UFC 104 Recap: Not quite the Dragon Era yet

Prior to Saturday’s UFC 104, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida had been on a tear in his last three fights. He easily won by unanimous decision over Tito Ortiz in May last year at UFC 84 and thereafter knocked out then undefeated fighters Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans at UFC 94 and UFC 98 respectively.

In contrast, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s last three fights were far from impressive. In his first fight ever in the UFC he got submitted by Forrest Griffin via rear naked choke, and then he gassed out and barely won against an old and shot Mark Coleman. Sure, he knocked out Chuck Liddell early this year, but we have to be realistic and see that it was not the same Liddell of old. Coming into the fight, Liddell had lost three of his last four fights by knockout.

Having said that, I have to admit that I heavily favored Machida to win against Rua. I expected the cool and calculated Machida to start slow and figure out Rua’s game, and then eventually pick his spots, shift into high gear, and dominate the fight.

It didn’t happen. Rua came into the fight with a game plan, and he followed it to the hilt.

Perhaps taking a page out of Forrest Griffin’s surprise performance against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rua repeatedly unleashed a steady supply of nasty leg kicks from start to finish, punishing Machida’s thigh all night. He even went one up on Griffin in that he not only dished out leg kicks, but threw in several body kicks as well, hitting Machida’s rib cage again and again.

Suddenly, Machida’s cool and calculated attack seemed to have been stymied. The fighter who had never lost a single round in his UFC career was in danger of losing his first rounds, his first fight, and more importantly, his newly-acquired light heavyweight belt— all in his first title defense. Rua’s game plan seemed to have made Machida tentative, even clumsy at times.

For his part, Machida successfully landed a few punches on Rua’s face, but was not able to hurt or drop Shogun. I gave the opening round to Rua as well as rounds four and five, while the second and third rounds I gave to Machida. When Bruce Buffer announced that the decision was unanimous, and that all the scorecards read 48-47, I thought all three judges were right on target. However, I admit I was a bit surprised when Buffer announced that Machida had retained his belt.

Perhaps the judges thought that Machida landed the cleaner punches—giving more emphasis on quality over quantity? I don’t know. We have to give them the benefit of the doubt, since the fight was not dominated by either man anyway. I just thought Rua did more then enough to grab the crown from Machida. I was wrong. Regardless, kudos to Dana White and Rua: to White for immediately announcing a rematch (albeit at an unannounced date yet) and to Rua for being gracious in defeat.

I remember writing a piece right after Machida’s impressive knockout victory over Rashad Evans, welcoming everyone to the “Dragon Era”. Perhaps it was a bit premature for me to sing Machida’s praises right away? To answer that question, we all have to wait for the rematch— a rematch that Machida has to win and win impressively, or else we might be witness to the dawning of the “Shogun Era” instead.

Velasquez impresses

In the co-main event, Mexican-American heavyweight Cain Velasquez continues to impress as he pummeled and punished the bigger and more experienced Ben Rothwell to grab the seventh straight victory (fifth in the UFC) of his MMA career.

Velasquez took down Rothwell at will and proceeded to dominate him via ground and pound. Rothwell barely survived the first round but was overwhelmed nonetheless in the second round after a series of punches from Velasquez landed squarely on his face as he was pinned to the fence. Rothwell tried to get up but the referee had seen enough and called the end to the bout, 58 seconds left in the second round.

Rothwell tried to plead his case and argued that it was a premature stoppage, and I somewhat agree with him, but, in Rothwell’s case, you just can’t let the smaller man dominate you— it’s inexcusable.

I see the undefeated Velasquez as a potential contender that can be a legitimate threat to UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Give him a few more fights and he’ll be ready for a title fight.

Stevenson prevails

I always believed that Joe “Daddy” Stevenson is one of the most solid fighters down at lightweight. He has a very strong ground game, potent wrestling skills, and his striking is very solid. Although he lost three bouts in his last six, just take a look at the caliber and quality of his opponents: BJ Penn, Gleison Tibau, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Nate Diaz, and most recently, Spencer Fisher.

Stevenson defeated perennial contender Spencer Fisher by way of strikes after securing a crucifix position and elbowed Fisher into defeat.

All in all, UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun was a pretty decent MMA event and provided loads of action. On to UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera, which is guaranteed to be another barnburner, in spite of going head to head on the same night with Top Rank promotions’ Firepower boxing event featuring Manny Pacquiao gunning for Miguel Cotto’s WBO welterweight title.

A few questions on the pound for pound rankings

Mark Lorenzana

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Let me pose a quick question.

If—and this is a big if—Manny Pacquiao loses to Miguel Cotto in their November 14 clash, will Floyd Mayweather Jr. overtake him in the Ring Magazine’s pound for pound rankings?

Well, Floyd is perched just one place below Pacquiao at number two so the answer is most certainly a resounding yes, regardless of whether Pacquiao loses by decision or knockout, or even if he draws with Cotto.

But wait, maybe I am asking the wrong question here. Perhaps the question should be, “What is Floyd doing there at number two, anyway?”

A lot of boxing writers were quick to sing Floyd’s praises soon after he demolished the smaller and older Juan Manuel Marquez in their 12-round tiff a month ago. On the one hand, some were awed by Floyd’s speed and skill and how he outclassed and outgunned the pugilistic master that is Marquez, the same Marquez that gave Pacquiao all he could handle in the course of two scintillating fights wherein the Mexican failed to chalk up a single win notwithstanding. Others, on the other hand, were amazed at how Floyd seemed to quickly dust off the rust he accumulated in the course of two years of retirement as easily as he could mouth off gibberish, spew out venom, and dole out trash talk when promoting one of his fights.

I must say that I wasn’t exactly blown away by Floyd’s performance. In my opinion, he should not have shot up to number two as quickly as he did just by beating the best lightweight in the world who is at least a couple of weight divisions below him. Especially since Floyd, who already had the size advantage coming into the fight, even failed to make the weight.

With the loss, Marquez has dropped to number five, just below Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins who occupy three and four spots respectively.

Floyd’s win should have elevated Mosley to number two. Floyd should have occupied third place at the most. Fighting and beating Mosley, the best welterweight in the world (or even better, moving up in weight and challenging and defeating the number one Jr. Middleweight in the world, Paul Williams) would have put him at second at the least and maybe even first at the most.

What is this hullabaloo, you may ask, about the pound for pound rankings anyway, specifically the Ring Magazine pound for pound rankings (with the Ring Magazine titles thrown into the mix)? Does it matter?

If you are a boxer it most certainly would matter if you are ranked by the Ring (its list by which for years now, has been the established standard for ranking fighters pound for pound) equally and probably even more so than acquiring one or more of the alphabet titles that proliferate these days.

It’s a seemingly simple equation, really: a fighter fights and beats the best fighters in his division or goes up in weight and racks up wins against good fighters heavier than him, then, theoretically, he makes the list. He goes on and puts up better performances, and he moves up the list. I would like to emphasize the word “theoretically” here because it seems that Floyd, in my view at least, has not done enough yet to warrant a second place ranking on the list.

If the pound for pound list matters and the Ring Magazine titles matter to the boxers, then it’s safe to say that it should be just as valued by the promoters too. In fact, not a few boxing promotions have been staged with the words “pound for pound” bandied about and with the Ring Magazine titles at stake. It just adds to the drama surrounding the fight, and more drama means more tickets sold.

Having said that, isn’t it imperative that the rankings reflect the most hardworking and courageous fighters on the planet? And by hardworking and courageous, I don’t mean ducking dangerous opponents and handpicking ones that are perceived to be less of a threat.

Also, isn’t it better that, since Golden Boy Promotions recently acquired the Ring Magazine, the former should try to prove that there are no shenanigans involved with regards to ownership?

Well, regardless, perhaps I’m barking up the wrong tree here. In the beginning of this piece I asked a rhetorical question: If Manny Pacquiao loses to Miguel Cotto in their November 14 clash, will Floyd Mayweather Jr. overtake him in the Ring Magazine’s pound for pound rankings?

Well, in that case, I guess I don’t have anything to worry about.

Anderson Silva proves why he’s one of the best fighters in MMA

Mark Lorenzana

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In the last couple of pieces I’ve written about Anderson Silva, I have been highly critical of him mainly because of his last two title defenses against Thales Leites and Patrick Cote. In both fights, Silva had been less-than-stellar, and the fans’ displeasure showed— booing and jeering him in the course of the fights up until the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. However, I must admit now that I had miscalculated immensely on my criticisms. Silva’s last performance left me eating a lot of crow with a generous helping of humble pie on the side.

Why?

Well, Silva toying with his last two opponents was not so much to assert his superiority and to embarrass them as to show his frustration and make a point that they didn’t want to engage with him. To put it simply, it wasn’t entirely his fault. It takes two to tango. Styles make fights. In Silva’s last couple of fights before facing former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin, the Spider did not have a willing dance partner. Both guys didn’t fight to win, they fought to survive, and nobody can really blame them. To last the distance against one of Mixed Martial Arts’ pound-for-pound best is a huge achievement in itself.

At UFC 101: Declaration last Saturday, August 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Griffin proved to be a more than willing dance partner and he paid dearly for it. He opted to slug it out with Silva, and it certainly didn’t help that his mode of attack involved holding his chin up high instead of tucking it in while throwing arm punches that were as slow as molasses.

Silva shrugged off the few punches that landed for Griffin while deftly avoiding most of the fists that flew around him, hitting nothing but air. Then Silva struck, and Griffin got knocked down. Griffin gamely stood back up on his feet and tried to retaliate only to absorb another punch on the chin and suffer another knockdown. The end came with Griffin wildly and rather amateurishly swinging at Silva, and the latter, while backing up, unleashed a short, popping right jab that caught Griffin flush. Griffin dropped so hard to the mat that the referee did not even bother to administer the count and immediately waved him off.

A couple of things immediately came to my mind after the brutal and humiliating knockout. One, Griffin was the naturally bigger guy and Silva annihilated him. Silva’s lanky and wiry frame is more suited to 185 pounds and the weight gain was evident in that one could obviously see the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion sporting a visible paunch where rock-hard, six-pack abs should have been. Even so, none of this mattered anyway because of the ease with which Silva dispatched the always dangerous Griffin.

Two, Silva has practically cleaned out the 185-pound division and it’s a bit scary to consider that he could possibly clean out the light heavyweight division as well despite being a natural middleweight and having just a couple of fights at 205 pounds under his belt. Two fights, by the way, that both ended in stoppage victories. And can you imagine a super fight that would involve Silva and fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida? I hope UFC President Dana White holds true to his word and make the fight happen, regardless of the fact that both Silva and Machida vowed never to square off against each other inside the Octagon.

One last note on the Silva – Griffin fight: Personally, I’m not buying the rumors circulating that the fight was fixed. What would Griffin gain by throwing the fight away? The simple explanation would be that Silva had just too much talent, too much skill, and too much firepower for Griffin to handle. Perhaps the embarrassment and humiliation of the brutal knockout was also too much for Griffin to handle, as he immediately stormed off the Octagon – without even bothering to get interviewed by Rogan – towards the locker rooms with his entourage in tow.

After Silva’s performance, the fans at the Wachovia Center did not dare boo him during the post-fight interview. They simply weren’t in the position to do so. Everyone witnessed one of the all time greats ply his trade with a combination of brutal ferocity, expert skill, and fine-spun finesse. Right now Silva is in a class by himself. It was just one of those nights where Silva once again proved why he is currently one of the best fighters in MMA.

Penn’s reign

I always thought that BJ Penn bit off more than he could chew by moving up and challenging reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. As superbly talented and gifted a fighter as Penn is, St-Pierre’s combination of raw strength, power, and unparalleled conditioning is just a bad match up for the Prodigy and it showed in the two fights that they figured in, the first bout being a closer one notwithstanding.

Down at lightweight, though, it’s a totally different story. At 155, the Prodigy is at the top of the food chain, the unrivaled predator. And the co-main event between Penn and Kenny Florian proved just that. Props to Florian, a great competitor and worthy adversary, for trying his best to grab the belt from Penn, but he was just overwhelmed by the pure fighting skills of the Hawaiian. At first I thought that Florian’s approach of trying to clinch with Penn and subsequent attempts to take him down was a good strategy, perhaps because Florian believed that he was at a disadvantage on the stand up. However, I was dead wrong as Florian couldn’t successfully take down Penn. On the contrary, the lone successful takedown in the fight was done by Penn, which eventually led to a submission victory via rear-naked choke at 3:54 of the fourth round as the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion retained his belt.

With that said, I honestly don’t see anyone at the lightweight ranks right now that could take Penn’s belt away from him. His last loss at the 155 weight division was seven years ago against Jens Pulver at UFC 35: Throwdown, which he later avenged at the Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale by submitting Pulver.

Penn, like Silva, is at the top of his game right now. It’s going to be a long reign for one of the most naturally-gifted warriors MMA has ever seen.

Floyd is an “exciting” talker, but needs to be a more exciting fighter

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is known for his tactical, defensive style when he fights. He might not be a crowd pleaser in the mold of the late Arturo Gatti or current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, but you have to give credit where credit is due. The guy is one of the true master practitioners of the Sweet Science.

However, in contrast to his subdued and safety-first attitude inside the ring is his brash, offensive, and loud nature outside of it. Mayweather. is most especially adept at trash talking, and one would be hard put to distinguish between pure theatrics for the purposes of fight promotion and real insulting behavior.

Take Mayweather ’s latest comment for instance, from a recent Cagewriter report: “In boxing, we know who’s dominating. Black fighters and Hispanic fighters is dominating in this sport. And this is not a racial statement but there’s no white fighters in boxing that’s dominating, so they had to go to something else and start something new.”

Let’s take a look at the current champions in several weight divisions to see if there is any truth to Mayweather’s claim.

In the heavweight division, Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolay Valuev currently share the WBA heavyweight title. Wladimir Klitschko currently holds the IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine world heavyweight titles. His elder brother, Vitali Klitschko, is the current WBC world heavyweight champion. All four are white. Going down to cruiserweight, we have a couple of white fighters, Tomasz Adamek, the IBF titleholder, as well as Giacobbe Fragomeni, the WBC champion. Over at super middleweight, we have a trio of white boxers, namely WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, WBC super middleweight titlist Carl Froch, and IBF super middleweight titleholder Lucian Bute. Felix Sturm and Kelly Pavlik, both white, hold most of the alphabet belts at middleweight. Vyacheslav Senchenko is the current WBA welterweight champion. And, you guessed it, he is white as well.

I’d like to go on and on but I guess I’ve already made my point. Those are already 12 Caucasian boxing champions that I mentioned. So, needless to say, Mayweather’s latest comment about black guys “dominating” boxing is really baseless. Remember, this is the same guy who criticized HBO and their broadcast team in an interview with Grand Rapids Press’ David Mayo last year.

“Even a guy like Jim Lampley, he praises Kelly Pavlik — who has won some good fights, he beat Jermain Taylor twice, we have to give him credit for that — but they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he’s the second coming or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I’m a black fighter,” Mayweather. said.

“Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise Hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters, they never praise. I’ve noticed it for a long time but I couldn’t say anything because I had to do business with them. I’ll still do business with them, but I’m done holding my tongue.”

The HBO team did not praise Pavlik because he is white. They commended him for his fan-friendly fighting style. The HBO people go gaga over Pacquiao not because he is Filipino, but because he fights like there’s no tomorrow. HBO aired an Arturo Gatti tribute not because he was white, and fight fans mourn Gatti’s loss because he was the consummate blood and guts warrior, because of his fights with Micky Ward, and because he ignored pain and physical injury, leaving everything in the ring.

Truth is, maybe Mayweather is just unpopular with boxing fans, especially the casual boxing fans, because he isn’t that exciting to watch.

Ouch.

The truth hurts, but hey, it’s the truth. Mayweather can’t fault the fans if they don’t find him exciting enough. So, as you see, this is not an issue of race at all.

I cover both the MMA and boxing beat for this website and I don’t see a problem at all with both sports coexisting. The last thing we need is negative comments that could fuel hatred and bigotry.

One of my favorite fighters in MMA today is Anderson “The Spider” Silva. He is black. But I wouldn’t have cared any less if he were of another skin color. I really don’t care. I like Silva and respect him irrespective of his race. I follow his fights because I enjoy watching them.

I wish I could say the same thing for Mayweather. I wish I could say that I really enjoy watching his fights.

But then I remember his fight against Carlos Baldomir where a lot of fans left the stadium out of boredom long before the final bell rang.

I hope Mayweather does something soon, before it’s too late. I’m sure he wants to be remembered more as an exciting fighter rather than an “exciting” (with emphasis on the quotation marks) talker.

Sugar Shane Mosley plays the Whining Game

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Immediately after Miguel Cotto’s bloody win over Josh Clottey a week ago prompted Manny Pacquiao (who was watching at ringside) to give his promoter a go ahead and make a Cotto fight, I would have expected Sugar Shane Mosley to tone down, if not altogether quit, his somewhat distasteful and embarrassing behavior to land Pacquiao at all costs. Well, I was dead wrong. It seems that Mosley is hell bent on continuing his childish tirades.

“The only person that’s stopping the (Pacquiao-Mosley) fight is Bob Arum (Top Rank boss who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto),” Mosley said in a Fighthype.com report.

Mosley added: “Bob Arum has his own investments into the fight as far as him wanting to re-sign Cotto and get him a big fight. Then he has Pacquiao. He will give Cotto a little money to keep him happy because he really doesn’t deserve any of it. And then he will throw Pacquiao something out there.”

Also, as far as Mosley is concerned, he is the bigger draw compared to Cotto.

“But the bigger fight is me and Pacquiao. We have the biggest names by far and Pacquiao’s legacy wouldn’t be damaged losing to me. I don’t understand…well, I do understand what Bob Arum wants to do, but I wouldn’t understand why Pacquiao wouldn’t take the fight,” Mosley said.

Well, the Pomona native can say whatever he wants to say, but no amount of talk will stop Arum or Pacquiao if both men already have Cotto in their sights. Of course, the fight is not yet a done deal since none of the combatants has signed on the dotted line yet, but it’s getting close.

For one, Cotto said he will not fight below 145, and Pacquiao wants the fight to happen at 144. One pound will hardly make a difference once the bucks roll in. And Cotto will certainly agree to a smaller slice of the pie granting that that slice will be a lot bigger than what he has been accustomed to feeding on per fight in his entire career.

To be fair to Mosley, he indeed deserves a fight with Pacquiao. Especially after he knocked out Antonio Margarito at the start of the year to win the latter’s WBA welterweight strap. But to be fair to Cotto as well, who is Mosley to say that Cotto not as deserving to land a fight with Pacquiao as he is?

Don’t get me wrong, I admire Mosley. He is one of the most respected fighters of his generation. He is somewhat of a throwback fighter, never dodging any opponent that gets thrown his way. His fights with Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, and more recently with Antonio Margarito were certified barn burners. Even his losses to Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, and Cotto did not diminish his status as a great fighter, and on the contrary, have managed to solidify him as one of the best fighters to to ever lace up gloves. He has been humble in victory and gracious in defeat. He has been a class act his entire career, so it’s a bit sad to see him groveling like this.

Also, it’s not as if his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Arum for one has said that if they cannot finalize a deal with Cotto, they will reach out to Mosley. The Top Rank big boss has also dangled Clottey as a possible opponent for Sugar. But at this stage of Mosley’s career (and it is quite understandable), where he is desperate to land the big bucks, it’s either Pacquiao or bust.

So for now, Mosley has no choice but to play the waiting game. And if you ask me, that’s a lot better than playing the whining game.

Kimbo Slice and The Ultimate Fighter: A Chance at Redemption

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A few months ago I wrote an article about Kimbo Slice (Kimbo Slice: A Product of Sheer Marketing and Hype?) and his fall from the MMA world following a disappointing loss to unheralded last-minute replacement Seth Petruzelli. In the article, I speculated on Slice’s future following his loss and the subsequent bankruptcy of Elite XC: “It remains to be seen whether Kimbo Slice can pick up the pieces of his MMA career, a career that was prematurely cut short by a last-second replacement that he outweighed by 30 pounds. It remains to be seen whether another promotional MMA outfit will express interest in him and pick him up. Perhaps the Kimbo Slice and Elite XC debacle should be a lesson to everyone in the MMA scene.”

It appears that I spoke too soon. It seems that Slice is slated to join the forthcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality TV series. “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” will feature Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson as the opposing coaches.

What makes this recent development doubly interesting is that when Slice was still fighting for Elite XC as its poster boy, Dana White had been dishing out some pretty nasty comments directed at the former street fighter.

“Sean Gannon beat him in a street fight,” said White in a previous interview. “Everyone saw what happened to Sean Gannon when he fought a guy that no one ever heard of (a decisive TKO loss to Branden Lee Hinkle in the UFC). Gannon was in the hospital for three weeks. That’s what would happen to Kimbo Slice if he fought in the UFC. He would get hurt bad – real bad.”

White then added that the only way Slice could fight in the UFC was if he joined and competed in “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Well, Slice didn’t waste any time and has called White’s bluff.

So to paraphrase White, will Slice get hurt bad – real bad, when he finally locks horns with the other Ultimate Fighter contestants?

It’s hard to speculate, and only time will tell. It’s safe to say, however, that the fighters that will be joining the tenth installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” will not be the same come forward brawlers that Slice destroyed in his Internet videos. Those guys would have had several fights under their belts already and would have already competed in several MMA events.

Take for example just a few of the participants of “The Ultimate Fighter 10”, Roy Nelson, Marcus Jones, Wes Sims, and Justin Wren.

- Nicknamed “Big Country”, Roy Nelson sports a 13-4-0 win, lose, draw record. He competed in the heavyweight division of the now defunct International Fight League where he was its last heavyweight champion. Nelson fought against the likes of Andrei Arlovski (at Elite XC Heat) where he was knocked out in the second round. His recent fight was part of Roy Jones Jr.’s hybrid boxing/MMA card “March Badness” on March 21st. He was defeated by ADCC Champion Jeff Monson by unanimous decision.

- A former NFL defensive tackle, Marcus Jones played college football for the University of North Carolina and has played six years of professional football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones made his professional MMA debut on October 26, 2007, in World Fighting Championships 5 with a victory over Will Mora. He trains at Gracie Tampa with instructor Rob Kahn. Jones sports a 4-1-0 fight record.

- Towering at 6′10”, Wes Sims is one of the tallest MMA fighters today. He has fought (and lost) three times in the UFC, two times going against Frank Mir and one time against Mike Kyle. His fight record stands at 20-11-1 with two no contests.

- Justin “The Viking” Wren has been competing at local MMA events and won his first three fights by knockout before taking his first and only loss to date. Wren then won three more fights and his current record stands at 6-1-0.

Indeed, Slice will have his work cut out for him. During his short stint at Elite XC, he was pitted against brawlers and fighters past their primes such as a shot Ray Mercer and an aging Tank Abbott. To reiterate my point, he will not have the same superstar status that he once enjoyed. He will have to go back to square one and start afresh.

Sometimes the best way to the top is not to go through shortcuts. Oftentimes, the long, grueling road builds more character, and eventually brings those who hunger for it, redemption.

The Manny Pacquiao Sweepstakes

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If you search for Manny Pacquiao’s name in boxrec.com, you’ll see the usual personal profile of the Filipino fighter (his age, birth date, division, stance, height, and reach among others) as well as his fight record (49 wins, 37 by knockout, three losses, and two draws for a total of 54 fights) and bout history. You’ll also see his fight schedule, with his next bout this year penciled for October 17. The venue? The United States of course. The opponent?

A big question mark.

Not that Pacquiao is suddenly running out of opponents. In fact, several fighters within range of the lightweight division until upwards of welterweight have been calling him out. Michael Katsidis has challenged him, offering to fight Pacquiao in his own turf. Sugar Shane Mosley issued in a press release that he is willing to fight Pacquiao at a catch weight, possibly three pounds south of the welterweight limit. Antonio Margarito, who has stated that he might be stepping in the ring soon after being suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for the illegal hand wrap fiasco, is also interested in landing a fight with Pacquiao. Current WBO World Light Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley, after defeating Kendall Holt last April, also joined the fray.

There’s also talk of Pacquiao facing either Juan Manuel Marquez or Floyd Mayweather Jr., depending on the outcome of their bout next month.

Of course, there’s Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao’s stablemate (who, by the way, seems to be the most favored by Bob Arum as a potential opponent for Pacquiao) who still needs to get past the tough guy from Ghana, Joshua Clottey.

So you see, quite a few marquee names are being lined up for the Pacman. However, it seems that Pacquiao is taking his sweet time and studying his options carefully. After all, he is top dog now and he can fight whoever he wants to.

Let’s take time to analyze each opponent vying for the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes:

•        Katsidis is fresh from a TKO victory over Jesus Chavez last April. Chavez is always a tough, live wire opponent. He beat dangerous Carlos Hernandez and won the IBF lightweight title from the late Leavander Johnson. He also gave a prime Erik Morales all he could handle before losing via unanimous  decision. But Chavez is already 36 years of age and the wear and tear of grueling fights have taken its toll on him. I am not knocking this particular win by Katsidis, but if you want a crack at Pacquiao at this stage of the Filipino superstar’s career, you need to fight prime opponents to be considered a viable option. Unless of course Pacquiao is looking for a “tuneup” fight. Also, recent losses to Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor aren’t exactly welcome additions to Katsidis’ resume.

•        At 37, Mosley is no spring chicken and is looking for the biggest fights available before he can hang up his gloves. The one fighter that could give him his biggest purse at this time is, of course, Pacquiao. However, because Mosley has campaigned at higher weight divisions in the past years and Pacquiao only recently climbed up several weight divisions, the only solution is for both fighters to fight at a catch weight. Mosley has already agreed to go down in weight and even take a smaller purse but Pacquiao isn’t taking the bait just yet.

•        Even if there is any truth to Margarito’s claim that he will sooner than later lace up his gloves again, I don’t think Pacquiao will just be that eager to face the Tijuana Tornado inside the ring. I feel that Margarito is just too big and strong for Pacquiao and I’m pretty sure even Freddie Roach will agree with me.

•        Bradley is an interesting name thrown into the mix and personally, I’m wondering why he is not one of the stronger candidates to face Pacquiao.

•        Win or lose against Marquez, Mayweather doesn’t want to fight Pacquiao. Enough said.

•        Marquez needs to beat Mayweather for a third fight with Pacquiao to materialize. And it’s not going to be easy.

•        Even if Cotto gets past Clottey, he still won’t be a guaranteed opponent for Pacquiao since he already stated that he is staying at 147. We’ll see if he sticks to his statement once the bucks roll in.

So, at this point, there are more questions than answers and only one thing’s for certain:

Whoever wins the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Lyoto Machida: Enter the Dragon Era

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Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida has often been criticized for his rather cautious style and his lack of aggression when he fights. Unlike fighters who are willing to mix it up right away (see Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, and Rampage Jackson just to name a few), Machida is a counter-striker, content to read the opponent’s defense first and wait for him to commit mistakes before capitalizing on those errors. Despite his immaculate fight record, he has somewhat been ostracized by some MMA fans who hunger for immediate blood and action. In fact, in response to these criticisms, Machida said, “If you don’t like (the way I fight), sorry. I always try to win.”

In his last couple of fights, however, he has nothing to apologize for. He knocked out opponents that were both previously undefeated and regarded as two of the best in the light heavyweight division, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans respectively. Machida won knockout of the night at UFC 94 and UFC 98 for both fights.

Here’s a short recap on both fights.

Knocking out the undefeated Silva

At UFC 94, Machida made quick work of Silva. Coming into the fight, both fighters had an identical 13-0 record. At the start of the first round, Machida got in a good leg kick on Silva, but afterwards a timeout was called after he inadvertently hit Silva in the groin.  When the fight resumed, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt Machida decided to take down Silva, perhaps aiming to try for a submission. However, the two got up again and shortly thereafter, Machida dropped Silva with a left hand to the chin.

Silva got up, but a few minutes later he got hit with another punch, this time a right straight, and he dropped to the mat again. Silva got up on his feet and the two clinched against the fence. Machida tripped Silva and with the latter on his back, Machida unleashed a punch that hit Silva on the face, knocking him out with one second remaining in the opening round.

A lot of people believed that the victory was enough to give Machida an immediate title shot for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.  However, Dana White indicated that Machida was in fact not the number one contender for a title shot. Instead, a scheduled fight between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine would determine Machida’s title fate. A win for Jackson would earn him a fight with champion Rashad Evans, but a win for Jardine would mean Machida will be awarded with a title shot. Jackson won the fight via unanimous decision, but torn ligaments in his jaw forced the former champion out of the fight. Instead, Machida challenged Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 98.

Picking up the UFC Light Heavyweight title from Evans

Evans had been on a roll prior to the fight with Machida, having decisioned tough Englishman Michael Bisping at UFC 78, knocking out MMA legend Chuck Liddell at UFC 88, and wresting the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 via TKO. UFC 98 was Evans’ first defense of his title.

In a somewhat uneventful first round, Machida landed some solid kicks, forcing Evans to back off.  In the second, Machida landed a big left to Evans’ face, stunning him. A barrage of punches followed, backing Evans against the fence. A cracking right hand hit Evans in the face, followed by a left hand. Evans dropped to the mat and the referee was forced to call an end to the bout.

A New Era

It was obvious at the outset that Evans was not his confident, cocky self; rather, he was tentative and hesitant. Another thing that contributed to Evans’ woes was Machida’s awkward and unorthodox fighting style, a product of the latter’s Shotokan Karate background. To sum it all up, Evans fought and lost to a skillful fighter and a great champion, a fighter that, in Evans’ own words, he “couldn’t solve”.  It remains to be seen if anyone in the light heavyweight division is capable of solving the Lyoto Machida puzzle.

The UFC’s latest light heavyweight champion is humble and soft spoken; he possesses superb hand speed as well as cat-quick reflexes, and is one of the more cerebral fighters in the game today; he has also found a way to become more crowd-pleasing in terms of his fighting style, as evidenced by his last two exciting wins. Joe Rogan hit the nail on the head when he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the (Lyoto) Machida era.”

And what a great era it promises to be.

Bigger, stronger Floyd Jr. looks to shoot down Marquez

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Back in high school there always seemed to be big bullies that picked on smaller kids for various reasons. Chief of these reasons was to filch lunch money off of them. Having no other recourse, majority of the smaller kids would give in, hand over their lunch money, and starve for the rest of the day. However, a handful of smaller kids would instead opt to duke it out with the bigger and stronger boys rather than miss a meal.

You need not be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out who among the combatants the other kids would cheer on whenever such fights broke loose. On my part, I was a small kid back then, so it was virtually a no-brainer. Aside from this, well, I always enjoy rooting for the underdog. Who doesn’t?

Of course, not a lot of those smaller kids (albeit with big balls) won their fights. A lot of them got banged up, bruised, and bloodied by the bigger kids (who had small balls). But at least the smaller boys didn’t back down. At least they stood their ground against the bullies, and this brave act won them a lot of respect among their peers.

On July 18, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, currently two of the finest boxing tacticians, will meet in the ring at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. Marquez, a natural featherweight for most of his career (having recently fought at super featherweight three times, and then at lightweight two times) will climb up three weight divisions and test his mettle against the former pound-for-pound king.

I’ll go out on a limb here and say that win or lose against Floyd Jr., Marquez will gain a lot of respect for calling out the bigger, stronger, and younger opponent. Of course, many would say that Marquez took the fight because of the money, and that aside from Pacquiao (who Marquez accuses of ducking him), Floyd Jr. is the best opponent that could guarantee a big payday. Well, if so, what of it? Marquez has paid his dues and at this stage of his career, he is certainly entitled to a big payday.

But to go back. Here is a study in contrast to put things in perspective: While Marquez won his last two fights at lightweight (he bludgeoned Joel Casamayor and stopped the Cuban in 11 rounds and then overcame a slow start and potentially disastrous early rounds before winning by TKO against Juan Diaz in the 9th), Floyd Jr.’s last fight was against Ricky Hatton, a natural light welterweight. Now Floyd Jr. is trying to reclaim his pound-for-pound crown by fighting Marquez, an opponent three weight classes south.

Needless to say, it won’t be easy for Marquez. Far from it. In fact, as of this writing, he is already a 4-1 underdog. But you can bet your last buck that the tough Mexican won’t just give in and hand over his lunch money without a fight.

And, perhaps more importantly, you need not be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out who’s the big bully here.

Anderson Silva fought, won, and was found wanting

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I don’t know what the other MMA fans were thinking as they watched the main event of UFC 97: Redemption almost a month ago, but as for me, at the start of the third round, I was thinking, just what exactly in heaven’s name  was Anderson Silva doing?

Sure, it takes two to tango. Sure, Thales Leites – with his jiu-jitsu background and his less-than-stellar striking skills – didn’t take the fight to Silva. Sure, the guy kept dropping down to the mat in a rather cowardly fashion whenever Silva would press the action and unleash some of his brutal strikes. But that doesn’t give Silva the license to play around and showboat in front of thousands of spectators who shelled out hard-earned cash to witness a good fight.

Especially since Silva could have ended the fight any time he wanted to. In fact, he hurt Leites with a few good shots in the course of the fight. He could have pressured Leites and gone in and knocked the guy out just to give the crowd what they wanted.

Alas, Silva had other plans. Instead, the boring fight ended with a lopsided unanimous decision win for Silva.

In the end, the fight fans in Montreal, Quebec, Canada went home disappointed. But not before showing their disapproval by booing the fighters and repeatedly chanting the acronym of the name of their hometown MMA hero, Georges St.-Pierre.

I’ve written a couple of previous pieces regarding Silva’s penchant to toy with his opponents especially if he thinks they are inferior, so I don’t want to belabor the point (and yes, in my book at least, punching the other guy in the leg and doing fancy leg sweeps do count as “toying with your opponent”) anymore. However, I did point out that Silva should move up to light heavyweight if Dana White cannot give him anything but tomato cans at middleweight.

That’s exactly what will happen in Silva’s next fight, as he is slated to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and number two rated MMA light heavyweight fighter Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

After two straight lackluster title defenses by Silva, I’m pretty confident that this time he cannot, and should not, dismiss Griffin. Silva toys with the guy and he just might get knocked out. Who knows? Maybe that’s just what the doctor ordered for Silva to regain his hunger for the game.

So far, Silva has won all his nine fights in the UFC. That’s pretty incredible. And it seems he is firm in his decision to retire after his contract is over. I just hope that Silva would be professional enough to give his best in all of his remaining fights to be fair to his fans.

The End of an Era
I honestly thought Chuck Liddell had just enough left in the tank to defeat Mauricio Rua, but sadly, I was wrong. Kudos to Rua, however, that was a perfectly-timed left hook to the jaw. But you still can’t ignore the fact that practically, Liddell’s reflexes are all but gone, and so is his chin and ability to take a punch.  If this is indeed the end of a great career, thanks for the memories and the great fights, Chuck. The hall of fame beckons.