Letters of Interest
More Letters
1. Is it possible for someone to get a job at Sherdog?
2. Is it possible that some bouts could've been fixed? Ex: Nobuhiko Takada (Pictures) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" or Mark Coleman (Pictures) (I know that this took place in Japan, but it's still MMA).
3. Who is your favorite fighter?
- Danny Choi
1. It is possible? Look at me, Danny. I'm living the dream. (And correlative with the pay, I'm also living in an abandoned toolshed.)
2. So long as there is such a thing as prizefighting, there will be prizefighters that are willing to ignore integrity and throw, fix, stall or otherwise fraudulently influence the outcome of a fight.
Mark Coleman (Pictures) has been perpetually evasive on the subject of Takada, which more or less serves as an answer; and if you've ever seen Takada vs. "Cro Cop," you'd know that no orchestrated fight would ever dare to be so boring. It's literally 15 minutes of Takada flopping to his ass and butt-scooting in one of the most gutless performances in fighting history. Distributors excised it from the PRIDE 17 DVD upon its initial North American release. It's that bad.
3. Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures). When he came out to fight Igor Vovchanchyn (Pictures) after going 90 minutes with Royce Gracie (Pictures), I thought they were going to need a wheelbarrow for his scrotum.
Cutting
I spent most of my weekend arguing with Sherdoggers about Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) cutting to 185, and this is the article I wake to up on Monday morning? The ultimate betrayal. I thought that in this world of madness, at least the educated writing staff of Sherdog would HAVE to agree with me, but no. Please, since no one has done this yet, please explain to me why a guy who has two devastating wins over the current LHW champ should cut down to 185.
Yes, Wanderlei lost to Chuck Liddell (Pictures), one of the premier strikers in MMA history. Yes, Wanderlei in the past has struggled against Ortiz and Arona, but then he came back to beat Ricardo Arona (Pictures), and who knows what would happen if he fought Tito Ortiz (Pictures) again. More than any of this, you tried to prove Wanderlei should move down by assuming he would struggle against Rashad Evans (Pictures). Rashad is a very skilled wrestler, but he's not big, and I feel Wanderlei would match up well against him.
Here's my main point: We've waited a long time to see Wanderlei back in the Octagon, now after one match everyone is saying he needs to move down. I've been dreaming of these 205 super matches for way too long to see Wanderlei fight Chuck then go fight Chris Leben (Pictures). I appreciate the service that the Sherdog site gives MMA fans, but I also am becoming tired of this new "lose once and cut" attitude that many writers and posters have adopted. - Colin Trainor
Determining a fighter's weight class without the benefit of being his personal physician or trainer is a very subjective exercise. To my eye, Wanderlei was packing a lot of inflated muscle on his frame in Japan. Against ground specialists like Arona and Ortiz, he appears to be easily controlled.
There are some guys that fall between the sizable cracks of the weight divisions. Takanori Gomi (Pictures) is a good example: too small for 170, too big for 155. Perhaps Silva would find his prime physique at 195.
And Finally …
I was wondering what are the chances that B.J. Penn (Pictures) gets a rematch with Georges St. Pierre (Pictures)? GSP just walked through Matt Hughes (Pictures) and will no doubt walk through Matt Serra (Pictures). Sorry M. Serra, you won't do it again. I just think that there isn't anyone in his level at this point with the exception of B.J. Penn (Pictures). It would no doubt play out to be the biggest fight in 2008. With GSP having a controversial win over B.J. I honestly think this would be a classic chess match. I think B.J. has the skills to defeat GSP the second time around. B.J.'s jiu-jitsu is the best in the game, his stand up is solid, his takedown defense is incredible and they both rule their respective weight class. What's your take? - Ricardo Maciel
St. Pierre has a full 2008, with Matt Serra (Pictures) and (hopefully) Jon Fitch (Pictures) on the docket. Penn really needs to focus on one weight class. The excess weight he carries at 170 doesn't seem to do him any favors when it comes to cardiovascular conditioning. In a five-round fight, GSP eats his lunch.
Dept. of Corrections:
In "Ultimate Mayweather" (12/24/07), I made reference to Mayweather sporting 16-ounce gloves. In Nevada, fighters weighing in above 135 pounds are issued 10-ounce gloves.
In "All the Right Moves" (12/16/07), I stated, "If you want a whitewashed, sterile version of events, the UFC's own Web site and broadcast media does a masterful job. Were you to follow their outlets exclusively, you might never know that Randy Couture (Pictures) is in exile, Sean Sherk (Pictures) is no longer their lightweight champion, and ‘Big' John McCarthy is still happily fixed in place as their marquee referee."
The UFC's Web site did, in fact, run stories regarding McCarthy's exit and Sherk's suspension for alleged steroid use. Couture's resignation also received coverage.
For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com
2. Is it possible that some bouts could've been fixed? Ex: Nobuhiko Takada (Pictures) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" or Mark Coleman (Pictures) (I know that this took place in Japan, but it's still MMA).
3. Who is your favorite fighter?
- Danny Choi
1. It is possible? Look at me, Danny. I'm living the dream. (And correlative with the pay, I'm also living in an abandoned toolshed.)
2. So long as there is such a thing as prizefighting, there will be prizefighters that are willing to ignore integrity and throw, fix, stall or otherwise fraudulently influence the outcome of a fight.
Mark Coleman (Pictures) has been perpetually evasive on the subject of Takada, which more or less serves as an answer; and if you've ever seen Takada vs. "Cro Cop," you'd know that no orchestrated fight would ever dare to be so boring. It's literally 15 minutes of Takada flopping to his ass and butt-scooting in one of the most gutless performances in fighting history. Distributors excised it from the PRIDE 17 DVD upon its initial North American release. It's that bad.
3. Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures). When he came out to fight Igor Vovchanchyn (Pictures) after going 90 minutes with Royce Gracie (Pictures), I thought they were going to need a wheelbarrow for his scrotum.
Cutting
I spent most of my weekend arguing with Sherdoggers about Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) cutting to 185, and this is the article I wake to up on Monday morning? The ultimate betrayal. I thought that in this world of madness, at least the educated writing staff of Sherdog would HAVE to agree with me, but no. Please, since no one has done this yet, please explain to me why a guy who has two devastating wins over the current LHW champ should cut down to 185.
Yes, Wanderlei lost to Chuck Liddell (Pictures), one of the premier strikers in MMA history. Yes, Wanderlei in the past has struggled against Ortiz and Arona, but then he came back to beat Ricardo Arona (Pictures), and who knows what would happen if he fought Tito Ortiz (Pictures) again. More than any of this, you tried to prove Wanderlei should move down by assuming he would struggle against Rashad Evans (Pictures). Rashad is a very skilled wrestler, but he's not big, and I feel Wanderlei would match up well against him.
Here's my main point: We've waited a long time to see Wanderlei back in the Octagon, now after one match everyone is saying he needs to move down. I've been dreaming of these 205 super matches for way too long to see Wanderlei fight Chuck then go fight Chris Leben (Pictures). I appreciate the service that the Sherdog site gives MMA fans, but I also am becoming tired of this new "lose once and cut" attitude that many writers and posters have adopted. - Colin Trainor
Determining a fighter's weight class without the benefit of being his personal physician or trainer is a very subjective exercise. To my eye, Wanderlei was packing a lot of inflated muscle on his frame in Japan. Against ground specialists like Arona and Ortiz, he appears to be easily controlled.
There are some guys that fall between the sizable cracks of the weight divisions. Takanori Gomi (Pictures) is a good example: too small for 170, too big for 155. Perhaps Silva would find his prime physique at 195.
And Finally …
I was wondering what are the chances that B.J. Penn (Pictures) gets a rematch with Georges St. Pierre (Pictures)? GSP just walked through Matt Hughes (Pictures) and will no doubt walk through Matt Serra (Pictures). Sorry M. Serra, you won't do it again. I just think that there isn't anyone in his level at this point with the exception of B.J. Penn (Pictures). It would no doubt play out to be the biggest fight in 2008. With GSP having a controversial win over B.J. I honestly think this would be a classic chess match. I think B.J. has the skills to defeat GSP the second time around. B.J.'s jiu-jitsu is the best in the game, his stand up is solid, his takedown defense is incredible and they both rule their respective weight class. What's your take? - Ricardo Maciel
St. Pierre has a full 2008, with Matt Serra (Pictures) and (hopefully) Jon Fitch (Pictures) on the docket. Penn really needs to focus on one weight class. The excess weight he carries at 170 doesn't seem to do him any favors when it comes to cardiovascular conditioning. In a five-round fight, GSP eats his lunch.
Dept. of Corrections:
In "Ultimate Mayweather" (12/24/07), I made reference to Mayweather sporting 16-ounce gloves. In Nevada, fighters weighing in above 135 pounds are issued 10-ounce gloves.
In "All the Right Moves" (12/16/07), I stated, "If you want a whitewashed, sterile version of events, the UFC's own Web site and broadcast media does a masterful job. Were you to follow their outlets exclusively, you might never know that Randy Couture (Pictures) is in exile, Sean Sherk (Pictures) is no longer their lightweight champion, and ‘Big' John McCarthy is still happily fixed in place as their marquee referee."
The UFC's Web site did, in fact, run stories regarding McCarthy's exit and Sherk's suspension for alleged steroid use. Couture's resignation also received coverage.
For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com
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