Things Change Quickly in MMA
The sport of mixed martial arts has been moving at a blazing pace. Remember the days when the UFC champions were Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Chuck Liddell, and Tim Sylvia? That was only a few short years ago. While Rich Franklin is still headlining UFC cards, it is shocking to see how change there has been in the UFC in the recent past.
Sean Sherk was thought to be someone with the potential to dominate the lightweight division. He owned a 30-2-1 record, with defeats only to Matt Hughes and Georges St.Pierre. Shortly after Sherk became a title holder though, his image was already tarnished by a positive steroid test result in his fight with Hermes Franca. From that point on it has been a rocky journey for Sherk. His loss to Penn is nothing to be ashamed of, but Sherk was very disappointed following his loss to Frank Edgar. With the cloud of steroid suspicions, his recent loss to Edgar, and a recent shoulder injury all considered, Sherk’s fighting future doesn’t look very bright.
Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell were two of the most dominant champions in MMA history. Liddell is already in the UFC hall of fame, and Hughes will be there soon. But while Randy Couture was able to hold the UFC heavyweight title at 44 years of age, Hughes and Liddell won’t. The narrative for Liddell and Hughes has now turned from a late attempt to regain the title, to finding a way to retire gracefully.
Both Liddell and Hughes will fight again, but their opponents remains a mystery. Liddell was knocked out in both of last two performances, and has lost four of his past five fights. His motivation isn’t about the title anymore. It will be interesting to see what kind of challenge he wants to take up in order to try to leave the UFC on a winning note.
Hughes won his last fight over Matt Serra, but seems intent on pursuing at least another victory lap. He’s been called out by all three prominent AKA fighters Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Mike Swick, but has said that he’s not interested in fighting any of them. Given that those AKA fighters comprise the majority of UFC welterweight contenders, it seems that by refusing to fight them, Hughes is now more interested in going out on a win, rather than in contending for the title.
Tim Sylvia’s career is simply on life support. After losing to Fedor Emelianenko, he ballooned up in weight, and was knocked out by a 48 year old Ray Mercer. Sylvia wants to get back into the UFC, but he’ll need at least a few good wins to do so, and if he does, he’ll find that the UFC heavyweight division is scarier than ever.
Looking forward to UFC 104, there are some further changes worth noting. A few years ago, Shogun Rua was thought to be the top light heavyweight fighter in the world. He had an aura of invincibility, and was also simply thought of as frightening. In the ring, Rua was ruthlessly brutal in his delivery of stomps and soccer kicks that were allowed back in Pride.
Shogun’s UFC transition was less-than spectacular. A recent bout of injuries and poor performances have shattered the aura surrounding Shogun.
Machida’s reputation, on the other hand, has grown immensely.
Even three or four years ago, Machida was known as a seriously dangerous fighter, capable of beating almost anyone. But despite a significant reputation, Machida was still unrecognized by the general public, and was mostly known as being an oddity and a mystery.
Now, Machida is known and even glorified by fight fans. Instead of being a mystery, he’s been hailed as a new discovery in MMA. The discovery and revelation of Machida is that an ancient martial art like Karate can still be effective against modern mixed martial arts. Only a few years ago, this kind of idea was inconceivable for most people.
So now, it seems, the tables have completely turned. Machida is the champion, and it looks like if Shogun can’t find away to solve Machida, then he’s likely going to be headed in the same direction as Hughes and Liddell.
One caution though, is that nothing ever seems to happen as expected in MMA. Looking back upon the past certainly shows how fast things can change, but it also gives us an indication of the unpredictability of the sport.
BJ Penn is now the UFC lightweight champion, but that has only been a recent reality. Far before Sean Sherk ever became champion, BJ Penn was touted as being the future king at 155. A loss to Jens Pulver, and a draw with Caol Uno delayed that reality. A similar thing occurred when Matt Serra shocked St. Pierre.
Joe Rogan has already hailed the dawn of the Machida era, but one wonders if he might not be speaking a little too soon.
By Darren Wong for FightMania.com
Tags: Chuck Liddell, Fedor Emelianenko, Jens Pulver, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Mike Swick, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Tim Sylvia, UFC
