5. “Inside MMA”: Delayed Reaction

I enjoy HDNet’s “Inside MMA.” Despite a stream-of-consciousness style that often lends itself to confusion, I enjoy Bas Rutten as a co-host. Despite an insistence on making guests squirm in their seats with bizarre digressions, Kenny Rice seems like a swell guy.

But in a sport where things change by the minute, taping “Inside MMA” early in the week for Friday broadcast doesn’t quite get the job done. A year into the effort, the program should probably graduate into a live telecast.

And maybe allow Rutten one less cup of coffee before airtime.

4. Wanderlei: Middleweight

Despite some truly disturbing KO losses -- to Mirko Filipovic, Dan Henderson and now Quinton Jackson -- Wanderlei Silva is still a precious commodity in MMA: a violent savage, and violent savages always have a place here.

Unfortunately, a decade-plus of competition has softened his chin a bit. While he’s still an awfully young 32, he may be best served to try and renew his career at 185 pounds -- especially since Anderson Silva is quickly running out of worthy opposition. Reports are he’s considering it.

3. Various Requests for UFC 100

Both Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie deserve competitive send-offs: Shamrock with a contemporary like Don Frye or Mark Coleman, Gracie with an evenly-sized pioneer like Pat Miletich. (Assuming Gracie could make the 186-pound minimum for light heavyweight, there’s also the option of repeating his UFC 1 fight with Shamrock.)

The Columbus’ of the sport -- the first tournament’s participants -- should be given preferred seating. (Gerard Gordeau once asked if I could get him tickets to a show. It depressed me.) They should be made to realize how valuable their contributions were to what the UFC has become today. It’s the necessary thing to do.

2. Bring Fedor Emelianenko to the UFC

So it’s a trite, clichéd request. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit. Providing he gets by Andrei Arlovski, Emelianenko tackling the winner of the Mir/Lesnar sequel is as big a heavyweight bout as it gets.

Political nightmare? Sure, but the best fights usually are.

1. Somebody, Anybody: Make a Cup That Works

Of the hundreds of hours I devoted to mixed martial arts spectatorship this year, it felt like at least half the time was spent watching an athlete doubled over, trying to shake off the effects of an errant kick or knee. In many cases -- Filipovic/Overeem, Andrade/Soszynski -- they’ve decided the fight.

The unpopular solution: Ban leg kicks to the inside of the thigh. (Yes, they hurt, but have they ever closed the deal?)

The more practical solution: Pay some Poindexter engineer to craft an athletic cup with two layers, the outer a shock-absorbing shell and the interior a snug protector of delicate anatomy. MMA is a dynamic sport with unique elements, and a standard cup designed for other sports no longer fits.

For the sake of our future population, fix it.

For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com