At this past weekend’s Strikeforce card, Dan Henderson put an exclaimation point on his resume and justified his position as one of the all time greats in MMA history by defeating Fedor Emelianenko by first round TKO. While Hendo furthered his legacy, Fedor is continuing the downward slide started in 2009 and is now having his legacy questioned. I feel like getting into that, as well as discussing what comes next for both men. We’ll start with the winner, Dan Henderson.
Where does Hendo go from here?
Henderson scored one of the biggest wins of his career, probably his biggest since icing Wanderlei Silva in 2006 by defeating the longtime heavyweight great. The victory fulfilled his contract with Strikeforce, leaving him with few options. His deal with the organization was for $800,000 a fight, a fee that the UFC felt was too much. Now that Zuffa owns both organizations, one can expect that Hendo will not be as well compensated in the future. If there’s any justice however, he will be well compensated with a return to the UFC, where there are a few interesting fights left for him.
A rematch with Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Title could make sense, especially because he was one of the top contenders when he left the UFC. In theory, once Silva beats Okami there is no one left for him to fight and Henderson has enough name recognition and is coming in off a nice little win streak that this could be a compelling fight for pay per view. Henderson wouldn’t win of course, as he is nowhere near as dynamic at 185 lbs. as he is at light heavyweight. Weighing roughly 200 lbs., Hendo is a small light heavyweight, but it seems like that is where he has his most success.
Right now, the UFC’s light heavyweight picture is a bit muddled and Henderson could make for some interesting fights. I think the best bet would be to put him up against either A) Lyoto Machida or B) the winner of Shogun Rua and Forrest Griffin, with the winner getting a title shot after the winner of Rashad Evans-Tito Ortiz faces the winner of Jon Jones-Rampage Jackson. If the plan is to put Lyoto Machida in the title picture sooner rather than later and/or get him another fight before the end of the year, that would be the way to go. If the plan is to feed Jones another challenger (because he’s going to beat Rampage and probably beat Rashad/Tito), then let him fight Shogun or Griffin. That fight would be very exciting and could put forth a credible challenger for the title. Either route they go with would be interesting.
A third option is to retire. Dan’s 40 years old and his value as a fighter isn’t going to get any higher. Retiring after beating Fedor gives him an exciting victory over a legend to go out on and allows him to leave on his own terms and not because he is a human punching bag. Besides, the odds of him winning a title in the UFC are not good. He could retire after a winning streak that ran counter to the “Decision Dan” nickname since he won all three fights by knockout. I repeat, things will never be this good for Dan Henderson again and by retiring now, he could keep a strong legacy and not have his name be used as a feeder for the next generation.
Where does Fedor go from here?
Has anyone fallen so far as Fedor Emelianenko in the past two years? He has gone from being considered the greatest heavyweight of all-time and possibly the greatest fighter of all-time, winner of 31 straight fights to three straight losses ended by a decisive finish. It has called into question whether or not he is overrated and if so, for how long.
The answer to that is, yes, he has been overrated over the past three years. The last opponent of any real value he beat was Andrei Arlovski. Since then, he beat the since proven to be little more than a prospect Brett Rogers, and lost three in a row. Fedor hasn’t been the best heavyweight in the world since 2007. His last few fights have shown him to be far from the man that beat prime Nogueira twice and defeated prime Cro Cop. PRIDE era Fedor was most likely the best heavyweight in the world, and due to his amazing streak of wins was likely the pound for pound best at that time and if not, was in the top three.
Since 2007, he ceded that territory to Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, two champions that have both gone on lengthy winning streaks against competition far superior to that which Fedor faced at the tail end of his run at the top. Silva’s run has been particularly impressive and the case can and should be made that he is the best of the last half of the decade and as of right now, the greatest fighter of all-time. Middleweight requires a far more diverse set of skills than heavyweight, where one really only needs to excel in one form of combat to succeed. This is part of the reason why Fedor and his camp balked at a move to light heavyweight. If he was to move down in weight, he would still be slower and less skilled overall than someone coming up like Jon Jones or a top contender like Lyoto Machida. I don’t mean to dump on the guy or belittle his accomplishments. He is a legend in the sport and for a long period of time had the aura of invincibility. Especially when one considers Randy Couture’s run came as a light heavyweight and not solely as a heavyweight,, Fedor still should be thought of right now as the greatest heavyweight of all-time.
That being said, he should retire. His training isn’t as intense as needed for the new era of MMA and his skill set hasn’t evolved enough to continue. He makes simple mistakes (ex. the Werdum fight) that he wouldn’t have made five years ago. In his peak, he could beat behemoths like Bob Sapp or withstand strikes from Mirko Cro Cop, but the other night Dan Henderson was able to sweep and blast him and Hendo is considerably smaller than Fedor. He was manhandled by Bigfoot Silva when in years past, he would have worked for a submission or been able to mount some kind of defense and offense. Unlike Randy Couture and Dan Henderson, Fedor hasn’t made the necessary adjustments as he has gotten older in order to continue his career and it doesn’t particularly seem like that bothers him. That’s why he should retire. He isn’t completely finished like Cro Cop or Nogueira, but he can’t compete with the top 10 in the division anymore and for someone who used to be so dominant, that should mean that its time to hang ‘em up. He can retire knowing that he put on an exciting back and forth fight, even if it ended in defeat, and that’s something a lot of his peers from PRIDE cannot say.
Showing posts with label fedor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fedor. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Strikeforce: Fedor vs Henderson Thoughts and Prediction
This Saturday on Showtime, Strikeforce will be running another event. For the life of me, I don’t know most of the card but it is headlined by an intriguing fight: Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson in a heavyweight bout against the former longtime PRIDE Heavyweight Champ Fedor Emelianenko. As both men are legends in MMA and nearing the ends of their illustrious careers, it is definitely a match worth seeing.
What irks me about this fight is that it is being catered to Fedor unfairly. Henderson is going to come into the fight weighing about 206 lbs., roughly the same as when he fights at light heavyweight. Fedor will be coming in at around 225-230 lbs., meaning Hendo will be at a significant weight disadvantage. Originally talk had centered around a catchweight of 215 lbs. or even having Fedor cut down to light heavyweight, but Fedor and his M-1 Global camp balked at the suggestions. This would make sense if Fedor was still chumping fighters like it was 2005, but the reality of it is that Fedor looked terrible in his two recent losses (the first real losses of his career) and was losing to Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers before a glass jaw and inexperience respectively ended their nights. If anything, Strikeforce should be catering more to Hendo. He has apparently moved on from being a solid, if unspectacular, middleweight and has looked very good at light heavyweight., where he has won two straight fights by knockout. It’s quite the late resurgence for the man who at one point held the 205 and 185 titles in PRIDE, the only man in MMA to hold two titles simultaneously.
Henderson deserves a lot of credit for taking this fight and not . The last time he fought against a heavyweight, he was a game opponent for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2002. He held his own into the third round despite giving up over 30 lbs., where he was eventually submitted by Big Nog. Even though Fedor’s star has lost some of its luster, this is still a tough match up for Hendo.
For Fedor, this is a make or break fight for him. As mentioned prior, he has not looked particularly impressive since choking out Tim Sylvia in under a minute three years ago. His last two losses, while considered huge upsets, can still be rationalized and don’t necessarily mean he’s done. Werdum is one of the best BJJ practitioners in MMA and getting submitted by him isn’t a huge deal and in the Antonio Silva fight, Fedor was giving up roughly 50 lbs. and was outmuscled. What is troubling for Fedor is that his physique, well never impressive, has looked even doughier and calls into question his motivation and effort at this stage in his career. If he gets levelled or dominated by the much smaller Henderson, retirement should be his next step. If he loses an exciting, close fight he can be given the benefit of the doubt since Hendo is one of the all-time greats. For Henderson, a loss isn’t as big a deal since he is a lot older and a lot smaller than Fedor. When you come in at a disadvantage and lose, it doesn’t really hurt you. A win under those circumstances, even against a past his prime Fedor, is a big deal.
Fedor could really use an impressive win in order to continue his career, if that’s what he wants to do. Henderson has always been tough to finish, so if he can do that it will help to wash away the bad taste from his last few fights. I don’t know that he will though. I think at this point in their careers, Hendo is more motivated and in better condition than Fedor. It seems like Emelianenko just continues to fight to have something to occupy his time, not out of any real desire to do it. That’s always the wrong mindset to go into a fight with, and as other fighters’ training and conditioning improves, Fedor seems to stagnate and not care that he is. If I had to put my money down on a fighter, I would say Dan Henderson by decision. Either way, I’m excited to see how this fight turns out. It isn’t every month that two legends, even ones not at their peak, go against each other.
What irks me about this fight is that it is being catered to Fedor unfairly. Henderson is going to come into the fight weighing about 206 lbs., roughly the same as when he fights at light heavyweight. Fedor will be coming in at around 225-230 lbs., meaning Hendo will be at a significant weight disadvantage. Originally talk had centered around a catchweight of 215 lbs. or even having Fedor cut down to light heavyweight, but Fedor and his M-1 Global camp balked at the suggestions. This would make sense if Fedor was still chumping fighters like it was 2005, but the reality of it is that Fedor looked terrible in his two recent losses (the first real losses of his career) and was losing to Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers before a glass jaw and inexperience respectively ended their nights. If anything, Strikeforce should be catering more to Hendo. He has apparently moved on from being a solid, if unspectacular, middleweight and has looked very good at light heavyweight., where he has won two straight fights by knockout. It’s quite the late resurgence for the man who at one point held the 205 and 185 titles in PRIDE, the only man in MMA to hold two titles simultaneously.
Henderson deserves a lot of credit for taking this fight and not . The last time he fought against a heavyweight, he was a game opponent for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2002. He held his own into the third round despite giving up over 30 lbs., where he was eventually submitted by Big Nog. Even though Fedor’s star has lost some of its luster, this is still a tough match up for Hendo.
For Fedor, this is a make or break fight for him. As mentioned prior, he has not looked particularly impressive since choking out Tim Sylvia in under a minute three years ago. His last two losses, while considered huge upsets, can still be rationalized and don’t necessarily mean he’s done. Werdum is one of the best BJJ practitioners in MMA and getting submitted by him isn’t a huge deal and in the Antonio Silva fight, Fedor was giving up roughly 50 lbs. and was outmuscled. What is troubling for Fedor is that his physique, well never impressive, has looked even doughier and calls into question his motivation and effort at this stage in his career. If he gets levelled or dominated by the much smaller Henderson, retirement should be his next step. If he loses an exciting, close fight he can be given the benefit of the doubt since Hendo is one of the all-time greats. For Henderson, a loss isn’t as big a deal since he is a lot older and a lot smaller than Fedor. When you come in at a disadvantage and lose, it doesn’t really hurt you. A win under those circumstances, even against a past his prime Fedor, is a big deal.
Fedor could really use an impressive win in order to continue his career, if that’s what he wants to do. Henderson has always been tough to finish, so if he can do that it will help to wash away the bad taste from his last few fights. I don’t know that he will though. I think at this point in their careers, Hendo is more motivated and in better condition than Fedor. It seems like Emelianenko just continues to fight to have something to occupy his time, not out of any real desire to do it. That’s always the wrong mindset to go into a fight with, and as other fighters’ training and conditioning improves, Fedor seems to stagnate and not care that he is. If I had to put my money down on a fighter, I would say Dan Henderson by decision. Either way, I’m excited to see how this fight turns out. It isn’t every month that two legends, even ones not at their peak, go against each other.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Odds and Sods
Strikeforce ran their first major show since their acquisition by Zuffa a few months ago. In the main event, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley had a pretty exciting fight that ended with a Diaz TKO victory. After this, there really is no one left for Strikeforce to match their welterweight champ Diaz up against. I think its time to bring him back into the UFC and unify the two titles by matching him up with Georges St. Pierre. This especially makes sense considering that it doesn’t appear as if the GSP-Silva superfight will happen. Of course, this is all contingent on GSP beating Jake Shields this month. If Shields wins, the odds are against him fighting close friend and training partner Diaz.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Top Ten MMA Fighters Of All-Time, According to iJames
The title of this is self-explanatory. It is safe to assume that the coauthor of this blog might not agree with all my selections and the order they are in, so I made sure to put in the title that this is only this humble author's opinion. Before I get into the top ten, I figured that I would throw out a few names of some people who could make the list in the next few years, depending on how their career pans out.
Potential Additions
Lyoto Machida: "The Dragon" was undefeated in his career until losing twice last year. Before that, he was one of the most technically sound and elusive fighters in MMA history. He could crack the top ten if he manages to get back on track and regain his dominance in the light heavyweight division.
Cain Velasquez: Cain recently won the UFC Heavyweight Title in October 2010 when he destroyed Brock Lesnar in the first round of their bout. He is currently 9-0, and has won every round thus far in his career. If he maintains this pace, he could go down in history as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Time will tell for Cain.
Jon Jones: Jon Jones is the most highly regarded prospect in MMA right now. He has an exciting and unique striking style, unstoppable takedowns and ground and pound, as well as powerful submissions. He is the future of the sport and he could make himself the present if he wins the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on March 19 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If he does that and has the lengthy title reign people expect, his entry into the top ten is a no-brainer.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Shogun made a name for himself in Pride by winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix in a dominant fashion and prior to his UFC debut, was considered the best in the world at 205 lbs. His entry into the UFC was rough, with a loss to Forrest Griffin in his first match and a terrible win over Mark Coleman, but he has rebounded with a knockout win over Chuck Liddell and a brutal knockout of the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. If he manages to hold onto the belt for a few defenses, his resume would make him a borderline top ten fighter.
The Top Ten
10.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: (32-6-1-1) Nogueira is probably the greatest practicioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA history. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, which he successfully defended five times. He has beaten every big name in the sport, with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko. He is a top notch boxer and a legend in the sport.
9.) Dan Henderson: (26-8) Hendo is a top notch wrestler and has a vicious right hand. He is the only man to ever hold the 205 and 185 titles at the same time, which he did in Pride. He holds a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and his knockout win over Michael Bisping was highlight reel worthy.
8.) Wanderlei Silva: (33-10-1-1) The Axe Murderer is a legend in the sport and his reign over the Pride Middleweight division was legendary, not losing over a four year time frame. His knockouts of Rampage Jackson in Pride were brutal and unforgettable. A string of brutal knockout losses to Henderson and Mirko Cro Cop, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell knocks him back a bit on the list.
7.) Chuck Liddell: (21-8) Chuck was the long reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding it for two years. He holds two knockout wins over Randy Couture and is the only man to TKO Tito Ortiz, doing so twice. Both his knockouts of Babalu Sobral are highlight reel worthy. He also holds a knockout victory over current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem. He was also responsible for the growth of MMA in the second half of the 2000s. He would have been higher, but he stuck around two years too long and was on the receiving end of knockouts against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin.
6.) BJ Penn: (16-7-2) BJ is the most talented fighter in MMA history. He was a jiu jitsu legend by the age of 18 and has some of the best boxing skills in the sport's history. He is one of only two people in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. He beat Matt Hughes by knockout at a time that no one was beating Hughes. The bigger the challenge, typically the better he fought. He has the tools to be the greatest of all-time, but motivation and lackluster training methods have stopped him from reaching his full potential as a fighter. Despite that, he is still a legend in the sport and his accomplishments are impressive.
5.) Matt Hughes: (45-8) Hughes, until Georges St. Pierre, was the most dominant UFC Welterweight Champ. His slam of Carlos Newton and his submissions of Frank Trigg are incredible. He also holds submission wins over Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and has the most wins in UFC history with 16.
4.) Fedor Emelianenko: (31-3-1) Fedor was the greatest heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade. He holds two victories over Nogueira and he dominated Mirko Cro Cop at the peak of his career. He has won the bulk of his fights by finishing his opponent. His streak was very impressive and the main reason he isn't higher is due to the fact that his level competition has not been particularly impressive the past four years and his mystique has gone after two straight losses and a seeming unwillingness to expand his game and shore up any deficiencies he has.
3.) Randy Couture: (19-10) Don't judge Randy by his record. His accomplishments in the sport and the fact he is so competitive as he nears 50 are no joke. He is the first man to win titles in two divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) and came out of retirement to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2007. He was the first man in four years to defeat Chuck Liddell, as well as being the first in four years to defeat Tito Ortiz. Randy has been in some of the biggest fights in the history of MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport. The fact that he did all this while in his early 40s when fighting is a young man's game is all the more amazing.
2.) Georges St. Pierre: (21-2) GSP is the biggest star in MMA today. He has endorsement deals with Gatorade and UnderArmous, thus making him the highest profile person in the sport. He has held the UFC Welterweight title for nearly three years. He hasn't even lost a round since losing the first round against Josh Koscheck in August 2007. He has been the second most dominant fighter in the UFC over the past decade and holds wins over BJ Penn, John Fitch, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. The only man to be more dominant than him is the man ranked number one.
1.) Anderson Silva: (28-4) Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champ and hasn't lost since he joined the company in 2006. If you discount his disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006, he hasn't lost since December 2004. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with 13 and the most title defenses with seven. He is the greatest striker in MMA and has shown an ability to submit people. He is a once in a generation athlete and performer, the equivalent of Michael Jordan. At some point, there will be at least one whole article on this site devoted to Anderson Silva.
Potential Additions
Lyoto Machida: "The Dragon" was undefeated in his career until losing twice last year. Before that, he was one of the most technically sound and elusive fighters in MMA history. He could crack the top ten if he manages to get back on track and regain his dominance in the light heavyweight division.
Cain Velasquez: Cain recently won the UFC Heavyweight Title in October 2010 when he destroyed Brock Lesnar in the first round of their bout. He is currently 9-0, and has won every round thus far in his career. If he maintains this pace, he could go down in history as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Time will tell for Cain.
Jon Jones: Jon Jones is the most highly regarded prospect in MMA right now. He has an exciting and unique striking style, unstoppable takedowns and ground and pound, as well as powerful submissions. He is the future of the sport and he could make himself the present if he wins the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on March 19 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If he does that and has the lengthy title reign people expect, his entry into the top ten is a no-brainer.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Shogun made a name for himself in Pride by winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix in a dominant fashion and prior to his UFC debut, was considered the best in the world at 205 lbs. His entry into the UFC was rough, with a loss to Forrest Griffin in his first match and a terrible win over Mark Coleman, but he has rebounded with a knockout win over Chuck Liddell and a brutal knockout of the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. If he manages to hold onto the belt for a few defenses, his resume would make him a borderline top ten fighter.
The Top Ten
10.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: (32-6-1-1) Nogueira is probably the greatest practicioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA history. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, which he successfully defended five times. He has beaten every big name in the sport, with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko. He is a top notch boxer and a legend in the sport.
9.) Dan Henderson: (26-8) Hendo is a top notch wrestler and has a vicious right hand. He is the only man to ever hold the 205 and 185 titles at the same time, which he did in Pride. He holds a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and his knockout win over Michael Bisping was highlight reel worthy.
8.) Wanderlei Silva: (33-10-1-1) The Axe Murderer is a legend in the sport and his reign over the Pride Middleweight division was legendary, not losing over a four year time frame. His knockouts of Rampage Jackson in Pride were brutal and unforgettable. A string of brutal knockout losses to Henderson and Mirko Cro Cop, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell knocks him back a bit on the list.
7.) Chuck Liddell: (21-8) Chuck was the long reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding it for two years. He holds two knockout wins over Randy Couture and is the only man to TKO Tito Ortiz, doing so twice. Both his knockouts of Babalu Sobral are highlight reel worthy. He also holds a knockout victory over current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem. He was also responsible for the growth of MMA in the second half of the 2000s. He would have been higher, but he stuck around two years too long and was on the receiving end of knockouts against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin.
6.) BJ Penn: (16-7-2) BJ is the most talented fighter in MMA history. He was a jiu jitsu legend by the age of 18 and has some of the best boxing skills in the sport's history. He is one of only two people in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. He beat Matt Hughes by knockout at a time that no one was beating Hughes. The bigger the challenge, typically the better he fought. He has the tools to be the greatest of all-time, but motivation and lackluster training methods have stopped him from reaching his full potential as a fighter. Despite that, he is still a legend in the sport and his accomplishments are impressive.
5.) Matt Hughes: (45-8) Hughes, until Georges St. Pierre, was the most dominant UFC Welterweight Champ. His slam of Carlos Newton and his submissions of Frank Trigg are incredible. He also holds submission wins over Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and has the most wins in UFC history with 16.
4.) Fedor Emelianenko: (31-3-1) Fedor was the greatest heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade. He holds two victories over Nogueira and he dominated Mirko Cro Cop at the peak of his career. He has won the bulk of his fights by finishing his opponent. His streak was very impressive and the main reason he isn't higher is due to the fact that his level competition has not been particularly impressive the past four years and his mystique has gone after two straight losses and a seeming unwillingness to expand his game and shore up any deficiencies he has.
3.) Randy Couture: (19-10) Don't judge Randy by his record. His accomplishments in the sport and the fact he is so competitive as he nears 50 are no joke. He is the first man to win titles in two divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) and came out of retirement to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2007. He was the first man in four years to defeat Chuck Liddell, as well as being the first in four years to defeat Tito Ortiz. Randy has been in some of the biggest fights in the history of MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport. The fact that he did all this while in his early 40s when fighting is a young man's game is all the more amazing.
2.) Georges St. Pierre: (21-2) GSP is the biggest star in MMA today. He has endorsement deals with Gatorade and UnderArmous, thus making him the highest profile person in the sport. He has held the UFC Welterweight title for nearly three years. He hasn't even lost a round since losing the first round against Josh Koscheck in August 2007. He has been the second most dominant fighter in the UFC over the past decade and holds wins over BJ Penn, John Fitch, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. The only man to be more dominant than him is the man ranked number one.
1.) Anderson Silva: (28-4) Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champ and hasn't lost since he joined the company in 2006. If you discount his disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006, he hasn't lost since December 2004. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with 13 and the most title defenses with seven. He is the greatest striker in MMA and has shown an ability to submit people. He is a once in a generation athlete and performer, the equivalent of Michael Jordan. At some point, there will be at least one whole article on this site devoted to Anderson Silva.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Strikeforce is blowing it...
The first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix was a couple of weeks ago and it was well received and provided a vicious knockout of former UFC Champ Andrei Arlovski by Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov, as well as the incredible upset of Fedor Emelianenko by Antonio "Big Foot" Silva. It was the second loss in a row for Fedor, both coming after ten straight years without a loss. After the excitement delivered by these two fights, Strikeforce was gaining quite a bit of momentum. The next installment of the tournament was supposed to feature Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem against the man who beat him five years ago and beat Fedor in June, Fabricio Werdum. The other fight would pit perennial top ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett against Brett Rogers. The date was supposed to be on April 9, 2010 and all the card needed was a venue.
Now, Strikeforce has decided to postpone the tournament until June 18 and is instead going to have a welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz, who just fought for Strikeforce in late January, and UFC castoff Paul Daley on April 9. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said that this gives them more time to promote the fights and sets up for the semi-finals to be in September and the finals in December. Coker is delusional.
This puts the winners from the first batch of fights on hold for seven months, a rather long layoff for fighters. This also gives the winners of the potential June fights a pretty short layoff of about two months, dependent on health issues. If a winner isn't allowed to fight for medical concerns, then the next round wouldn't be able to happen until October and would push the finals into next year, a year after the tournament started.
Coker is also mistaken in thinking the extra time to promote it is a good thing. There was a ton of buzz after the first fights and Strikeforce is crazy not to take advantage of that immediately. They will never top the UFC, but they can be a solid second source for mixed martial arts. The heavyweight Grand Prix was something different that the UFC would never use, so it set Strikeforce apart as something besides a place for prospects and UFC castoffs. It makes so much more sense to roll the momentum from the February fights into the early April ones. If those went well, they could have done the semi-finals in late summer/early fall and the finals in December with ease.
Instead, Strikeforce is going to have to compete with the UFC during their peak season. June should see a Brock Lesnar fight; a potential light heavyweight title match involving a combination of Shogun Rua, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, and Rampage Jackson; the UFC's first card in Brazil in the Zuffa era; and a possible Anderson Silva-GSP fight. Strikeforce is going to be lost in the shuffle of the annual summer MMA dominance of the UFC. By running the Grand Prix in early April, late-August/early September, and early/mid-December, Strikeforce could be running with minimal opposition.
Strikeforce has the opportunity to do something special to set it apart from the UFC for a spell. They have a heavyweight division that is arguably as good as that in the UFC and if they were running the Grand Prix more coherently (I didn't even get into the absurd rules and injury replacements), could do something really special for the sport. Even Dana White said he was intrigued by the tournament, and that dude never gives compliments to the opposition. If you can't take advantage of a situation where the man who tries to run every competitor into the ground is interested in what you're doing, there is something seriously wrong. Strikeforce is blowing it.
Now, Strikeforce has decided to postpone the tournament until June 18 and is instead going to have a welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz, who just fought for Strikeforce in late January, and UFC castoff Paul Daley on April 9. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said that this gives them more time to promote the fights and sets up for the semi-finals to be in September and the finals in December. Coker is delusional.
This puts the winners from the first batch of fights on hold for seven months, a rather long layoff for fighters. This also gives the winners of the potential June fights a pretty short layoff of about two months, dependent on health issues. If a winner isn't allowed to fight for medical concerns, then the next round wouldn't be able to happen until October and would push the finals into next year, a year after the tournament started.
Coker is also mistaken in thinking the extra time to promote it is a good thing. There was a ton of buzz after the first fights and Strikeforce is crazy not to take advantage of that immediately. They will never top the UFC, but they can be a solid second source for mixed martial arts. The heavyweight Grand Prix was something different that the UFC would never use, so it set Strikeforce apart as something besides a place for prospects and UFC castoffs. It makes so much more sense to roll the momentum from the February fights into the early April ones. If those went well, they could have done the semi-finals in late summer/early fall and the finals in December with ease.
Instead, Strikeforce is going to have to compete with the UFC during their peak season. June should see a Brock Lesnar fight; a potential light heavyweight title match involving a combination of Shogun Rua, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, and Rampage Jackson; the UFC's first card in Brazil in the Zuffa era; and a possible Anderson Silva-GSP fight. Strikeforce is going to be lost in the shuffle of the annual summer MMA dominance of the UFC. By running the Grand Prix in early April, late-August/early September, and early/mid-December, Strikeforce could be running with minimal opposition.
Strikeforce has the opportunity to do something special to set it apart from the UFC for a spell. They have a heavyweight division that is arguably as good as that in the UFC and if they were running the Grand Prix more coherently (I didn't even get into the absurd rules and injury replacements), could do something really special for the sport. Even Dana White said he was intrigued by the tournament, and that dude never gives compliments to the opposition. If you can't take advantage of a situation where the man who tries to run every competitor into the ground is interested in what you're doing, there is something seriously wrong. Strikeforce is blowing it.
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