Aldo | The 3rd String Safety

WEC 47: Ratings Are The Second-Worst In Nearly Two Years...

March 10, 2010, at 4:20 pm

I wrote before the event that was a very important card in the history of the WEC. They needed to put up a strong number to show that there was interest in the pay-per-view that they are putting on next month.

Yea…not so much. According to MMAJunkie, this was the second-worst rating that the promotion has done on Versus in nearly two full years.

WEC 47 (Bowles vs. Cruz): 373,000 viewers
WEC 46 (Varner vs. Henderson): 640,000
WEC 45 (Cerrone vs. Ratciff): 330,000
WEC 44 (Brown vs. Aldo): 414,000
WEC 43 (Cerrone vs. Henderson): 419,000 (first event after loss of DirecTV viewers)

Why did this happen? Well, the event did certainly lack some pop. The only real star on the card was Miguel Torres, and he was coming off a pretty embarrassing knockout loss. The main event was between two bantamweights that only the real MMA fan would know. Bowles was coming off a win, but hadn’t fought in more than six months. Cruz has only one loss, but doesn’t have a resume that screams superstar.

However, I bring you another possibility. This card was on a Saturday night. While me and you may block some prime weekend time for the WEC, Joe Average is out at the bar getting crunk at that time. He might stop for a UFC, but not for it’s awkward little brother.

Well, can the WEC draw on a PPV if they can’t draw on cable on a Saturday night? We’ll see. This next card coming up has a TON of star power on it. The featherweight triumvirate of Urijah Faber, Mike Brown and Jose Aldo are all in action. Donald Cerrone and Ben “Pootie Tang” Henderson go at it in a repeat of WEC’s 2009 fight of the year. Not to mention the possible inclusion of hot prospect Chan Sung Jung, who is best known as “The Korean Zombie. Mmmm…Brains.

Should we assume that the WEC is screwed next month? No, not quite. However, this can’t be good news for Reed Harris and the boys.

MMA

WEC 48: Kamal Shalorus v. Jamie Varner on Main Card of WEC’s First PPV…

By Anthony De Franco

February 28, 2010, at 4:32 pm

2 people had their say - chime in!

There are few villains of the sport right now like Jamie Varner. When fan favorite (who happens to look like Pootie Tang) Benson Henderson guillotined him, Varner started in with the excuses about Henderson wanting to grapple rather than fight. Now, he’s going to take on an internationally renowned wrestler in Kamal Shalorus. I’m pumped.

The news from MMA Frenzy:

Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will look to bounce back when he likely returns to action against undefeated 155-pounder Kamal Shalorus at “WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber,” World Extreme Cagefighting’s pay-per-view debut which takes place on April 24 in Sacramento, California.

The matchup, which Varner confirmed with MMA Weekly on Monday, is expected to take place on the PPV main card.

Varner (16-3), sidelined since January 2009 with various injuries suffered in a win over Donald Cerrone, returned from the near year-long layoff last month, but suffered a third-round submission to interim title-holder Ben Henderson. Prior to the loss, Varner had won five-straight, including wins over Rob McCullough and Marcus Hicks.

Shalorus is undefeated in his first seven MMA bouts, and showed in his WEC fights that anyone in the world is going to be hard pressed to take him down. One of the reason we were excited for the “Prince of Persia” after his first fight was that he seemed to be a pretty technical boxer. In his second WEC contest, he threw wild haymakers all over the cage that would make Gray Maynard proud. Let’s hope that he reverts to technique against the whiny Varner.

Shalorus via Camel Clutch in round one.

MMA

UFC 109 Predictions: Spike TV Prelims!

By Jason Comack

February 4, 2010, at 9:39 pm

Leave your comment

Mac Danzig (18-7-1) vs. Justin Buchholz (8-4)

The Fighters: Danzig came into the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighter as a favorite. The King Of The Cage and Pride vet had amassed enough quality wins to justify his presence in the UFC even without TUF. His post TUF career hasn’t gone as planned however. He’s 2-3 in the UFC and has lost three fights in a row. No UFC fighter that isn’t a star isn’t going to survive a four fight losing streak.

Bucholz has also struggled in his UFC career. He’s 1-3 in the UFC with his lone win being over a very green Corey Hill.

Both fighters desperately need a win and this is most definitely a “loser leaves town” match.

Breakdown: Despite his recent failings, 2-5 in his last seven fights, Danzig is a 3 or 4 to 1 favorite depending on where you look. That says a lot more about his opponent then it does him. Bucholz clearly isn’t a guy ready for UFC competition. He brought a 7-1 record into the Octagon but it was clearly inflated by fighting local bums. Look for Danzig to mix it up both standing and on the ground as he cruises to an easy decision win.

Prediction: Danzig Via Unanimous Decision

Melvin Guillard (22-8-2) vs. Ronnys Torres (14-1)

The Fighters: Can you believe Melvin Guillard is still only 26 years old? It certainly seems like he’s been around forever. Most likely it feels this way because Guillards career has been a consistent stream of disappointments. Every time he takes a step forward he seems to take two back the next fight. The former Ultimate Fighter Season 2 contestant began his career at 170 pounds. He went 1-1 at welterweight before dropping down to lightweight. Since dropping to lightweight Guillard is 5-4 in the UFC.

Guillards talent is enormous. He’s a gigantic lightweight whose sheer athleticism and explosiveness will remind you a lot of Kevin Randleman. Guillard has a great shot and terrific power in his hands. However, Guillard has an Achilles Heel. He is a terrible submission fighter. All four of his UFC losses have come via submission. If you remember he was dominating, understatement, Josh Neer before being stupidly caught in a triangle choke. It looked like someone attacked Neers face with a tack hammer (as Guillard stupidly jumped into Neers guard to finish him off he was caught in a triangle.) Most recently he was caught in a guillotine against Nick Diaz that could have easily been avoided. If he fought with any kind of game plan he could have easily won both those fights.

It’s also outside the cage that Melvin has had troubles. After his loss to Joe Stevenson, Guillard accused Stevenson of using HGH. Not so ironically after that fight Guillard was caught with cocaine in his system in a post fight drug test. He was fined $2,100 and suspended 8 months.

The reason Guillard, unlike so many fighters, is getting second and third chances is because he’s insanely talented. He has wins over Marcus Davis, Denis Siver and Gleison Tibau. Those are very quality wins and it’s insanely frustrating to watch Guillard not maximize his god given ability.

While Ronnys Torres is making his UFC debut the talented Brazilian is no push over. Torres is 14-1 and one of Brazils top prospects. He trains with the highly regarded, and highly underrated, Nova União team. The dude trains with Jose Aldo, Paulo Thiago and many other talented fighters.

Breakdown: Sadly for Guillard this fight seems to be designed for him to lose. As I said his Achilles Heel has always been his submission defense and that is the area that Torres excels at (7 of Torres 15 wins have come via submission.) If there’s one area of concern for Torres it’s that he might not be coming into this fight 100%. He had to pull out of Fight Night 18 and 19 with various injuries.

If Guillard wants to win this fight he needs to take a page out of Chuck Liddells book and reverse wrestle. Torres isn’t good enough to take Mevlin down and it’s unclear if he has that same knack for pulling guard effectively like Damien Maia does. Knowing Melvin he’ll stun him with a power shot and go in recklessly for a finish and get submitted.

Prediction: Torres via Armbar Round 2

*Bonus* Random Fun Fact: Torres holds a win over Luiz Azeredo. Azeredo is one of only 4 men to ever beat Anderson Silva. Azeredo also holds a win over top welterweight contender Paul Daley.

MMA

Chael Sonnen Has Some Words For Anderson Silva...

By Anthony De Franco

January 25, 2010, at 5:58 am

Leave your comment

Is it ever a good idea to make fun of a guy who is generally referred to as a “ninja?”

Probably not. Nonetheless, that is exactly what middleweight contender Chael Sonnen is doing. Here is what he had to say about Silva and Brazillian manager of the stars, Ed Soares. From Bloody Elbow:

“You want me to let you in on a secret, Anderson Silva speaks perfect English. He just has such a low amount of respect for you and all the rest of the media that he pretends he doesn’t. I’ve had conversations with Anderson Silva in perfect English, and on top of that he’s so boring to listen to that he and his rocket scientist manager, Ed Soares, who is also about as exciting as watching grass grow, have decided that Ed is better on the mic than Anderson, so just let Ed do the talking.”

“It’s quite ironic that all the media comes on and talks about how great this guy is for reasons that are completely un-understandable to me. How great Anderson Silva is, and all of us fighters are in the back going, ‘jeez, they’re out there massaging his ego, Anderson hates them so much, he pretends he can’t understand them,’” Sonnen stated.

“That guy’s no more the top fighter out there than Bigfoot is roaming the woods,” said Sonnen. “That is an absolute myth, and all these guys can buy into it, but there’s a young man out in Portland, Ore., that is not signing up on that bandwagon.

How concise. Sonnen is making a lot of claims, and I wouldn’t doubt if some of them are true on a small level. However, to claim that Soares and Silva have created an elaborate ruse just to keep Anderson from talking to media seems a bit insane. Also, Soares might not be the world’s most interesting man, but is his probably one of the most powerful in the whole MMA world. He controls a whole stable of superstars that includes Silva, Big Nog, Jose Aldo and others. I’d be boring if I could be rich and powerful.

Here is what Soares said in response:

“I think Chael’s a really super nice guy and every time I’ve met the guy he’s always been really cool to me. That’s weird that he would say stuff on the radio, but I think at the end of the day, Chael’s not a dumb guy, he’s a pretty smart guy,” Soares commented. “I think no one will really pay attention to what he has to say unless he probably talks about Anderson.”

“Anyone that has a mouth can say what they want,” he said. “I don’t think people pay too much attention to what Chael does. Saying that Anderson’s boring or Anderson’s this, Anderson’s that, we don’t even need to go back and see what Chael has done. If you really want to analyze Chael’s career over the past couple years, he’s had some wins, but he said he didn’t tap against Paulo Filho. If the ref wouldn’t have stopped the fight, Paulo Filho would have his arm in Brazil with him.

What Sonnen is trying to do here is clearly build a little heat between himself and Silva in order to get himself a title shot. He probably knows that The Spider is not long for the middleweight division and a chance at beating Silva is Sonnen’s shot at leaving behind a huge legacy. He also would make some nice bank in the process.

MMA

WEC Moves Towards PPV

By Jason Comack

January 11, 2010, at 4:29 pm

Leave your comment

Reed Harris dropped all kinds of interesting nuggets of information during the post fight presser. The most interesting was that the WEC is headed for Pay-Per-View. Of course this move has been rumored for a long time, but its just now that the WEC finally has enough talent to back it up.

Faber vs. Aldo for the featherweight title was confirmed by Harris. It was also strongly hinted that this would headline WEC’s first PPV. There’s little to not like about this fight. Faber is not only the WEC’s most popular fighter he’s also the 2nd or 3rd best featherweight on the planet. Aldo, the champ, has a skill set the reminds people of Anderson Silva…need I say more?

Harris also eluded to the fact that when the WEC goes PPV they are going to load the card from top to bottom to make sure its a card you can’t afford to miss.

Ben Henderson’s next opponent will likely be Donald Cerrone in a rematch of their fight of the year from 2009. While not confirmed by Reed Harris all signs strongly point in that direction. Harris also suggested that Henderson’s first title defense could be on the same PPV card as Faber/Aldo.

Those two title fights as the main/co-main on a card rivals most of the cards the UFC puts on these days. With the growing list of talented fighters its easy to fantasy book the rest of the PPV card.

A fight including rising lightweight stars like Anthony Njokuani and Kamal Shalorus could open the card. Top featherweight contenders Mike Brown and Manny Gamburayan could meet in a number one contenders bout. Those are four fights that are must see and I haven’t even tapped into the WEC’s talent pool at 135.

The growth of the WEC is great for the sport. PPV means more revenue for the WEC, means bigger paychecks for fighters and in turn that means more fighters at 155 would be willing to cut to 145 (that means you Frankie Edgar.)

Kudos to Reed Harris for showing us the proper way to build an MMA organization.

MMA

MMA Rankings: Featherweight (145 lbs.)

By Anthony De Franco

January 11, 2010, at 5:20 am

Leave your comment

I’ve seen a lot of MMA World Rankings lately and We haven’t found one I 100% agree with. Therefore I’m launching the first ever 3rd String Safety Official MMA World Rankings. Please, hold your applause. These rankings will be fluid and updated after every major MMA card.

Featherweights – 145 lbs.

Updated:01/11/10

1. Jose Aldo (15-1)

Want to see something exciting? Check out any Jose Aldo fight. The 23 year old Brazilian is just a human highlight reel. Check out this flying knee that ended his fight against Cub Swanson:

Aldo is long, and thin, giving him the perfect body for Muay Thai. He’s 5-0 in the WEC and he’s now the WEC featherweight champ. He’s got Anderson Silva-type potential. He’s likely going to be champ for quite awhile.

Next Up: Urijah Faber, As announced in WEC 46 post-fight by WEC General Manager Reed Harris

2. Urijah Faber (23-3)

Faber is probably the most well known featherweight in the world. He held the WEC title and defended it five times before losing it to Brown. He has victories over Jens Pulver, Jeff Curran, Dominick Cruz, and Cole Escovedo. He’s got great hair.

The only weakness in his game is that he is own worst enemy. He tends to take some crazy chances that other fighters can take advantage of. Back in the day, when the WEC welterweight division wasn’t stacked, he could get away with it. Not so much anymore.

That being said, his three losses are to UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin, and two to Mike Brown. That’s not bad.

His most recent win was over Rafael Assuncao, who is the consensus number four or five featherweight in the world. The California kid showed almost no ill effects from his layoff. He brought back all the trademark speed and creativity he featured before, and ultimately finished the Brazilian via rear naked choke.

Up Next: Jose Aldo, as announced in WEC 46 Post Fight by WEC General Manager Reed Harris

3. Mike Thomas Brown (23-4)

Is there a more debated 22-4 fighter in the world than Mike Thomas Brown? He’s the WEC champion, which like the UFC, has the best fighters in the weight class. He’s defended the title twice, both times against fighters on this list. So, whats the problem?

The problem is the way that he has defeated Urijah Faber. In the first fight, Faber threw a stupid looking back elbow that got his ass knocked out. Brown took advantadge, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, everyone in the world was waiting for Faber to get his title back. Then, in the second fight, Faber broke one hand and injured tendons in another after winning the first round. Brown cautiously took over the next few rounds, but was almost choked out by Faber sans hands in the last round.

Can you be the best fighter in your weight class almost get choked without hands? Looks like we’ll have to wait for Faber-Brown III to find out.

Brown recently defeated an overmatched Anthony Morrison to get back on track. A rear naked choke got Brown back in the “W” column, and his name is right in there for the Faber/Aldo winner.

Up Next: TBA

4. Raphael Assuncao (15-2)

There is a huge disparity between the top and the bottom of this division. That’s why a ton of these guys have records with only on or two losses. Assauncao is a solid fighter, but lacks the kind of talent that the top three guys have. He’s got wins over Yves Jabouin, and Jameel Massouh, for what that’s worth.

His fight with Faber could have gone a whole lot better. He landed some shots, and did a decent job controlling Faber in spurts, but he got two hit with two big shots and was ultimately rear naked choke.

Fear not, losing to the second best fighter in your weight class is nothing to be ashamed of.

Up Next: TBA

5. Hatsu Hioki (20-4-2)

Never heard the name? Not shocking. He’s currently fighting in Japan in Sengoku, which can be seen on HDnet at all kinds of weird times. He’s coming off a couple wins, but his title shot was taken away because of a concussion in a tournament format. Then he lost a controversial decision to Michihiro Omigawa, after which Omigawa admitted that he lost the fight.

Up Next: It’s Japan. Who knows?

6. Bibiano Fernandes (7-2)

You know what’s a great notch to have in your belt before starting your MMA career? Being a BJJ world champion. That’s what Fernandes brought to the table in the DREAM featherweight grand prix. He beat a furiously hyped underdog in Joe Warren and then gained a split decision over Hiroyuki Takaya to win the belt. He’s 29, so he may not have a real long career, but right now he’s looking pretty good.

Up Next: It’s Japan. For all we know he’s fighting a horse.

7. Wagnney Fabiano (13-2)

Fabiano is an IFL veteran who was 2-0 in the WEC before running into an up and coming buzzsaw by the name of Mackens Semerzier. He still is a great fighter in his prime but at the age of 34 who knows how much time is left for the BJJ ace. In the WEC’s stacked 145 division, Fabiano needs to get moving if he want to be in title contention.

He took the first step by getting himself a win against Clint Godfrey at WEC 46. However, Semerizer was defeated by Deividas Taurosevicius, which makes the loss to Mackens look even weaker.

Up Next: TBA

8. Leonard Garcia (13-4)

He got famous in the UFC for his legendary fight against Roger Huerta, but really is at home at 145. He had a title shot against Brown where he was stopped in the first round. Garcia is another case of the faults in this division. At 155, he wouldn’t even be in the top 10, but at 145, he’s in the top ten. His loss to Manny Gamburyan drops him down a few spots, but I can’t help but think that Garcia will be back.

Up Next: TBA

9. Joe Soto (8-0)

The Bellator champ is yet to become a big name in the MMA community, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t very good. “The Hammer” is a strong as hell wrestler that is making his name by fighting anywhere that he can get a chance. After being on ESPNDeportes and winning the Bellator championship, he went to Japan and submitted Mike Christensen via gogopalata. Not bad, huh? Soto may not be fighting the best competition, but he proving that he is the best amongst the smaller fight leagues.

Up Next: Will defend Bellator title at the end of the second season against the winner of Season 2 featherweight tournament. Will fight again before that, with Bellator’s permission.

10. Marlon Sandro (16-1)

Want to know what it’s like to get screwed? Check this out:

Sengoku Featherweight Grandprix Third Round. Scores were 30-30, 30-30, 30-29 Sandro (i.e. majority draw) but the judges with draws selected Omigawa in a “must decide” decision, giving him the “must decide split decision” 2-1.

Explain to me what the hell that means? So the Japanese guy wins by default in the event of a draw? I get the fact that it’s a tournament, but that’s a terrible way to lose your first fight.

Up Next: TBA

Honorable Mention: Josh Grispi, Michihiro Omigawa, Manny Gamburyan

Not Ranked: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto

Prospect Watch: Diego Nunes, Brandon Visher, Erik Koch

Avatars by Sterling Adventures

Calendar

Blog Networks

WEC 47: Ratings Are The Second-Worst In Nearly Two Years...

WEC 48: Kamal Shalorus v. Jamie Varner on Main Card of WEC’s First PPV…

UFC 109 Predictions: Spike TV Prelims!

Chael Sonnen Has Some Words For Anderson Silva...

MMA Rankings: Featherweight (145 lbs.)

Twitter Updates

Recent Posts

Login