Now, it’s pretty much a given that the one-sided beatdown that Michael Bisping gave Jason “Mayhem” Miller isn’t going to rate all that highly. We also didn’t have a coach fight after season two (friends Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin coached, and were in separate weight divisions, to boot), season four (there were no coaches), season six (Matt Serra couldn’t fight), and season thirteen (Brock Lesnar fell ill, forcing Junior dos Santos to fight Shane Carwin). In season eleven, Tito Ortiz backed out of the fight due to injury and Rich Franklin was awkwardly inserted as coach right at the end of the show, but I’ll count that to give us an even ten. Let’s rank them in reverse order:

10. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans (TUF 10)
9. Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck (TUF 12)
8. Michael Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (TUF 14)

These three are all grouped together in my mind, and could really go in any order. I ranked them this way because at least Bisping-Mayhem saw a finish, even if it was just one guy collapsing out of exhaustion while his opponent pounded away. Still, we were spared the fight going the distance, which was not a consideration given to us in the other two fights. Also, at least Bisping and Miller fought with a little fire, at least as long as they could (in Mayhem’s case).

The three fights all share something: they were three of the more highly-anticipated coach fights because of the supposed dislike between the fighters in each pairing. However, the hype and the feuds never translated into great bouts. Evans was content to wrestle his way to victory in a by-the-numbers, rather uninspiring win, St. Pierre did the same thing with his jab, refusing to open up his striking even though he effectively blinded Koscheck early in the fight.

7. Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock (TUF 3)

It only adds to the audaciousness of Dana White’s claim that Bisping-Mayhem was the most lopsided fight he’d ever seen that he featured this ridiculous bit of matchmaking not once, but twice after The Ultimate Fighter 3.

In another bout where the hype was better than the actual action (a theme in the fights on this list, of course), Ortiz took down Shamrock and pounded him a few times en route to a quick stoppage at just 1:18 of the first round. It may have been a bit hasty, but nothing was going to change if the bout had been allowed to go on.

After another seemingly unnecessary three month training camp for both men, there was a rematch on Spike TV in order to give the fans their money’s worth…or something. Well, in a fight that was like a carbon copy of the first bout, Ortiz took Shamrock down with ease and got a TKO stoppage due to punches not quite halfway through the second round. This one gets ranked this highly mostly because in each case, it was mercifully short. Still, it was a fight that never should have happened a second time (Shamrock had already had a one-sided loss to Ortiz at UFC 40), let alone a third.

6. Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (TUF 8 )

Even if this wasn’t the best fight, we’re at least out of the territory of awful and/or disappointing bouts. Mir shocked us all in this one, besting Nogueira with ease on the feat before putting Nogueira away midway through the second round in a fight he dominated throughout.

It was only afterward, when persistent rumors that Nogueira had a staph infection going into UFC 92 were confirmed, that fans and pundits started to realize why Big Nog looked so listless in this one (remember, Big Nog had never been stopped before this fight). Still, it’s memorable for many reasons: the surprise we all felt when first watching it, Mir’s strange right uppercut that he kept landing at range, and his great reaction afterward where he called out Brock Lesnar.

5. Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell (TUF 11)

This was a good fight, even if substituting Franklin for Ortiz at the end of the season just because Ortiz couldn’t fight was weaksauce. I’m also tempted to ding this one a bit because it was depressing to see Liddell’s career definitively end, but that’s just part of the sport and a seemingly-inevitable end for a fighter like Liddell.

Liddell looked great for about four minutes and fifty seconds of the fight. He was using a more crisp, clean approach than he had in years and even throwing leg kicks- leg kicks! He seemed to be in great shape and it looked as if he was serious in extending his career by revitalizing his striking, taking care of his body and using his wrestling more.

Then, Liddell over-committed and ran into a short counter right that put him down for the last time.

Even if everything else is on point, if you can’t take a good shot, you can’t keep fighting. The sad thing is, this fight is a reminder that this is the end awaiting every fighter, no matter how good, if they stick around a bit too long. Still, it was a good fight and even a bit historic, as it was Liddell’s last appearance.

4. BJ Penn vs. Jens Pulver (TUF 5)

Not a bad fight, if a little anticlimactic. Penn took control of the fight from the start, though Pulver showed his talent in a few choice moments, landing a couple of good shots as well as escaping an armbar and standing back up after being taken down in the first round.

Penn took Pulver’s back in the second round and we all knew it was over at that point. Sure enough, Penn finished it before long, choking Pulver until the tap and beyond before finally letting his adversary go a couple of seconds after the stoppage.

Since then, the two insist that things are cool and much of the animosity the two supposedly shared- as well as the fight itself- have been largely forgotten. It was a pretty good fight and a finish is always appreciated, but nothing extremely special.

3. Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (TUF 7)

This was the rare coach fight where the fight itself was better than the feud beforehand. I never bought into any of the hype during the season, and even when Griffin got frustrated and flew off the handle, it wasn’t quite believable and felt a bit forced.

The fight didn’t have the level of aggression we’re used to seeing from either man, but that wasn’t so disappointing because we weren’t fed a bunch of b.s. about the two hating each other beforehand. Griffin used a strategy that we’ve seen used liberally against Rampage since then, peppering the powerful fighter with leg kicks to keep him off balance. Rampage was never able to land a big shot and won a very close decision in a pretty good bout.

Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell (TUF 1)

Had this been Couture-Liddell 3, it may have topped the list. Their second bout was a good one, but only lasted a couple of minutes before Liddell turned Couture’s lights out. Still, it was a highly-anticipated battle in which Couture was favored by many, as he had shown very few weaknesses in their first battle.

Suddenly, the strategy he employed in his first bout with Liddell wasn’t working so well, though. He was still sticking to mostly straight punches, but Liddell was landing with increasing frequency, which was never a good sign in “The Iceman”‘s prime. Sure enough, Liddell erased Couture from consciousness before too long, finally winning the light heavyweight championship in the process.

1. Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping (TUF 9)

This had it all- it was a great fight with a highlight reel finish that followed an entertaining feud. Henderson was the no-nonsense veteran who didn’t like Bisping’s cocky attitude, and all season long he said he was going to shut Bisping’s mouth for good. He may not have managed to do that, but he did it in the short term in their explosive UFC 100 fight.

Both men fought, well, like themselves- Henderson stalked Bisping, looking for that one big shot, while Bisping used his jab and tried to stay out of trouble while finding openings. Bisping actually turned in a pretty good performance for much of the fight, landing his jab and slipping Henderson’s big punches. He showed very good recovery when Hendo caught him in the first round, as well. However, this fight is all about the finish, which was one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history whether you’re a Hendo fan, a Bisping fan or none of the above. While the unnecessary follow-up flying elbow smash was either really sweet or extremely sour depending on your allegiances, this was likely the best TUF coach fight we’ve seen thus far.

So…who wants to bet where Cruz-Faber will go on this list after TUF 15 concludes?

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Wanderlei Silva sends Cung Le back to the movies

I can’t read minds, but as Cung Le was shown on the pay-per-view broadcast in the dressing room, looking over his face and shaking his head, I thought I knew what he was thinking: “What am I doing here?”

Le, who clearly does not have the burning desire to compete that he once did and whose love of making Hollywood films and eating cookies is well documented, was administered a nasty beatdown by a full-time fighter on Saturday night.

Please don’t misunderstand me; making movies and eating cookies are not bad things. They are splendid activities that I would almost surely enjoy more than fighting in the Octagon, as well. However, it can’t be denied that Le simply doesn’t need to be fighting at this point in his life, and his bout with the bloodthirsty Wanderlei Silva only served to bolden and underline that point.

For Le, it was a reminder that you can’t be half-in and half-out at this level of MMA. For Silva and his fans, it was a rejuvenating moment that provided, at the very least, another vintage “Axe Murderer” highlight. For me, it was a humbling reminder that I have no idea what I’m talking about.

I’m happy to eat crow, though, if said crow happens to be watching Wanderlei Silva knee dudes’ heads off like it’s 2003. What else can be said about Silva at this point? Sure, he’s got a glass ceiling at this point in his career, but the champion is Anderson Silva- who at 185 doesn’t have a glass ceiling? The best thing that I can say about Silva’s performance is that he had friends of mine who have seen dozens of UFC events both cringing and unable to look away in the waning moments of the bout. That’s vintage Wanderlei Silva right there.

Welcome to the UFC, Urijah Faber

Speaking of vintage performances, we finally got Urijah Faber’s first truly dominating effort in the UFC on Saturday night, and it’s been a long time coming. Though the bantamweight and featherweight classes have provided some great fights already since the WEC folded into the UFC, many of the best performers in each weight class- Faber, Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, even Jose Aldo- had yet to show non-WEC fans what they’re all about. Now, you can cross Faber off that list.

This is the kind of performance against a quality opponent that can get Faber in line for another crack at Dominick Cruz. Sure, Cruz handled Faber last time, but if Faber can keep fighting like the WEC version of himself, fans will be clamoring for another Faber-Cruz fight in no time.

Quick Shots

–Welcome back, Ryan Bader.

–One of the best ways to sum up Stephan Bonnar is like this: no matter who his opponent is, if they don’t come ready to fight, they’re going to have a tough go at it. Also, that decision loss to Jon Jones isn’t looking so bad, is it? Jones has fought Jake O’Brien, Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Bader, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson since fighting Bonnar, and who’s the last one to go the distance with Jones? Bonnar.

–I was a bit disappointed with Joe Rogan on Saturday night, who I usually think does a great job, especially when it comes to holding officials accountable. However, he was quiet as can be regarding the lack of a 10-8 fifth round in the Shogun-Henderson fight, not calling it into question afterward or directly bringing it up in the post-fight interviews. Yet, he managed to question the perfectly rational Silva-Le stoppage, saying right away that it was a bad stoppage even though replays showed that Le had lost his grip on Silva’s legs and was no longer “going for a takedown”, as Rogan put it, when the fight was stopped. It was a good stoppage, and I think Rogan would have seen that had he not rushed to judgement.

Say What?!?

I’m sorry! I’m sorry!- Stephan Bonnar, apologizing to the “fans” afterward because he wasn’t able to do what none of them could do: finish Kyle Kingsbury.

There are no words to indicate how much I hate seeing fighters apologize to ADD-riddled, drunken, booing fans after a fight that wasn’t even that dull to begin with. My position on the matter is well documented, but here’s the Cliff Notes version: the booing idiots in the stands aren’t going to chip in and pay Bonnar his win bonus if he gets knocked out while trying to have an exciting fight rather than just getting the win.

I get it- the prelims were ridiculous, with finish after finish, and then Bonnar-Kingsbury was fought at a much more measured pace. However, haven’t we gotten to the point where we don’t boo and whine like children when a fight isn’t an instant classic? And furthermore, Bonnar should know better than to encourage that kind of stupidity. Kudos to referee Dan Stell, though, for not succumbing to the pressure from the fans and unnecessarily standing up the fight when the boos started to fill the air. Many referees would have made that mistake, but Stell didn’t.

The Sound of Violence Award

“Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy is an inspired choice for Kyle Kingsbury. Sure, it’s not going to get you pumped up to scrap, and yeah, most of the people in the crowd will think you’ve gone nuts, but at least a couple of 80′s music lovers somewhere in Iowa will be impressed with the choice.

Beautiful Loser Award

This clearly goes to Shogun, although perhaps it shouldn’t since that fight was just as clearly a draw. But hey, history is sometimes written by the incompetent, and Shogun won the last two rounds of that five-round bout by a score of 20-17. He showed tremendous heart after being hurt multiple times and nearly stopped once, and even though Dan Henderson’s cardio isn’t exactly legendary, I was surprised that Shogun outlasted him in that regard.

Movin’ On Up Award

This is a tie for the two uber-prospects whose talents were on display on the prelims Saturday night, Michael McDonald and Chris Weidman. McDonald’s finish was more explosive, but Weidman was in there with a crafty veteran in Tom Lawlor, and showed great technical skill in finishing Lawlor with a nicely executed brabo choke. These two are certainly future top ten fighters, and possibly even future champions.

Holy $#!% Award

This rather obviously goes to Shogun and Hendo for their otherworldly efforts in the main event, though there were plenty of other deserving moments. Though Shogun outlasted Henderson, Hendo found Shogun with his lethal right hand many times and even overcame adversity by recovering when he was hurt a couple of times and surviving a grueling round five, much of which saw him underneath the stifling mount of Shogun. And though Shogun somehow lost the decision, to win the last two rounds clearly after nearly being finished in the third (and moreover, to win the last minute and a half of a round where you were a hair away from being stopped) shows great determination and heart.

That being said, I don’t think either of these guys have anything for Jon Jones.

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Urijah ‘The California Kid’ Faber talks about his round 2 guillotine submission win over Brian Bowles at UFC 139.

Here’s the full UFC 139 post-fight press conference.

Following Fighters were awarded $70,000 bonuses:

Fight of the Night: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le and Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson
Knockout of the Night: Michael McDonald
Submission of the Night: Urijah Faber

As always, all rankings cited are those of Fightmania.com.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Bonnar has carved out a career as a hard-working, gutsy fighter who is a jack of all trades, but a master of none. In that way, he’s kind of a poor man’s Forrest Griffin, though they differ in that Bonnar prefers a more classic boxing style than Griffin’s leg-kick heavy approach.

Meanwhile, Kingsbury has found a groove in the last three years, rattling off four straight wins in the Octagon. Bonnar may not only represent the stiffest test he’s faced, but the most recognizable name, as well. Pair that with the coveted main card slot this fight has received, and this represents a big opportunity for Kingsbury. Of course, it’s also a chance for Bonnar to further prove that he’s got plenty left in the tank, following impressive wins over Krzystof Soszynski and Igor Pokrajac.

Bonnar showed in the Soszynski fight that he can beat an opponent similar to Kingsbury, and you can expect him to use his solid standup technique and maybe even some wrestling to try to win this one. However, Kingsbury is very athletic and will likely win the wrestling battles if and when they occur. In the standup, it’s a lot closer of a battle, though Kingsbury has more power than his opponent.

In a fight like this one that could be very close, I like to look at who has the edge in strength, athleticism, and other areas. That makes me favor Kingsbury. Throw in that Bonnar is easily cut (and judges are easily swayed by cuts), and I can see Kingsbury taking a competitive decision.

Prediction: Kingsbury by decision

Martin Kampmann (#10 WW) vs. Rick Story

Story was the flavor of the month in the welterweight division after upsetting Thiago Alves at UFC 130, but a last-minute replacement took the wind out of his sails not much later, as Story lost to Charlie Brenneman. Brenneman was a bad style matchup, as his dogged determination to getting takedowns and superior wrestling put Story in a tough place throughout the fight. This matchup is a bit more favorable for Story, though Kampmann is a tough fighter, himself.

Kampmann has had to make a career out of fighting opponents who simply wanted to take him to the mat. This will be business as usual then, to an extent. Also, Kampmann has had two controversial losses in a row by split decision to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields. If Story can beat Kampmann decisively, that’s another big feather in Story’s cap.

Kampmann will undoubtedly win the standup. Though he sometimes gets caught and doesn’t have the best defense, it’s doubtful that Story will use his rather basic standup fighting approach to do more than score points and lead into takedowns. Where this fight is decided is when Story shoots in on Kampmann. Can Kampmann stay off the mat? Sometimes he will, but I think Story gets enough takedowns to win a close one.

Prediction: Story by decision

Brian Bowles (#4 BW) vs. Urijah Faber (#2 BW)

Bowles may not be the big name in this matchup, but he’s got a lot going for him besides looking a lot like Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights”. His resume is dotted with quality wins (Miguel Torres, Damacio Page, Takeya Mizugaki) and just one loss (to Dominick Cruz, so no shame in that), and he’s got concussive power at 135 pounds that not only poses a danger to his opponents, but to his own hands as well.

He faces another guy who has had trouble with broken hands in the past in Faber. Faber, however, will not be looking to stand and trade for long. Very few men have been able to keep Faber at a distance for long, and he will use his wide hooks and overhand punches to close the distance for takedowns and clinches while trying to wear Bowles down and get him to the mat. If he does, Bowles will have an uphill battle against an opponent who has an uncanny ability to control, improve position, and submit in relatively short order.

Bowles may give Faber some scary moments, but I’ve got Faber here in a fight where he just out-wills an opponent like the Urijah Faber of old used to. This should be a great fight.

Prediction: Faber by submission

Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva

If this was the Silva of 5-6 years ago against a motivated, active Le, this would be a great fight. As it is, this is a fight that had me apprehensive from the word “go”. Silva has shown in his recent appearances that he simply can’t refine his style- at least, not for long. The moment he thinks he smells blood, he goes to the beast mode that made him great for so many years, but which now puts him at considerable risk whenever he fights.

Le is tailor-made for this fight, a pin-point striker and counter puncher who can keep his cool under pressure and pick his spots with patience, precision and just a bit of cruelty, to boot. Watch his fight against Tony Fryklund back in his Strikeforce days for a display of some of the most awe-inspiring striking you’re likely to see at this level, for instance. Le doesn’t just score points, though, he punishes opponents with his kicks.

I’m not going to go into a long recap of the last couple of years of Silva’s career, which have been hard to watch as a guy who was a big Wanderlei fan going back to the Pride days. We all know the story, and though it’s easy to look for reasons for optimism (the Bisping fight, the fact that Leben is one of the hardest punchers in the division), Silva is breaking down in front of our eyes and I have a hunch that this might not be pretty.

Le is a bit of an x-factor because of his inactivity and the fact that we’ve only seen him fight Scott Smith in the last three and a half years. However, Silva is an even bigger question mark due to concerns about his chin, his recent knee problems, and his all-or-nothing approach. I’d be happy to be wrong about this one, but I can’t simply pick Silva due to what he used to be or because I’d like to see him return to form.

Prediction: Le by KO/TKO

Dan Henderson (#5 LHW) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (#3 LHW)

From one question mark to another, now we take a look at Shogun Rua, who has been a mixed bag since coming to the UFC in 2007. Sometimes he looks great, sometimes he looks awful, and many times he just looks okay. It’d be hard to pick anyone over Shogun if you knew he was going to be on top of his game, but who can predict that?

Then you have Dan Henderson, one of the more consistent fighters of all-time, and…well, you know where I’m going with this. Still, let’s go through with it and take a closer look, shall we?

Rua can fight one of two ways. He can come out and swarm on you, overwhelming you en route to an impressive victory, or take the space you give him and pick you apart (as many of us thought he did successfully in the first Lyoto Machida fight). Henderson is not going to allow him to do that, though. He’s a pressure fighter with a sturdy chin who can withstand the early storm and keep coming back. I don’t think Rua is necessarily a front-runner, but he does have a limited gas tank and tends to fade in the face of constant pressure. Being that this is a five-round fight, there’s even more reason to doubt Shogun here.

Henderson’s wrestling really presents an added bonus, here. Should he choose to, he can unquestionably take down Shogun at some point and win some favor with the judges. Shogun is a capable jiu-jitsu player, but Hendo is savvy enough to stay out of trouble while delivering some ground and pound. Then you have one of the most destructive weapons in the history of the sport, Hendo’s right hand. Shogun should, and probably will, look to keep Hendo at bay with consistent leg kicks, but that approach hasn’t slowed Hendo much in the past. This is a great fight, but Hendo is the better overall fighter and presents an approach that Shogun has struggled with in the past, which gives me enough reason to pick him.

Prediction: Henderson by decision

BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION (135 LBS.)

1. Dominick Cruz
2. Urijah Faber
3. Joseph Benavidez
4. Brian Bowles
5. Scott Jorgensen
6. Miguel Torres
7. Demetrious Johnson
8. Masakatsu Ueda (9)
9. Brad Pickett (10)
10. Takeya Mizugaki (8)

There was action at the top of the division this month, but Cruz did not relinquish his top spot to challenger Faber, instead cementing his reputation as a pound-for-pound great. Faber did well enough that I still feel he deserves the second spot, although he and Benavidez may as well be “2A” and “2B” right now. Mizugaki lost to Jorgensen by decision and drops two spots, while Ueda defeated Rumina Sato with a body kick in Shooto two weeks ago and moves up to the eighth position.

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 LBS.)

1. Jose Aldo
2. Hatsu Hioki
3. Kenny Florian
4. Diego Nunes
5. Marlon Sandro
6. Chad Mendes
7. Manny Gamburyan
8. Michihiro Omigawa
9. Dustin Poirier
10. Tyson Griffin

Hioki is now with the UFC, and will debut at UFC 137 against George Roop. Meanwhile, Mendes faces Rani Yahya in a week at UFC 133. Florian will take on Aldo this fall in what Captain Obvious reports will be “one of his toughest fights ever”, and Sandro will keep plugging along in the Bellator featherweight tournament after advancing past the first round last month.

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (155 LBS.)

1. Frankie Edgar
2. Gilbert Melendez
3. Gray Maynard
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Shinya Aoki
6. Jim Miller (7)
7. Melvin Guillard (9)
8. Anthony Pettis
9. Tatsuya Kawajiri (NR)
10. Dennis Siver
Dropped out: George Sotiropoulos (6)

Three fights took place at UFC 132 that affected this month’s rankings. Sotiropoulos drops out after another loss, this time by KO to Rafael dos Anjos, who is on the cusp of joining the top ten with another good performance. Meanwhile, Melvin Guillard starched yet another opponent, putting away Shane Roller in impressive fashion, and he moves up to seventh, leap-frogging Pettis in the process. Finally, Siver won a close decision against Matt Wiman, but didn’t look that great, so the debuting Kawajiri moves into the top ten and past him at the ninth spot. Kawajiri TKO’ed Drew Fickett in the first round in Dream this month. We’re still waiting for Edgar-Maynard 3, and Melendez will be in action next against the capable Jorge Masvidal, who is also just outside my top ten right now.

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170 LBS.)

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Josh Koscheck
4. Nick Diaz
5. Jake Shields
6. Thiago Alves
7. BJ Penn
8. Carlos Condit
9. Martin Kampmann
10. Rick Story

July presented a second straight month with no movement in the welterweight rankings. Condit soundly defeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132, but he stays put at the eighth spot. I can’t move him ahead of BJ Penn because he knocked Kim silly, can I? He presents a fun, fresh challenger for St. Pierre after St. Pierre faces Diaz, though.

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185 LBS.)

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chael Sonnen
3. Yushin Okami
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
6. Vitor Belfort
7. Demian Maia
8. Hector Lombard
9. Brian Stann
10. Mark Munoz

Belfort and Akiyama will face off next weekend at UFC 133. Also, Jacare will take on Luke Rockhold in September, and Silva will fight Okami next month in Brazil. Marquardt couldn’t fight, and I’ll leave him here until we’re sure he’s going to be at welterweight. Now that he’ll be fighting in BAMMA, I’m not sold on him continuing to cut all that weight since he won’t exactly have elite competition blocking his path at middleweight. Jacare will defend his Strikeforce title against Luke Rockhold in September, while Sonnen and Stann will face off in a fight that I’m not sure anyone really wants to see, but make sense for the UFC title picture.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205 LBS.)

1. Jon Jones
2. Rashad Evans
3. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
4. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
5. Dan Henderson (6)
6. Lyoto Machida (5)
7. Forrest Griffin
8. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
9. Gegard Mousasi
10. Phil Davis (NR)

Dropped out: Bader (10)

Bader obviously drops out with his stunning loss to Tito Ortiz in early July, his second in a row. I’ll put Phil Davis in there at tenth as a result. Hendo just put away Fedor Emelianenko with a stoppage in a wild fight that forces me to prop him up to fifth. I know, Machida is very good, but what can you do? Dan should be a middleweight and just put away Fedor! Plenty of action awaits this division in the next couple of months, as Ortiz takes on Evans early next month, while Griffin and Shogun will have a rematch of their 2007 fight in Brazil near the end of August. Jones defends his title for the first time against Rampage in September.

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (up to 265 LBS.)

1. Cain Velasquez
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Junior dos Santos (5)
5. Alistair Overeem (6)
6. Antonio Silva (7)
7. Fedor Emelianenko (4)
8. Shane Carwin
9. Frank Mir
10. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Fedor lost last night by TKO to another legend in Dan Henderson, and many will be dropping them from their top tens. Not I. Why? Well, the Cliff Notes version reads like this: Fedor fights a brawling, wild style, and when you do that you’ll get clipped from time to time. It’s not like getting rocked by Hendo means you have a suspect chin. I still think he beats fighters 8-10 on this list.
Aside from that, the biggest story in the heavyweight top ten in July took place outside of the cage, as Overeem was dropped from Strikeforce after a strange saga that began when Overeem said he wouldn’t be ready to fight Silva in the next round of the Strikeforce grand prix in September (an October date was previously given). Nonetheless, some big fights are already set up in this division, including Velasquez-dos Santos and Nogueira-Schaub. We also have the rest of Strikeforce’s grand prix to look forward to, even if it lost a considerable amount of luster when Overeem departed from both the tournament and the company.

POUND FOR POUND (No Limit)

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Anderson Silva
3. Jose Aldo
4. Frankie Edgar
5. BJ Penn
6. Dominick Cruz
7. Jon Jones
8. Lyoto Machida
9. Rashad Evans
10. Dan Henderson (NR)

Dropped out: Jon Fitch (10)

We all know that pound-for-pound rankings are imaginary journalist bullshit, but Dan Henderson (along with Silva and Penn) give it a much more literal meaning by moving up in weight and consistently doing well. Hendo just TKO’ed Fedor Emelianenko and he’s champion of a division he really has no business in, how can he not be on the pound-for-pound list?

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Okay, well, if you ask me, our 24-hour news cycle where events that happened just five days ago are “old news” has gotten out of hand. No? That one not working for you either?

At any rate, let’s get right into my thoughts on UFC 132:

Faber plays Cruz’s game and loses

Throughout the Cruz-Faber bantamweight title bout on Saturday, I just kept thinking one thing over and over: “Why is Faber playing Cruz’s game?”

As Cruz danced, Faber danced with him. Several times when Faber had managed to close the distance, he was the one to finally break away and establish that distance again. To me, it seemed strange when the better strategy would seem to be to chase Cruz down and keep on him. Now, we did see Faber stick to his takedown attempts as long as he could and was tenacious throughout in trying to get Cruz to the mat. However, when you look at the overall fight, it was really just another Dominick Cruz fight. So far, no one has been able to get in there, break up Cruz’s rhythm and stop him from doing what he wants to do.

I was surprised to say the least to see Faber’s reaction to the decision. Some of the rounds were close, but the only clear rounds in the fight belonged to Cruz, so how did Faber think he was going to be named the winner? Perhaps it’s just different when you’re actually in there, but landing some of the most powerful shots matters little when your opponent recovers instantly and still out-lands you almost 2:1 throughout the fight.

There are some other things that probably help Cruz out with the judges, too. His style itself is a very active one, and he tends to throw a lot of strikes while moving in and out, which presents itself to the judges in a way that makes him get a lot of credit in the areas of Octagon control and aggression, alike. His opponent can’t do a whole lot other than just chase him around in order to counter that impression, either.

What will somebody have to do to take Cruz out of his comfort zone? I really don’t know. I think that staying on him and closing the distance whenever possible is a start, and I think that style would be a good fit for Faber, who has a nearly-unlimited gas tank and good wrestling skills. Nobody’s saying it will be easy, but I’d like to see Faber give a better go at it than he did last weekend.

Should Wanderlei Silva be done?

My first thought upon seeing perhaps my favorite fighter of all-time, Wanderlei Silva face-down on the mat eating a barrage of left hands from Chris Leben was that he should be done for good. After all, contemporary thinking is that once a fighter in his 30′s has been put out the way that Silva has multiple times- by Cro Cop, by Dan Henderson, by Rampage Jackson and now by Leben- it’s time to call it a day.

However, look at that list again. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was one of the most feared strikers ever in MMA during his run from 2002 to 2006. Henderson’s ridiculous power is well-documented. Rampage is one of the hardest hitters in the light heavyweight division, period. Leben is also one with very heavy hands.

I’m not saying that I wouldn’t understand if Silva decided to call it quits, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a travesty if he decides not to, either. Just as with Chuck Liddell, I’m going to give a living legend the benefit of the doubt until I see something really bad, as when Liddell was clipped by a short Rich Franklin punch that he would have shrugged off five years ago and was knocked out.

For now, if Wandy wants to fight, give him Yoshihiro Akiyama. Give him Demian Maia. Later on down the line, give him “Mayhem” Miller or even Bisping again. I think that since Wanderlei is several fights away from true title contention, if he wants to fight and the fans want to see him, we might as well put him against some of the many middleweights in the UFC that don’t pack concussive power in both hands. If Akiyama or Maia clip him and knock him out cold, then fine. His chin is gone, he needs to go.

In the meantime, the greatest threat to Silva’s career is his technique. Aggressiveness is one thing, but the bad habits that Silva has accumulated are quite another. Swinging wildly (and widely) with your chin up in the air isn’t a good idea for any fighter, and I’m kind of surprised it didn’t catch up to Wanderlei earlier. Now, I don’t want Wanderlei to be less aggressive, but could he go for the kill with his chin down and with the occasional straight punch or leg kick thrown in for good measure? It’s just too easy for fighters to counter such a predictable strategy these days.

Quick Shots

–Everyone’s talking about how Tito Ortiz hadn’t won a fight in five years before he beat Ryan Bader, but I think the more impressive stat is this: before Saturday night, Ortiz hadn’t finished anyone by KO, TKO or submission that wasn’t named “Ken Shamrock” since June of 2001. That’s over ten years! It has to suck to be Ryan Bader right now. I feel for the guy, actually. He’s still going to be a very good fighter and a long-time contender, but nobody wants to be the guy that gives Tito his mojo back.

–I’ll have more on Tito later this week, but for now, should we get excited about Ortiz being better than we thought? I say probably not. It was a great win, and it reminds us that a fighter like Ortiz can beat just about anyone at any given time, but it’s not like we’re going to see Ortiz knocking people down and submitting them regularly. If Ortiz had out-boxed Bader for several minutes and taken him down at will, I’d have said that we’re seeing a resurgence. But in a fight that quick and that included Ortiz’s first knockdown from a standing punch since- ever? I don’t know, but it’s been a long time- in a fight like that, you can’t really take anything away from it in regard to Ortiz being better than we thought. I think he still is who he is and he’ll continue to be competitive, but he still has a lot of challenges ahead to worry about.

–Kudos to Carlos Condit, Melvin Guillard and Rafael dos Anjos for their great knockouts against Dong Hyun Kim, Shane Roller and George Sotiropoulos, respectively. All deserve more attention than they’ve gotten, but they were unfortunately on a card that featured Ortiz’s crazy upset win, a great five-round title fight and Leben putting Wanderlei to sleep in 27 seconds. Of the three, I did like Condit’s the best. What a beautiful flying knee and great instincts to finish. Condit should be a fight away from a title shot at this point. Guillard should be close, too.

You Stay Classy

Urijah Faber was called “gracious in defeat” by announcer Mike Goldberg even though he spent his entire post-fight interview with Joe Rogan saying that he thought he won his fight with Dominick Cruz.

Why You Don’t Bet on MMA

Is there any doubt? Tito Ortiz was a massive +400 underdog when he got in the cage with Ryan Bader, which meant that betting $100 would earn you $400 if he won. How many journalists or fighters went on record predicting Ortiz to win, exactly? And what happened? Short right hook/uppercut, guillotine, tap.

The Sound of Violence Award

This goes to Urijah Faber for his longtime walkout song “California Love” by the late 2Pac, even if it’s kind of a Julia Roberts/Denzel Washington/Karl Malone-style lifetime achievement award situation. I’m not really a fan of the song, but it fits and I appreciate that he uses it each and every time. It’s cool when fighters like Faber, Matt Hughes (“Country Boy Can Survive”) or Mike Brown (“Simple Man”) find something that works and fits for them and go on to make it their own.

The Bob Seger “Beautiful Loser” Award

This event’s most impressive loser was Matt Wiman, who many thought deserved to win his bout with Dennis Siver, which went to Siver by unanimous decision. I don’t really have a problem with the decision, but Wiman did look okay against an opponent who is just outside the lightweight top ten right now.

Movin’ On Up Award

It could be Guillard, but I’ll go with Condit instead. Condit is right in position for a welterweight title shot, and should receive one following the much anticipated Georges St. Pierre-Nick Diaz fight this October. If I was Condit and I had the choice, I would not fight in the meanwhile and instead focus on improving my all facets of my game (especially wrestling) while awaiting such a tough challenge.

Holy Crap Award

This is a no-brainer and goes to Tito Ortiz for resurrecting his career, avoiding the UFC chopping block and returning to the “W” column against a very tough opponent in Ryan Bader. How many people really expected the fight to go that way? (Okay, put your hand down, Tito, you don’t get to vote.) See? Exactly.

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Here’s the preview of UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber event which will be held on July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Main card

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben
Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Preliminary card

Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson
Nigeria Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner

>>> Discount UFC 132 Tickets <<<

What’s the future look like for Shogun?

When I re-watched Saturday’s title fight between “Shogun” Rua and Jon Jones, I realized that Shogun hadn’t looked as terrible as I initially thought when I saw the fight live.

Don’t get me wrong; he looked terrible in that there are very few positives for him to take out of the two and a half rounds in which he fought Jones. However, he didn’t look horrible in terms of cardio or athleticism. He just seemed to lack any kind of coherent game plan.

While Jones was doing everything he could to maximize his reach and keep Shogun guessing, Shogun seemed all too comfortable to respond to what Jones was doing instead of imposing his own will. He couldn’t get past Jones’ reach, and his attempts all too often consisted of charging forward with looping punches.

On the mat, I’m 100% sure that Shogun had no idea just how annoying it would be to have Jones on top of him. I’m convinced right now that Jones has the most dynamic, lethal ground and pound in the division, and I don’t think it’s really even close (more on that later). Shogun seemed to want to attack Jones’ legs on the mat, but both times he tried, he failed to pull Jones to the mat to allow some leglock attempts. Otherwise, that may not have been such a bad idea.

However, Shogun still seems to lack the explosiveness that he had in his Pride days. The surgeries seem to have taken their toll, and while he’s still a good striker, he used to be as aggressive and unpredictable as Jones is now, and he’s a far cry from that status presently. It’s hard to imagine Shogun winning a rematch with Jones at any point, although he still does match up fairly well with many top light heavyweights on the UFC’s roster (with the possible exception being Rashad Evans, who would be too fast and could plant Shogun on his back all day).

Maybe it’s time for Shogun-Forrest 2? Forrest Griffin is coming off of a win and the fight makes sense in terms of the UFC’s rankings, the “unfinished business” storyline that writes itself, and the entertainment value of the fight itself. Shogun will be in the top ten for a long time, but his time as a champion may be over.

Jones unbeatable? Here we go again

The same trends rear their ugly heads from time to time, no matter what cautionary tales linger in the recent past. Right now, for instance, Jon Jones is seen as “unbeatable” by many; a champ that could bring stability to the light heavyweight division that we haven’t seen since Chuck Liddell’s day.

Jones is quite a fighter and a rare talent, but to look past Rashad Evans and start wondering aloud whether Phil Davis (who has been an overlooked prospect for quite some time now by many fans) is the one to unseat Jones is a bit presumptuous.

Lyoto Machida. Brock Lesnar. BJ Penn. Remember those guys? They were UFC champs not too long ago; part of a crop that included Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva that looked to be the most dominant group the sport had ever had. All had dominated opponents, even in title fights, and looked to be near indestructible. Well, we all saw what happened.

Again, the mantra of “styles make fights” comes to mind. Jones is a superb talent, but he has not yet faced anyone comparable to Rashad Evans (outside of practice, anyway), Phil Davis, or any of the other top contenders in the division. I know it’s easy to get carried away, as we all did when Penn or Machida looked unbeatable, but let’s be honest here. Jones will be facing nothing but top-level fighters from here on out, and to forecast him as some unbeatable champion before he’s so much as had a title defense is a little crazy.

I admit that I’m intrigued to see Jones fight other elite fighters and to see how he stacks up or handles adversity in the form of tough style matchups or being put in a bad position in a title fight. Jones is capable of being the champ for years to come, but so was Machida. Doing it is another matter entirely.

Cro Cop’s chin betrays him again

It’s hard to say whether or not Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic would have been able to absorb the shots that took him out against Brendan Schaub or Frank Mir back in the Pride days. The tendency is to say that, as with Chuck Liddell, the punishment has mounted and he can’t take the kind of punishment he used to. Do we really know that’s true, though?

How many really hard shots did he even take in the Pride days? Back then, the fear he instilled in his often-overwhelmed opponents protected him as much as his chin did, if not more. He rarely had to absorb hard strikes because he was always on the attack against a respectful, cautious opponent. When he did get tagged (Kevin Randleman, anyone?), he went down like anyone else would have.

Therefore, I’m not sure that Cro Cop needs to retire out of concern for his health. I think he should hang it up, but only because it’s clear that at this point in his career he will not reach his former level of excellence, or anything close to it. However, that’s his call and it’s not my place to tell someone not to continue making money doing something they enjoy, if they really want to. I don’t think he’s in the kind of danger Liddell is where every decent shot is laying him out cold. Of course, when you fight in the heavyweight division, not being able to keep opposing fighters from clocking you can quickly become a dangerous proposition.

Quick Shots

–It was business as usual for both Nate Marquardt and Urijah Faber, who fought effectively against solid opposition to further their respective quests for a title. Faber, of course, is much closer and could be next in line for a shot at Dominick Cruz for the featherweight strap. Faber’s marketability and the possibility of a fun feud between the two help his cause. Marquardt doesn’t have those elements in his favor, and will need to keep winning and look impressive doing so in order to get his chance. Marquardt did look good, though, and though the crowd on hand wasn’t exactly wowed by the fight, I could see that he was working hard to finish when the opportunity presented itself- it’s just that Dan Miller was up to the task.

–When will Kamal Shalorus figure it out? It’s gotten to the point where he is putting his career in jeopardy because he would rather wing looping punches at his opponents than fight an intelligent fight. That may sound extreme, but he just lost his UFC debut and two losses in a row in the UFC’s lightweight division is not a good recipe for career stability. This guy needs to realize that until he stops presenting himself as a one-dimensional brawler, he’ll simply be making his opponents’ jobs easier.

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Meanwhile, plenty of other quality bouts line both the main card and preliminary portion of tonight’s event, though I’ll restrict my analysis to the main card for this one. Here are my thoughts on each of tonight’s main card fights:

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub

Cro Cop’s last appearance in his up and down UFC career was against Frank Mir in a slow, methodical fight that ended when Mir won with a stunning knockout out of nowhere. I don’t think that the knockout itself is as damning of Cro Cop as the inactivity and lack of enthusiasm or any kind of aggression is, honestly. Cro Cop’s heart hasn’t seemed to be in it for awhile and that will continue to trouble him as long as it is the case.

Schaub is still in the beginning of what appears to be a promising career, on the other hand. Not stellar in any one area at this point, he does have tremendous athleticism, learns quickly and has a good amount of power as well as pretty good standup technique thus far. He also seems to be pretty coachable and is willing to implement strategies laid out for him by mastermind Greg Jackson.

Schaub not only has the motivation, youth and athleticism, but he also has great training partners and an excellent camp, two other things Cro Cop does not have. Cro Cop doesn’t seem to have improved since his Pride days, and has actually moved in the other direction. In fact, these are two fighters moving in opposite directions, and while Cro Cop can still be dangerous and is a tough nut to crack for sure, Schaub will win this one based as much on desire and effort as skill.

Prediction: Schaub by decision

Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller

This could be a tremendous fight. I’m a fan of the Miller brothers, both of whom are always threatening to enter the upper echelon of their respective weight classes (I think that Jim Miller is already there, by the way). However, I think that Miller’s hard work in this one will only lead to frustration at just about every turn, due to Marquardt’s overall advantage in terms of ability.

Marquardt is a very good striker and will pepper Miller as long as they remain standing. Meanwhile, I think Miller will try to turn this one into an old-fashioned scrap, but Marquardt’s takedown defense should be up to the task and he won’t tire out as fast as Miller would like. Sure, Marquardt looked less than great in recent fights against Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami, but both of those men are stronger and better wrestlers than Miller, anyway.

If there’s anything that worries me about Marquardt, it’s his complacency at times. If he feels he’s got the “lead” in a fight, he seems to let up or cruise through the late stages of the bout. This could trouble him if it happens against Miller, who will be more than happy to seize any opportunities Marquardt leaves him. Still, I think a motivated and energized Marquardt takes this one in a lively contest.

Prediction: Marquardt by decision

Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus

The afore-mentioned other Miller brother takes on the extremely gifted and dangerous Shalorus in a bout that will be as much about what’s going on inside Shalorus’ head as it will be about who can outperform the other.

Shalorus, like many former wrestling standouts, has fallen in love with striking, and in particular with slugging it out. Shalorus does have fairly heavy hands, but has taken things to the extreme of simply winging wide hooks and overhand rights rather than using his striking as a supplement to his greatest skill- his wrestling.

That gives Miller an opportunity. Miller would not be able to out-wrestle Shalorus in a straight up wrestling match, but that’s not what this is. With Shalorus engrossed in the task of trying to land a big shot, Miller will use his own underrated striking to land a greater number of shots, while benefiting from Shalorus’ decision to ignore his own base. Miller takes a good one here if he can stay clean and avoid being on the receiving end of any big shots, which shouldn’t be a problem.

Prediction: Miller by decision

Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland

Faber’s next step on the road to a bantamweight title shot against Dominick Cruz puts him against Eddie Wineland, who may not have near the name recognition of Faber, but is a great fighter nonetheless.

The thing is, this is a very dangerous fight for Faber. Wineland has great power in his hands and one mistake from Faber can easily lead to a defeat that would shock many who believe that Faber is somehow a cinch to win this one. Given that Faber has shown in the past that he likes to use somewhat…eccentric striking techniques, he could end up putting himself at unnecessary risk in this one unless he reins himself in a bit.

If Faber can avoid trouble standing up, he should be able to out-muscle and take Wineland down, where Wineland will be in big trouble. Faber is not your traditional submission artist, but works a game that allows his explosiveness, strength and superb sense of positioning to snatch up submissions when the opportunities present themselves. He’ll do that here in a fight that could have some tense moments for Faber fans.

Prediction: Faber by submission

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Champion) vs. Jon Jones

Jon Jones is taking this one on relatively short notice, albeit after cruising to victory against Ryan Bader at UFC 126 just a month and a half ago. Meanwhile, Shogun has his own question mark, returning for this bout after a long layoff following his UFC light heavyweight championship victory over Lyoto Machida about ten months ago. The reason? Another knee injury and resulting surgery in a career that has been plagued by them.

Shogun has managed to be successful despite all of his injury problems, and he has assured everyone that he is truly healthy for this fight. Dana White even waited longer than he wanted to for Shogun’s first title defense to ensure the champ was truly healthy, so I’m not worried about that. What about his cardio, though? If he looks like he did against Forrest Griffin, could Jones beat him? Surely.

I don’t think the late notice for Jones will be a factor. Jones is a young fighter in fantastic shape, and he was already in good shape for the Bader fight. A longer training camp is favorable, but against an opponent coming off a long injury layoff, it shouldn’t be a factor.

What will be a factor is Jones’ inexperience. He has gotten by to this point on pure talent and athleticism, as well as the type of creativity that you don’t often see in this sport. However, he will be in there with a fighter who is as talented and skilled as anyone else in the weight class, and who will be better technically standing up and on the mat.

Everyone focuses on the standup portion of this bout, but on the mat is where Jones may really get in trouble. He may be able to take Shogun down, and that would be a pretty good spot to be in, but Shogun is still a very talented grappler, while Jones somewhat foolishly believes that he can hang with Shogun on the mat.

Jones will be a champion one day, but I don’t think today will be that day. His best bet is to make this fight last, but I think youthful exuberance will get the best of him and he’ll get himself in some exchanges that he shouldn’t have gotten himself into, leading to a stoppage in the first couple of rounds.

Prediction: Rua by KO/TKO