Title Shots for Couture, Sonnen?

The talk lately has been that Randy Couture is right on the cusp of a title shot following his controversial decision victory over Brandon Vera and now his dominating submission win over fellow Hall of Famer Mark Coleman.  Is that realistic, though?  And what about Chael Sonnen, who defeated Nate Marquardt to derail Marquardt’s quest for a second shot at Anderson Silva?

In Couture’s case, it wouldn’t be outrageous if he got a shot at the title, but I’m not a huge fan of the idea.  I don’t think Couture has done enough in the division, and in two of his last three fights overall, he hasn’t exactly looked outstanding.  However, if Lyoto Machida is able to ward off Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in their rematch, I wouldn’t mind seeing a match-up between him and Couture just to see how the style differences play out.  Can a great game-planner like Couture come up with a way to stifle Machida for five rounds?

I’m less interested in a Couture title shot if Shogun wins, however.  Still, Couture may just get one because no one else in the division is really stepping up to claim the next spot.  “Minotoro” Nogueira may be right in the running with a win over Forrest Griffin, and the winner of Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson could get a shot in the late summer or early fall, too.  In the meantime, Couture would provide the UFC with a bankable opponent for the winner of Machida/Rua II.

In the case of Sonnen, it was made clear that the winner of his battle with Marquardt would be the next top contender, and that’s fine.  There is no clear cut top contender outside of those two at middleweight, anyway.  Plus, Sonnen’s hilarious- and quite frankly, insane- decision to trash talk Anderson Silva has me hoping for a fight between the two.  Sonnen’s latest exploits include saying that he hopes Silva beats Belfort because he believes Silva is the easier fight for him.

Yes.  He actually said that.

Tito Ortiz: Stupid, Brilliant, or Both?

It was just another post-fight interview until Mark Coleman inexplicably turned around and walked away from Joe Rogan.  As it turned out, Coleman had been rudely interrupted by his former would-be opponent, Tito Ortiz.  If you remember correctly, things got ugly between those two when Coleman had to pull out of the fight, prompting Ortiz to run his mouth about Coleman’s injuries.  Coleman’s manager responded with some not-so-nice remarks about Ortiz and his significant other (Jenna Jameson)- in specific, her background in pornographic movies.  Coleman squashed it all, Ortiz went on to fight Forrest Griffin, and we all moved on…until Saturday night.

Dana White took it all in stride, but what surprised me is that he wasn’t quite sure why Ortiz even bothered to mess with Coleman.  To me, it makes perfect sense and is a typically shrewd move from the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  I’m sure we all remember when Ortiz manufactured a continuing feud (that should have been long dead) with Ken Shamrock, eventually banking wins number 2 and 3 against the aging fighter in one-sided affairs as a result of the hyped-up resentment between them.

Fast forward to February, 2010.  Ortiz just came back to the UFC after an uneventful time in free agency, and has already lost a close decision to Griffin.  Now, he’s looking at a third fight with Chuck Liddell, who has defeated him handily in their first two matchups.  Ortiz knows as well as any of us that if he loses that fight (which is likely), he’s 0-2 in his return and on shaky ground, as he has very few credible wins over the last several years of his career.  So what does he do?  Ignites a feud with Mark Coleman.  If it plays out right, the public will be interested in Ortiz-Coleman, Ortiz will get a much-needed win after a possible 0-2 start to his latest UFC stint, and he will be assured another fight after the Liddell bout.  It even works out nicely for Coleman, if it in fact goes down that way.

Alas, though: White stated that he was pretty sure Coleman had his last UFC fight Saturday night.  Still, you can’t fault Ortiz for trying, and his ability to consistently call out fighters that he believes he matches up well with is humorous, really.  He reminds me of the MMA version of Eminem.  Eminem, who gained his start by being a battle rapper who tore other rappers to shreds verbally, has spent his career feuding with such hip hop luminaries as Moby, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon and Chris Kirkpatrick of the gangsta rap group N-Sync.  Never has Eminem intentionally feuded with a rapper who could even compete with him, and Ortiz has very rarely feuded with a fighter that posed a real threat to him in the cage.

Where Does Serra Go From Here?

Whether Frank Trigg is done in the UFC now is unclear at this point, but it is also not immediately clear what the company will do with Matt Serra after his scintillating knockout of Trigg a couple of nights ago.  I wondered about Trigg’s gameplan from the start, as I thought his best chance was to take Serra down and be methodical about his ground and pound while wearing Serra out.

Serra is not exactly in title contention, but I could see him facing the loser of Jon Fitch-Thiago Alves (or the winner, if the winner doesn’t get a title shot).  Even someone like Diego Sanchez would be an interesting fight for the veteran.  As for Trigg, I really hope the UFC keeps the veteran fighter.  I understand their thinking if they don’t, but I like having some long-time UFC fighters actively competing.  Sure, he may not be a title contender, but who wouldn’t want to see Trigg fight on a UFC Fight Night card against some young, cocky fighter?

Quick Shots

–I know I already talked a bit about Sonnen, but I have to mention him again and give him tons of credit for his gutsy effort in the last round of his fight with Marquardt.  Marquardt had a deep guillotine attempt and Sonnen simply refused to tap.  I had no doubt while watching that Sonnen would pass out rather than tap, especially knowing he was up two rounds to none, and Sonnen confirmed as much after the fight.  I think he’s biting off way more than he can chew by calling out Anderson Silva the way that he has, but you have to respect his confidence in himself.

–Besides the fighters we already talked about, whose stock rose the most Saturday night?  Paulo Thiago comes to mind, with a very nice submission win over former title contender Mike Swick.  I think Dan Miller also gave a very good account of himself by surviving on the mat against Demian Maia, who has seen his stock fall over his last two fights for sure.  Meanwhile, Swick is now going to be fighting for his career over his next fight or two, when he was fighting for a title shot not too long ago, and Rolles Gracie couldn’t even get started on the road to UFC stardom, completely gassing out after just five minutes of action and giving a very poor account of himself while losing to Joey Beltran.

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Randy Couture talks about his impressive performance against Mark Coleman. He submitted Coleman via rear-naked choke and made this his third submission victory of his career. The last time Randy Couture submitted an opponent was in 2005.

Tito Ortiz explains his outburst to Mark Coleman and why he said it. Ortiz also talked about his recent controversial comments about Chuck Liddell and the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

UFC president Dana White discusses Mark Coleman’s future, UFC 109 and whether James Toney will land in the UFC in an exclusive interview.

Matt Serra talks about his victory over Frank Trigg and the impending opening of his new gym on Long Island.

Chael Sonnen talks about his stunning climb up the middleweight class, his current health situation and why he thinks Vitor Belfort will defeat Anderson Silva at UFC 112.

Former UFC welterweight titleholder Matt Serra talks about his UFC 109 bout with Frank Trigg.

The main event, of course, features Mark Coleman, who at 45 years of age will continue his career resurgence inside the UFC’s octagon. He’ll face Randy Couture, the 46-year old fighter who has become the epitome of an athlete competing at a high level well past his supposed “expiration date”. The fight is unique in that, despite its billing as the first-ever bout between two UFC Hall of Famers, it is not simply a nostalgia fight or an attempt to put two big names together. These guys, particularly Couture, can still compete and are very much in the thick of perhaps the most competitive division in all of MMA.

Couture has proven himself time and time again, as now it’s safe to say that the majority of his biggest accomplishments have taken place after he turned 40 years old. Meanwhile, Coleman hasn’t set the world on fire in recent years, but did pull out a suffocating decision win against Stephan Bonnar, who is no slouch himself. He also took everything Mauricio “Shogun” Rua could dish out for almost a full 15 minutes, which looks considerably more impressive now that Rua, in the eyes of many, should be the UFC’s light heavyweight champion.

Meanwhile, the fight between 35-year old Matt Serra and 37-year old Frank Trigg carries a little more urgency for both competitors. Both seem to believe that this is the UFC’s equivalent to what is known in the professional wrestling world as a “loser leaves town” match. Though both have only lost recently to fighters that are either legends in the division, top competitors or both, the UFC is never shy about cutting fighters who are deemed to have their best days behind them.

Of course, the UFC also brought back Coleman and Trigg when neither seemed to have really done anything to warrant the sudden interest, too…so who knows?

Still, the presence of these four on the “Relentless” card Saturday night solidifies an important truth about mixed martial arts: savvy and experience really can level the playing field against youth and athleticism.

To me, the idea that someone like Randy Couture could compete at such a high level against competitors nearly half his age should really be a big selling point of the sport in general and the UFC in particular. First of all, Randy’s success (and his tactics) provide indisputable proof that the sport is not about brute strength, how stereotypically “tough” you are, or how mean you look. Since the majority of those who will watch the UFC at home or in a sports bar somewhere lack brute strength, extreme toughness or a Wanderlei Silva-staredown, this should attract people to find out what this sport’s all about, right? After all, Couture shows people the same thing that Royce Gracie showed them almost 20 years ago: that fighting is not what most people think it is.

Furthermore, what better of a message can a sport have than that you can succeed with hard work, effort and a smart strategy? Again, most of us who comprise the fanbase of mixed martial arts are not world-class athletes. Many are north of 40 years old, like Couture. We can identify with fighters like him (and, for the younger crowd, Forrest Griffin), who have obtained nearly all of their success through hard work.

Finally, Couture and company provide a ready-made counter to common criticisms of the sport- such as that it is merely two muscleheads duking it out, or that it is like a “sanctioned street fight”. When athletes such as these can remain competitive against younger, faster and stronger fighters, it proves that there is much more to the sport than meets the eye.

In closing, though I made an age joke to kick off this column, this event is as good a time as any to be in awe of the select few fighters who have the dedication and ability to compete at a world-class level in such a demanding sport. Who cares if there are any titles on the line? UFC 109 will be great viewing for other reasons.

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If you’re not keeping track- and it is somewhat hard to, at this point- here’s a rundown of the many planned fights that have had to be postponed, cancelled or otherwise tossed aside.

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin- Lesnar’s title defense against Carwin- which was highly anticipated due to Carwin’s size, wrestling, an eagerness to get under Lesnar’s skin- was supposed to go down in November.  It makes this list because when Lesnar’s mysterious illness first began, it was initially just going to be pushed back until January.  Instead, it just became one of three title fights that were looked at for 2010′s first UFC event, but ultimately done away with.

Now, Lesnar is involved in one of the most bizarre storylines in MMA history.  Without so much as an authoritative word on his condition through much of this time (early reports from Dana White were very vague, though he didn’t mind speculating on whether Lesnar would ever be able to fight again), we’ve heard his jiu-jitsu coach say that he’ll be ready in “six months” and others say that his career may be in jeopardy.  As for Carwin, well, we’ll get to him later.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort- Another idea for headlining one of next year’s events (UFC 109) was to have Silva defend his middleweight title against apparent number one contender Belfort, who hasn’t fought as a middleweight in the UFC since, well…ever.  Still, whether or not Belfort had earned a place in front of Nate Marquardt or Dan Henderson, fans were excited about the bout, and Silva had already gotten the smack talking off to a surprisingly quick start, calling his fellow Brazilian “lost”.

Unfortunately, Silva had some routine, yet  necessary, surgery on his elbow, and as of this moment still has not been cleared to have a full training camp.  Recently, Silva has jokingly said he wanted to strangle his doctor for not clearing him, but it looks like he’ll have to hold onto that aggression until the spring of 2010, at earliest.

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua- This, like some of the others, was not set in stone, but word was that the UFC wanted it to happen in January at UFC 108.  White wanted an “immediate rematch”, and both guys seemed game, but it turned out that Machida had injured his hand and wouldn’t be ready by then, after all.  The rematch has been postponed until May 1, meaning it will have been a little over six months since the original fight.

In this case, other than the disappointment of having to wait to see these guys settle it for good, the delay may not be so bad, after all.  Without a clear cut top contender beyond Shogun (who many thought was undeserving of the title shot in the first place, although he obviously changed a lot of minds at UFC 104), the rest of the division could use another few months to sort itself out.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez- Yet another planned UFC 108 main event was a fight to set up the next challenger for the title after the apparently-cursed Lesnar-Carwin title fight.  This was not to be, either, as Nogueira, like Gonzaga, had a staph infection that set back his training.  Unlike in his fight against Frank Mir, where his infection seemed to age him by about fifteen years, Nogueira made the smart move this time and swallowed his machismo, deciding to wait until he’s healthy to face the tough Velasquez.

This fight has not been set back as far as the others, as it will now be aimed for UFC 110, which will also feature Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping. In the meantime, talk persists of a possible showdown between Carwin and Velasquez for an interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (which I’m not in any way a fan of), but it is unclear if that is being set aside due to the Velasquez-Nogueira fight still happening.  Perhaps the winner of that bout will take on Carwin for the meaningless placeholder belt, if Lesnar is still not looking anywhere close to ready by next spring.

So, what are we left with, after all of this?  UFC 108 will be headlined by Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva, in a fight that may determine the next fighter in line for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, depending on whether Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is serious or not about setting fisticuffs aside in favor of being a full-time thespian.  Meanwhile, UFC 109 will have the decidedly pedestrian matchup between UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Mark Coleman as its main event.

Let me say right off the bat that I’m interested in seeing both of these fights.  Evans is a dynamic and explosive fighter, and Silva was regarded as one of the top young fighters in the sport before he looked utterly ineffective (who doesn’t?) against Machida.  Meanwhile, I actually look forward to Couture-Coleman; I have believed for some time that fighters of advanced age in this sport (Couture has been the notable exception) should face their contemporaries, rather than fighters half of their age.  I’m also always more interested in fights between competitors with similar strengths (ie two good wrestlers or strikers) than the supposedly “classic” striker vs. grappler matchup.

Are either of these particularly sexy choices to main event a UFC pay-per-view, though?  Absolutely not.  Even if they were, Coleman is not a sure thing to advance to UFC 109 unscathed and ready to fight, anyway.  He has had to pull out of two of his four planned UFC fights since his return, as bouts with Lesnar and Tito Ortiz never came to fruition…perhaps to Coleman’s benefit.

I guess the question is, what can the UFC do to avoid these problems in the future?

One thing that should be looked at, even if it is not a sure-fire solution, is the integration of bantamweight and featherweight classes into the UFC.  It’s time for those who haven’t taken the time to turn on a WEC event to see such fighters as Jose Aldo, Brian Bowles, Miguel Torres, Mike Brown and Urijah Faber.  With the UFC running so many events each year, and with champions seemingly fighting less and less often for some reason, more viable options for headlining pay-per-views would come in handy.

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Maia is training with Dos Santos, Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira and Rogerio Nogueira ahead of this fight with Dan Miller at UFC 109, which takes place in February next year.

“I had already trained with Rogério and Rodrigo, they’re excellent on Jiu-Jitsu. I had never trained with Cigano, but I got surprised,” Maia told Tatame.

“He still have a lot to develop, but he has a good ground and he’s very talented, learns very fast, I think that in a little while he’s gonna be excellent… The guys are amazing.”

Maia was impressed by Dos Santos’ ground game and added: “He is excellent, good boxing and moves like a lightweight but with a heavyweight punch.”