Steroids and the UFC

The UFC will have to address the steroid issue head on. They rely on the athletic commissions for testing which doesn't say a whole lot given the money and power some of their athletes now have access to. I'm sure the guys who currently have suspicion looming around there heads like Shane Carwin, Gray Maynard, Chael Sonnen and Frankie Edgar are more than able to get around the weak testing standards that exist today. Steroids will becom a massive problem for the UFC. Look at Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar. I mean we are going to have an MMA nightmare come to life if this problem isn't addressed. Dana, I hope you are on it cuz you know there are a bunch of guys in the UFC heavily doping - there's just can't be any doubt about it.

UFC 118 Snoozefest Wasn't What I Expected

The UFC 118 card tonight was extremely boring with a bunch of lifetime "decision" guys choking out the fans. Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will fight next in what will likely be the most boring fight ever. Expect a lot of meaningless taps on the head and back and forth bobbing with little damage to speak of ...

The problem with the UFC style of MMA is that guys are just trying to get decision wins (i.e. trying not to lose). For example, Edgar did nothing tonight against Penn except stick and move and get the occasional take down. Penn actually tried to finish the fight and threw punches with meaning. There was nothing in Edgar's arsenal that could remotely hurt Penn. He was just trying to run and do enough when he wasn't running to win the fight. This is becoming an all to common formula and it will ultimately be terrible for fans. Boxing suffers from a little bit of this too as some fighters are way too defensive and don't take any risks.

I fear that the era of great finishers like Penn and Anderson Silva may be coming to an end with the new generation looking to choke out fans with extreme boredom.

One Dimensional Fighters James Toney and Brock Lesnar Given Opportunity in UFC

As we approach BJ Penn versus Frankie Edgar the rematch, it's a great opportunity to ask how a multi-dimension potential greatest of all time fighter like BJ Penn could lose his title via a bad decision to no name Frankie Edgar. Edgar's no longer a no name but how UFC judges could allow him to run and bob his way to a title is unbelievable. I always thought you had to earn a championship? Had to win it. I guess clearly not in the UFC.

Anyways, one thing about Frankie Edgar is he is not one dimensional. He's no BJ Penn but certainly he is not one dimensional either. There are several one dimensional fighters that are getting chances in the UFC. Brock Lesnar is one. He is a wrestler with a professional wrestling (WWE) background. No stand up game to speak of (as we saw against cardio-less Shane Carwin). How does a guy get winded after one round in a championship fight anyway?? James Toney is another example except he has no proven ground game but obviously a great stand up fighter given his boxing pedigree. The UFC has given these guys a chance because they are big name draws for the promotion. Lesnar has already succeeded (although against sub par heavyweight competition). If Toney doesn't succeed it might prove that having a ground game without a stand up game is more beneficial than having a stand up game without a ground game. Hopefully, Randy Couture will bring out the best of James Toney and we'll get to find out.

Anderson Silva Still the Best

Anderson Silva showed he is still the most dominant fighter in the game of MMA after submitting Chael Sonnen via triangle choke. I've spoken with many people who thought Chael was heavily jacked on steroids during the fight. I'm not sure there's any evidence of that other than his incredible stamina and what appeared to be massive zits on his back. The fact that some folks thought that way says a lot about this fight. Sonnen dominated Anderson Silva in a way we haven't seen before but Silva still managed to finish him. Silva is the best finisher in MMA when he isn't bored and he showed it against a super hyped Chael Sonnen. Almost no one thought Silva would be able to stop Sonnen past the third round and he did. So, Silva accomplished something that many thought he wouldn't be able to do ... I mean think about that. The guy who was already the best MMA fighter on the planet did something no one thought he could. To me, that means this guy is still the best on the planet. I love GSP but I think Silva is a better finisher and a more well rounded fighter.

The UFC is top notch at middleweight because of Silva, they are also great at welterweight because of all the talent they have. They are good at lightweight and good at light heavyweight (I think Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and some of the other guys not named Machida or Rua are overrated). The heavyweight division is weak especially with the steroid cloud hanging over Shane Carwin (surprisingly a guy who tanked in the second round against newbie Brock Lesnar). However, at middleweight Silva carries the organization. He's the best MMA fighter on the planet among a group of guys who look like they could be jacking 'roids regularly. He's an artist and a master of the sport as it is today.

Juan Manuel Marquez Shows his Worth in the Ring

JMM still has it in the ring. He proved that this weekend against Juan Diaz. It's unfortunate that it was a rematch of a fight that few wanted to see, however, it did prove that Marquez is still a top notch fighter after his tough blow out loss to Floyd Mayweather (Floyd cheated by coming in 3 pounds over weight). It seems like he will get Amir Khan next at junior welterweight for that title. Marquez can become the first Mexican fighter to win titles at 4 different weight classes. However, Khan is an entirely different league than Diaz so it will be a tough fight for Marquez. Both are managed by Golden Boy so it should be an easy fight to make. Also, it will be a big draw as both Khan and Marquez are extremely popular fighters. If that fight does happen, I can't wait to see it.

Jon Jones Moving Laterally in His Career

The UFC isn't challenging Jon Jones. That was obvious last night when they put him against a guy who was a step backwards from Brandon Vera who Jones destroyed. Strange match making for sure. Vladimir Matyushenko was a top notch fighter and is still very good but not the kind of challenge Jones needs at this point. He needs to step up. The UFC is trying to hype him on national television but this guy isn't Mike Tyson so not sure how effective that will be ... he's a solid MMA fighter with a lot of creativity. He's very young but needs a challenge. Let's hope he gets his chance to fight against a top guy. I'm not sure why Rashad Evans who got KO'd miserably by Lyoto Machida is getting a shot at Shogun Rua and Jon Jones isn't? Makes no sense. Time to break up the foursome (Quentin Jackson, Evans, Rua and Machida) because Jones has earned his shot - he should fight Shogun immediately. If Rua beats Evans I think Jones takes on an intermediate fight against someone like Forrest Griffin or Little Nog and then gets the title shot.