My MMA Resource

How far has former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia fallen since he left the world’s premier MMA promotion? To answer that question, just take a look at his next scheduled fight.

After losing three consecutive fights, Sylvia finally got back on track by beating Jason Riley this past September. He has now signed on to fight five-time World’s Strongest Man winner, Mariusz Pudzianowski, at “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” on May 21st.

Sylvia was once considered one of the best in the division, however has become irrelevant since being submitted by Fedor Emelianenko at “Affliction: Banned.”

The Miletich-trained fighter’s most embarrassing moment was when former pro boxer Ray Mercer knocked him out in only nine seconds last June. Even more concerning was the fact that he weighed-in at a Whopper, ahem whopping, 310.6 pounds for the scrap, showing that his dedication to the sport may have dwindled.

Needless to say, Sylvia must beat Pudzianowski for any hope at prolonging his career, but the question is, does anyone really care at this point?

The odds of Sylvia fighting in the UFC again are slim to none, and Strikeforce probably wouldn’t be willing to pay for a guy that isn’t a top 15 heavyweight at this stage in his career.

At almost 34 years of age, Sylvia has clearly seen his best days come and go, but how he’s remembered will ultimately be up to him.

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In traditional martial arts your dojo was considered sacred and was never challenged. Joining a dojo or discipline was like joining a family, the ideals of the system and your instructor became your own ideals.

Tides have changed over the past few years as MMA has become more mainstream. Athletes have had to evolve and rather than training in one discipline, they have to travel to receive more well-rounded training. 

However, when do old loyalties die? When is it acceptable to turn your back on training partners and give information that could possibly result in his defeat?

If you watched the first episode of “UFC Primetime,” you know the situation I’m speaking of.  Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy requested to train with Matt Serra to gain firsthand knowledge on how Serra managed to finish Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69.

Since Hardy feels his hands are his best weapon against GSP, his thought is that Serra’s guidance will be invaluable.

Here is where it gets complicated. In the same episode, St-Pierre was shown training with Renzo Gracie. He has actually been training with the Renzo Gracie academy for the past seven years and is very loyal to that camp. Renzo is also taking advantage of having GSP around due to the fact that he has fought his next opponent Matt Hughes.

The situation becomes complicated with the connection between St-Pierre and Serra because Serra is the first American student to receive a black belt under Renzo. Serra has cornered and helped Renzo train for several fights. Renzo has also trained and cornered Serra in several fights including his recent battle with Hughes.

So the question is, how can you train someone to defeat a student who trains under your original teacher?

There have been memorable times where the Gracie’s have voiced outrage for men who jump from camp to camp and Renzo is no exception. BJ Penn was called a traitor and a snake for leaving the Gracie camp only to challenge Renzo to a fight when he had moved on.

Why would Serra have such a grudge, when GSP had expressed excitement to train him during season four of “The Ultimate Fighter?”

Is it as simple as just saying that the old ways have died? Are camps simply a place you visit only to have to fight each other tomorrow?

We’ll get a glimpse at “UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy” on Saturday night.

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With the most exciting weeks of college basketball upon us, CBS has already begun promoting April 17th’s Strikeforce card during the overabundance of television timeouts that college basketball provides.

Depending on how well “Strikeforce: Nashville” fares, it could mark the network’s last live MMA event. With the show now less than a month away, CBS is putting on a full-court press to make sure the event is a success.

If you’re watching any of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, you’ve already seen commercials promoting the spectacular three-title bout fight card.

It also appears former TNA pro wrestler, Bobby Lashley, will return to the cage for his second fight under the Strikeforce banner as well, although an opponent has yet to be named.

Dan Henderson will be making his Strikeforce debut in a middleweight title fight against champion Jake Shields in the night’s main event. It’s Henderson’s first fight since knocking Michael Bisping senseless at UFC 100 back in July.

With millions of eyes on this year’s tournament, it should be a slam dunk for Strikeforce to have another solid night, especially since the UFC won’t be counter programming with a live show of their own.

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The official betting lines for “UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy” were posted earlier this week by our friends over at BetUS. As expected, Georges St-Pierre is a favorite heading into his defense against Dan Hardy, but -800???

That’s right, the welterweight champ is an early 8-to-1 favorite to retain his crown against Hardy, who checks in as a 5-to-1 ‘dog.

The last time GSP was such a heavy favorite was in his first title defense against Matt Serra at UFC 69 where he went as high as -1600, and we all know how that night turned out for the “Frenchie.”

Even in their mulligan at UFC 83 when most expected St-Pierre to violently avenge his humiliating loss, which he ultimately did, he was still only -450 at gametime. So, it’s a little surprising the gambling Gods have rated the champ at -800 when he meets Hardy.

There’s really only one way to beat MMA’s baddest 170-pounder (Please See: Puncher’s Chance), and Hardy would certainly prefer nothing more than an all-out shootout as it would greatly increase the likelihood of him landing that one fortuitous strike.

If GSP can wrestle his way to another win, like he has in his past six dominant contests, then it will be obvious why he’s such a big favorite because Hardy will never get a chance to tee off. However, Hardy will be afforded a few opportunities to land leather before the champ takes him to the mat.

On a side note, it’s interesting to see former heavyweight champ Frank Mir is only -155 against Shane Carwin, who is a slight underdog (+125) in his first UFC title fight.

Here are the current betting lines for the scraps going down inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on March 27th:

Rousimar Palhares -240
Tomasz Drwal +190

Ricardo Almeida -155
Matt Brown +125

Jim Miller -400
Mark Bocek +300

Thiago Alves -140
John Fitch +110

Ben Saunders -150
Jake Ellenberger +120

Frank Mir -155
Shane Carwin +125

Georges St Pierre -800
Dan Hardy +500

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It may be hard to believe, but it’s been 21 years since Saved by the Bell first started influencing adolescent minds. Apparently, Dan Hardy’s favorite was A.C. Slater, as the character’s wrestling prowess continues to be Hardy’s motivational force as he preps for UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre.

The brash Brit released this hilarious spoof, which was clearly inspired by the legendary Daniel LaRusso, that features an intense training session at Team Rough House:

The clip could be viewed as Hardy taking a dig at GSP by mocking the need to concentrate on his mat skills because the 170-pound king has wrestled his way through his last six contests, all of which (for the most part) have been lopsided victories.

If the guy sporting the mohawk can look anything like the dude with the mullet, then St-Pierre may be in for a world of hurt because Slater was able to quickly counter lightweight Zach Morris’ right by securing a body-lock takedown and unleashing a little G’nP in their highly anticipated showdown inside the Bayside High hallways.

When you face a fighter that’s been under that kind of tutelage, it’s hard to see how St-Pierre stands a chance. Just take a look at the highlight reel for yourself, and don’t forget to check out the last person Hardy gives props to when the credits start rolling.

Hardy challenges GSP for his strap at UFC 111 on March 27th in New Jersy. No word on whether Richard “Beldo” Belding has been assigned refereeing duties inside the Prudential Center.

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In the UFC’s Australian debut this Saturday, company president Dana White reported that 17,831 screaming fans packed the Acer Arena, generating a stadium record $2.5 million at the gate. Although UFC 110’s numbers are staggering, the Octagon’s bloodbath didn’t leave fond impressions on everyone.

You can officially put Peter Fitzsimons of The Sydney Morning Harold down in the MMA hater column after the Australian reporter authored “‘Smell the blood!’ The sickening roar for gore” on the heel of this weekend’s historic event.

Here are a few of Fitzsimons’ outtakes regarding the glamorized bar brawl that is MMA:

“Bonnar’s forehead is so deep that his red essence is gushing out of him and soon both fighters are covered in it from top to toe. This appears to interest the referee mildly, but no more than that. Still they go at it, and when Bonnar briefly goes down, the ref has to jump out of the way so that Soszynski can properly get at him, and bash him some more.”

The reason why the referee didn’t step-in immediately was because there was still live action going on. Time doesn’t stop just because someone suffers a cut.

The ref will wait until there is a lull in the action to have a doctor look at the laceration, this way, the contestant that earned the superior position doesn’t get penalized – just like in every other sport, including boxing.

“And so the afternoon goes on, with nine vicious bouts and much blood spilt. About 30 police watch as the fighters continue to bash each other to a pulp. If it were to happen 100 metres away, on the street, those same police would have to arrest them for grievous bodily harm – though they’d take the precaution of calling for back-up first.”

Street fighting is against the law in Australia too … NOTED!

“This is as far from professional wrestling’s tightly choreographed theatrical fighting. These are deadly serious contests fought by highly skilled men. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea – and it will be the last bout I’ll attend – but it looks like we might have moved into an age when tens of thousands of people no longer want cups of tea. They want buckets of blood.”

MMA might not be your flavor, but Dana White said you better get used to it as they intend to host an annual show Down Under. So grab a Foster’s and open up your mind, otherwise pay close attention as the the world’s fastest growing sport quickly passes you by.

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Although UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre possesses MMA’s deadliest ground game, he isn’t pleased with the lack of highlight reel finishes on his resume, specifically of late.

“I’m not satisfied about my ratio of knockouts,” GSP told Tapology.com. “I have knockouts, but I want to bring my ratio up. I’m more powerful than I was, and by being more powerful I’m faster as well. Power is strength and speed together.”

St-Pierre owns a sick 19-2 professional mark, but the future UFC Hall of Famer’s career can be broken down into two eras if you wanted to dissect the champ’s KO stats; B.S. and A.S.

Before Serra and After Serra.

Prior to his shocking TKO loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007, St-Pierre held a 13-1 record with six of those victories coming via some sort of knockout. That’s an impressive 46 percent clip.

However, since losing his title to the overwhelming underdog, the French-Canadian morphed into the planet’s best ground guru, and even though he’s enjoying a 6-0 run A.S., emerging more untouchable each time he exits the Octagon against “the biggest challenge” of his career, St-Pierre has only ended two via knockout.

He viciously avenged his loss to Serra at UFC 83 to unify the title, however his anticlimactic TKO (corner stoppage) win over BJ Penn at UFC 94 lacked the explosive ending he was hoping for. However, GSP vs. Penn II was as bad a thrashing any fighter could possibly unleash on an opponent, so St-Pierre shouldn’t feel too bad.

As dominant as he’s looked A.S., just like all the GREATS to grace their respective sports, GSP is selfish and he wants more. Since humbling Thiago Alves at UFC 100 last July, he’s been in the lab tinkering with his nearly-flawless game and is promising to emerge bigger and badder than before.

“Right now, I’m about 190lbs. I’m bigger and I’m getting even bigger than I was, more powerful, and more explosive. I hit much harder,” St-Pierre emphatically stated. “We have been working on a lot of different stuff to make me hit harder and to give me more power on my strikes. It’s going to change a lot of things.”

If St-Pierre wants to increase his KO ratio, he’s going to have to refrain from taking his foes to the mat. It’s a lot easier getting a highlight reel knockout while standing than it is inside the guard. With that said, it is EASIER to get knocked out standing as well.

So Georges, why engage in a slugout when that’s the only way you can lose?

GSP has the perfect opportunity to showcase his new-found punching power when he meets British slugger Dan Hardy at UFC 111. However, it’s hard to imagine St-Pierre not taking Hardy down and risk getting caught with something.

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What can you say about UFC light heavyweight Keith Jardine? He’s a nice guy and a great MMA personality, but what else?

The Greg Jackson-trained fighter could be doomed to face the firing squad at UFC 110 if he loses to the young and up-and-coming Ryan Bader.

What would he do if he was no longer in the Ultimate Fighting Championship?

Obviously, Strikeforce made some huge strides in 2009 to become the industry’s No. 2 behind the UFC. The problem that lies with signing with Strikeforce is that there are very few in the 205-pound division he could fight.

Champion Gegard Mousasi is one of the planet’s best in the weight class and Mohammed “King Mo” Lawal is anxiously sitting just behind him for a shot at the strap.

If a home is not found with Strikeforce, what else is there for Keith Jardine?

Of late, Hollywood seems to be a safe haven for mixed martial artists, so maybe Jardine can star in another Jason Stathem movie.

If they want to pay Jardine thousands of dollars to say, “Dude, are you OK?” so be it.

The fact of the matter is, Jardine is 2-4 since taking a TKO win over Forrest Griffin. Three of those losses during that stretch came by way of TKO or KO. UFC president Dana White mentioned at Wednesday’s press conference, “… it’s the way they lose fights,” that determines your Octagon future.

Since Jardine is losing bouts by way of knockout, the mood is that another KO could have UFC brass giving “The Dean of Mean” his walking papers.

As likable as Jardine is, it will be difficult to justify calling him a gate keeper if Bader is able to put him away.

Bader has shown great improvement in his right hand which could put down even some of the toughest competitors in the business. One of my prior articles, UFC 110: The Right Way Is Keith Jardine’s Key To Beating Ryan Bader, explains how Jardine can avoid losing this fight.

On the flip-side, where does a win at UFC 110 put Jardine?

Beating Bader will tell MMA and UFC fans that Jardine is not the punching bag of the 205-pound division and he still has the capability of competing at the highest level.

Though a chance at UFC gold is a distant possibility at this point, Jardine may be able to climb his way up the ranks one more time before he says goodbye.

The first test of Jardine’s UFC longevity will come this Saturday at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia.

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This Saturday at UFC 110, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will make another attempt at proving to the world that he is still able to compete in the sport of mixed martial arts.

When the Croatian kickboxer and former PrideFC star steps into the world famous Octagon this weekend, he is facing more than just another 265-pound opponent with his career at a cross road.

Having lost in his last outing to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103 in embarrassing fashion, one couldn’t ignore the do or die scenario Cro Cop was facing for his next fight. The head kick highlight reels are now a thing of the past and the stalker-esque fighting style is no longer the M.O. of the Croatian.

Now, with a record of 2-3 in the UFC, Cro Cop is nowhere near the intimidating force he was expected to be when he signed with the Las Vegas-based promotion back in 2007.

It seems that his vicious KO loss to Gabriel Gonzaga was the turning point for Cro Cop’s career. Serving up CC a dose of his own medicine, Gonzaga delivered a picture perfect head kick to the skull of Filipovic rendering him unconscious – causing him to collapse on his ankle which later required surgery.

It was one of the most gruesome knockouts in MMA history and it was Cro Cop who was on the receiving end for a change.

For the casual fan, most are disappointed with this European coming over and doing much of nothing. However, they aren’t aware of the sick run he enjoyed the five years prior when he was one of the planet’s best strikers.

Unfortunately, Cro Cop’s recent past has him getting knocked out by Gonzaga, out-pointed by Cheick Kongo and verbally submitting to Junior dos Santos, respectively.

Cro Cop now fights in an unfamiliar timid state. Since his loss to Gonzaga, it seems Filipovic almost fears being in a fight, yet he continues to subject himself to the punishment like he is in some sort of mid-life crisis. The Croatian even openly confessed to contemplating suicide after his loss to dos Santos, so it’s difficult to believe he’s truly prepared to fight.

If Cro Cop loses to Ben Rothwell this weekend in Australia, it could be the last time he graces the Octagon canvas. Another promotion, most likely in Japan, would likely pick him up, but his run as a superior MMA heavyweight would be finished … if it wasn’t already.

A win for Cro Cop could be a ray of light.

Imagine if Cro Cop still has some kick remaining in that left leg of his. Not since his knockout of Wanderlei Silva four years ago have MMA fans witnessed a fight-ending head kick from Filipovic.

Will that streak end in the land down under?

North Americans can catch UFC 110 this Saturday, February 20th on pay-per-view beginning at 10pm ET/7pm PT.

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Not many people, except for the ones who profit from the current system, likes the College Football BCS system. Every year it seems like one or two schools lose out because they aren’t as big of a school as the one that was chosen over them.

Let me preface this by saying that some of you won’t agree with what I’m saying, but I think it’s time to analyze the UFC’s championship system too.

Unfortunately, Vitor Belfort will not be challenging for Anderson Silva’s middleweight title at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi because of a shoulder injury suffered while training.

Naturally, everyone tried to assume who the UFC would put in Belfort’s place on April 10th. This got me to thinking, did Belfort even deserve a shot at Silva to begin with?

Before getting the nod from Dana White, Belfort beat Rich Franklin in his only bout since returning to the UFC. Now, take a look at who Nate Marquardt beat before he lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109: Martin Kampmann, Wilson Gouveia, and Demian Maia.

The question is, why did Marquardt have to fight Sonnen to even get a title shot?

Does one win over Franklin mean more than consecutive wins over Kampmann, Gouveia and a then-undefeated Maia?

Let’s look at Chael Sonnen who beat Marquardt, and automatically became the #1 contender. Prior to his UFC 109 win, Sonnen beat Dan Miller and Yushin Okami, but also lost to Demian Maia prior to those two wins.

Just like in  college football, WHEN you lose seems to be a very important aspect to the UFC’s title system.

There have been plenty of times where an undefeated team in college football gets passed up for the BCS Championship Game for a higher-profile college that actually has a loss and that’s why the system is so confusing.

How about the UFC’s lightweight division?

Well, Frank Edgar is the current #1 contender and will fight BJ Penn at UFC 112. Edgar leapfrogged Gray Maynard, even though Maynard owns a victory over him.

Did Maynard’s win over Edgar not mean anything at all?

The UFC is a billion-dollar company so obviously they’ve done a lot of things right to be where they’re at. I’m just looking at it from a fan’s perspective and that SHOULD be an important aspect in the decision making process.

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