Possibly the most interesting storyline at UFC 110 is that of three of Pride’s most distinguished fighters – all champs in the now-defunct Japanese promotion – setting foot inside the Octagon tonight, each fighter’s bout significant for a different reason. Another storyline is that of two TUF light heavyweights, each entering their respective bouts with a two-fight losing streak. Will a third loss result in either being cut from the world’s top MMA promotion? If so, it would be unfathomable to associate either man with another promotion, though I’d have to imagine Strikeforce would try to swoop in to capture them for their mass appeal.

With these and other themes as the backdrop, let’s take a look at the more fascinating bouts at UFC 110 (and there are a number of them.)

CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic (Middleweight — Dark card)

CB Dollaway is one of two Arizona Combat Sports fighters on the UFC 110 card. An All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Dollaway was the runner-up in TUF 7. Since that loss to Amir Sadollah, Dollaway has gone 3-1 in the UFC. His key to victory at UFC 110 is to control the fight with his wrestling. However, he has to be careful if the fight does go to the ground. In fact, his losses in TUF and in the UFC have all come by way of submission.

Dollaway’s opponent, Goran Reljic, is one of three fighters on the card of Croatian descent. I remember his fight against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 84 well and I thought then that Reljic could make noise in the light heavyweight division. However, it’s been almost two years since that fight (because of injury) and Reljic has decided to fight at middleweight. There are a number of questions surrounding Reljic. How will he perform after almost two years away from competition? And, how will he handle the additional 20 pounds he had to lose to make weight? Against Gouveia, Reljic unleashed a very potent striking game but Reljic himself points out that he has a proficient submission game and his record proves it. If his is ground game is actually better than his stand-up, Dollaway could be in trouble.

Pick: Reljic by 2nd round TKO

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (Light heavyweight — Dark Card)

Stephan Bonnar’s name is synonymous with post-TUF UFC lore. He was one half of the fight that UFC President Dana White credits with putting the UFC and MMA on the map in the United States. That bout, of course, was a thrilling decision loss to Forrest Griffin in the TUF 1 Finale. I often wonder if the career paths of Bonnar and Griffin would have been significantly altered if that decision had been reversed. Since that bout, Griffin has gone on to stardom, even winning the UFC light heavyweight strap, while Bonnar’s career has been very uneven. Bonnar is now 5-5 inside the Octagon and comes into this bout with a two-fight losing streak. In the past, three straight losses has seemed like the magic number for the UFC in terms of cutting a fighter and Bonnar doesn’t appear to be much of a contender for the 205 lb. title. And yet, the sentimental side of me can’t imagine Bonnar fighting anywhere else. It’s almost as if I’d be okay if he’s earned lifelong tenure with the promotion for what he helped it achieve.

Krzysztof Soszynski, on the other hand, is a fighter notable for more than simply having the most difficult name in MMA to spell. Although he’s fairly new to UFC fans, who first met him in TUF 8, he acquitted himself fairly well when he was in the IFL. Soszynski’s last fight was a lackluster loss to Brandon Vera at UFC 102 in which he seemed like the slower of the two and never got off. Prior to that, however, he had an impressive victory over one-time rising star Andre Gusmao. Soszynski’s expertise lies in his ground game and almost half of his submissions have come by way of kimura. I see Soszynski trying to take the fight to the ground and attempting to assert his submission game. Even though Bonnar’s forte is his BJJ game, I believe Soszynski will prove too physically strong for him on the ground.

Pick: Soszynski by 1st round kimura

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (Heavyweight — Main Card)

Mirko Filipovic has to be one of the most fascinating men in the history of MMA. He was one of Pride’s biggest stars, realizing his potential with a 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix title, which culminated with a victory that may have begun the decline of runner-up Wanderlei Silva. When Filipovic signed with the UFC, it was a foregone conclusion that he would eventually be fighting for the heavyweight title. Instead, the Croatian renaissance man has gone 2-3 inside the Octagon and has not looked the same since his devastating head kick loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. “Cro Cop” has appeared to struggle against bigger, more physical fighters who close the distance and don’t allow him to pull the trigger on his famous left head kick.

Thankfully for Filipovic, his original opponent at UFC 110 — Ben Rothwell – reportedly came down with an illness this past week and had to withdraw from the bout. So, his new opponent is Anthony Perosh, a man who last fought inside the Octagon at UFC 66 and is 0-2 overall in the UFC. Perosh is also much smaller than Rothwell and really only poses a challenge if the fight goes to the ground. While Filipovic-Rothwell would have been a tough bout to pick, as long as Filipovic can sprawl and maintain distance standing up, he should come away with a victory over Perosh. I, for one, am rooting for a “Cro Cop” resurgence and believe he will at least square away his UFC record at UFC 110.

Pick: Filipovic by 2nd round KO

Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader (Light Heavyweight — Main Card)

Keith Jardine is another TUF-era fighter that every true UFC fan knows. Not only does the Greg Jackson-trained mixed martial artist have a distinctive look, he has also been in a number of memorable fights against the promotion’s best at 205 pounds, some of which he’s actually won. Yet, Jardine now finds himself 6-5 in the UFC, including 1-3 in his last four bouts. His last two bouts were a close loss to Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson followed by a quintessential quick KO loss to Thiago Silva. So, this fight, against an up-and-comer in Ryan Bader, really has the distinctive feel of one that Jardine needs to win in impressive fashion in order to maintain his standing within the promotion.

Bader, on the other hand, is now 3-0 in the UFC thanks to a dominating wrestling game. Like Dollaway, Bader is also a TUF alum (in fact he was the TUF 8 champ), an Arizona Combat Sports member, and an ASU All-American. Against Jardine, the formula for victory for Bader should be clear — take Jardine down and control him on the ground. While Bader has in the past shown that he has okay hands (and no doubt worked on them for this bout), Jardine’s unorthodox herky-jerky stand-up style has confounded many an opponent.

Pick: Bader by decision

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping (Middleweight — Co-Main Event)

At one time, Wanderlei Silva was one of the most feared men in all of MMA. He had a phenomenal run as Pride’s “Middleweight” champ from 2001 to 2007. But, starting with his loss to Filipovic and then his KO loss to Dan Henderson (in which he finally lost the Pride belt), Silva has gone 1-4 in his last five fights, including 1-2 in his latest stint inside the Octagon. The one thing you know when you watch Silva is that he will put on a show and will bring his wild, looping punches fearlessly, regardless of the opponent. He simply does not back down and his 2007 New Year’s Eve bout against Chuck Liddell was one for the ages.

While Michael Bisping is certainly a formidable opponent, this bout is more about whether Silva can assert himself and jumpstart his career in the middleweight division. At 185 pounds, Silva will no longer be the smaller fighter in his bouts. But, the question is, how will he handle the weight cut this first time around? And will he still have the power and ferocity he brought when he fought at light heavyweight? Of course, there are those who also wonder if a career made of taking punches in order to give them has finally caught up with Silva. If Bisping knocks him out, that may very well be the case, given the lack of power displayed by the Brit in the past. While Silva will be throwing bombs searching for a KO, look for Bisping to earn points with accurate punches and takedowns. If Silva can duplicate Dan Henderson’s effort against Bisping, fans might be treated to chapter two in the Wanderlei Silva story, featuring a run at 185 pounds that climaxes with a title bout against that other Silva. If Bisping does to Silva what he did to Denis Kang in his last bout, expect to hear the questions about Silva’s decline to only get louder.

Pick: Silva by 2nd round TKO

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez (Heavyweight — Main Event)

The main event bout features two heavyweights whose main hallmarks might be that both simply refuse to quit. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the only man to have ever worn Pride and UFC belts while his AKA foe — Cain Velasquez — represents the next generation of UFC heavyweights. “Big Nog” has been in more big MMA fights than Velasquez has even fought. But, that doesn’t mean you should underestimate Velasquez, who is yet another ASU All-American fighting at UFC 110.

In order for Velasquez to win, he will have to weather the storm standing up, shoot for “Big Nog”’s legs and go for takedown after takedown. On the ground, Velasquez will need to be weary of Nogueira’s submission attempts from bottom position while also trying to maintain top control and looking for openings to unleash his ground-and-pound attack.

While Velasquez must take the fight to the ground and maintain top position to win, Big Nog can win anywhere in the Octagon, standing or even on his back. While I see Velasquez as a future heavyweight title contender, I don’t think his time is now and I also don’t think Big Nog’s best days are behind him. The wily Brazilian has outsmarted many a foe during his storied career and should be able to do the same in Sydney.

Pick: Nogueira by 2nd round triangle choke

While wrestling is certainly not flashy, it, more than the other disciplines, has emerged as a must-have skillset if a MMA fighter wishes to be champion. Simply look at the fact that current UFC champs Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre have built their games around superior wrestling. Former MMA champs such as Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, and many, many others have done the same.

And, it’s no coincidence that collegiate wrestlers seem to make easier transitions to MMA than their BJJ or Muay Thai counterparts. Just look at the influx of wrestlers successfully working their way up the UFC ranks such as light heavyweight Jon Jones, lightweight Gray Maynard, and recent roster addition Phil Davis, who made his UFC debut at UFC 109.

At UFC 109, wrestling re-asserted itself as the preferred tool of victory with a number of fighters relying almost solely upon it to garner wins.

Phil Davis Leads Parade of Wrestlers

There was no more convincing display of wrestling acumen at UFC 109 than what UFC light heavyweight debutant Davis showed fans as he thoroughly broke down former WEC light heavyweight champ Brian Stann. UFC commentator Joe Rogan nailed it when he called Davis a light heavyweight version of St. Pierre. From his tree trunk legs to his forceful takedowns to his mastery once on the ground Davis showed everyone the tools that made him an NCAA wrestling champ at Penn State. Although he’s young both chronologically and in MMA, Davis propels himself on par with the likes of Jon Jones as someone who has to be considered a future star. He was respectable standing up (especially considering that’s Stann’s forte) and even tried an armbar as the fight ended.

Athleticism won’t be an issue as Davis works his way up the ladder. And, I for one am glad that the UFC decided to broadcast Davis’ fight on the PPV telecast. Fans need to become familiar with him now.

Chael Sonnen is a Worthy Title Contender

While Davis was the most powerful wrestler on the night, it was Chael Sonnen’s dominant performance against Nate Marquardt that completely caught me off guard. Sure, Sonnen had bested fellow wrestler Yushin Okami in a previous bout but I believed going into the fight that Marquardt’s stand-up and BJJ prowess would prove too much. Boy was I wrong. Sonnen was the bigger, stronger man and had no difficulty not only taking Marquardt down but then controlling him on the ground. Although Marquardt made a valiant effort in the last couple of minutes, attempting to secure a guillotine choke, Sonnen had done far too much over the first 13 minutes of the fight.

As for Sonnen’s next bout — a title fight against the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort — I believe Sonnen is ready for the challenge. If Silva has a weakness in his game (and, remember this is all relative), it may be against wrestlers (see Henderson.) I’m not saying that Sonnen is going to win because he’s a good wrestler. What I am saying, however, is that Sonnen has a better chance than most because there’s no one at 185 who has the striking or the BJJ to defeat Silva. The jury’s still out as to how Silva will deal with an opponent dedicated to using a strong wrestling base.

Randy Couture Gets the Job Done

Workmanlike. That’s how I would describe Randy Couture’s victory over Mark Coleman. It was clear early on that Couture was the quicker of the two fighting on their feet as the five-time UFC champ peppered the fellow Hall of Famer with fists. Couture then used his trademark clinch against the cage to dirty box his way to further dominance. By the time Couture scored a takedown (apparently only the second time in Coleman’s career that he’s been taken down if you believe the UFC telecast stats) and worked his way to a rear naked choke victory, the fight had been all but over for awhile.

While Couture did most of his damage standing up, it was the threat of his wrestling (Greco-Roman or otherwise) that Coleman had to respect. Any other foe and you have to believe that Coleman would have gone in for a takedown immediately.

While Couture did what he had to do against Coleman, his victory over Brandon Vera still resonates in my mind. I didn’t consider that a very convincing win over a fighter who is not in the UFC light heavyweight top ten. So, it’s difficult for me to put much stock in Couture’s UFC 109 performance. Instead, I would like to see him do it again against one of the UFC’s thoroughbred 205 pounders before giving “Captain America” another title shot.

Wrestling as Defense

Much like the true value of Couture’s wrestling ability may have come from what did not happen rather than what did happen, Joey Beltran and Melvin Guillard used wrestling to keep their respective opponents at bay rather than as offensive weapons.

Beltran, making his UFC debut against Rolles Gracie (also stepping into the Octagon for the first time), suffered an initial takedown early in the fight but turned the tide by eventually sweeping the accomplished BJJ practitioner and bearer of the most famous surname in MMA. From then on, Beltran had Gracie’s number, stuffing takedown attempt after takedown attempt with a very nice sprawl. Beltran eventually went to work standing up, landing a knee that appeared to severly hurt Gracie who face-planted into the mat, before finishing him with strikes on the ground.

Guillard earned a much-needed victory against BJJ specialist Ronys Torres by constantly minimizing the damage done by Torres’ takedowns. The judges ultimately rewarded Guillard for his numerous escapes from the ground, for his ability to sweep or stand up immediately after being taken down, and for not absorbing any damage on the ground (as he seemed to indicate with a mock yawn late in the fight.) Guillard favors the stand-up game but is also a very good wrestler. It appears that under the tutelage of uber-trainer Greg Jackson, the young man from New Orleans has learned to embrace defensive wrestling at least, which makes his stand-up even more dangerous. All in all, I really liked watching Guillard 2.0. He seems to have a new attitude on life and on fighting and I certainly hope he keeps it up because he has the talent to make it far in the UFC’s lightweight division.

Punches Still Work Too

While the fighters above used wrestling to forge victories, Matt Serra and Paulo Thiago used heavy hands to earn their W’s. Although Serra is a very accomplished BJJ practitioner, he has proven over and over again that he packs a wallop with his punches (just ask GSP.) Against Frank Trigg at UFC 109, Serra first worked the body before sending Trigg to the canvas with a right hook. The stocky (using his own word) Serra finished the job on the ground with more fists, never once having to use his BJJ skills.

Thiago used a similar plan to vanquish yet another American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) foe in welterweight Mike Swick. Thiago caught Swick with both a right and a left that put “Quick” on the mat before pouncing on him and finishing with an impressive D’Arce Choke.

For Thiago, the impressive victory moves him to 3-1 in the UFC and 2-1 against AKA foes. Because of his debut victory over contender Josh Koscheck, Thiago has worked mostly against the UFC welterweight division’s elite. The win over Swick keeps him there and now it’ll be interesting to see who UFC matchmaker Joe Silva puts him up against next. I would like to see Thiago fight former number one contender Thiago Alves for a chance at the title. Or, maybe even a shot against the loser of the GSP-Dan Hardy title fight coming soon. Either way, Thiago is already making noise as a potential contender to the title.

As for Serra, the win was a good one but I’m not sure that it does anything for his future prospects in the division. Serra has averaged one UFC fight a year for the last six years. Listening to him talk about his daughter’s upcoming birthday party in the post-fight interview with Rogan, it seems to me he’s content fighting infrequently while focusing on family and his successful gym.

Other Thoughts

The UFC appears to have listened to its fans, delivering more bang for the buck with each pay-per-view broadcast. Fans who tuned their TVs to Spike TV at 9 PM ET and then ordered the pay-per-view at 10 PM ET were treated to nine of the eleven fights on the card. That’s almost double the standard five fights some PPV telecasts offered just a couple of years ago. I have to believe that the Spike TV initiative, especially, was motivated by similar efforts from EliteXC, the now-defunct promotion which used to televise undercard fights on Showtime before showing the main card fights on CBS. Or Affliction, which did the same on HDNet before sending viewers to their PPV telecasts. Hopefully, Scott Coker and Strikeforce pick up this practice as well. My one complaint with Strikeforce broadcasts is that we as fans don’t see enough fights on them.

Regardless, if you want proof that competition in MMA is good, the increased number of fights being shown by the UFC is certainly evidence of that.

Randy Couture (205) vs. Mark Coleman (205) — PPV

My thoughts: Both Couture and Coleman are physical specimens and would put men twenty years younger to shame with their bodies. However, I can’t see the winner of this one being a contender for the 205 pound title when there are so many other accomplished fighters in what is the UFC’s deepest division. Coleman was impressive in his last bout against Stephen Bonnar but can he escape Couture’s clinch and keep his back away from the cage? If not, Couture should earn a much-needed convincing victory, which ”The Natural” hasn’t had since he defeated Gabriel Gonzaga back in 2007. Five to ten years ago this certainly would have been a veritable mega-fight.

Nate Marquardt (186) vs. Chael Sonnen (185) — PPV

My thoughts: This is the one fight on the card that has title ramifications as the winner should square off against the winner of the Anderson Silva-Vitor Belfort title bout later this year. While Sonnen was impressive in his two highest profile bouts against Paulo Filho in the WEC, I simply can’t see him defeating Marquardt because Marquardt is superior in all facets of the game. I also believe that Marquardt has the tools and the mental fortitude to give Anderson Silva a true challenge in what would be a rematch.

Mike Swick (171) vs. Paulo Thiago (170) — PPV

My thoughts: Since Thiago’s shocking debut upset of Josh Koscheck he’s been less than spectacular inside the Octagon. Swick, on the other hand, must regroup after losing a shot at the title with a loss to Dan Hardy in his previous bout. Both men are fighting to stay relevant in the upper ranks of the UFC’s welterweight division.

Demian Maia (186) vs. Dan Miller (185) — PPV

My thoughts: Maia’s upward trajectory came to a screeching halt in his last fight — a quick KO loss to Marquardt. In Miller, he faces an opponent whose style should present a favorable match-up for the Brazilian BJJ ace. Miller’s best hope is keeping the fight standing. Otherwise history dictates that Maia could win in spectacular fashion. Regardless, Maia is going to have to figure out a way to eventually beat upper-echelon all-around fighters before he can even think of a title shot.

Matt Serra (169) vs. Frank Trigg (171) — PPV

My thoughts: Like Couture-Coleman, this is another fight that will be fun to watch but has very little impact on the welterweight standings. All four of the elders on this card are tremendous ambassadors for the sport and these sorts of match-ups between old-school legends usually don’t disappoint. So, sit back and enjoy this one and don’t worry too much about what it means in the bigger picture.

Mac Danzig (156) vs. Justin Buchholz (156) – Spike TV

My thoughts: I had high hopes for Danzig after he won the TUF 6 title in the welterweight division but he’s now lost three in a row and really needs a victory at UFC 109 to justify future PPV card consideration. Buchholz might be just the remedy for Danzig’s ills as he, too, enters the bout with a losing UFC record, sitting at 1-3 inside the Octagon.

Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Ronys Torres (156) – Spike TV

My thoughts: Guillard is a talented but mercurial fighter who loves to stand and bang but has in the past disparaged the notion of the ground game. So, it’s no surprise that all four of his losses in the UFC have come by submission, including his last one against Nate Diaz. Guillard is still young but at some point, if he wants to make a move in the lightweight division he’s going to have to prove that he can beat the likes of Torres, who is making his Octagon debut and apparently favors the submission game, according to UFC.com’s profile of him. It’s appropriate that Guillard, the New Orleans native, fights on the same weekend his hometown Saints play in the Super Bowl because he’s going to have to deliver some stand-up fireworks to secure a victory.

Phillipe Nover (155) vs. Rob Emerson (155)

My thoughts: It’s interesting that Joe Rogan mistakenly introduced Nover as the TUF 8 champ during the weigh-in introductions because Nover’s fortunes in the UFC have turned since that season-ending loss to Efrain Escudero. Since then, Nover has lost his only non-TUF fight in the Octagon and also suffered a medical issue that prevented him from fighting his last fight. Let’s hope he is healthy again because I still have high hopes for Nover as a future star in the lightweight division, especially if he’s been able to add a wrestling base to his Muay Thai and BJJ foundations.

Brian Stann (205) vs. Phil Davis (205)

My thoughts: Stann is a tremendous story given his military service in defense of this country. However, I haven’t been terribly impressed with him inside the cage. Although he is a former WEC light heavyweight champ, I found his game to be rather one-dimensional and always thought he looked robotic and stiff standing up (even though that’s his strength.) Davis is a youngster in the sport but he has a superior collegiate wrestling pedigree as a four-time All-American and 2008 national champ at Penn State. I saw Davis fight last year at a UWC event and he was very impressive, winning by first round TKO. I see Davis winning in his UFC debut, especially if he can assert himself with strong takedowns.

Tim Hague (263) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (263)

My thoughts: The heavyweight division is now stocked with up-and-coming talent but these two big boys are both coming off TKO losses. Hague lost in a UFC record seven seconds to Todd Duffee his last time in the cage while Tuchscherer lost to Gabriel Gonzaga via first round TKO. I’m especially intrigued by Tuchscherer because he’s a Brock Lesnar training partner. I have to think going up against the UFC heavyweight champ in practice everyday is going to make you a tough out anytime inside the Octagon.

Rolles Gracie (247) vs. Joey Beltran (238)

My thoughts: Both of these fighters are making their UFC debuts so I don’t know much about either one. Rolles might be the biggest Gracie around and not surprisingly his strength is listed as BJJ on UFC.com. Beltran’s profile, on the other hand, states that he has heavy hands. I also happen to think Beltran has a clever nickname — he calls himself “The Mexecutioner.” So, on the surface this matchup would appear to be a classic contrast in styles, but hopefully we’ll learn a little more about both fighters during this bout.

Final thoughts: I consider UFC 109 to be a B+ card by UFC standards. Similar to UFC 108, which didn’t live up to previous New Year’s Day cards, UFC 109 doesn’t live up to previous Super Bowl weekend cards because it lacks a true mega-fight (think back to last year’s GSP-BJ Penn main event on Super Bowl weekend.) Instead, what we as fans get is a strong card with a lot of very good fights (in fact, I’m more interested in the dark card fights in terms of evaluating up-and-coming talent.) While the Couture-Coleman and Serra-Trigg fights serve up venerable names who will be prominent in the annals of the sport, neither fight should have contender ramifications in either the light heavyweight or welterweight divisions, respectively. In fact, the only contender-worthy fight on the card is the Marquardt-Sonnen fight.

Given that I’ve written on this blog and in the past about two sports — MMA and football — that are undoubtedly violent, I thought it was the responsible thing to do to acknowledge the growing discourse regarding head trauma (particularly in the form of concussions) in sports, especially in football.  Not only are publications like Time shining light on the topic, but Congress has even become involved. So, I hope readers of this blog click on the links above to read the Time articles and also search the internet for more information.

While much of the current clamor revolves around football because of its importance in American culture, the fact is the discussion could certainly apply to MMA, boxing, and hockey, where head injuries are also not uncommon. In fact, I wonder whether or not repeated heading of a soccer ball could also cause similar injuries. At the very least, all sports should be more closely examined in light of new evidence.

Before I go on, I must say up front that I’m not a medical doctor and have not conducted any independent research on head trauma in sports or otherwise. Instead, I count myself as a fan of sports in which head trauma is apparently real and has apparently led to long-term problems in the lives of a number of participants of those sports. Because I’m not only a fan but someone who also writes about such sports, I think I have a further obligation to at least increase awareness of the discussion amongst those who read my work.

In reality, it’s somewhat of a catch-22 for millions of fans of violent but legal sports like football and MMA. Is it possibly to cheer and worry at the same time? In fact, it may be time to do both, if you read the anecdotes of athletes and look at the growing mountain of data.

What complicates the issue with head trauma is that its true problems arise over a long period of time – over the course of numerous blows — and are thus not as obvious as broken bones, bruises, or cuts. This insidious nature of brain injury has made it possible to overlook it for so many years.

But, now with athletes becoming bigger, stronger, and faster and with collisions becoming more dramatic, it appears that football in particular has reached a tipping point with concussions.

I’ve come to believe that part of the problem with football is the false sense of security that all the padding and the helmet give fans and participants. While this gear is certainly protective, it also emboldens players to hit harder and take greater risks. By contrast, rugby, which I played a little a few years ago, is relatively sparse in terms of protective gear. The lack of substantial padding in rugby — as well as the rule book — serve to promote proper tackling form.

Even so, I certainly saw my share of tackles made on the rugby pitch where the tackler used poor form (for example not tackling with the head up) or where the ball carrier led with his head down. Not to mention what I imagine were fairly violent impacts by the behemoths in the scrum.

So, I cannot even fathom the sort of collisions our country’s best athletes are party to beginning in their teen years with high school football. Beyond that, I can’t possibly begin to understand what the repeated blows to the head over the next 20 or so years have done to the most talented of these players.

In MMA, regulatory bodies stipulate a mandatory rest period for a fighter who has suffered a concussion during a bout. Yet, in football, at least until recently, players who have suffered concussions have been known to return to the field, not just a week later, but even later in that same game. And, that’s according to the stories we’ve been told. How many stories are untold?

The Time articles present some solutions to the problems. I certainly don’t have the expertise to know what’s best for these athletes, but I’m glad some of this country’s best minds are trying to tackle the problem. I admire the bravery of football players, especially in the face of such dangerous situations. But, as much as I am a fanatic of violent sports such as MMA and football, I would also be in favor of any rules that make athletes safer and protect them both now and later, once they’ve retired. I don’t believe the money and the fame justify injuries that can apparently lead to the debilitation seen in many of these athletes.

And, as much as I love the sports, given what I currently know, it would be difficult for me to allow my son or daughter to participate. Not because I don’t think these are noble endeavors. But, rather because of fear for their well-being.

While I enjoyed the card and was certainly entertained by it (and also feel that Strikeforce has proven that women’s MMA is here to stay), I’d also like to see Strikeforce begin to aim for more consistency with its shows and a more discernible order to its weight classes. By this I mean that I hope that even as the San Jose-based company’s roster grows and even as we are treated to the debuts of the likes of Melvin Manhoef and Herschel Walker that we also see the other fighters on the roster in a regular rotation. One thing I’ve come to realize with the UFC is that part of its success has included making fans familiar with its top fighters.

So, even though UFC 109 next weekend doesn’t really have any A+ caliber-fights, the card does have a number of fights, especially on the dark card, that will attract hardcore eyes because they involve fighters we are all familiar with and have watched fight a number of times. Those bouts allow us to follow the progress of certain fighters as they work their way up (or down) the ladder.

While Strikeforce has proven it can build very good cards with spectacular fights, now I need to see more than one-off contests. I would like to see more established pecking orders within each weight class and an attempt, especially at light heavyweight and welterweight, to fill out the classes, including up-and-coming fighters into the mix. In other words, I think Strikeforce has to begin working on an overarching storyline that threads all these disparate events together. Right now, each event stands up very well on its own but in totality I don’t necessarily see a connection that would help tell a story about a given fighter or a given weight class.

I have no doubt Scott Coker and Co. are working on this very thing (and don’t forget how young Strikeforce MMA is.) Regardless, I’m very impressed with where the promotion is headed, especially given its Showtime and CBS affiliations and the constant improvement of its roster.

On to my thoughts about the night.

Give Bobby Lashley Time

Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims

The one thing about critics is you can’t win with them, no matter what you do. When Brock Lesnar skyrocketed up the UFC heavyweight ranks, some thought he was being given opportunities he didn’t deserve and needed to be brought up more slowly. Now, with a fellow WWE performer and collegiate wrestler, Bobby Lashley, we are seeing the opposite. Some critics believe Lashley is coming up the ranks too slowly.

I disagree with this assessment. Lashley is currently only five fights into his professional career. While he hasn’t yet stepped into the deep end of the pool, I think that fact shows a remarkable self-awareness and the enactment of an appropriate plan by Lashley. He knows what his limits are as a fighter right now and is simply trying to gain experience that will make him better. Is his list of opponents necessarily impressive? Maybe not. But, let’s not discount it so readily either.

The latest foe Lashley discarded Saturday night — Wes Sims — is a UFC veteran who has fought the likes of Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir. Sims also sports over 20 MMA victories in his career. Against Lashley, he posed a unique challenge with his extraordinary height.

Ultimately, Lashley did what he needed to do and did so quickly. He used his wrestling to take the fight to the ground before pounding Sims out.

As long as Lashley continues to improve his game (especially in stand-up and submission grappling) and as long as Strikeforce gives him progressively more difficult and more accomplished opponents I’m fine with his career trajectory. I’m sure Lashley understands that one day he will lose. Even Fedor has a blemish on his record, deserved or not. I don’t think Lashley is somehow running away from a loss. Instead, I think he’s trying to create a strong foundation for a long MMA career.

Herschel Walker’s Debut a Success

Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy

Everyone connected to Herschel Walker’s pro MMA debut — American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Strikeforce, the regulatory bodies, and Walker himself — deserves kudos for Walker’s performance Saturday night. Walker, a man I consider an athletic genius who has excelled in a number of demanding physical endeavors throughout his life, came into the event looking absolutely phenomenal (just ask my wife, who had no problem openly ogling the 47-year-old.)

But, what impressed me more was Walker’s apparent understanding of some MMA fundamentals as he took Nagy down, achieved superior ground position and even escaped a submission attempt or two. His conditioning appeared to be superb and his humility was refreshing. Walker brings a team-based ethos to MMA, unwilling to take sole credit for his accomplishments but rather giving thanks to his teammates and sparring partners at AKA.

The regulatory body and Strikeforce deserve credit for giving Walker a respectable opponent in the form of Greg Nagy, who had two pro fights entering this card. Nagy clearly has some skills on the ground and fantastic flexibility but on this night Walker’s superior strength and athleticism was the key. It was a fair first test, and Walker passed for sure.

While Walker wouldn’t guarantee another fight in his post-fight interview, I certainly hope we see him in the cage again. Win or lose, he’s proven he belongs in the sport.

Lawler Proves One-Punch Power

Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef

The rest of the Showtime card featured top-notch bouts between high quality opponents. The first such fight pitted middleweights Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef in a stand-up war that didn’t disappoint. Manhoef controlled much of the fight by repeatedly kicking Lawler all over his body and mostly his legs (much like one might do to a soccer ball), leading Lawler to limp out of the cage. But, even as Manhoef gained confidence and pushed the attack, Lawler was never truly out of it.

And the HIT Squad fighter proved as much by taking advantage of Manhoef’s tendency to drop his hands in pursuit. Lawler rocked the Dutchman with an overhand right and followed up with two shots on the ground that left Manhoef stiff as the fight ended.

It was a remarkable display by both men in what is easily Strikeforce’s deepest and most compelling weight class. While I’d like to see current 185 lb. champ Jake Shields fight Dan Henderson next, I’d also like to see Lawler face another comeback kid, Scott Smith, for a third time to face the winner of that title fight.

Manhoef is a welcome addition to the Strikeforce ranks and joins men like Jason “Mayhem” Miller who’ve made their names in Japan. Let’s hope we see much more from him Stateside.

 ”Cyborg” Asserts Herself at the Top of Women’s 145 lb Class

Cris Cyborg vs. Marloes Coenen

While mainstream fans may have been convinced about Cristiane Santos’ ability by her previous victory over Gina Carano to capture the Strikeforce title, hardcore MMA fans knew that there were other, maybe more able, opponents lurking at 145 pounds. Holland’s Marloes Coenen was one of them. Quite capable on the ground, Coenen also represented a near physical match for the Brazilian.

But, one thing became clear early even as Coenen surprisingly stood her ground standing up — “Cyborg” is simply too explosive for most of her opponents. On this night she used this fast-twitch ability to pressure Coenen on their feet, but even so did most of her damage with forceful takedowns and unrelenting ground-and-pound that eventually subdued the game Dutchwoman in the third round.

Coenen proved she was good enough to not get knocked out and to last three rounds with “Cyborg” but not good enough to mount any real offensive attack that would threaten Santos. What was especially surprising was how little Coenen could do on the ground.

The legend of “Cyborg” continues to grow. Now, the question is, who does Strikeforce have lined up for her next? And, for Coenen, why not pit her against Carano in a battle of Santos’ last two vanquished foes?

 Diaz Impresses with Hands

Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis

Whatever you think of Nick Diaz, you have to admit the man from Stockton can fight. Against Marius Zaromskis – the Dream welterweight tourney winner –Diaz proved once again that despite his Cesar Gracie BJJ pedigree, he needs to be taken seriously as a boxer, too.

While Diaz doesn’t necessarily hurt opponents with a single punch, he peppers them over and over, accurately reaching his target and finally putting them away via an accumulation of blows. Diaz won the Strikeforce welterweight belt against Zaromskis, withstanding kicks to assert himself, in much this manner. Diaz seemed calm and collected as he picked apart Zaromskis in impressive fashion.

And, it seems to me that welterweight may be a good weight for Diaz, who has fought at lightweight all the way up to middleweight in recent years. Diaz showed his length against Zaromskis, who was constantly out of range during the bout, while also showing some power with his punches. He also used his smarts to recover from an early blow that knocked him to the ground.

The amazing thing about Diaz is that in winning his last six fights in a row, he has relied quite a bit on his boxing, which continues to mature in devastating fashion. This has to be scary news for future opponents, who certainly know that Diaz is perhaps even more prolific on the ground.

While a bout against newly-signed foe KJ Noons would be nice (though that would probably have to take place at a catchweight), other options in a relatively weak Strikeforce welterweight division include Jay Hieron, who also won in Miami. Of course, a bout against fellow Cesar Gracie pupil and 185 pound champ Shields would be tantalizing but will probably never happen, given that they train together.

In the meantime, Diaz needs to be included in pound-for-pound rankings discussions and maybe, just maybe, also included in fantasy bout discussions involving UFC 170 pound champ Georges St. Pierre.

(All photos courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce.)

While I don’t necessarily agree with Gross’ solution (and quite frankly, that point is secondary), I do agree with him that MMA is at a crossroads and that Strikeforce has the legitimate potential to not only be a solid #2 but even become the new Pride to UFC’s juggernaut — in other words a possible equal to the UFC. After all, Strikeforce has continuously improved its roster in recent months and has big-time exposure in the form of Showtime and CBS.

If Strikeforce does realize its potential, then the reality is neither a UFC title nor a Strikeforce title will be meaningful because the MMA talent pool will be divided between the two promotions. If, as Gross believes, the goal of MMA is to determine who the best fighters are, the only way to resolve the dilemma posed by two strong promotions is with co-promoted fights.

Rather than using tournaments, which I believe would add a logistic hurdle that doesn’t make sense, what I propose is an annual Super Bowl of MMA (much like the one Dana White posited as an idea when Zuffa bought Pride.) This Super Bowl of MMA would take place the Saturday night before American football’s Super Bowl.

This proposal carries with it a number of advantages. For one, the co-promotional event would only take place on one night, which means that fighters would be fighting outside their respective promotions only once a year. This is certainly a palatable compromise in the spirit of determining the best of the best. Second, the night before the real Super Bowl has already been established by the UFC as a major night for MMA so re-orienting or educating fans would not be an issue. Third, only two promotions — the UFC and Strikeforce — would be involved in such an event meaning negotiations would be fairly straightforward (Gross’ idea was to involve fighters from all the major promotions throughout the world which I think is currently too ambitious.) Fourth, the event would serve to strengthen both promotions and would also give both promotions leverage as they attempt to negotiate favorable television deals. Strikeforce would bring to the table its relationships with CBS and Showtime, while the UFC would bring its own relationships with Spike TV, Versus, as well as strong pay-per-view numbers. The promotions would certainly be in the position of power at the negotiating table and maybe, just maybe, another network or even ESPN would step in to televise this yearly event.

As fans know, the major sticking point in getting such a proposal to become a reality is Zuffa. And, who can blame White and the Fertittas for their aversion to co-promotion? What’s the incentive for the acknowledged world’s top MMA promotion to share the spotlight with another promotion? Well, hopefully the following five fights we most likely won’t see this coming year — fights that I believe could help take the sport to the next level in a Super Bowl-type event — should give the powers-that-be the motivation to work together.

Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar (UFC) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Strikeforce)

 This fight alone would be enough to attract fans in droves. There are no fighters in MMA more intriguing than Lesnar and Emelianenko. While Lesnar is reportedly on the mend from what sounds like a very serious illness and will apparently be defending his UFC belt in the not-too-distant future, Emelianenko continues to show fans in the US why he is widely considered the top fighter of the past decade. While all parties involved missed the boat on another potentially epic heavyweight bout a few years ago between Randy Couture and Emelianenko, it would be a shame if MMA fans weren’t treated to a match between the super-athletic and charismatic behemoth Lesnar against the cerebral, quick, and reclusive Emelianenko. 

Light Heavyweight: Lyoto Machida (UFC) vs. Gegard Mousasi (Strikeforce)

Sure, Machida struggled against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his last bout and many observers felt he lost that fight, but the reality is that Machida did something that’s been a rare feat in recent years — he actually successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight belt. I believe Machida has learned from his mistakes from that first fight and will extend his unbeaten record when he rematches Rua, who has regained his once-dominant Pride form, later this year.

Of all the Super Bowl bouts I’m suggesting, one could argue that this is the least appealing. Not because Mousasi isn’t one of the top 205 lb-ers in the sport but because the UFC essentially has most of the top fighters in this weight class locked up. In other words, the belt that Mousasi holds doesn’t have quite the meaning as the one Machida holds. Regardless, Mousasi has shown fans enough in his two very convincing Strikeforce victories to make this a worthy contest. And, don’t underestimate the man who counts Fedor as a training partner.

Middleweight: Anderson Silva (UFC) vs. Dan Henderson (Strikeforce)

If Strikeforce has one division that rivals or surpasses that of the UFC, it’s the San Jose-based promotion’s middleweight division. The promotion’s current champ at 185 pounds is Jake Shields, which may make my pick a bit confusing. While Shields has proven to be a very worthy 185 pound champ, I believe his true prowess is at welterweight. With that said, I also believe that the newly-signed Henderson will eventually become the promotion’s middleweight champ.

A bout against Silva would be the realization of a goal Henderson has had to rematch the man he lost to just about two years ago. Most MMA fans probably thought Henderson would get that opportunity after his knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Alas, that was not to be as his UFC contract expired and the fighter and the promotion both decided to move on.

Anderson, on the other hand, hasn’t faced much of a challenge in recent bouts as he’s bounced from middleweight to light heavyweight, but he is next scheduled to fight Vitor Belfort while fighters such as Nate Marquardt and Wanderlei Silva wait for their opportunities (for Marquardt, the fight would be a rematch.) Still, no fighter has put Silva quite on the brink of defeat like Henderson and with very few challenges for the Brazilian at middleweight, who wouldn’t welcome a reprise of their UFC 82 bout?

Welterweight: Georges St. Pierre (UFC) vs. Jake Shields (Strikeforce)

Georges St. Pierre faces a similar dilemma as Anderson Silva — he’s convincingly dispatched of the rest of the division and now has to wonder where his next true challenge will be. Some have openly discussed a move up to 185 pounds, with hopes that such a move, even if temporary, would result in a super-fight against A. Silva. For now, however, GSP faces Dan Hardy at 170 pounds, and while Hardy is certainly no slouch, it’s difficult to see the Brit doing anymore than previously vanquished UFC welterweight title contenders.

Enter Jake Shields. Shields first became welterweight champ in the now-defunct EliteXC. When he moved over to Strikeforce, he decided to fight at 185 pounds. And while he’s certainly big enough and skilled enough to be one of the best at either weight, his wrestling and BJJ skills along with his size make him a formidable matchup at 170 pounds. If Shields has one weakness, it’s his stand-up game and I have a feeling that at middleweight, this relative weakness would be exposed by the likes of all-around studs like Henderson or Marquardt, let alone Anderson Silva.

Of course, what complicates this scenario is that Shields’ stablemate Nick Diaz is fighting for the now-vacant Strikeforce welterweight title against Marius Zaromskis later this month. If Diaz were to win the belt, I’d have to imagine Shields would be hesitant to fight his fellow Cesar Gracie fighter for the belt. Regardless, in my ideal scenario, Shields would be Strikeforce’s 170 pound representative in the Super Bowl.

Lightweight: BJ Penn (UFC) vs. Shinya Aoki (Strikeforce)

Much like GSP and A. Silva, Penn has also cleared out his weight class. While his next opponent, Frankie Edgar, has certainly proven he’s one of the best in the world, the bottom line is that Penn is simply a step above every other lightweight in the UFC. Certainly a future match-up against former Pride stud and newly-signed UFC fighter Takonori Gomi holds promise but the reality is that MMA fans are clamoring for a Penn fight that the UFC can’t currently make — one against Gomi’s fellow countryman, Aoki.

Aoki was only recently announced as a Strikeforce signee and while he’s not Strikeforce’s current champ, he holds a ton of MMA cred given his performances in Dream. And, this is not to diminish the abilities of current Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez and past champ Josh Thomson. In fact, I think Melendez has a very legit shot of winning against Aoki, but given Aoki’s otherworldly ground skills, it would take an A+ effort from Melendez to do so. So, while I’m dreaming, I’ll predict that Aoki figures out a way to finish Melendez (which has never been done, by the way) and sets up the dream match against the lightweight demi-god Penn.

Junior Dos Santos needs to be considered a heavyweight title contender. The Brazilian has now dispatched his first four opponents inside the Octagon in devastating fashion, with MMA veteran Gilbert Yvel his latest victim courtesy of a heavy left hand. After proving himself against the UFC’s second tier heavyweights, it’s time to put Dos Santos in the cage with the likes of Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. If he can pick off a couple of those fighters, then Dos Santos should have a title shot within the next twelve months. Is there a harder hitter in MMA?

Paul Daley is still an unknown entity. One thing we know for sure is that if Daley gets his paws on you standing up, you’re in trouble. He proved that again at UFC 108 against young BJJ wiz Dustin Hazelett. I wrote before the event that I’d be more impressed with a victory over Hazelett than I was with Daley’s debut UFC performance against Martin Kampmann. Well, I have to modify that sentiment a bit because I don’t know that the victory really taught us anything about Daley. The main problem is that we just don’t know how far his ground game has progressed since losses to Nick Thompson and Jake Shields prior to coming to the UFC. What would Daley have done if he had faced a wiser, more seasoned (and stronger) Hazelett?

Regardless, Daley took care of business and reports coming out of the UFC 108 post-fight press conference indicate UFC president Dana White would like to match the Brit against one of two AKA fighters — Josh Koscheck or Jon Fitch — next. A win against either of these guys, regardless of how he achieves it, and I’m ready to proclaim Daley the real deal. But, let’s not get too excited quite yet even as we admire his explosive punching power.

Martin Kampmann has to find a way to break through the ceiling. Since his UFC debut at 185 pounds, Kampmann has been one of the promotion’s most tantalizing prospects. He would appear to have the all-around game to make a lot of noise, especially now that he is fighting at 170 pounds. But, the one problem Kampmann has had is breaking through against the elite. After all, it was his thorough loss to Nate Marquardt that sent him down to welterweight and his recent loss to Paul Daley that has him having to work his way back up the ladder. Against Jacob Volkmann at UFC 108, Kampmann re-established himself as a fighter who is on the cusp of belonging with the game’s best. Now, he has to find a way to push through.

Rashad Evans is workmanlike in victory. Recently, the former light heavyweight champ had become enamored with his stand-up game, scoring highlight reel victories over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. But, Evans’ loss to Lyoto Machida apparently made him reconsider his approach and in the UFC 108 Countdown show, he admitted as much. So, it was no surprise that the compact, powerful Evans went back to his wrestling roots to control Thiago Silva for the better part of three rounds. Coming off a loss, the most important thing for Evans to do was score a victory over a top fighter, which he did. To do so in dominating, even if unspectacular, fashion was icing on the cake. Reports out of the post-fight press conference have Evans facing TUF 10 rival Quinton Jackson in his next fight, which is the perfect bout for both of them. The winner of that fight should face the winner of the Machida-Mauricio Rua rematch for the light heavyweight belt.

Thiago Silva is not yet great. Much like Kampmann, Silva has a tantalizing array of skills to dazzle fans and when he wins it’s usually in spectacular fashion. But, now Silva finds himself in the company of fighters who are just as athletic and just as well-rounded. But, his opponents appear to have something — potentially better game plans or better technique — that he doesn’t. Thus, in Silva’s last two bouts against championship-level fighters in Machida and Evans, he has been thoroughly outperformed. It’s not even that Silva took that much damage against Evans, it’s just that he couldn’t get off on offense until the waning moments when it was too late. Give Evans credit for being able to establish his tempo early much like Machida did to Silva in their fight. I have faith in Silva though. He has way too much talent to go quietly into the night and his ground escapes at UFC 108 showed us his much-vaunted ground game to accompany his stand-up ability. Sometimes experience is the best teacher. If that’s the case, look for Silva to come back stronger the next time he faces a top contender.

Takanori Gomi adds depth to the UFC lightweight ranks. BJ Penn has cleared out the UFC 155 pound division in recent years. And, with the likes of Shinya Aoki apparently tied to Strikeforce, the UFC needed to find outside help to continue to give Penn a worthy challenge. With the announcement at UFC 108 that the promotion has signed former Pride champ Takanori Gomi, it appears that Dana White has made sure that Penn won’t be bored for too long. Gomi has struggled in recent years but he’s an entertaining fighter (who can forget his gogoplata “loss” to Nick Diaz when Pride came to Vegas a few years ago?) who is still relatively young and has the pedigree and MMA record to make him an instant contender. Interestingly enough, Gomi and Penn fought over six years ago with Penn securing a submission victory. If rumors are true that Gomi’s first Octagon fight will be against Kenny Florian, we will find out very quickly where the Japanese stands in the lightweight division. A victory would have to put him in position to fight Penn for the belt. Now, if we could only find GSP and Anderson Silva some fresh competition as well…

No other promotion in the world could survive the hits this card has taken and still put on the compelling fights the UFC has managed to give us (either that or the Countdown hype machine has worked its magic on me.) So, with that in mind, here are my predictions for the PPV and Spike TV fights (don’t forget Spike TV is airing two preliminary fights live starting at 9 PM ET.)

Main Event: Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

This is not the post-TUF 10 Rashad Evans bout Dana White was hoping for (clearly the Spike TV reality show was meant to build up to a contest against Quinton Jackson.) And, this is not the UFC 108 main event White had originally hoped for either.

Despite all this, Evans versus Thiago Silva is certainly a worthy main event fight that will probably propel the winner into light heavyweight title contention. Well, on second thought, that might be true if champ Lyoto Machida loses his rumored upcoming rematch against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. After all, does the UFC brass really believe fans want to see either Evans or Silva fight Machida again after both lost to him convincingly so recently?

Regardless, the fight at hand features two men who’ve only lost once each — to the same man, the aforementioned Machida. Evans did so to lose his belt earlier this year and Silva did so in Machida’s prior bout. Silva has since come back to previous form in destroying Evans campmate Keith Jardine. Evans himself was stellar as a TUF 10 coach. In other words, both men are back.

And, both like to put on a show standing up. And, both have formidable ground skills to complement their striking prowess, with Evans a D-1 collegiate wrestler and Silva a black belt practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

While I love what Evans brings to the table both as a fighter and as an ambassador for MMA, I believe Machida proved against him that an aggressive striking strategy by a fighter in his prime can handle Evans’ counter-striking and wrestling strengths. Silva is certainly aggressive on his feet and even if the fight goes to the ground, I believe he has the skills to match up well there too.

Pick: Silva by 2nd round TKO.

Paul Daley vs. Dustin Hazelett

Neither Paul Daley nor Dustin Hazelett can be considered welterweight title contenders because they are both one-dimensional. However, it just so happens that this bout presents fans with the classic style vs. style contrast — Daley throws bombs (or Semtex as his nickname would imply) while Hazelett has captured three submission of the night honors in the UFC on his way to becoming one of the more creative BJJ players in the sport.

While more casual UFC fans may see Daley’s debut UFC victory over elite fighter Martin Kampmann as a sign that the Brit is ready to make waves in the division owned by GSP, I’ll be much more impressed if Daley can overcome Hazelett tonight. That’s because Daley’s last two losses (both of which have come in the last 18 months) have come against superior BJJ players with limited stand-up skills in the form of Nick Thompson and Jake Shields.

In other words, if the fight remains standing, Hazelett’s corner should be concerned. However, if “Mcluvin” can get the fight to the ground, look for Daley to lose blood flow to his brain or have one of his appendages expertly twisted for a submission.

A win for either fighter does each a world of good. For Hazelett, it’s a high profile victory that he couldn’t capture against Josh Koscheck. For the large and solidly built Daley (who was unable to make weight for UFC 108), the victory proves that he can beat a fighter with extraordinary ground skills.

However, neither will be ready quite yet to fight the Jon Fitches or Thiago Alves — let alone GSP — of the UFC welterweight division.

Pick: Hazelett by first round submission

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel

Since his Octagon debut KO of heralded Fabricio Werdum (who is now in line to fight Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce) Junior Dos Santos has been making waves in a rapidly evolving UFC heavyweight division that suddenly features a plethora of title contenders. Since the victory over Werdum, Dos Santos has defeated Stefan Struve and Mirko Cro Cop, both in convincing manner. Clearly, his forte is hurting people with his fists.

Gilbert Yvel, however, can be counted on to not be intimidated. While he’s making his UFC debut, the Dutchman has fought over 50 times in an MMA career that spans over a decade. He too prefers striking but in his last big fight, he was essentially submitted after three rounds of suffering the fists of top 5 heavyweight Josh Barnett in Affliction’s final event.

It’s always fun when the heavyweights bang and both of these equally sized big men will definitely bang at UFC 108. The victor should be considered a title contender even as the status of the UFC heavyweight belt currently remains in limbo.

Pick: Dos Santos by second round TKO

Quick Picks

Remaining scheduled PPV bouts

• Jim Miller over Duane Ludwig by second round submission
• Joe Lauzon over Sam Stout by unanimous decision

Spike TV televised bouts

• Martin Kampmann over Jacob Volkmann by unanimous decision
• Cole Miller over Dan Lauzon by third round submission

Six polls are used to compile the Super Rankings and fighters in each poll are assigned between 10 and 1 points depending on the fighter’s ranking in a given poll (the higher the ranking the more points assigned.) The polls themselves are then weighted in the following manner: expert rankings are weighted with a 1.0 multiplier; computer rankings are weighted with a 0.5 multiplier; and fan rankings are weighted with a 0.25 multiplier. The individual poll results are added up to give a cumulative score and this score determines a fighter’s Super Ranking. The most points a fighter can earn is 37.5 and in fact four fighters earned this distinction.

The following polls are used:

Expert (1.0 multiplier)

•  Sherdog
• MMA Weekly

Computer (0.5 multiplier)

• MMA-Elo
• Fight Matrix
• Fight!

Fan (0.25 multiplier)

• MMA Playground

So, without further ado, here are the inaugural FanBias.com MMA Super Rankings by weight class.

Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight

Middleweight

Welterweight

Lightweight

Scott Smith Stuns Cung Le

Cung Le vs Scott Smith

Add his “Evolution” bout against Cung Le to Scott Smith’s growing list of comeback victories. Who can forget Smith’s comeback against Pete Sell in the UFC and his victory over Benji Radach earlier this year in Strikeforce? Much like Radach did against Smith in their fight, Le controlled this fight for the first two and a half rounds, using an assortment of kicks to knock Radach down repeatedly and even unleashing a power slam midway through round three. However, like Freddie Krueger in a Friday the 13th movie, Smith kept taking the punishment and coming back. Le had a chance to finish the fight in the first round on the ground as Smith turtled up, but Le couldn’t apply the finishing touches as his opponent got back to his feet. As numerous other opponents have found out, not finishing Smith when you have the chance can come back to haunt you.

And, for Le, in this case it did. With the fight seemingly in hand with only minutes remaining, Le got rocked first by a short left hook and then by a number of lefts and rights as he finally fell face first to the canvas. Smith scored the TKO victory with the finishing blows on the ground.

While Smith’s loss to Nick Diaz earlier this year would seem to indicate that he’s not ready to fight a BJJ talent on the level of middleweight champ Jake Shields, a fight that would be appealing for him would be one against newly signed middleweight Dan Henderson.

For Le, the ending was an unfortunate way to snap his unbeaten start in MMA. But, as the San Shou specialist said in his post-fight interview, he got caught by a punch and it happens to the best. So does losing. Now, the question is, how does Le come back from his first career loss, especially when he’s got a blossoming movie career to fall back on? I have to think this loss will make the former Strikeforce champ even hungrier and there’s not doubt Le still has the skills based on his first 12-13 minutes of action Saturday night.

Melendez Reclaims Title in Slugfest

Josh Thomson vs Gilbert Melendez

In another thrilling fight, lightweight Gilbert Melendez reclaimed the title his opponent Josh Thomson took from him last year. Since the first bout, the two have been unable to consummate the rematch due to injuries to Thomson. But, when the Bay area fighters did finally meet at “Evolution”, their bout was well worth the wait.

Unlike the first encounter, in which Thomson dominated by scoring takedowns and controlling on the ground, this fight was mostly a stand-up affair. Although Thomson showed early that he had the quicker hands, Melendez proved over the course of the bout that his hands were heavier. I scored Thomson winning the first round but Melendez winning the remaining four starting with a second round in which Melendez knocked Thomson down three times.

Melendez scored another knockdown in round five and though Thomson scored his second takedown of the night in that round as well, he was unable to finish the fight on the ground. Thomson connected consistently throughout the bout but could never rock Melendez.

The crowd was on its feet in the fifth round in appreciation of the effort the two men put forth and MMA fans will certainly clamor for a rubber match between the two. Clearly, the blueprint for that fight will be for Melendez to keep the fight standing and for Thomson to re-establish the takedowns that were mostly missing in the second bout.

In the meantime, the signing of KJ Noons means the former EliteXC lightweight champ might be a good opponent for Melendez. That bout would certainly promise to be a fan-friendly slugfest between two heavy-handed strikers.

While the Strikeforce 155 pound division isn’t as deep as that of the UFC, let there be no doubt that both Melendez and Thomson would be top five fighters in the UFC and I’d love to see either one go up against BJ Penn.

Jacare Introduces Himself to Deep Division

Jacare vs Matt Lindland

While Strikeforce has strong fighters in every weight class except 170 pounds, the promotion’s middleweight division is undoubtedly its deepest. And, at “Evolution” two more credible contenders made their Strikeforce debuts as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza took on Matt Lindland. Lindland, a former Olympic wrestling silver medalist, has never been afraid to fight the best and sports losses to Rampage Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko on his resume despite the fact that he is smaller than both fighters.

However, the Portland-based fighter suffered his second first-round stoppage loss in a row Saturday night, losing this time at the hands of a very impressive Souza. “Jacare” made a name for himself in Dream in 2008 by advancing to the finals of the Middleweight Grand Prix before ultimately falling to current Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi. Before that loss, Souza had run off 10 victories in a row.

Against Lindland, Souza showed that he was the quicker fighter on his feet but when the fight went to the ground, that’s where the Brazilian showed his true class. The chiseled BJJ expert nearly won with an armbar attempt before transitioning to an omo plata. Though Lindland escaped both submission moves, Souza was relentless and finally finished him off with an arm triangle choke.

The fight represented an impressive Strikeforce debut for Souza and one can only believe that a couple of more victories will put him in contention for Jake Shields’ crown. And, wouldn’t that be quite a match-up between two superb BJJ practitioners? One can only fantasize about a Souza-Anderson Silva showdown one day.

“King Mo” Begins his Reign

Mo Lawal vs Mike Whitehead

Another highly-anticipated debut didn’t disappoint as “King Mo” Lawal defeated a much bigger Mike Whitehead via TKO in the first round of their bout. A showman in all senses of the word in and out of the cage, Lawal came in with impressive college wrestling credentials and a knack for powerful slams followed by devestating ground-and-pound.

At “Evolution”, however, Lawal didn’t need either as he rocked Whitehead with strikes standing before finishing with more punches on the ground. While the victory came at heavyweight, I have a feeling Lawal will be best suited at light heavyweight given how small he is for the 265 pound division.

Although the heavyweight class in Strikeforce could use additional depth, Strikeforce really needs to find elite fighters to take on its 205 lb. champ Gegard Mousasi. With Dan Henderson saying he will fight at 185 lb., Lawal is one of the few remaining fighters who could prove to be a legitimate challenge in that division.

Lawal has all the potential in the world given his solid wrestling base, athleticism, and quickly improving striking. I don’t necessarily want to see him fight for the 205 lb. title immediately but given the lack of depth in that class, I could see him in a title fight by the end of 2010.

More to Come

Strikeforce’s next big Showtime card comes at the end of January and looks like it will follow on the heels of “Evolution” by providing fans with more quality match-ups as well as intriguing fighters. Heavyweight Bobby Lashley and former NFL star Herschel Walker make their Strikeforce debuts on that card, while female champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos fights for the first time since defeating “the face of women’s MMA” Gina Carano this past summer.

(Photos courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce.)