I have been waiting a very long time to finally see my first UFC show in person, but I must tell you there are a few things that trouble me:

1) – The card appears to be rather weak. Now, as a UFC hardcore loyalist, I will readily admit that some of the strong cards turn out to be weak, and some of the weak cards turn out to be awesome. But, at first glance, I wish Columbus, Ohio, might have been given this one. I think a city that has never enjoyed your product before might need a headliner that gets the marginal fan interested if the goal is to fill a 20,000 seat arena at the prices that are listed. CroCop may be that guy, but do enough people know his work in the sports world? Which brings me to…

2) – Can the arena be filled? With the poor card, the economy, Texas-Texas Tech up against it, the somewhat minimal promotion locally, and the prices, will the arena fill? And if it does not, will the UFC vow to never return? I want to make sure the UFC is impressed and a regular traveller to these parts, but you never get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. And 9/19 will say plenty about the DFW market to the UFC suits (Dana White).

3) – How bad will the competitions hurt? Texas vs Texas Tech is a real troublesome match-up, and on PPV, we have Floyd Mayweather vs Juan Manuel Marquez. And HBO has really been pushing that with the great 24/7 series, so much so that if this card wasn’t in Dallas – I would be torn.

Anyway, with all of this in mind, I am still excited. Maybe not excited enough to actually pay $250 a piece for my tickets, but luckily, I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.

According to Wikipedia here is the fight card for the night:

Main card – PPV, 9pm
Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort[1]
Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipović vs. Junior dos Santos[1]
Welterweight bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley[1]
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg[1]
Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca[1]

Preliminary card – On Spike, 8pm
Lightweight bout: Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller[1]
Middleweight bout: Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal[1]

Seeing Crocop vs Dos Santos really has me excited, and Koscheck vs Trigg is oddly intruiging. Tyson Griffin always has great fights so that should be good, too. Franklin vs Belfort is the main event, but I must tell you that when Belfort left the UFC (2/05) that was about 4 months before I started following the whole thing. So, I have never seen him fight. I can’t recall the last time the UFC offered a headline fight in which I could say I had never seen the headliner fight. The true hardcore fans will know all about him, but those of us who have only been in the sport since the Ultimate Fighter series brought us in might be a bit in the dark.

Anyway, I hope all of my wildest dreams come true tomorrow night. I am ready to roll.

Everytime we preview a UFC card, Greg Garcia sends me 5 MMA questions that he uses on his blog, and I reprint here. So, this version is below:

Greg: Bob, a big MMA week is upon us. TUF 10 premier, Ultimate Fight Night and finally a UFC event here in Dallas. Here are a few questions concerning this week’s events.

We will finally get to see what Kimbo Slice in the UFC will be like. There is no doubt he will draw viewers and add to the already entertaining aspect of Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson. What are your thoughts on how he may do? & over or under, 2 wins for Kimbo.

Bob: Wow. That is a great line you set. I was kind of thinking I will take the under. He may get the first win, depending on matchup, but I don’t see how he could deal with a wrestler like the guy who won the episode match from Wednesday night. He is not much better than me on the ground it would appear, and eventually in MMA you end up on your back. If you have no idea how to deal with that reality, then what?

One thing we are not factoring in is the idea that he could be a huge ratings winner. And with match-ups being determined by Dana and his band of merry men, then I might suggest the possibility that they will do everything in their power to keep him around.

His beard is intriguing, and his appearance is as menacing as anyone in sports since Ben Wallace was in his prime. But, can he fight at even this level? After watching his demise on CBS to the great Seth Petruzelli, I have my doubts.

Greg: Ultimate Fight Night is always exciting and FREE always adds to the equation. Was I the only person who felt that the last UFN had way too many commercial breaks? & does that take away from the show? It certainly aggravated the heck out of me.

Bob: I did not watch it live, so I enjoyed my ability to fast forward through the commercials, although I do wonder if this lengthens the time between rounds, and how that might affect the fight.

Greg: UFC will make its Dallas debut this Saturday. The card has 13 fights scheduled. It will have stiff competition in the form of Mayweather vs Marquez (who strangely enough drinks his own urine to prepare for fights). Do you think the UFC did enough to counter the competition for PPV dollars?

Bob: This is the first time that I have been tempted to lean to the boxing card, and if UFC 103 wasn’t in Dallas, I might have gone the other way (For Shame!) I expect that this particular boxing card with the help of the HBO series that promoted it should hold its own well against this less-than-amazing UFC card. I also wonder about the ticket situation in Dallas. Is there any chance they have a full house at those prices? I would be shocked.

Greg: Vitor Belfort makes his UFC return against Rich Franklin in the main event Saturday. The fight will be at a catch weight of 195. Is it a mistake for Franklin to continue to take fights at catch weight at the expense of establishing himself in the light heavyweight division?

Bob: It would seem that Franklin is in a real odd spot right now in his career. Although I have enjoyed his last few fights, I have not been able to consider him truly elite since the Anderson Silva clinics that were performed at his expense. Franklin is a classy individual and I wish I still felt the same about him as I did back when he knocked Nate Quarry senseless, but I feel about him as I do about many of my heroes from ’05-’06 – that they are clearly on the other side of the hill.

The catch weight issue is a slippery slope, because you do want to get established in a championship hunt, but 185 and 205 are a lifetime apart in MMA. The difference in the fighters is absurd, and I can understand his reluctance to try to make a living at 205 for the rest of his career.

Greg: There have been rumors about a possible WEC/UFC merger to bring the lighter weight classes to the UFC. Is that good move? Also, the UFC is hinting at up to three fight cards a month as soon as next year, with Strikeforce and a few other companies also running regular cards, is MMA in danger of overexposure?

Bob: It depends how it is offered. I cannot believe how many times I have handed Dana $55 in the last 12 months, and several times I waited until the last minute. It would seem that they need to be careful not to have too many PPVs, because at some point we have to question the quality of the cards versus the price of the PPV. I would think that Spike, Versus, and friends are eager to offer more for free with the money coming from commercial sponsors, which is the question: Will Corporate America get behind MMA? Not video games, exercise supplements, and Movies. I mean the NFL sponsors – cell phone companies, car companies, and financial corporations? That seems to be where the sponsor money is, and what will be needed if MMA is going to be free more often. 1 PPV a month is all I will consider, and honestly, even that rate seems more than the “great fights” can support.

Greg: Thanks for the time Bob. Keep it real.

Greg Garcia
MMA Writer
Dallas Examiner
Greg’s Blog

UFC 103 Promo Video

Obviously, with UFC 103 on September 19, the PPV’s are coming fast and furious. It is clear that Dana White is not worried about over-exposure and is laughing at the premise that “less is more”. As long as people like me keep buying PPV’s, they will continue to make more. $54 bucks every 3 weeks? I wonder where it hits a point of too many. Perhaps a few of these shows on free tv is a good idea, right?

Anyway, If you have never seen Anderson “The Spider” Silva, then you owe it to yourself to check this monster out. He is so confident and dangerous in the octagon that despite knowing nobody is invincible, he seems very, very close to being just that.

My fun fact for the very dangerous Kenny Florian, is that he is the MMA fighter who most resembles Ben Stiller. Not sure if that will help you much, but I just had to share that with you.

As is our habit on the UFC PPV’s, Greg Garcia, the Dallas Examiner’s MMA writer, sends me some questions and I send him back answers. Here you go for UFC 101 – my answers are in bold:

Hey Bob,

Greg here with a few questions on this month’s MMA smorgasbord of action.

Affliction has become the latest to bite the dust, not that it wasn’t expected with there over paid fighter contracts (750K per fight for Tim Sylvia??) and poor marketing. Will we ever see a company rise up and punch the UFC in face or will UFC always be the only one standing on the mountain?

this is a great question. I have to think that at some point, someone will figure it out. But, the competitors seem to be all following the same idiocy of paying 3 or 4 guys huge cash and then having a garbage card otherwise. It is very USFL logic, and until you get someone to build a quality stable slowly and methodically so that you have 40 quality fighters, then the UFC is safe.

It is amazing how Dana White has done such a good job in a really short time of making the UFC this juggernaut that everyone is now wondering if it is invincible. he is quite a genius, it would appear, despite his abrasive personality.

We get our first taste of what a women’s headlined card will be like in Strikeforce’s ‘Carano vs Cyborg’ outside of the question can and will they make weight, what is your take on this fight? & your take on women’s MMA in general?

Wow, Greg. Congrats. You have found something I have no answer for. Carano is interesting, from what little I have seen, and these girls do pound eachother silly, but I have no real interest, and I cannot imagine it has much staying power.

Anderson Silva will presumably get the test we have all been waiting for in Forrest Griffin. Is the fact that Griffin will actually force Silva to fight (unlike Cote & Leites) a bad thing for Griffin?

I love Forrest Griffin. I really do. But, I just don’t think he has anything for Silva. Silva is so dangerous and so intimidating, that I am trying to find someone who I think can beat him. GSP would have to put on some weight, but that is the super fight. Forrest is ready to fight anyone, anywhere, but I don’t care for this match-up from his perspective. I just think that he is not cautious, and I am not sure Cote or Leites had a bad gameplan. Just a boring one, right?

BJ Penn is defending against Kenny Florian which is an exciting match up. How much, if at all, do you think the smacking that BJ took from GSP will affect his mentality going into this fight?

BJ is another warrior of the highest order. But, something tells me it is Kenny’s time here. I think Florian is on a tremendous roll, although the lay-off concerns me. This should be a wonderful fight, and I am taking Ken-Flo, but I clearly have a track record of getting these wrong.

Fedor Emelianenko eludes the UFC again. Blame is being passed around everywhere, who do you blame?

I think both parties are negotiating against eachother as they hold the hammer. Fedor knows that all MMA fans consider him the heavyweight champion of the world. But, Dana, despite wanting him to a point, does not feel desperate to land him with the Lesnar fever going crazy. I wonder what the outcome might have been if Mir had won last month. But with Lesnar, people want to see Fedor fight him, but they also just want to see Brock demolish whatever is in front of him for the next few years. I expect that the UFC will be fine. Fedor will make his money as well, but it is no longer vital for the heavyweight division to be saved for now.

Bonus question: Is $150 for top level $250 for mid level and $450 for ground level seats worth it when I can watch at home on the big screen for $54? Or does it depend on if you have I-Phone money?

another great question. Do we know how ticket sales are going? I think I will be in the building, but the ticket prices are staggering for UFC 103 in Dallas. It would seem the best seat might be the couch.

Thanks for the time.

Greg Garcia
MMA Writer
Dallas Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/x-10622-Dallas-MMAPro-Wrestling-Examiner

First, a few things for you to have handy if you so choose:

You may or may not have read my full preview of the PPV event that ran yesterday. It may or may not inform you on the overall feelings about this thing before we get started. One thing I would add to it is I have not seen Frank Mir look so ripped as he did in the weigh-in yesterday. Not that looks decide anything, but Mir is usually doughy, and the fact that he appears to be well conditioned speaks to the level of his preparation. Of course, he is still the under-dog according to the betting public.

If you are interested, Here are the actual betting odds for the proceedings. It appears GSP is the biggest favorite tonight, followed by Lesnar. That seems a bit odd.

Finally, if this is your first night on a computer, and you are not sure how to find Evan and the Rangers’ live blog, Click Here …

There. Everyone ready?

8:55 pm – I know very few of you are as obsessed with twitter as I am, but one of the celebrities I follow is none other than UFC color commentator/comedian Joe Rogan. Here is his page . I was reading what he wrote yesterday, and wondered if this is the only sport, where the night before a huge event, you see this tweeted by an esteemed broadcaster:

Drinking a vodka cranberry that’s making love in my brain with the pot cookie I ate an hour ago.

Would Troy Aikman even consider that before a big Sunday game? I think not.

9:00 – OK, showtime. No refunds on my $55, and I never get tired of the UFC/Zuffa opening. Although it certainly borders a little gay. Dan Henderson’s goal tonight? “My biggest goal is to shut his face”. Bisping better be ready.

9:02 – Music in the open for UFC PPV’s? Why, yes, I have downloaded them both on my Ipod. Optimus Bellum Domitor and Face the Pain. Both available on Itunes under UFC Ultimate Beatdown. You’re Welcome.

9:06 – Despite picking Mir tonight (and GSP and Bisping), I have gone back and forth quite a bit. That first fight was 99% domination by Lesnar and one mistake. I really have no idea. Honestly, there can’t be a tougher sport to gamble on. Nobody knows in this sport. GSP got knocked out by Matt Serra, for crying out loud.

9:08 – Thiago Alves last 4? TKO of Lytle, TKO of Karo Parisyan, TKO of Hughes, Dec (domination) of Koscheck. Was that Holly Madison as a ring girl? Need work?

9:12 – Alan Belcher, pride of Arkansas takes on Yoshihiro Akiyama, pride of Japan. He is going with the music from Stepbrothers, so let’s roll with him. Akiyama is a dude I don’t have a knowledge base of, but he has plenty of bits on his way to the ring. I have to ask, does anyone in the whole world wear normal t-shirts anymore? If I go with something that didn’t cost $50+ and have writing on both sides all over, can I still get in? Akiyama has never been to a decision???? Rogan is making this guy out to be quite a dude, so now, we are all expecting a full ninja performance.

9:19 – Her dream is to be an Octagon girl? Bluff.

9:25 - Round 1: What a round! This is awesome. Both guys are slugging and Aki got tagged and dropped on a nice shot to the chin. Belcher is not impressed with all of the hype. Shot to the groin will never go well. Akiyama sees that the cup doesn’t extend quite as far south as he would like. Wow. Aki is catching lots of kicks. By the way, try not to be distracted by all of the blood on the mat from the undercard. There is nothing to see there.

9:32 – Round 2: I believe we could make the case that the pace of Round 1 slowed things down in Round 2. Belcher took some shots on the ground, but looks reasonable on his feet. Akiyama sings on youtube according to Rogan. Prove it. Belcher went back to the wrong corner. I am sure that means nothing.

9:39 – Round 3: Akiyama’s eye is shut. Any theories on Belcher’s tattoo? JR Reid is my guess. Belcher dropped and then does the escape flip to get away. He wants no part of the ground game. Seems like Belcher fought as good a fight as he could. He can take a stiff right. This is going to be a close decision, but I think Belcher may have taken him with that Superman off the cage that caught a taunting Akiyama.

9:42 - Decision time, And Akiyama wins a tight decision with some very confusing scoring. His eye and thigh are screwed up, but he gets a big win. Belcher was robbed according to the crew. Controversy!

9:46 – And it is already time for Dan Henderson v. Mike Bisping! This is quite a card. Henderson, a dude with huge name but nothing too terribly impressive in his return to the UFC, and Bisping, a guy who many suggest is a manufactured name, due to Dana White and the UFC’s desire to find a superstar in the UK to dominate that market. Let the truth be told. I like Bisping, but I might be sucked in by the cult of personality. Hey, its Blur!

9:48 – Dan Henderson walks in at the same time Donovan shows up at my house. 33 minutes from Cedar Hill he claims. Bisping does look in supreme shape, too.

9:56 – Round 1: First impression – Bisping looked terrified early. Henderson looks great. Bisping looks like he is scared to trade with him, but also scared to take it to the ground. Goldberg with an odd rundown of Bisping’s ancestors serving in the military. Hmmm. Big advantage to Henderson who looks like he just wants to stalk and kill.

10:03 – Round 2 By the way, since Chuck Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, can I assume there is an actual Hall of Fame building some where in Vegas? Can you imagine trying to sell that to your wife? Honey, can we go to the UFC HOF!

WHOA! Knock out from Henderson! Put Bisping to sleep. Or in a coma. Holy Cow! Bisping, who had never been knocked out in his life has just been knocked out and is still out. How about that second punch??? Good Gracious. Bisping sits up and thinks he is in London. Goldberg says he is a “class act”, but he does that about every single guy that has ever lost a fight. Henderson has some jacked up ears. Henderson admits he knew he was out when he hit him again, and the crowd goes bonkers. Nice. I am 0-1 on the night.

10:08 - GSP – Alves. This should be a main event in any other setting. I have GSP winning, but as I stated earlier, Alves is the real deal. 5 rounds coming.

10:12 - Alves is claimed to weigh close to 200 at fight time. I think I say Muay Tuay wrong. “It is Moo-ey” Not “My”. I believe I am describing a drink. GSP is awesome.

10:18 – Who do you think made more money in 2008. Bruce Buffer or Michael Buffer?

10:24 – Round 1: Very electric atmosphere. GSP almost had the read naked choke set up with the hooks, but Alves defended well. Alves is cut and does not want to go the ground but is easily taken down. Jason Statham in the house. Snatch is one of the most under-rated movies of the last decade.

10:31 – Round 2: Ever wonder why they call it “ground and pound”? GSP just put a clinic on Alves, and the hamburger you see is actually Thiago’s face. More blood. This is going to take a lot for Thiago to last 5 rounds at this rate. Wow. The talk in GSP’s corner is creepy.

10:37 - Round 3: Alves had at least a small chance of winning Round 3 until he was knocked down with :40 to go and was dominated with punches in a flurry. Great stuff. GSP is so solid. He still can be knocked out, but Alves has never been in a 5-round fight. This could be one-sided the rest of the way.

10:43 – Round 4: Alves actually gets St Pierre to his back. He made him work, but GSP responded well and ended the round in control. He informs his annoying corner man that he pulled his groin, and his corner man says to hit him with your groin. What?

10:49 – Round 5: More of the same. Grounded and Pounded. GSP wins big. It got somewhat boring near the end, but the groin may have made him play it closer to the vest as the fight went on. Pretty easy fight for a 5-rounder. Should be an easy decision.

10:52 - Decision Time: 50-45, 50-44, 50-45 all to GSP. He won every round from every judge. Domination. The toughest French Canadian ever. He doesn’t sound tough, but don’t let his cartoon voice fool you. Superfight with Spider in his future?

10:58 – Mir v Lesnar – It’s Time. Mir has 15 fights, 13 have not gone past the 2nd Round? But Lesnar looks the part. He would be an awesome Viking. Not Minnesota. I mean, nordic warrior Viking. Mike Goldberg is so over the top.

11:03 – Mir looks as calm as they come in the tunnel. He never looks nervous or bothered. But, thanks to Forrest Griffin he has a huge bump on his forehead. Nice target. Ah yes, Enter Sandman. How perfect for Lesnar. He is so pro-wrestling-looking.

11:17 – Lesnar won’t touch gloves! So WWE. Round 1: Well, that was an absolute destruction by Lesnar. Holy cow. He was on his back receiving huge punch after huge punch. Amazing. If he doesn’t have a caved in cheek, then I am shocked. Lesnar is on a mission. Mir has nothing from round 1 to feel good about.

11:20 – Round 2: It is so over. Lesnar destroyed him and ended the fight quickly in Round 2. I cannot pick fights. What a machine. He is undisputed. Champion Brock Lesnar. He was trying to start the lawn mower with those vicious swings. And then he flips the fans the bird and is cussing out Mir. What a wrassler! But what a MMA force, too. This dude is insane.

11:24 - Holy cow. That post fight interview might have been worth the money. Lesnar is just what the UFC needed, a Heavyweight that someone had an opinion about. He is married to Sable???

11:27 – But wait, there is more! Paulo Thiago vs. Jon Fitch. Fitch looks like a wild man.

11:37 - Round 1: Thiago has the edge in the first as he had Fitch’s neck locked up for a good 3 minutes. This is always rough not to finish, though, because usually, your arms are shot if you cannot choke him out. So, we shall see if Fitch can rebound, but Thiago has round 1 in the bank.

11:43 - Round 2: I think a little better job from Fitch, but who had the idea to have this fight last? Talk about an odd way to end an electric night. The crowd that remains – including me – are still thinking about the 3 fights that preceeded this one. We have all checked out.

11:50 – Round 3: Fitch tried to end it, and certainly won this fight. Well done. That was a solid effort that almost ended in stoppage. This link Is for a site that claims to offer stats to MMA fights in a Bill James sort of way …Cool.

11:52 – Fitch declared the winner. Good times. Empty arena was impressed. Wow. I think the Rangers blog dominated us, but I can live with that. They practice every day.

Good Night and Good Luck.

Do you recall life before InsideCorner?

See you at 9.

Many of the PPV’s are not dynamite from top to bottom. But, this card has at least 4 fights that have “I can’t wait” status, and I want to make sure they get previewed here now, and then reviewed after the show is over from your favorite MMA wanna-be expert.

The UFC has made it to 100, and therefore, Dana is blowing this thing out with a show that should live up to its hefty price tag ($54.95 in HD). Do they do too many Pay-Per-Views? Yes. Do they water down their own product and continue to throw stuff together every month to get another $55 from the most loyal fans? Yes. Should we plan on them stopping? Not as long as we keep coming back for more.

This sport is blowing up. It might be on the verge of going to the very next level (I have no idea, really, but I love it). But, do you really need 10-11 PPV’s a year? Oh well. Let’s celebrate when they get one right.

Here are the 4 fights that should be wonderful:

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Heavyweight Title Fight

George St Pierre vs. Thiago Alves, Welterweight Title Fight

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago, Welterweight

Dan Henderson vs Michael Bisping, Light Heavyweight

Each one pits two very capable warriors against eachother. This may be all that makes the telecast, but regardless, there are no tomato cans present.

As opposed to me telling you what I think, now we welcome Greg Garcia, who always prepares 5 questions for me regarding the PPV and the UFC in general. Check out Greg’s link below, if you would like to read more of his fine work:

GARCIA: Yo Bob, UFC 100 is only a few days away, two huge title fights on the card. Frank Mir looks to put away Brock Lesnar for the second time. Yes we will see a better Lesnar (which is scary) but we will also see a better Mir. Who do you think has the advantage?

ME: This fight is extremely interesting to me, and I have to fight my instincts. My instincts tell that Lesnar is a monster who nobody has an answer for, and will destroy everything in his path.

My memory reminds me of Mir losing badly twice in 3 fights back in 2006, when I thought he was done in his post-accident run.

But, I think it is more important to look at their form. Mir just got done with “Big Nog”, and stopped Nog for the first time in history. His kneebar win over Lesnar seemed like inexperience on Brock’s part, so I don’t put too much stock in that.

I honestly would not bet this fight, because I can talk myself into either way, but after his dismantling of Nogueria, I can’t pick against Mir. He is too crafty and too skilled. Brock is still learning this game.

I will take Mir.

GARCIA: The UFC heavyweight division is full of young or at least young in the sport guys like Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. Who do you think is the next big heavyweight star not named Brock Lesnar?

ME: Wow, Greg. I think you over estimate my in depth knowledge of MMA if you think I can rate 3 up and coming prospects against eachother. Velasquez is the most impressive to me, but his win in UFC99 is against the incredibly frustrating Cheick Kongo. Carwin is next, but another small body of work, and Santos is so far a very unknown commodity (to me, at least).

I will say this, though. The Heavyweight division, while improved, is still the least interesting weight class in the UFC. There is very little to get too excited about these days, but at least Tim Sylvia is not the champion anymore. I mean, really. That was almost embarrassing that he had the belt – it was one of those “if this guy is your champion, what does that say about your entire organization” sort of thing. Arlovski was way better, but he obviously wasn’t quality. Either Lesnar or Mir are worthy champions, with a win Saturday.

GARCIA: Thiago Alves and GSP are both special fighters. They are billing Alves as ‘bigger, younger and stronger,’ but I am not sure he is on the same skill level as St. Pierre. What does Alves have to do to get passed one of the top fighters in the world?

ME: I believe his way to win is to test the chin of GSP. St Pierre is my favorite fighter going, but he did prove against the fairly ordinary Matt Serra that everyone is one punch away from being champion in one of these fights. If he doesn’t keep it on his feet, then GSP can ground and pound him for 25 minutes. Remember, Alves has never gone past 3 rounds, and many of his fights haven’t gone that long.

GSP never has an easy opponent, and always is fighting in 5 round fights. He is great on his feet, and great on the ground. He is an athlete that is amazing in almost all aspects. Alves is obviously great, too, but I am tired of doubting GSP. Much like the Patriots several years ago, I have decided I am never picking against GSP again, until he proves he doesn’t have it anymore. He made the great Matt Hughes look silly. He stopped BJ Penn. He is flat-out quality.

I hope that eventually, GSP and Spider Silva can get together for the greatest fight in the history of the UFC. I would love that.

GARCIA: The third big fight on the card is Dan Henderson and Mike Bisping. Now, I do not describe to the Bisping hype machine and I even think he has been handed a few lay up fights to keep his draw in the UK. I mean whatever happened to stars like Elvis Sinosic, Charles McCarthy and Josh Haynes? Anyhow if he does beat Hendo in convincing fashion does he deserve a title shot against Anderson Silva? & Does he even have a shot at beating Silva?

ME: I will readily admit that Bisping is very much enabled and aided by the Dana White hype machine as he attempts to dominate Great Britain. However, I do think he is also pretty skilled, and his last several fights have impressed me after a lackluster string of results earlier.

He is cocky, whereas Henderson seems a lot more likeable and is as popular as they come. But, what Dan Henderson are we looking at anymore? 38 year old Henderson seems ready to rumble, but I cannot tell you there has been one moment where I have been really impressed since he returned from Pride. I sure think that he is a legend and all, but I believe the wear and tear has honestly chipped away at his game.

I expect Bisping to win (likely in a decision) and then might be next to lose to Silva. I just don’t see anyone on the radar at 185 that can handle Silva.

GARCIA: UFC 103 in Dallas at the AAC is set. But we have no main event. I expected Rich Franklin to main event and it appears he will. With the chance of him facing Chuck Liddell out of the question who do you think is good opponent for him at 205 that can sell PPV’s? Because right now this card up against Floyd Mayweather, well it needs a little work.

ME: Wow. I have no idea. On one hand, I am a bit disappointed that it looks like there will be no true main event on this card, and while we can hope that it will be a strong card top-to-bottom, we have no chance at a title fight and it sure looks like a weaker effort. On the other hand, having never been to a UFC event live, I would go see whatever they bring. I am very fired up to see my first show live.

GARCIA: Thanks for the time Bob. I appreciate it. Greg Garcia
http://www.examiner.com/x-10622-Dallas-MMAPro-Wrestling-Examiner

The next PPV in the UFC Machine is Saturday Night in Germany which represents the first ever UFC show in mainland Europe. Be still my beating heart.

These European shows honestly annoy me a bit, because they start at 2pm (but you can watch the replay at the normal 9pm slot) in the USA, and the cards are never as stacked as the Las Vegas shows. This would be a perfect opportunity for Dana White to offer up a nice free Spike show for the US fan base, but Noooooooooo.

Also, a mainstay of the Europe show appears to be Rich Franklin – who has not had a fight in Vegas since 2006, and has now been on 3 of the Europe cards. He is the main event against Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, who clearly has the coolest nickname in MMA.

Silva has fought 5 times since the fall of 2006, and has lost 4 of them. Sure, Cro-Cop, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, and Rampage Jackson are quality opponents, but it is tough to get worked up for a fight where “The Axe Murderer” has 1 win in nearly 33 months.

He fights Franklin, who himself has been beat 3 times since fall of ’06, including being dominated twice by Anderson “The Spider” Silva (no relation) and recently lost a decision to Dan Henderson.

Beyond that fight, the highlight of the night is Cain Velasquez versus the scary Cheick Kongo. Velasquez is 5-0 with 5 knockouts, although his level of competition is considered less-than-dynamite. Meanwhile, this will be Kongo’s 10th fight in the UFC, and he is 7-2, only losing 2 decisions.

Other than that, Mirko Cro-Cop rejoins the UFC, and fights a tomato can.

Give me Silva over Franklin (I guess) and Velasquez over Kongo. Cro-Cop easily, too. And Mike Swick.

I have to tell you, if I didn’t buy every single one of these, I might sit this one out. But, I do.

And now, Greg Garcia has hit me up with some more UFC questions, so let’s do it:

Bob,

Greg here. I’m back a few questions I would like your thought on.

Obviously the news that has stole the week (last week) away from WEC 41 and Strikeforce (both of whom offered great fights by the way) is that Kimbo Slice will be on the 10th season of the Ultimate Fighter. Its sure to be a huge rating boost. Is this just another reminder that MMA is still entertainment first and sport second? Do you think Dana White is being a little hypocritical after all the smack he threw down on Slice?

Nah. I mean let’s be honest. If there was a huge concern about looking a little made-for-tv, then they never would have done a reality show to find fighters in the first place, right? And, no other reason is given more often about the popularity of the UFC than the Ultimate Fighter. If Slice is a joke, let’s find out. And what better way for us to see then for him to have to win 4 fights on that show. I have no idea what to expect, but I will readily admit that the last time they did heavyweights, I was pretty unimpressed.

Lyoto Machida wasting Rashad Evans in the second round at UFC 98 revealed that Machida may be a few steps ahead of everyone else in that division. Who do you think is someone that poses the best threat to Machida? Also, over or under: 2 yr title run for Machida?

Wow. He is awesome. I am most impressed with his ability. At the same time, if there is one thing I have learned watching MMA, it is nobody is invincible, so I will just play the percentages and take the under. I would wager pretty heavily that 99% of champs never see 2 full years with the belt. As for his biggest threat, I would have to say Rampage remains that guy. 205 is unreal with depth, and sitting on top of that belt seems rather difficult to do. But, I do love Machida quite a bit.

UFC 99′s main event is Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva. Both guys are in need of win, with a win both guys are still a few more wins away from a title shot. Do you think their is room for cruiser weight (186-195) class for tweeners like Franklin?

I hope not. I know there are some guys caught in the middle, but everytime you establish more weight classes, you water down the competition. I love the competitive nature of 170, 185, and 205 right now. If you put 1 or 2 or 3 more classes in that mix, I think then the pool gets more shallow again. I think they are right as they are.

Just as soon as I asked about the UFC going to Dallas, low and behold the word now is that UFC 103 will be here in Dallas on Sept 19. Can expect to get some prime coverage on the event from the mighty Ticket? Perhaps a ‘Scoops’ – Dana White showdown would be interesting?

I don’t think there is any question I will be doing my part. I am very eager to see who we might get on that card, but know I will be front and center when that goes down.

You insight & opinions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Greg Garcia

http://www.examiner.com/x-10622-Dallas-MMAPro-Wrestling-Examiner

And here is the official UFC 99 Teaser:

Rashad Evans versus Kyoto Machida; Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra – Live from Vegas, Baby.

9:04 – UFC invites you to text in who you think is going to win because boy, we really want to know who you think is going to win.

9:06 – Rogan points out that Serra has called a name that rhymes with stick about 500 times. Seriously, Serra has a mouth on him. No one has ever doubted his ability to speak quickly – but has he ever really done more than his shocker over GSP? One lucky punch is something that MMA has no answer for. No one is invincible, and no one is useless. 1 punch can put everyone down. Unlike boxing, there is no such thing as invincible.

9:09 – Sean Sherk takes on Frankie Edgar. I really like Sherk, but I will also quickly admit that it was no shock when he had a Performance Enhancing Suspension.Dude, is just too shredded to not be a bit suspicious. And I would think having the nickname “the muscle shark” would put a target on your back. Sherk is 35, Edgar is 27. Here is the over-the-top Bruce Buffer….His quick neck twist to each fighter during introductions never gets old to me.

9:14 – We are underway, and Edgar has a clear tattoo advantage. They both weigh 155, it says, but Sherk looks like he is way bigger than Edgar. I think this has been a very entertaining first round. They are chasing eachother on their feet and exchanging blows. I think Sherk looks better, but Edgar did not come tonight to get beat. Good stuff so far.

9:20 – As Round 2 is starting, I am feeling like Sherk is about to take this thing over. He has been landing the majority of the punches in the first minute, and they seem to do way more damage. 3:35 mark, Edgar drops Sherk on what may have been a slip. Sherk has 3 career losses; Matt Hughes, GSP, and BJ Penn. Not bad at all. Edgar looks like he is disagreeing about my theory of Sherk taking over. Edgar is showing himself quite capable and pouring it on late in the round.

9:26 – Edgar’s corner just told him he won both rounds before the 3rd. Why would you ever do that? Why would you tell your fighter that he already has the fight won? That made no sense to me. Edgar is fighting well, and now you wonder why Sherk isn’t using his amazing wrestling skills. I never understand why these guys are so quick to stand up for 15 minutes if the opponent is willing. Edgar’s kicks are really setting a tone now. With 1 minute to go, it looks like Edgar is now in the driver’s seat. I didn’t see this coming. Sherk needs a rally, and I am not seeing it. WOW! A Guillotine at the final gun for Edgar! He did not get a tap, but that will surely get him the decision.

9:33 – Let’s go to the cards: All 3 judges say 30-27, Edgar! I guess his corner was right, and I expose myself as someone who should not work in a MMA corner. Add Frankie Edgar to the small group who has handled the Muscle Shark.

9:35 – Crowd loves BJ Penn. Rashad Evans enters wearing a sweet pink shirt and hanky in the suit coat.

9:39 – Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller is up. Chael promises to slam him down and punch a hole in his face. Ouch. I picked Miller here, let’s see if I can go 0-2. Sonnen jumps in after Yushin Okami had to bail with a training injury.

9:45 – Very early in Round 1, Miller had the Guillotine pretty tight, but couldn’t finish. That often results in spaghetti arms. Look for Miller to be gassed now. Sonnen is now raining down strikes as Miller cannot get back up while against the fence. And here come the forearms. Miller is not enjoying Round 1. Sonnen apparently has claimed to be the fastest white man alive. I will offer no personal challenge. Miller was beaten like a rented mule in the first round. Yikes.

9:52 – Round 2, Miller is getting pounded again. He had a chance with another guillotine and even another arm bar, but he is too gassed to do anything but get beat on. Sonnen is administering a pretty good beating.

9:57 – Dan Miller tells his corner “something’s wrong”. Funny. Miller is trying to do something, but Sonnen is got this in the bag. I need to stop picking fights if I cannot tell you anything about one of the fighters. I am not sure I have ever seen Chael Sonnen fight before, so to pick against him seems pretty stupid now. Absolute pounding. And a fairly boring fight.

10:04 – 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Let’s get some better fights, please.

10:07 – Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs Drew McFedries, at 185 next. Professor X dances like a goofball on his way to the ring. But, Rogan says he is a bad man, so let’s take a look. This fight should be awesome. XFP was a late replacement addition for James Irwin, so I am getting behind McFedries. Career records: 20-10 versus 7-5.

10:14 – 2 giant rights from McFedries brings this fight to a conclusion in less than 40 seconds. Total destruction. The dancing goofball is no longer dancing.

10:20 – They show the two lockerrooms of the main event, and Evans is warm and working. Machida is standing in a hoodie with no expression. He looks like he is pretty bored.

10:26 – Mike Tyson is here. I guess he can still get chicks.

10:28 – It is finally time for the main event before the main event. Hughes vs Serra. This only has one possible outcome, said Joe Rogan. One of these guys will be eating crow before long tonight. Bad blood is quite an understatement. I am leery of both of these guys, but I am going to go with Hughes (sorry, Hughes) because for years he was the best fighter the UFC had. Serra may not be much more than a big mouth. We shall see. Oh, I don’t like Serra at all. So forgive my bias against the blowhard.

10:32 – Hughes looks determined and ready to destroy Serra in the walkout. Can a country boy survive?

10:35 – Serra is 34, Hughes is 35. This is a fight we have waited for 4 years to see. So, if nothing else, Serra is great at selling a fight, eh?

10:38 – Wow. What a start as a head butt looks like it knocked Hughes silly. Hughes looked like he might not get out of the first minute, as he was loopy. Serra was fine, and looked very calm and confident. Serra was thrown later, and Hughes tried to go for the read-naked choke, but it wasn’t very close. Serra looks like he won the first. I swear, more often than not, Hughes loses the first round and digs himself a hole. He even asked his corner if Serra knocked him down, but that was a clear head butt to the chin.

10:49 – 2nd Round was won by Hughes, and by a healthy margin. Hughes took him down and landed repeated blows to the ribs, and got a few more in to the head. Serra did a nice job of looking bored with it all, but he took a pretty good beating there. I have this thing locked up at a round a piece.

10:55 – 3rd Round is interesting to say the least. Hughes takes down Serra, they get stood up, and Hughes is taken down by Serra. In a tied fight going in, you can surely see a draw here, but I think Hughes wins 29-28. Although my bias may be my enemy here. A big hug for all involved as Serra and Hughes share a warm embrace.

10:57 – decision time: 29-28 for Hughes in a unanimous decision. The 16th UFC win for Hughes ties Chuck Liddell for all-time career win leader in octagon history. Hughes wins, but by an eyelash. And yet again, he looks like he has surely lost a step or two, but he also appears to have no interest in retiring. Serra is the fighter that most resembles Michael Chiklas. Honestly, I am a bit disappointed at that fight, too. Not sure I can say this was $55 yet.

11:02 – Time to talk up Evans and Machida. I wish I had an idea of what is going to happen, but I have no idea. But, I am excited to find out. I am really torn with Evans, because anyone from the Ultimate Fighter tv show is kind of rated a letter grade down. If you win a reality show, you should not be quite the same quality, right? But, he appears to be the real deal, since, you know, he is unbeaten and all. Machida has done nothing but impress since coming to the UFC, but since he has no bits to speak of, he has been largely under-rated. I am taking Evans, but I would not bet this fight if I were a betting man. The title at 205 is on the line. That means 5 rounds of 5 minutes….

11:17 – Let’s have a good fight, eh? UFC 98 needs it.

11:19 – It took nearly 2 minutes for either fighter to make contact as Machida kicked Evans at 3:04 of the round. Machida kicks again at 2:00, and Evans has not done a thing. Machida drops Evans with a kick in the final minute, and it might be possible that Evans did not touch Machida the entire round. It is tough to win a round if you do not make contact with your opponent. Round to Machida. His kicks are wicked.

11:24 – Round 2: This round might have saved the PPV. After a very entertaining exchange and really a solid round, Machida rocks Evans and then 30 seconds later the kill is complete. Machida with a relentless flurry of fists and feet that put Rashad to sleep late in the round. A most impressive display for the Brazillian, and there is no doubt he is a worthy winner. He has never lost a round in the UFC, and we saw why. His opponents have no idea what to do with him.

11:30 – Here is your new 205 Champion of the UFC – Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Now, with GSP, the Spider, and the Dragon all holding belts, we are seeing the impact of the kicks and the athleticism required to get to the top. The grapplers might be on the way out of the spotlight. Karate is back! Machida is putting on a show as he stole the mic from Rogan and is not giving it back.

So, there you have it. A reasonably entertaining conclusion to a night without the best fights ever. UFC 99 is June 13th as the UFC rolls out another mediocre European card. But UFC 100 looks very good.

Good night, and good luck.

Bob,

You know that UFC 98 is coming up….maybe it gets a mention some where in your media empire? Do soccer fans email you about mentions too? I dont know if i like the redirect from BobsBlog to Dmagzine but i am trying….love you

Cody the No 1 p1

I get that email about 3 times a week, from good-strong followers who would like me to take my fandom of MMA fighting to my media outlets.

My hesitation is based on the idea that although I watch it, I am not positive I fully understand what is going on in an MMA fight. On the other hand, some of you have made that same point about my thoughts on our traditional sports so maybe I should just get over that.

Anyway, I am a big fan of the UFC. I was introduced to it in about 2004 by my friend Kevin Scott and have followed it reasonably closely ever since. I say reasonably closely because I certainly do not follow the daily rumors or news items between Pay-Per-Views, and I don’t go to message boards, but I do get pretty much every single PPV (so Dana White has a ton of my money) and I do follow the addicting Ultimate Fighter tv show.

With that context in mind, Greg Garcia emailed me a number of UFC/MMA questions for his website and I thought I would just use those as a basis for this controversial first-ever MMA entry at InsideCorner:

Hey Bob,

Greg Garcia, loyal listener here. To make a long story short I am covering MMA for the examer.com/dallas. I know you are an MMA/UFC fan & would like to hear more MMA talk on the show.

Anyhow, I wondered if you could may be throw me a bone and answer a few of the questions below.

What are your thoughts on Dana White’s f-bomb lased tirade on Loretta Hunt and the criticism that followed? Did you think he got the criticism he deserved or perhaps he got off easy?

To me, he is a lot like Mark Cuban. He doesn’t follow the tradition of the media protocol that has been laid out, and some people find it refreshing. I think the venom is awfully over the top, but I think he is great for the sport and a person who is very interesting. He makes enemies, but he seems ok with that. He would likely approve of the criticism, because that would get his sport more publicity, and we all know Cuban and Dana both agree there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Do you think Chuck Liddell will fight again or is he done?

Yes and yes. The money is too good to say no, but he is done. He now has a light switch on his chin that is easy to access.

What do you think Rashad Evans has to do to be successful against Loyoto Machida? Which guy do you think matches up better with Rampage Jackson?

I do think Rampage would be favored to beat either, but these guys are both top quality. 205 is much better than it was 24 months ago, in my opinion in the 2nd level.

After a years of brewing has the luster of a Hughes vs Serra match passed? Both men seem on the brink of retirement what do you think a match like this means if anything?

Nobody loves Matt Hughes more than I do, but I just want him to stop. He hasn’t looked good since BJ Penn in 2006. I never thought Serra had much but a big mouth and one lucky punch against GSP, but obviously at this stage of Hughes’ decline, it would not shock me at all to see Serra get the win. If you want greatness at 170, then look no further than GSP – Alves in July at UFC 100.

Why do you think the UFC has yet to hold an event in Dallas?

I have no idea. I am sure it would sellout the AAC, and it would be massive. I wish I knew why it has been ignored. I really need to look into it more.

Man, I know you get tons of emails so if you don’t have the time I understand. Love the show, keep up the good work!

Thanks,

Greg Garcia

http://www.examiner.com/x-10622-Dallas-MMAPro-Wrestling-Examiner

Actually, Greg, time is something I always have if it is for sports blogging.

Ok, so here is what you need to know about UFC 98 from the MGM-Grand in Las Vegas with my picks in bold:

Main Event: Rashad Evans, the Champ at 205 takes on challenger Lyoto Machida for the belt.

Matt Serra vs Matt Hughes – this pick is blind faith only.
Sean Sherk vs Frank Edgar
Dave Kaplan vs George Roop
James Irwin vs Drew McFedries
Chael Sonnin vs Dan Miller

UFC Promo Video

Enjoy the fights…if you enjoy fights.