Perennial hot topics -- steroids in combat sports, the future of Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) -- continue to get a workout in the Sherdog.com mail server.

Add to that the significance of Henderson-Jackson and the administrative spanking applied to Renato Sobral (Pictures), and you have more than enough material for September's mailbag.

Enjoy. (After all, you wrote it.)

Baba blew it

I'm fully aware of Dana White's incredible spinning ability: however in this instance, his latest interview on CBS.sportsline.com pretty much dispels the idea that it was just the choke that got "Babalu" suspended. I won't go through Dana's comments point by point, but basically it was the cumulative effect of problems for Babalu and the choke and speech afterwards played a big role in it as well.

Anyway, while Chuck Liddell (Pictures) may not get suspended if he held a choke for three seconds too long, he probably also wouldn't have had the series of issues that "Babalu" has apparently have over the past year or two. I do think if Chuck had acted in that fashion for a extended period of time, then absolutely he'd be kicked out if he pulled something like this. Just thought that was a point that should have been in your latest article. -- David Szikman

If Sobral's "behavior" outside of the ring contributed to his dismissal -- he was allegedly in a nightclub dust-up in Tampa recently -- I find it intriguing that B.J. Penn's legal troubles involving assaulting a police officer in June 2005 weren't a catalyst for the UFC passing on his services in early 2006.

I'm not chastising the UFC for promoting respectable conduct among its athletes. I just wish it would be consistent in those attempts.

Who is to say that the UFC isn't tightening down over time? Past punishments have been very few and far between, and the events you pointed out are either old (Baroni) or are not apples to apples (steroids are a separate issue from ref disobedience). B.J. Penn (Pictures) is the only recent example in the UFC that is similar, and the difference between how B.J. embraced Jens and made sure he was OK right after the extra few seconds was a bit different than Sobral's. Immediate regret and concern is very different than bragging to Rogan after the fight is over.

The bottom line is that all businesses are opportunists when it comes to firing processes. When you have a marginal employee, you will take a mistake and use it to cleanly excise he/she from the organization.

Lastly, I would also ask if you feel you are being fair in your treatment of the UFC. Specifically, if the UFC had done nothing in response to Sobral's incident -- would you have supported that decision? Or is it a case where they are criticized in either case -- making it a lose-lose situation? -- Edward O'Conner

Had the UFC done nothing to penalize Sobral, I would consider it consistent with their past policies. Having the commission withhold 50 percent of his purse was punishment enough in my book. That's a pretty expensive two seconds.

Penn, incidentally, wondered aloud if he shouldn't have held Pulver's choke longer. That's not exactly being contrite.

You can say steroids are a separate issue, but the fact is, possession of Schedule III controlled substances is a felony punishable by prison time. I would say that the gravity of that offense outweighs a few moments of adrenaline-fueled misconduct in the cage.

That Sobral is excised from the promotion while illicit drug use protocol is left to commissions is, in the words of Dana White, the very definition of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime.

I liked your latest article in the fact that you didn't attempt to defend what "Babalu" did in the ring vs. Heath. Nonetheless, your criticism of his exile seems a bit misguided.

Fans can't have it both ways with the UFC. They can't criticize them for being lax on steroids and then turn around and criticize a move on their part to start becoming more respectable and transparent in how they deal with fighters that break rules. Because in essence, that's what all of these things are about -- fighters that break rules.

This latest decision will come back to haunt the UFC many times over … something "haters" should love … but something the UFC needs to grow. They've created a precedent by laying down the law on "Babalu." It's gotten coverage from every major outlet of MMA news and will not be forgotten. The next time someone f--ks up big time after a fight, the UFC will be forced to take decisive action. -- Matt Hein

Releasing Sobral might prove to be regrettable in the future, especially if one of their box office contributors makes a similar error in judgment. They've set a precedent. If the next guy to hold a choke or take a swing after the bell isn't fired, it'll be a pretty glaring exception.

I was at the show that night and I have to say that Sobral was in complete control of the fight the entire time. Not only that, but he had bloodied and battered Heath to the extent that I was honestly surprised the fight hadn't been stopped.

Two things happened after the fight that I feel are key to what happened to Sobral. First, he told Joe Rogan that he purposely held onto the choke to teach Heath a lesson. I was trying to listen to what he was saying but I couldn't understand one bit of it and it was Rogan that actually repeated what he said to the crowd, which instantly shifted from "louuuu" to "BOOO." Secondly he threw his hat into the crowd and the man who caught it threw it back into the ring. When that happened the place went nuts because there was solidarity in their dislike for Sobral. Now that instant shift by the crowd could hardly have gone unnoticed by Dana White.

Had Sobral told the crowd that he was sorry and looked over Heath to make sure he was OK, things might be different. The fact of the matter was that he was hell bent on telling everyone why he choked Heath out and that sunk him. -- Matt Ettinger

To hold a fighter accountable for his post-fight comments is fairly sadistic, considering that most athletes are ODing on adrenaline and aren't capable of saying anything enlightening.

If White's actions were precipitated by the preferences of an angry mob of semi-drunken spectators, I fear for the future of humanity.

Informative article regarding Sobral. Of course he got the boot because he is expendable. Liddell, Penn, Baroni etc. are big draws and as such are accorded preferential treatment, so what's new? He is fortunate that he got to keep $25,000.

On another topic, if Randy Couture (Pictures) only received $250,000 for his victory over Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures), he was robbed, stupid, signed in the dark or was without legal representation. Couture vs. Fedor will sell three million pay-per-views. This fight should be made before one of these fighters is run over by a good humor man driving an ice cream truck. -- Lou Reiter

The payroll released by athletic commissions doesn't include bonuses, sponsorship income, or percentages of pay-per-view business. I really doubt Couture has any complaints about his compensation.

Couture-Fedor's business depends on how successful the UFC is in convincing fans that Fedor is invincible. Without any UFC fights on his record to stir interest, three million buys is pretty optimistic.

And by "optimistic," I mean, "psychotic."

Fedor redux

On your recent mail post in Sherdog you question Fedor's legacy by answering an e-mail with: "What more does he have to do? How about get in the ring with more than two or three ranked heavyweights?" And then: "Of the eight fighters on Sherdog.com's heavyweight rankings (not including the man or his brother), Fedor has fought two of them. He's got some work to do."

Nothing wrong with this. It's your opinion. But on your following answer to an e-mail regarding Matt Lindland (Pictures) you mention that he's the number one middleweight in the world. Tell me now who has Lindland fought from the current Sherdog's middleweight ranking. Nobody! You are contradicting yourself my friend. I think Lindland is the one with some work to do. -- Stefano Mendoza

I will try to maintain some semblance of dignity as I wipe egg off my face. But, to play my own advocate, I never claimed Fedor wasn't the No. 1 heavyweight out there. I believe he is. And if he wishes to remain so, he needs to be where the talent is coagulated.

Saying the UFC don't need Fedor goes to show how clueless the general UFC audience is to what great talent is. I for one hope Fedor passes on coming to the UFC until the fans mature. If you were a champion of MMA, that took in very seriously, wouldn't you then like to fight at organization where the audience did too?

Your comment about Fedor not looking for the best fight was just foolish. First of all he would be fighting in the UFC tomorrow if Zuffa just let him participate in his Sambo competition once a year. It's true that now UFC has the most stacked heavyweight division, but the way the sport has blown up it's naive to think Zuffa's monopoly will hold. -- Ross McKenzie

If Fedor wishes to "take the sport seriously," I cannot imagine that winding up in Japan -- where K-1 would likely have him fight a silverback gorilla -- would be optimal.

The United States is currently the most structured and professional climate for MMA in the world. The boos should be music to any fighter's ears: after all, each voice represents a portion of their salary.

Zuffa's monopoly isn't going to dissolve anytime soon. MMA is not popular in this country -- the UFC is. Fighters with a regional following can draw a big live gate (Frank Shamrock (Pictures)), but pay-per-view and television ratings for any non-Ultimate product are non-existent.

The only way that changes is if a UFC-branded attraction like Tito Ortiz (Pictures) or Chuck Liddell (Pictures) gets nabbed by a rival promotion. Liddell's loyalty seems to preclude that possibility. Ortiz? Not so much.

Grabbing the cage

A proposal on grabbing the ropes or cage: first, the problem is obvious. Even a small grab (with no penalty) can arguably change the course of a fight (see Lindland-Fedor, Sylvia-Silva, etc.). Second, the penalty on the second infraction is arguably too extreme. Witness Rashad-Tito, where Tito would have won round two and hence the fight if he hadn't grabbed the fence (i.e., even if Rashad had taken him down).

Solution: since grabbing the fence/rope is a way to gain an unfair positional advantage, penalize it positionally. On the first infraction, put the offender in guard or turtle (back position with no hooks) based on the position when the offender makes the grab (are the combatants face-to-face or chest-to-back?). This corresponds to the likely outcome (slanted in favor of the non-offender) had the grab not taken place. If the grab takes place in guard, reposition the fighters appropriately if an advantage is gained. Problem solved. Thoughts? -- Scott Romine

Sounds reasonable to me, though I'd wait until the second offense for the positional penalty.

In my mind and the minds of many of my friends who follow MMA the Quinton Jackson (Pictures)-Dan Henderson (Pictures) fight is NOT a UFC vs. PRIDE bout. In our opinions it is a PRIDE vs. PRIDE bout because that's the organization you think of when you think these two fighters. "Rampage" has had only two bouts in the UFC and one in the WFA or whatever it was called.

Emotional events, matches, storylines, etc. will get emotional response from the fans. While this is clearly a belt unification I feel that the media and Zuffa are expecting the fans to have an emotional reaction to the PRIDE vs. UFC angle, and it's just not going to happen since again both fighters are thought of as PRIDE fighters. Also, these two guys are buddies and I believe Rampage has helped Dan train a time or two. This compounds the problem because there's not even a bad blood angle to help stimulate fan reaction.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm VERY excited to see this fight. The points I make are just to clarify what I see happening from the fans point of view. I too clearly see and feel a little less anticipation for this fight then one would expect. - Jason

Good point. Jackson and Henderson really aren't UFC-bred athletes, so those looking for a clash of promotional stars didn't get their wish.

Some of the magic may have been missing, but having an undisputed world champion in Jackson is something the sport should celebrate. It was a long time coming.

For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com