Reverie: More Progress
Mike Sloan Dec 18, 2007
It seems to me there is some sort of revolution taking place within
the fight game. As the hours and days wear away and as we all count
down to the end of 2007, it appears that more and more fans are
having their dreams come true with many a ballyhooed fight being
made.
Or at least contemplated.
In keeping this column to only mixed martial arts (forget the fact
that boxing is starting to make an incredible comeback), certain
fighters continue to score victories, and in some cases even
fighters who keep losing wind up in super fights. It seems that
this time of year the powers that be within the sport of MMA have
come to their collective senses, learned that working together is
actually a good thing and the mistakes are kept to a
minimum.
Obviously for every potential mega matchup to come to fruition would be one hell of a California dream, but at least the eggs are all in a row. The sport has seen a few elite fighters tumble from grace (Liddell and Silva), an all-time great step away from his roost, another all-timer basically become mired in limbo and now two little guys are set to clash in the ultimate crossroads match.
However, now that Couture has remained strong willed and unflinching in the eyes of great public demand for his return to the UFC, "The Natural" seems intent on toughing it out and allowing his contract with Zuffa to run its course, thus allowing him to walk away from the organization that made him a star without dirt on his hands.
Couture wouldn't be able to fight for any other organization until at least October 2008. Since Fedor is the only man Randy covets, it remained a long shot that we'd ever see that showdown materialize.
Featherweight Explosion
Urijah Faber (Pictures) is the WEC featherweight champion and has been steamrolling everyone in his path. Jens Pulver (Pictures) is a former UFC lightweight champion who has been on a roller coaster of sorts, splitting wins with losses, hoorays with heartbreak.
I don't know exactly what it is, but I've always thought of Pulver whenever I watched or dealt with Faber. They don't fight alike and they don't look alike, yet I've always somehow related Pulver to Faber.
Maybe it's their outgoing personalities. Maybe it's that they both sport unconventional first names. Or maybe I just have no clue what the hell I'm even thinking.
Either way, I thought to myself after Faber thrashed Chance Farrar (Pictures) that a fight between him and a fully focused Pulver would be an intriguing battle.
Faber scored a dramatic submission over the veteran Jeff Curran (Pictures) on Dec. 12, and Pulver trounced Cub Swanson (Pictures). They were both remarkable and important wins, and when the two fighters meet, we'll be able to gauge exactly where each man is in his career.
It'll be fun to watch whether Pulver still has it or if Faber is mostly hype. Either way, it's a great fight and fans should be thankful that it's going to occur.
Misc. Debris
In keeping with the matchup angle, it's intriguing that Frank Trigg (Pictures) and Jason Miller are destined to clash in a rematch sometime early next year. Trigg looked awesome in dispatching the always-tough Edwin Dewees (Pictures) at HDNet Fights, and Miller was triumphant after a thrilling war with Tim Kennedy (Pictures). Their first encounter was terrific and their second go-round will undoubtedly continue that trend. …
Michael Bisping (Pictures) was smart to drop to middleweight. He looked near horrendous in his last two fights, and I wondered whether he was fighting at a weight not right for him. He's still one of the "prettiest" strikers technique-wise in the game and the added natural size in dropping to 185 should work wonders for him. People shouldn't leap off the Bisping bandwagon just yet; he'll have to flop in his first middleweight fight in order for that to happen without scrutiny. …
I thought Doug "The Rhino" Marshall was the Tank Abbott of the WEC: all power strikes and little else. Well, he proved otherwise as he latched on a perfect armbar against Ariel Gandulla (Pictures) and forced the Cuban to tap out. Marshall is a talented fighter with a lot of potential. I'm itching to see him in the cage against someone who is, on paper at least, better than the ol' rhino himself. …
Am I the only person who knows that the "free" fights on Spike TV aren't free? Come on, people. Why can't you understand that you have to actually pay for that cable channel? It's beyond irritating when these superb fight cards are touted as being on "free" TV. While it's inexpensive to have a cable package with Spike TV, it's not free. Enough already!
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
Or at least contemplated.
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Obviously for every potential mega matchup to come to fruition would be one hell of a California dream, but at least the eggs are all in a row. The sport has seen a few elite fighters tumble from grace (Liddell and Silva), an all-time great step away from his roost, another all-timer basically become mired in limbo and now two little guys are set to clash in the ultimate crossroads match.
Randy Couture (Pictures), one of the most beloved fighters
of our time, resigned from his UFC contract in October. At the time
it seemed like the potential super fight of the millennium might
never happen. Zuffa was unable to snare Fedor Emelianenko
(Pictures), and that mythical matchup
all but vaporized.
However, now that Couture has remained strong willed and unflinching in the eyes of great public demand for his return to the UFC, "The Natural" seems intent on toughing it out and allowing his contract with Zuffa to run its course, thus allowing him to walk away from the organization that made him a star without dirt on his hands.
Couture wouldn't be able to fight for any other organization until at least October 2008. Since Fedor is the only man Randy covets, it remained a long shot that we'd ever see that showdown materialize.
Featherweight Explosion
Urijah Faber (Pictures) is the WEC featherweight champion and has been steamrolling everyone in his path. Jens Pulver (Pictures) is a former UFC lightweight champion who has been on a roller coaster of sorts, splitting wins with losses, hoorays with heartbreak.
I don't know exactly what it is, but I've always thought of Pulver whenever I watched or dealt with Faber. They don't fight alike and they don't look alike, yet I've always somehow related Pulver to Faber.
Maybe it's their outgoing personalities. Maybe it's that they both sport unconventional first names. Or maybe I just have no clue what the hell I'm even thinking.
Either way, I thought to myself after Faber thrashed Chance Farrar (Pictures) that a fight between him and a fully focused Pulver would be an intriguing battle.
Faber scored a dramatic submission over the veteran Jeff Curran (Pictures) on Dec. 12, and Pulver trounced Cub Swanson (Pictures). They were both remarkable and important wins, and when the two fighters meet, we'll be able to gauge exactly where each man is in his career.
It'll be fun to watch whether Pulver still has it or if Faber is mostly hype. Either way, it's a great fight and fans should be thankful that it's going to occur.
Misc. Debris
In keeping with the matchup angle, it's intriguing that Frank Trigg (Pictures) and Jason Miller are destined to clash in a rematch sometime early next year. Trigg looked awesome in dispatching the always-tough Edwin Dewees (Pictures) at HDNet Fights, and Miller was triumphant after a thrilling war with Tim Kennedy (Pictures). Their first encounter was terrific and their second go-round will undoubtedly continue that trend. …
Michael Bisping (Pictures) was smart to drop to middleweight. He looked near horrendous in his last two fights, and I wondered whether he was fighting at a weight not right for him. He's still one of the "prettiest" strikers technique-wise in the game and the added natural size in dropping to 185 should work wonders for him. People shouldn't leap off the Bisping bandwagon just yet; he'll have to flop in his first middleweight fight in order for that to happen without scrutiny. …
I thought Doug "The Rhino" Marshall was the Tank Abbott of the WEC: all power strikes and little else. Well, he proved otherwise as he latched on a perfect armbar against Ariel Gandulla (Pictures) and forced the Cuban to tap out. Marshall is a talented fighter with a lot of potential. I'm itching to see him in the cage against someone who is, on paper at least, better than the ol' rhino himself. …
Am I the only person who knows that the "free" fights on Spike TV aren't free? Come on, people. Why can't you understand that you have to actually pay for that cable channel? It's beyond irritating when these superb fight cards are touted as being on "free" TV. While it's inexpensive to have a cable package with Spike TV, it's not free. Enough already!
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
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