Second chance

Sherdog, should Gilbert Yvel be allowed to fight in America? We have all seen the video clips of him punching the ref, gouging eyes and generally acting like an embarrassment to the sport, but with his scheduled appearance on Affliction’s 2009 fight card against Josh Barnett, I think the question needs to be answered.

Forgive me if I’m incorrect, but I think he has been denied a license to fight in the States before. Does he deserve another chance? Being Americans, I always heard you guys are all about second chances. Hell, wasn’t Josh Barnett given a second chance?
--Per in Sweden

Greg Savage, radio host and reporter: Per, you are correct in noting Yvel has been denied a license to fight in the States -- Nevada to be exact. He was slated to take on Sergei Kharitonov at PRIDE 33. You are also correct in noting the Dutchman’s embarrassing résumé.

While I won’t go out of my way to argue the case for Yvel’s licensure, I don’t see any reason to deny him if he has gotten his act together. I would expect the California State Athletic Commission to do their due diligence, a la Mike Kyle, before granting him clearance to face Barnett.

Now, let’s move on to more pressing matters. I assume that you, like me, were appalled at the selection of Yvel to match-up with Barnett. What isn’t clear is whether you agree that the bigger travesty, in regards to this bout, is the fact that Barnett, a top-five heavyweight, is facing a guy that hasn’t fought a ranked heavyweight in years.

Barnett is a supremely talented athlete, but thus far has failed to live up to the promise many saw as infinite after his destruction of then-champ Randy Couture in 2002. A trio of losses to Mirko Filipovic and a split in a pair of bouts with current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stand out as the defining fights of his post-Couture career.

I have to admit, I found his bout with Pedro Rizzo less than intriguing, but I understood the element of avenging the previous loss. That I can forgive, but Yvel? Come on! Are you telling me there was no better match to make?

I hate to say it, but until Barnett squares off with the winner of Fedor-Arlovski, I just don’t think anyone will care. I know I won’t.

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Meals fit for a ‘Spider’

My question is with Anderson Silva collecting his cool collective win in his last fight, what are the chances that he'd fight [Georges St. Pierre], Chuck Liddell or Cung Le. I know he's not in UFC, but I think fight fans would just love to see that fight because they have such smooth but unorthodox styles. It would be a phenomenal fight.
-- Anonymous

Jordan Breen, radio host and columnist: Liddell and St. Pierre fights are bouts completely within the realm of possibility for Silva. Although it seems like for now, the ship may have sailed on a Liddell-Silva bout, as the early new year would have been the ideal time for it, and for now, it appears Zuffa has different plans for both fighters.

However, regardless of the immediacy of a Silva-Liddell bout, if both continue to win, a Silva-St. Pierre bout is a near certainty. Both fighters have expressed interest in the bout, and more importantly, Dana White has teased the bout should both hurdle their next two fights or so. The bout is a no-brainer, as if both of them continue onward in victory, it would put the two top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport against one another, while inspiring the sort of crossover interest necessary to make a blockbuster fight.

With the ever-whirling MMA atmosphere Zuffa has created, it is imperative that they periodically create mega-events such as they did with Liddell-Ortiz II, Liddell-Jackson II, Couture-Lesnar, and now St. Pierre-Penn. If Silva and St. Pierre win their way to late 2009, the fight will happen.

As for Cung Le, there's no doubt Zuffa would be interested in him due to the fact that he's one of the few fighters who can be seen as a legitimate star without Zuffa's help. Le's stardom is an asset for brand-building, and a guaranteed major gate in San Jose. However, because of his Hollywood aspirations, Le can't exactly appeal to the sort of fight schedule that Zuffa expects out of his stars. As a result, Le is actually a much more vital asset to a promotion like Strikeforce, where he's a lock for a strong gate and extra media attention. Not to mention, Le himself has control of when and where he fights.

However, as for actual fight analysis, Le wouldn't fare well against Silva at this point. Although Le is an extremely talented and stylish striker, he lacks major pop in his strikes, and has taken pain-staking periods of time to finish off the sort of fighters who Silva has made his reputation from polishing off in brutal fashion. While there's certainly a time and a place for side kicks and the like, Silva's length and power would allow him to effectively counter and bust up Le, who would wouldn't be landing any spinning heel kicks in the ten minutes or less he'd be in the cage against “The Spider.”

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