly doesn't last forever, Sadollah has now hosted more shows for the UFC than he's had professional fights in his career.

Although Phil Baroni is more talk than anything else at this stage in his career, "The New York Badass" still has powerful hands and could send Sadollah to 1-2 by the time the curtain falls on UFC 106.

We've seen a few fighters making the transition to the broadcast side of things over the last few years, with Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Kenny Florian all having spent time behind the mic at one point or another.

The different is, those guys have all been around the block a time or two, while Sadollah is just getting his feet wet.

Amir Sadollah certainly has a future in the broadcasting business; he funny, engaging and well-spoken, qualities that will serve him well in his future endeavors.

Unfortunately, they won't serve him very well in the cage when Phil Baroni is trying to knock his head off, the same way they didn't help when Johny Hendricks stood across from him with the same goal in mind.

Maybe Sadollah should set aside the post-fight career plans for a month or two and worry about his current career instead.

You know, the one where he is a professional cage fighter...

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Boxing Wins the Battle, But Will MMA Win the War?

Six days ago, this same photo combo led off a piece discussing the PPV Grudge Match that went down last Saturday between UFC 103 and Mayweather vs. Marquez.

Early reports indicate that "Pretty Boy Floyd" put a beating on the UFC last weekend, something that will certainly be trumpeted from the mountain tops by boxing fans and anti-MMA activists alike.

While this unanimous decision certainly helps cement Mayweather's place as one of the biggest PPV draws on the planet, I'm not ready to declare boxing the undisputed champion of pay-per-view just yet.

Without question, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the two biggest boxing stars competing today, the other being Manny Pacquiao, of course. He is a massive draw, undefeated in 40 professional bouts and pretty much untouchable.

For MMA fans, he's the Lyoto Machida of boxing, emerging from his fights unscathed the same way the reigning light heavyweight champ does time after time.

But let's not go putting too much stock into last weekend's tug-o-war for people's pay-per-view dollars.

You had one of the greatest and most popular boxers on the planet, covered and promoted at great length by the mainstream media, competing in the biggest boxing event of the year going up against UFC 103, complete with zero title fights, one half of the main event returning to the company after a four-year hiatus and a handful of other competitive but far from captivating bouts.

Of course Mayweather - Marquez ruled the night; this was the varsity squad beating the tar out of the JV team and then bragging about it. Losing would have been a story, but the fact that they came out ahead shouldn't surprise anyone.

Perhaps a more far and just comparison would be between boxing's biggest draw (Mayweather) and the best the UFC has offered this year, their centennial show in Las Vegas this past July.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Shaefer has hinted that last weekend's event will eclipse the one million buy mark, a great number no matter what side of the debate you're on.

That being said, rising above the one million mark would still leave the biggest boxing event of the year more than half a million buys shy of the premier event on the UFC calendar this year.

Headlined by some of the biggest names in the sport, UFC 100 garnered a reported 1.6 million PPV buys and sits atop the charts as the single biggest pay-per-view event of the year. It was also the first time that the mainstream media gave the a UFC event the same amount of coverage they offer boxing.

If the two biggest draws in their respective sports (Mayweather in boxing, Brock Lesnar in MMA) were ever to go head-to-head, a definitive winner could not be decided right here, right now, at least not without a whole lot of bias being involved.

Clearly, boxing had the better night last weekend; The Floyd Mayweather Jr. Show was a massive success and laid waste to UFC 103.

But boxing should certainly be looking over it's shoulder.

Without much mainstream media attention, the UFC is producing numbers approaching that of the biggest boxing event of the year on a monthly basis and the numbers will only continue to grow.

If the sport is ever afforded the same coverage that boxing is given, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

And let's not forget, while boxing has been around forever, past down from generation to generation as the combat sport of choice, Mixed Martial Arts is still in it's teenage years and already making inroads on boxing's fan base.

My suggestion?

Circle November 21, 2009 on your calendar.

That's the day UFC 106 goes down in Las Vegas, headlined by Brock Lesnar defending his title against Shane Carwin, with an undercard featuring the return of Tito Ortiz.

Boxing rolled out it's big guns last weekend and put a big number on the board.

We'll see where things really stand when the UFC does the same in two months time.


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Shane Carwin to Face Brock Lesnar at UFC 106?

Shane Carwin's name usually resides in the top section of any "Who can beat Brock Lesnar?" list concocted by those who believe the champ to be nothing more than a weight advantage too great for smaller fighters to overcome.

If the rumors are true, Carwin will be getting his chance to prove Lesnar's detractors right at UFC 106, November 21st in Las Vegas, Nevada.

An undisclosed injury sustained by Cain Velasquez made his poorly planned matchup with the undefeated Colorado native a no-go and may have pushed Carwin into the biggest fight of his life a little earlier than anticipated.

For the record, the Carwin-Velasquez fight was poorly planned because there is no real point in sacrificing one of your emerging contenders at the expense of another, especially when you have a shallow talent pool to begin with.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Since Lesnar's emergence and rapid rise to the top of the UFC heavyweight ranks, Carwin has been viewed as the fighter with the right mix of size and skill to challenge the ultra-athletic genetic freak.

Unlike Randy Couture and Frank Mir who entered the cage at a distinct disadvantage in the weight department, Carwin fights close to the ceiling of the 265 pound class and presents a 6-foot-4-inch frame for the champion to contend with.

But it isn't only size that propels Carwin to the head of the class when discussions turn to challengers for the championship gold.

Carwin's background as a collegiate wrestler and two-time All-American status as a football player are both brought into the discussion. While the accolades on the gridiron are certainly impressive, especially considering Carwin played at relatively unknown Western State College.

However, the small stature of his school also must be taken into account when assessing his wrestling accomplishments.

Carwin was the 1999 NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion, an impressive feat that surely signals a strong wrestling base to accompany the dynamite-infused hands displayed by the one-time NFL hopeful.

That same year, Brock Lesnar was the runner-up for the Division I crown before claiming the top prize in 2000, amassing a record of 106-5 in the process. Just a little perspective, that's all.

Of all the items in the Shane Carwin tool box that lead people to believe he is the strongest threat to Brock Lesnar's championship reign, it is the aforementioned fists full of dynamite handing at the end of his arms.

Through 11 professional fights, Carwin hasn't been beyond the halfway point of the first round once. His last four wins all look remarkably similar on his record:

• Gabriel Gonzaga - Win, KO (Punch)
• Neil Wain - Win, TKO (Punches)
• Christian Wellisch - Win, TKO (Punches)
• Sherman Pendergarst - Win, TKO (Punches)

Saying he has dangerous hands is like saying Oprah has a little bit of money.

The Gonzaga victory was ultra-impressive and clearly announced Carwin as a true contender, as he rallied from an early shot that stung him and caught the former title challenger with straight right that left the Brazilian seeing stars.

Many feel Lesnar's chin has yet to be tested, something that will certainly happen should these two juggernauts go toe-to-toe as expected, giving the champion's detractors exactly what they've been seeking.

One piece of advice: be careful what you wish for.
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