Although
Kenny Florian (Pictures)’s Aug. 9 victory over
Roger Huerta (Pictures) may have given the UFC lightweight champion a No. 1 contender, Penn’s next Octagon encounter will be his heavily anticipated rematch with welterweight titleholder
Georges St. Pierre (Pictures). Against GSP, Penn will try to erase the sour taste of his disappointing March 2006 split decision loss to the Canadian.
No matter what comes next for Alvarez -- a second crack at a bout with
Shinya Aoki (Pictures) or a rematch with newly crowned Dream champion
Joachim Hansen (Pictures) -- the once-prized prospect has arrived as a top fighter. With the stagnancy of former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder
Takanori Gomi (Pictures), Alvarez jumps from third to second in the Sherdog.com rankings.
The stars aligned to give Hansen a chance to re-enter the Dream lightweight grand prix as an alternate. “Hellboy” capitalized on the opportunity, as he smashed through
Shinya Aoki (Pictures) to gain a measure of vengeance for a 2006 submission loss. With the Norwegian’s most significant victory in years came the Dream lightweight championship. Hansen slides up from fourth to third in the latest pecking order.
Gomi’s next task at Sengoku IV will be Deep lightweight champion Pang Sung Hwan, a brutal slugger from South Korea. However, the real test for Gomi will come from the Sengoku lightweight grand prix, which will feature the likes of
Rodrigo Damm (Pictures),
Satoru Kitaoka (Pictures),
Eiji Mitsuoka (Pictures) and International Fight League champion
Ryan Schultz (Pictures). The winner will meet Gomi later this year in a bout to crown the promotion’s first lightweight champion. Inactive since March, the 29-year-old falls from second to fourth in the Sherdog.com rankings.
Overcoming Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante in April affirmed Aoki’s place as a premier lightweight. After a dominant win over
Caol Uno (Pictures) and with Alvarez unable to continue in the draw, it seemed a forgone conclusion that Aoki would win the Dream lightweight grand prix. Hansen -- a man out of whom he had already made a highlight reel with his New Year’s Eve gogoplata in 2006 -- was all that stood between him and the title. This time, however, Aoki’s rubber guard wizardry was no match for Hansen’s ferocity, as the Norwegian battered Aoki to win the tournament.
Still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he carried in to his April 29 bout with Aoki, Cavalcante has been missed in Dream’s lightweight division. Considering the intriguing outcomes of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix, the potential bouts are numerous for the American Top Team product, who will hopefully see action before the year is out.
After his fantastic display in dominating
Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) in June, Thomson was pegged for a return to Strikeforce later this year. His next action will likely come during the promotion’s Sept. 20 visit to the Playboy Mansion.
A favorite going into his June 27 Strikeforce title defense against Thomson, Melendez was completely outclassed over five rounds and lost a lopsided decision. What’s next for the talented
Cesar Gracie (Pictures) prospect remains uncertain. Melendez has lost two of his last three fights.
Not unlike his September 2005 mega-clash with Gomi, Kawajiri threw caution to the wind and fought fire with fire against Alvarez in the Dream lightweight grand prix semi-finals. While it may eventually earn him “Fight of the Year” honors, it did not result in a victory, as Alvarez rallied back from adversity to stop Kawajiri on strikes for the first time in his career.
He was tabbed to dominate the lightweight division, but a positive steroid test and a rejuvenated
B.J. Penn (Pictures) thwarted Sherk’s plans of supremacy. However, the “Muscle Shark” will have a chance to get into the lightweight mix in a major way at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago, when he meets surging young lightweight
Tyson Griffin (Pictures) in a compelling 155-pound scrap.
› SPORTS › SHERDOG
Printer Friendly
