MMA Roundup- Arlovski, Fedor, Couture

Before the weekend is officially over, the weekly MMA Roundup will run down the latest MMA news from the past week, along with my own personal and completely biased commentary on all the week’s major events.  This week, we’ll discuss Andrei Arlovski signing with Strikeforce, Fedor’s management giving unsolicited opinions again, Randy Couture wanting a piece of James Toney, and more.

Arlovski Still Alive; Signs With Strikeforce

Hey, remember Andrei Arlovski?   You know, former UFC champion, ranked in the top five in the world before consecutive losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers?  Yeah, him.  He’s still alive!  And he signed with Strikeforce.

Arlovski has signed a multiple-fight deal, in which he will obviously want to avenge those two losses.  First, he will have to face the ginormous Antonio Silva this May, who is also looking to get back on the winning side of things.  I’ve always thought Arlovski had plenty of talent, but his head wasn’t in the right place after he was knocked out by Tim Sylvia to lose his heavyweight title years ago, and it took him awhile to regain his confidence.  Will two consecutive knockout losses ruin his confidence again?  We’ll have to see.  Arlovski has top-notch talent, but his chin tends to betray him.

Fedor’s Manager: Overeem’s a “Steroid Bully”

The world’s largest parasite, Vadim Finkelstein, has lurched back into the news by providing his unwanted opinion on Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.  Citing Overeem’s huge gain in muscle mass over recent years, Finkelstein pulled a Floyd Mayweather, saying he wouldn’t have Fedor fight Overeem without a strict drug testing schedule in place.

I’m sure that Strikeforce’s Scott Coker is overjoyed to hear this, as Overeem is the current champ and all.  Of course, Overeem hasn’t so much as appeared in Strikeforce since winning the title almost two and a half years ago, so he should have been stripped long ago.  This is a major issue for Strikeforce, as is Overeem’s apparent reluctance to fight stateside for the company.  How can you be legitimate without a heavyweight title defense in two and a half years?  Or when the world’s number one heavyweight is going to be two fights deep in your organization, without a title shot in sight?

Still, it’s hilarious to hear Finkelstein criticize Overeem, who hasn’t ever had a positive steroid test, while listing two-time test failer Josh Barnett as an opponent they would like for Fedor.  Yes, because it wasn’t enough when Barnett’s failed test effectively killed an entire promotion last year.  With all of the crap that comes with Finkelstein and the tiny organization (M-1 Global) that he represents, you have to wonder if Coker regrets signing Fedor.  It would have been nice if no one would have co-promoted with them, so that they would have to drop the silly demand altogether.

Randy Couture Wants Easy Win- Er…James Toney

If you had me list the good possible matchups for the newly-signed boxer-turned-UFC fighter James Toney, Randy Couture would be nowhere on the list.  Have we forgotten the barn burner that was Couture-Vera?  Yet, Couture, who knows money when he sees it, has said he wants a piece of Toney.

I’m actually shocked by this, as I thought Couture was trying to build his way to a title shot in the light heavyweight division.  I do have the utmost respect for Couture, and I know that he likes to take tough matchups (like Brock Lesnar) to test his ability to gameplan for them and overcome the odds, but this isn’t one of those fights.  Couture’s gameplan for a hypothetical fight couldn’t be more clear, or more boring: push him against the fence or take him down altogether.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

I loved watching Couture formulate ways to overcome opponent’s strengths earlier in his career, but lately he has been relying purely on controlling his opponents, with no real effort to finish them, which I can’t get behind at all.  Couture is a horrible matchup for Toney, and a win over Toney does nothing for Couture aside from allowing him to stay healthy and make some money.  Toney needs to find Kimbo Slice, then go from there.

Hopefully, This is The Last Time “Jenna Jameson” Is Mentioned Here

Apparently, Jenna Jameson (Tito Ortiz’s girlfriend and former porn actress/entrepeneur) had quite a bit of fun on Twitter by teasing Chuck Liddell, Dana White, and a legion of rabid Liddell supporters that she riled up like little mohawk-sporting hornets in a nest filled with Pabst Blue Ribbon and strip clubs.

Dana White, who has long been Chuck’s BFF of sorts, posted a picture of Liddell’s abs to show that he was in shape, contrary to the rumors purported by a few websites.  This prompted Jenna to wonder whether White would post a picture of Liddell’s “weiner” first.  Now, you are probably wondering: why would a former porn star use the word “weiner”?  Or not.

Still, this started a little back and forth between her and Liddell, who called Tito a “bitch” and pointed out his past successes against him.  Jenna, like either a loyal girlfriend or possibly an ill-informed MMA fan (or both), had her man’s back and seems to believe that he will be able to retain his consciousness for this meeting between the two.  Tito, for his part, stayed quiet about most of this, and even took time to thank Dana White and company yet again for bringing him back to the UFC.

My thoughts?  Sigh.  Jenna’s talking is just going to bring Tito more pain and embarrassment.  I know she supports her boyfriend, but pissing off his boss and annoying the man who has already wrecked him twice is probably not the right way to show that support.  She claims to be a long-time MMA fan, but she also alleges that Ortiz is still one of the world’s best fighters.  Like I said, she either has no idea what she’s talking about, or she really is that loyal.  Also, fighters are talking crap with each other’s girlfriends on Twitter now.  I think this is a sign of the Apocalypse.

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Tags: Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers, Chuck Liddell, Dana White, Fedor Emelianenko, James Toney, Jenna Jameson, Josh Barnett, Kimbo Slice, Randy Couture, Scott Coker, Strikeforce, Tito Ortiz, UFC, Vadim Finkelstein