Natural Born Killer, Step Up!

Jon Fitch just announced that he was injured in training and can no longer fight BJ Penn in UFC 132.  The details of the injury have not come to light yet, so the implications are unclear.  However, this is a bad predicament both for BJ Penn and the welterweight division.

BJ Penn may be on the verge of retirement.  Although he should be ranked in the top 5 in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, he does not seem to be an immediate threat to the belt-holders of either division.  There are only a few fights that can make sense for him at this point in his career.  A rematch against Jon Fitch is one of them.

If Fitch can recover in order to fight by August of this year, then my concerns may be moot.  However, if it will be longer than that, then BJ needs to take another fight.  Why?  First, because at age 32 he's not getting any younger.  And, second, because the fans LOVE watching BJ fight.  He is one of the biggest names in UFC history.  It would be a travesty to keep him on the sidelines for much longer.

So, join me in speculating on who the UFC might line up against BJ for UFC 132.

1. Thiago "The Pitbull" Alves: Aside from GSP, he would probably be the most talented striker that BJ has ever faced.  Thiago is vicious and aggressive and has punished almost everyone in the division, including Koscheck and Hughes... but not Fitch or GSP.  This would be a tough fight for BJ.  However, BJ previously dismantled a similar, and perhaps more talented fighter, in Diego Sanchez.
2. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson: Rumble is ready.  He's nowhere near as experienced as The Prodigy.  However, he's multi-dimensional and could be a belt-holder in the not-too-distant future.  What's most daunting, however, is that before cutting weight, he walks around about 40 pounds heavier than Baby J.
3. Carlos "Natural Born Killer" Condit: He's 11 and 1 since 2006, his only defeat coming in a split-decision to Martin Kampmann.  He's a deadly striker, as he showed by clubbing Dan Hardy in the chin for a knockout victory in UFC 120.  And, perhaps most importantly, he is very Fitch-esque.  Big, tall, strong and well-rounded.  Condit, I think, would be the best step-in for UFC 132.  Here's to hoping!

After Shields?

This photo just popped up on the internet.  This is a crew of fighters at Cesar Gracies gym in Pleasant Hill, California.

And look who showed up to work with Jake Shields: Chael Sonnen and Matt Lindland.  Chael was a two-time NCAA champion wrestler at Oregon, and last year did something that no one else has ever done: he gave Anderson Silva a slightly roid-induced beatdown.  Matt Lindland, though past his prime, was the Big Eight wrestling champion for the University of Nebraska in 1993.  He also was a Greco-Roman silver medalist in the 2000 summer Olympics.

Do you think Jake is working on his wrestling a bit?  That was a rhetorical question.

A couple of things stand out in this photo (which is not very high quality, unfortunately):

1. Chael Sonnen (far left) looks humongous, and
2. I have never seen Shields (2nd from left) look so yoked.  He looks like he put on about 10 pounds of muscle since the Kampmann fight.
3. Nate Diaz (center rear) is thuggin out.

Sould GSP look past Shields?  No.

Should we UFC fans look past Shields?  I said "yes" previously.   But it would be AWESOME if Shields makes a fight of it.

After Shields comes Rumble

Should GSP be looking past Jake Shields?  No.
Should we UFC fans be looking past Jake Shields?  Yes.

Shields may be one of the best BJJ fighters in MMA, but he is a rather weak striker.  GSP on the other hand has evolved into one of the sharpest strikers in the game.  If Shields is going to finish GSP, it will be with a submission.  Unfortunately the likelihood of that happening is equivalent to the likelihood that Muammar Gaddafi will invade the United States and convince Barack Obama to surrender unconditionally.

So Shields will have to win the decision if he wants that strap.  Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is equivalent to the likelihood that Muammar Gaddafi would win three out of five beauty pageants in competition with Anne Hathaway.

So let's look past Shields.  Who's next for GSP?

- Anderson Silva: The UFC wants it.  The fans want it.  Anderson wants it.  But GSP has shown little interest.  Why?  Because he doesn't want to move up a weight class.  Does that mean he's a pussy?  Of course not.  GSP may be the greatest MMA fighter of all time.  He has a plan, and apparently that plan does not include becoming a middleweight.  Anderson says he would meet at a catchweight (maybe 178lbs?), but this match-up is anything but guaranteed at this point.

- Fitch or BJ: I can't say that either of these ideas excite me at the moment.  GSP has already obliterated both of these men.  And, in February, Fitch and BJ fought to a draw.  The sequel to this fight will be at UFC 132 on July 2.  If there is a decisive victory on either side -- especially if BJ crushes Fitch -- then the winner should again be in line for GSP.  If we see another draw or split decision, then sorry fellas.

- Anthony "Rumble" Johnson:  Sure, Koscheck choked him out.  Sure, he has a hard time making weight.  But this guy could be GSP's kryptonite.  Johnson is HUGE for a welterweight: 6'2" and he walks around over 210 lbs!  He's strong, explosive, multi-dimensional, a good striker.  But most of all, he has wrestling skills that might rival GSP's.  The devil's advocate will say, "But Koscheck had all of those things, and GSP made mince meat out of him."  This is true.  But Koscheck looked beat before he stepped in the ring with GSP.  He did not fight a smart fight.  He allowed GSP to pound him over and over with that left jab.  And once GSP cracked the orbital of Koscheck's right eye early in the second round, it was all over.  Koscheck hung on through all five rounds; yet, for four of those rounds he was checking the clock and more concerned with surviving than competing.

Anthony Johnson is young, ferocious, and evolving.  On Saturday night he dominated Dan Hardy just as completely as GSP did.  So I'm convinced that Rumble is the one guy in the division who might actually be able to bully GSP.  He has the potential to out-wrestle GSP and, with a 2-inch reach advantage, could even knock GSP out.  After all, if GSP has a weakness, it's his chin; Matt Serra KO'd him for god's sake.  What makes GSP extra special, however, is that he let's nobody get anywhere near his chin.

Set it up, Dana: GSP vs. Rumble!

Wrestle-Mania

Check out who is on top of each of the divisions of the UFC:

• Heavyweight:  Champion Cain Velazquez.  Cain was a 2-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State, and the Junior College National Champion before that.  He took the belt from Brock Lesnar, who won the 2000 NCAA National Championship in wrestling.
• Light Heavyweight:  Champion Jon Jones -- High School State Champion and Junior College National Champion wrestler.  Challenger Rashad Evans -- JuCo national Champion and wrestler at Michigan State.  Rising star Phil Davis -- former NCAA national wrestling champion.
• Middleweight: Champion Anderson Silva, perhaps the greatest living MMA fighter.  Anderson, however, was dominated by Chael Sonnen, who was a 2-time National Champion wrestler at the University of Oregon.  This deserves an asterisk, of course, because Chael was slightly juiced.  However, the point is that the only time that the Spider was ever in trouble in a fight in the UFC was when he was pounded by a wrestler.
• Welterweight: Champion GSP, perhaps the best wrestler in all of MMA.  The #2 welterweight is Jon Fitch, who was the captain of the Purdue University wrestling team.
• Lightweight:  Champion Frankie Edgar, a 4-time national qualifier in wrestling while at Clarion University.  He's followed closely by Gray Maynard, who was a two-time Ohio state high school wrestling champion, and placed in the top 10 three times in the NCAA nationals.
• Featherweight: Champion Jose Aldo, a BJJ and Muy Thai specialist.  One of these things is not like the others... one of these things does not belong.
• Bantamweight: Champion Dominick Cruz -- decorated wrestler.  Followed by Joseph Benavidez -- decorated wrestler.  Followed by Urijah Faber -- decorated wrestler.

Need I go on?

The UFC has evolved, and will continue to evolve.  At its outset, during the Royce Gracie era, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was dominant.  Then strikers like Vitor Belfort and Tank Abbott and Chuck Liddell came to the forefront.  This was followed by the rise of the BJJ/Muy Thai combination in fighters like Shogun Rua and Wanderlei Silva.

However, right now we are in the age of the wrestler.  Why is this the case?  1) Because wrestlers are experts in taking fighters to the ground.  And where do most fights end?  On the ground.  2) Because wrestlers tend to have tremendous endurance.  Perhaps this is a carry-over from their NCAA training regimens.  And 3) Because, like it or not, in today's UFC, all good fighters have BJJ and Boxing or Muy Thai experience -- those are no longer specialties.

These days it does not make sense to get into the octagon without strong wrestling chops.  BJ Penn learned that before his fight with Jon Fitch, and, as a result, wrestled to a draw.  Lil Nog learned this before his fight with Phil Davis, and stifled the NCAA's champion's take-downs for three rounds.

Lyoto, Shogun, Anderson, Hardy and others -- time to round out those wrestling skills a bit.

The Korean Zombie and the Future of the Back Mount in the UFC

On Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Nogeira vs Davis, the first match of the main card stole the show.  More specifically, The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung, shocked the MMA world by submitting Leonard Garcia with a "twister."  And the tap came, no less, with just 1 second left on the 2nd round clock!

This is the first time that someone has successfully employed (or even attempted?) the twister in the 18-year history of the UFC.  Jung initiated this grappling maneuver by first mounting Garcia's back.  He then used his legs to trap Garcia's left leg and clamped on a headlock to wrench Garcia's neck in a clockwise direction.  His spine contorted, Garcia was forced to tap out.  It was a thing of beauty.

This is an important moment in UFC history.  Why?  Because the vast majority of the time that a fighter mounts another fighter's back, he only has two weapons at his disposal: punches to the side of the head or, of course, a rear-naked choke.  However, both of these are predictable and somewhat easy to defend.  Now that the Zombie has shown that the twister is a viable attack, more fighters should incorporate it into their arsenal.  This will increase the unpredictability of the back mount and lead to more exciting submissions.

Had BJ Penn been proficient in the twister technique, he may have been able to submit John Fitch in the first or second round of their Feb 26 fight.  Twice Penn mounted Fitch's back.  Twice Fitch, quite easily, defended the rear-naked choke and then spun around into Penn's guard.

I hope BJ Penn took note of the Korean Zombie's victory.  Long live the Twister!