UFC 107: 10 Things We Learned Last Night

1. Best. Lightweight. Ever.

If there was ever any doubt (and there shouldn't have been in all honesty), BJ Penn made it abundantly clear within the first 45 seconds of his fight with Diego Sanchez that he is simply on another level than everyone else at 155 pounds.

In each of his last two title defenses, we've heard the build up of the challenger being a great test for the champion, and each time, said challenger was thoroughly dismantled by Penn. There isn't a lightweight in the world who can hang with Penn, and there hasn't been one better in the history of the sport.

Not Aoki, not Pulver, not Gomi, not anybody. BJ Penn is the best lightweight ever and one of the greatest fighters of all-time.

2. Now What?

Each of his last two opponents were supposed to have the skills to be a challenge and potentially end the reign of the kid from Hilo. Both those men were sent home with their tails between their legs.

After dominating Diego Sanchez last night, there isn't a sole lightweight who could honestly challenge BJ Penn remaining in the UFC. Not because there aren't some talented fighters in the division, but because Penn is a transcendent talent.

Where things go from here is anybody's guess.

Personally, I have no interest in seeing BJ Penn move up to welterweight, as Dana White recently said the lightweight champion would have to start at the bottom and work his way to another title shot.

Joe Rogan tossed out Shinya Aoki's name last night, but that isn't going to happen. In addition to being contracted to DREAM, if "The Tobikan Judan" is fighting in the United States, it will be with Strikeforce. And let's be honest: Penn would smash Aoki.

Keep dominating and defending the belt; a year from now, Kenny Florian will be due for another title shot and then we'll see if the third time is the charm.

3. Even in a Bloody Defeat, Diego Sanchez Impresses

For all the jokes and ribbing aside - from the YES! routine to the greatest mean face in the history of mean faces - Diego Sanchez is one tough kid.

Less than a minute into the biggest fight of his life, he was rocked and made painfully aware of what a long and painful night it was going to be. But he just kept coming and coming and coming and coming.

His unbreakable spirit looked broken at the start of each of the championship rounds, yet Sanchez kept walking out to the center of the Octagon. We've seen fighters, including Penn himself, call it quits and give up, but that just isn't a part of Diego Sanchez' makeup.

While he was completely dominated and left beaten and bloody, Diego Sanchez showed the heart of a champion and deserves some recognition today.

4. "Water is Wet"

Yes, Frank Mir quickly disposed of Cheick Kongo, connecting with a big punch before putting the French kickboxer to sleep with a guillotine inside of 90 seconds.

But going into that fight, who didn't know that Frank Mir was going to submit Cheick Kongo pretty damn quickly? Mir is a great submission fighter and Kongo has a pretty horrible ground game, so Mir earning a win by submission is about as shocking as learning that water is wet.

Now, what was impressive and a new development stemming from this bout was the recreated Frank Mir. Holy weight training, Batman!

While I would still pick a 100% healthy Brock Lesnar in their eventual trilogy fight, Mir looks to be a bigger, stronger version of the guy who submitted the current champ in his UFC debut and that could prove problematic, not only for Lesnar, but for everyone else in the division as well.

5. Jon Fitch Needs to Evolve

While partial credit certainly goes to Mike Pierce for putting up a great effort and nearly ending things in the final minute of the third round, Fitch came away with another Jon Fitch victory, earning two-of-three rounds on all three scorecards to move his record to 11-1 in the UFC and 21-3 (1 No Contest) overall.

That said, I don't know if there is a more frustrating 21-3 fighter in all of Mixed Martial Arts. Though his blue collar, Purdue Boilermaker, grind-it-out style makes him an easy-to-appreciate every man, Jon Fitch needs to evolve.

The guy who won last night wouldn't get passed Thiago Alves and his original opponent, Ricardo Almeida, would surely have been a stiff test as well. His boxing needs improvement, from both an offensive and defensive standpoint, as does his overall strength and power.

Interestingly enough, the blueprint has been laid by his teammate, Josh Koscheck. An equally gifted wrestler, though a better overall athlete than Fitch, Koscheck has developed a solid striking game and more power under the watchful eyes of Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo, and Fitch needs to do the same.

6. Lovable? Yes. A Legitimate Contender? No.

Such is life for Clay Guida.

The fans love him and rightfully so; he puts on an exciting fight 99 times out of 100, has crazy hair and energy, let's out monster burps when they're checking his cuts and sings his walkout song on the way to the cage.

That said, he's a gatekepper and nothing more.

Ten fights into his UFC career, he's 5-5 and never beaten a top ranked guy. He's tested them, challenged them and given them fits, but in the end, he's come out on the losing end.

Entertaining the crowd is one thing, but to be considered a contender, you have to beat other contenders and that's not been the case for Clay Guida thus far.

7. Kenny Florian Should Face Diego Sanchez Again

Now that they're both fighting in the weight class they belong in and have grown as fighters, let's get the rematch from The Ultimate Fighter Season One on a card in 2010.

This just makes sense on so many levels.

Sanchez certainly won't want to drop too far down the ladder in terms of his next opponent, and Florian needs to keep beating top level competition if he hopes to earn a third title shot. Mix in their rivalry from TUF 1, and the improvement both have made since their time on the show and you have everything you need to sell this fight.

Besides, I want to see another Florian fight before I officially gush about the improvements that were already noticeable last night. Better boxing, better gameplan, and better execution.

In my opinion, that was the best Kenny Florian we've seen yet.

8. With Time, Stefan Struve Could Be a Handful

While some will certainly speculate about the outcome (I'm not fussed either way...), last night's win over Paul Buentello showed me that with more development and a little added meat on them bones, Stefan Struve will eventually be a very difficult opponent for his fellow UFC heavyweights.

Just because of his height alone, Struve is already a tough test. For starters, it's not like there are a ton of nearly 7-foot MMA fighters with good kickboxing and submission skills to train with in preparation.

What struck me the most was that it has taken this long for Struve to begin utilizing his kickboxing in the UFC, as his barrage of leg kicks in the third round clearly hurt Buentello and could be a very useful tool in not only weakening his opponents, but keeping distance.

Now, he certainly needs to clean up his striking, as a blind man looking the other way would have seen that flying knee coming and it almost got him knocked out. Though he survived, we've seen him (a) get cut up a couple times, (b) be prone to leaving his chin out there to get belted despite having a ridiculous height advantage on everyone and (c) straying from his strengths to stand-and-trade.

He's got room to add 20 pounds before reaching the 265 pound limit, and given that he's just 21-years-old, he's sure to fill out in the future. If he does, and he cleans up his all-around game, "The Skyscraper" could have a very bright future.

9. Dear Alan Belcher...

White boy's with cornrows barely works on Urijah Faber, and "The California Kid" you are not.

Pink shorts don't work on anybody. Period. End of Sentence.

So what makes you think that combining the two is a good look?

You looked like the scrawny, pasty white kid in Take the Lead who put his red-headed afro into 'rows for the big dance competition.

Yes - I've seen Take the Lead and can remember way too many of the details. Tell me something I don't already know...

"The Talent" looked okay in his win over a clearly out of shape, ten-pounds-over-the-limit Wilson Gouveia, but not good enough to warrant declaring he wants that belt with Joe Rogan post-fight.

He gets punched in the face far too much for my liking right now and isn't that far removed from losses to both Jason Day and Kendall Grove for me to take him seriously as a contender.

Personally, I'd love to see Belcher hook up with Mark DellaGrotte and Team Sityodtong. Belcher has a great deal of potential and is just 25, so there is time and room to grow as a fighter. Sometimes all a guy needs is the help of a great teacher, and DellaGrotte would be the right match in my opinion.

10. 5-0 on the Main Card, 2-4 in the Prelims

Clearly, I need to invest more time and energy into picking the preliminary bouts.

Though some will certainly point out that the pay-per-view portion pretty much ended up going down as many believed it would, I'd like to point out my string of three consecutive "dead-on predictions" in the Florian / Fitch / Mir bouts that would have turned into a four-pack had BJ Penn's shin not tore Diego Sanchez' forehead apart.

Yes, this is my Barry Horowitz moment where I pat myself on the back.

Now that it's over - man did my prelim picks suck!

Wilson Gouveia came in fat and got dropped, Matt Wiman dominated Shane Nelson (who needs to drop to '45 immediately), "Toquinho" submitted Lucio Linhares and DaMarquis Johnson fought off a submission attempt to choke out Edgar Garcia.

Still, 7-4 isn't all that bad.

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UFC 107 Fight Week Preview: BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

As great as watching Rampage and Rashad settle their differences Saturday night would have been, the headlining act for UFC 107 is actually a better fight, as Lightweight champion BJ Penn defends his belt against Diego Sanchez.

While people often talk about the "fairness" of different fighters' escalation to a title shot, little has been said of Sanchez' two fight foray into the lightweight division culminating in this bout. Diego Sanchez has won all of two fights at lightweight heading into this bout. Just remember that the next time someone is bashing Brock Lesnar's path to the heavyweight title.

Merited or not, this stands to be a great fight, as Sanchez will undoubtedly bring the fight to Penn. Over the last eight years, everyone who has done so in the 155 pound division has been defeated.

We've waded through the introductory bouts and the build-up to the big dance, but now it's time to tackle the main event in classic Fight Week Preview style.

"The Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5-1) versus Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez (23-2-0)

Our usual point of origin in the FWP segments is training camps, where Sanchez earns the edge, but with an asterisk.

As a member of The Arena, Sanchez trains under Saulo Ribeiro and works alongside veteran MMA competitors Rani Yahya, KJ Noons, Fabricio Camoes and Xande Ribeiro. Previous to making the move to San Diego, Sanchez worked for a number of years with his hometown team at Jackson's Submission Fighting.

The asterisk comes courtesy of Penn being a bit of a lone wolf when it comes to training and the results that have accompanied that routine.

While there are other fighters who prepare for their bouts alongside Penn in Hilo, Hawaii (like Shane Nelson for example), Penn isn't surrounded by a stable of fighters or big name coaches with list of prized pupils. It's him, brother Jay Dee and The Marinovichs, his new strength and conditioning team.

Normally, solo training and being the clear Alpha male makes me shy away, but it's been that way forever with Penn and the results at 155 show that it works for him.

Strength of schedule is next up and a clear victory for "The Prodigy," having held belts in two weight classes and faced the likes of GSP, Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida and countless other upper echelon opponents.

Conversely, the five biggest names Sanchez has ever gone up against are Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and Joe Stevenson, and he's come away with a 3-2 record. While every fight could be your biggest win to date, having a proven track record certainly helps convince people of your ability to win the big one.

These two share two common opponents, though one is a bit of a stretch.

The Kenny Florian that Diego Sanchez defeated to become "The Other Original Ultimate Fighter" is a vastly different fighter than the man Penn submitted this past August in Philadelphia.

A win Saturday for "KenFlo" and a Sanchez loss could setup a much-welcomed rematch to help illustrate that point.

However, both also defeated Joe Stevenson; Diego in his lightweight debut and Penn to claim the lightweight title. Comparatively speaking, the two fights aren't even close.

Sanchez outboxed Stevenson in a fight that spent very little time on the mat, earning a Unanimous Decision. Thirteen months earlier, Penn battered Stevenson for just over nine minutes, earning a submission win and the Lightweight title while leaving the former Ultimate Fighter winner a bloody mess.

Tactically, Sanchez has the cardio and energy to push the pace against Penn. While Penn's endurance at 155 has never been a problem, Sanchez is on a different level than most fighters when it comes to the speed at which he fights. That said, he's never been beyond three rounds and never faced a champion before.

In terms of style, Sanchez holds the edge in the wrestling department, though he is facing one of the best in the business at maintaining balance and defending the takedown. And no, getting taken down repeatedly by GSP at 170 doesn't work as evidence to the contrary.

Penn is equal or better everywhere else; his boxing is among the best in the sport, his jiu jitsu is what earned him the name "The Prodigy" in the first place and his flexibility and balance is off the charts.

While the UFC could certainly be giving Diego Sanchez a serious media push heading into this fight because of his TUF ties and with an eye to the future, the other very real possibility is that they've learned something I've only recently come to accept: BJ Penn is the best to ever fight at 155 pound in the history of the sport.

Try selling the opponent with that as your opening...








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The UFC 100: The Fantastic 40's

With the upcoming declaration of #50 in the UFC 100, we officially reach the midway point of the list. What have you thought so far?

Fifty fighters of differing popularity, success, pedigree and abilities remain after the midway point and the debates are only going to get better. Now, we're getting into that territory where your favorite fighter's name might appear and it might be too low for your liking.

In fact, I hope it is ... seriously, I love debates.

50. Mark Kerr
UFC Record: 4-0
Victories Over: Guys You Don't Know

Kerr is one of the fighters I found hardest to rank in this list. On one hand, he went undefeated in the UFC, earning the Heavyweight Tournament title at both UFC 14 and UFC 15. On the other hand, if I told you the guys he beat (Moti Horenstein, Dan Bobish, Greg Stott and Dwayne Cason) you would look at me like I'm talking Klingon, and with good reason. The result: Fighter #50.

49. Josh Koscheck
UFC Record: 10-4
Victories Over: Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Chris Lytle, Diego Sanchez

If he's not there already, Koscheck has a long career ahead of him as the UFC Welterweight division's gatekeeper and his track record proves it. Outside of the win over Diego Sanchez, the TUF 1 alum comes up short against the upper tier (GSP, Thiago Alves) but is more than a handful for anyone else. Great wrestling and a love affair with his striking make him a perfect candidate for the job Matt Hughes so desperately doesn't want.

48. Thiago Alves
UFC Record: 9-2
Victories Over: Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan

Georges St-Pierre's toughest competition to date has been steamrolling people for the last three years, last taking a loss in June 2006 to Jon Fitch. The American Top Team member has had a couple of run-ins with weight issues, but on the whole, Alves has proven time and again that he is a handful inside the cage.

47. Mike Swick
UFC Record: 9-1
Victories Over: Marcus Davis, Joe Riggs, Ben Saunders

This is what happens when you change weight classes mid-stream; you have to go back down the ladder and fight your way up, so while your record is impeccable, the level of competition isn't the same as some fighters have faced. Get Win #10 over Martin Kampmann in September and we'll talk.

46. Nate Marquardt
UFC Record: 7-2
Victories Over: Wilson Gouveia, Martin Kampmann, Jeremy Horn

One loss came to a guy who literally beats everyone (Anderson Silva) and the other came through point deductions helping the other guy (Thales Leites). Other than that, Nate Marquardt has made quick work of some very talented opponents and has a chance to put an end to Demian Maia's winning streak inside the Octagon at UFC 102 in August.

45. Yushin Okami
UFC Record: 7-1
Victories Over: Dean Lister, Evan Tanner, Mike Swick

The red-headed stepchild of the UFC Middleweight division, no one knows what to do with Okami. He's as talent a fighter as they come and has beaten everyone Joe Silva has put in front of him, save for Rich Franklin, but he can never stay healthy long enough to get the title shot many believe he truly deserves.

44. Carlos Newton
UFC Record: 3-4
Victories Over: Pete Spratt, Pat Miletich

Everyone remembers Carlos Newton for one thing: the power bomb. What they might not remember is that Newton was the defending Welterweight champion in that fight, having beaten Pat Miletich earlier in the year for the belt. Long before Rampage was doing the same to Ricardo Arona, Newton was on the receiving end of a Matt Hughes power bomb to end his reign as champion.

43. Kevin Randleman
UFC Record: 4-3
Victories Over: Maurice Smith, Pedro Rizzo, Renato Sobral

Randleman could have been one of the greats in my opinion, but injuries, suspensions and controversy prevented it from happening. In seven UFC fights, "The Monster" beat a former HW champ (Smith), earned the heavyweight title over Petey Williams and gained victories over the previously ranked "Babalu" and the very tough Pedro Rizzo. Those three losses? Bas Rutten, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.

42. Tank Abbott
UFC Record: 8-10
Victories Over: Paul Varelans, Steve Jennum

Long before he made a guest appearance on Friends or "fought" for WCW, Tank Abbott was as dangerous as they came inside the cage. That is, if the other guy was willing to stand and trade. Abbott could knock anyone out, but as his brief list of notable wins and extensive list of namebrand losses shows, if you made it more than a street fight, chances are you got the best of one of the true UFC originals.

41. Diego Sanchez
UFC Record: 10-2
Victories Over: Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, Joe Riggs

I know what you're thinking - a guy already ranked here today beat him (Koscheck) and he's switched weight classes like another (Swick), so how is Diego Sanchez ranked so high? Unlike Swick, Sanchez walked into the lightweight division and beat Top 10 competition right off the bat. As for the Koscheck loss, I'll say this: Sanchez destroyed Kenny Florian to become The Other Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner and we haven't seen Ken-Flo on this list yet.

Only 40 more fighters to go. Any early predictions on the Top 10? Top 5? #1?

Track back to see what you missed with the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.

History is only five days away.

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Punch Drunk Predictions: TUF 9 Finale

After a very sluggish start to the Punch Drunk Predictions here at Keyboard Kimura, I've finally had a few strong outings in a row, including a 5-2 performance on yesterday's joint Bellator and Strikeforce predictions.

Today, it's the first of four straight days off and I ain't got nothing to do but look forward to tonight's Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Finale show on Spike. And let me tell you - I'm looking forward to it.

I've said it a thousand times before, but cards like these - free shows with good fights - are exactly what the "MMA sucks!" contingent out there need to kick back and watch. Not only are the two TUF fights going to be battles because everyone wants that shiny, new contract, but the rest of the card is solid too and we'll break it down after the jump.


Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (34-10) vs. Nate Diaz (10-3)
It's hard to believe, but the reality Joe Stevenson needs to head into this fight accepting is that a loss could be the end of his UFC career. Crazy, I know, but that's what happens when there are guys coming up and you lose a bunch of fights. I don't think it will happen, simply because he's lost to the top 3 guys in the lightweight division, but he's going to need to impress.

Easier said than done though against Nate Diaz, who also is looking to bounce back after a loss to Clay Guida at UFC 94. One half of the greatest MMA brother tandem from Stockton, California, Nate will have a solid height and reach advantage, meaning Stevenson will need to get inside and do some quality dirty boxing.

Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (10-3) vs. Andre Winner (10-2-1)
The Battle of the Brits for the Lightweight contract, this is going to be a matter of who imposes their will best. Andre has shown very quick hands and a knack for finishing early, having stopped everyone inside the first round.

Ross, on the other hand, is a grinder with strong boxing and the body of a bulldog. If this guy could even wrestle a little bit, he'd be tough to beat with his thick frame and good conditioning, but that isn't the case. Like Stevenson against Diaz, Ross will need to get inside of Andre's range and make this as much of a grappling and clinch match as possible to avoid getting knocked out.

Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (36-17-4) vs. Kevin Burns (8-2)
Ah, Chris Lytle... how I have such mixed feelings about thee. On one hand, you have to love a guy who will stand and trade with anyone, is always in shape to go the distance and just keeps coming forward no matter what you throw at him. Then again, he's 5-9 in his UFC career and guys with better records have been sent by the wayside and that kind of sucks.

Burns is a solid all-around fighter who is going to want to get this fight to the ground where he can work submissions. Chucking knuckles with Chris Lytle is not recommended here because if you think Anthony "Rumble" Johnson worked you over last time out, wait to Lytle hits you a couple dozen times.

DaMarques Johnson (14-6) vs. James "Lightning" Wilks (6-2)
DaMarques pisses me off. There I said it. He's one of those guys who just runs off at the mouth for the sake of sounding tough and being that guy. No one likes That Guy. That being said, he's looked pretty damn impressive this season.

Wilks has shown he is a dangerous fighter. You don't knock a dudes teeth out without having some punching power, that's for sure. What worries me here is that he needed a third round to put away Frank Lester and make the finals. Not to take anything away from Lester - big, big heart that kid - but shouldn't you be able to dominate the guy who is fighting for the fourth time in just over a month?

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez (22-2) vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (25-6)
This is going to be an interesting fight, as you have to expect both guys to be coming forward all the time, one screaming motivational sayings to himself, the other with hair flying everywhere.

Sanchez is a talented kid and The Other Original Ultimate Fighter. I'm still torn on him at this weight moving forward. Not that he can't do it, but so much of that Joe Stevenson fight was about Stevenson fighting a stupid fight to me that I need to see this fight to help make up my mind. One thing I know for sure, Sanchez will be in better condition than last time and that isn't a good thing for Clay Guida.

Guida is a fan favorite and a strong wrestler who may have to employ a Gray Maynard game plan to this fight - take the guy down, keep the guy down and punch him in the head repeatedly while he is down. Not that he doesn't have strong stand-up and I don't want to see a slugfest, btu Sanchez is the more dynamic striker and trading shots works to his advantage.

Punch Drunk Predictions
Record: 32-28 (Getting better...)

Preliminary Card
Cameron Dollar over Jason Dent
Nick Osipczak over Frank Lester (sorry Frankie... love that heart!)
Mike Ciesnolevicz over Tomasz Drwal
Edgar Garcia over "Bad" Brad Blackburn
Gleison Tibau over Melvin Guillard

Main Card
Joe Stevenson over Nate Diaz
Andre Winner over Ross Pearson
Chris Lytle over Kevin Burns
DaMarques Johnson over James Wilks

And in the Main Event of the evening...

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez over Clay "The Carpenter" Guida

Now touch gloves and come out swingin'




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