FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Here's what I think Dana should do: sign Chuck to extend his existing contract 1 fight. Then give him whatever fight he wants as his Swan Song. This way, Chuck gets to go out on his terms, against the opponent of his choosing, and Dana still has that one fight left on the contract to make sure he stays retired. The least the UFC can do for one of its legends is give the guy the opportunity to pick his final opponent and (try to) kick his ass.

Yeah, though I did see Jimmy Fallon live this weekend and he's as funny as ever. It'll be interesting to see him as a talk show host.

Maybe he's going for more wives than championship belts. Got some work to do, but a lot longer to accomplish it.

Never saw anything out of him that would make me care.

I'm with you there. His management and their crazy conditions are the reason he's not in the UFC.

I'm not so sure about your list though. I can't bring myself to put Alistair "ball crusher" Overeem in the top 10. Maybe he is, simply because there aren't that many good heavies out there, but it makes me cringe. Barnett, too, but mostly I just think he's another egotistical d/bag, right up there with Finklestein.

There's no question about bad blood between the Silvas, but I wouldn't have ever called Franklin and A. Silva "enemies." They were always perfectly respectful of each other, and even after destroying him in his home town, A. Silva had nothing but praise for Franklin, calling him a true champion. Not surprising, then, that he'd be willing to train with him. There's no possibility that they'll ever fight again, so why not?

The thing about W. Silva, regardless of his recent record, is that he's never in a boring fight. I'm much more willing to pay to watch him than A. Silva nowadays. No showboating, no dancing, no lame-ass leg punches. W. Silva is hyper-agressive and intent to knock people out and finish the fight. The fight with Franklin should be outstanding.

Why is this an MMA post? Is SI really that ignorant?

I'll base my judgement on how sanchez will fare as a lightweight after Saturday's fight. He's a beast, but I question how much his skill has improved. I don't think there's any question that Florian is a much different fighter now versus during the Ultimate Fighter, both in his cardio and his stand-up abilities. If Sanchez thinks he'll walk through him again (the first one was definitely a beating) then I think he's got something coming to him. We'll see.

I don't think the rules will change based on the location, any more than they do when they go to Canada or Ireland. Pride had a different set because they were a different organization. The Japanese fans are great, so it would be great for the sport to get the UFC back there.

The best way to prove what Primetime's showing, that BJ's a diva, is to act like it by kicking the cameras out. Who doesn't answer the phone when their boss calls, especially when they're being filmed and they know their boss is going to see it? Someone that thinks that there aren't any consequences for their actions, that's who. He's an amazing talent, but he still doesn't seem to have a real concept of what responsbility and a work ethic are. Like Dana or not, that's a man that works his ass off and has a clear sense of obligation.

I don't really get it. If they want both fighters on the card for their star power, why not put them in fights in their respective divisions that actually make sense? This way you can also showcase some of the newer stars, like they have been. I don't know how you promote the 4th fight in the series when the last 2 were won so definitively. It was the 3rd fight that pushed Randy into retirement the first time around after all.

I think the UFC needs to be using their older, more established fighters against the up and comers, like they have been, rather than rehashing the battles that made them legends. Chuck v. Shogun and Couture v. Carwin, that kind of thing. There are a lot of compelling fights out there, and as we've seen, resumes don't win fights.

It was a shade too long, but you've got to give the champ a chance to come back. To have called it too early would have only lead to far more painful speculation.

Someone that didn't understand the intricacies of any sport could talk the same smack that's been posted here. "It's better to be thought of as ignorant than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

The same goes for the subject post. The article could be re-titled "New York Post Exposes Ignorance." To doubt Lesnar's qualifications for a title shot was to put aside his amateur accomplishments, his physical gifts, and his performance against dramatically more experienced opponents, especially Heath Herring. He's a competitor, plain and simple, and when you're as gifted as him, that's frequently enough in a fight. BJJ is the one martial art that can take away size advantages, and Randy doesn't know it well enough, and it showed. Accomplishments and past history are meaningless when the cage door closes, which is why this sport is so great. You have to prove yourself every time.

Time to clear some things up. First, Couture's striking is not as legendary as you make it out to be. He has precisely zero KO's in his career. He has a number of TKO's, all of which came in the later rounds after he had worn his opponents out, and none of which, to my memory, were preceded by a knock down. He knocked Tim Sylvia down with an overhand right, but that's meaning less and less every day. The probability of him working leg kicks against Lesnar is just about zero as well, since Lesnar's reach is about 10 ft, and a leg kick is exactly what got Frank Mir put on his ****.

Second, as far as him catching Lesnar in a submission, well, he has two submission victories in his career. His last was against Mike Van Arsdale in 2005, after he had worn him down. He had Silvia's back for 2-3 minutes in their fight and wasn't able to finish him. Not exactly Abu Dhabi level stuff.

Third, how can anyone believe Lesnar is going to gas in rounds 4 & 5? "He needs to knock his opponents out relatively early?" Like Heath Herring? He finished that fight looking like he could go another two pretty easy, and he was controlling a man about 30 lbs heavier than Couture will be. This is a guy that does the same training regimen as Sean Sherk. How can you possibly think he is going to gas? It's part of what makes him scary, his ability to move and work at such a pace carrying so much muscle.

The reality is Couture is most likely to win by decision, or TKO if somehow he's able to break Lesnar down by "imposing his will" as he likes to say. That has almost always been his strategy, and he works it better than anyone. Could he lock in an armbar? Maybe, but I would be shocked, since he runs the risk of losing position going for just about any submission, and this is going to be a position fight.

Who knows how Lesnar can win. I don't think there's any doubt that he has knockout power, but he hasn't flat KO'd anyone yet. He can definitely control people when he's on top, which makes a decision win possible. If he gets on top and starts playing Donkey Kong on Couture, TKO is possible as well. He proved that with his first win and the work he was doing on Mir prior to getting caught.

This fight isn't nearly as lopsided as people make it out to be, even though it could end quickly. All the question marks make it incredibly interesting, which is why I can't wait to see it.

On the fight card for the event they're both listed as light heavies. It will be interesting to see what Coleman looks like at 205, since in the past he's looked like a poster boy for steroids.

I don't know what's controversial about a guy getting taken down, posting his arm and having it break. Pretty cut and dry, even though there was more fighting after it ended between the different camps than there was during it. Not terribly excited for this one, Shogun needs to prove he can get into shape.