MMA Humpday

Columns, News

Editor’s Note: The 2008 Inside Fights Awards have been tabulated and the results will be posted tomorrow. Also, stay tuned for a special announcement about some cool upcoming Inside Fights stuff!

The holidays knocked MMA Humpday out of circulation last week but it is back for the last edition of 2008.  There is a lot of MMA News out there so lets get started.
 
UFC 92 fallout

The thinking going into UFC 92 was that the winners of Rampage-Wanderlei and Forrest-Rashad would meet in the next light heavyweight title match. While this may hold true Rampage has expressed interest in avenging his loss to Forrest Griffin next.

While this fight might seem like a good idea on the surface the UFC has to be guarded with the reputations of their most marketable fighters. While Forrest is wildly popular, getting a second straight loss, even to Rampage, would be detrimental to his stock as a fighter. 

Dana White seems to be leaning toward a fight between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson.

“To be honest with you, I’d love to see Rashad vs. Rampage,” White revealed to host Dave Carmichael during Monday’s edition of ‘The Carmichael Dave Show.’ “I think that would be a fun fight.”

Another possibility for Rashad Evans could be Lyoto Machida – assuming he beats Thiago Silva at UFC 94. While many have speculated that the UFC is hesitant to put Machida in a title fight – because of his perceived boring style – Dana White seemed to be optimistic about Machida in the same interview with Dave Carmichael.

“Lyoto is an awesome fighter,” White said. “He’s got a great fight coming up and both guys are undefeated… If he wins this fight he’s definitely in the mix too… A lot of people think his style is too evasive and not engaging but once he starts getting comfortable in that Octagon like all of the other guys, he’s going to come into his own and he’s going be very exciting. 
 
Lesnar vs. Mir 2

Inside Fights Editor Jeremy Botter has reported that the Lesnar-Mir rematch, which will unify the heavyweight title, could take place as early as April. This would put the fight on the UFC 97 card, which takes place in Montreal. 

Already set to take place on the card is a Middleweight title fight between Anderson Silva and Thales Leites – although it has been reported that Silva has not officially signed his contract.
Canadian MMA fans would surely be ecstatic if both of these title fights ended up on the UFC card. Our neighbors to the north are some of the most devoted fans of the sport and this would certainly be a way for Dana White to reward their loyalty.

What that being said, some are questioning the loyalty of the UFC to England.
 
UFC 95 – a bust with the British

Many fans across the pond seem to be less then pleased with the fight card shaping up for UFC 95. While British fans may have reason to complain I feel it was simply a matter of timing for the event.
The quality of fight cards tends to ebb and flow and a lot of that has to do with what fighters are available and what fights can be put together. The UFC tried to give the England audience a fight featuring Anderson Silva and/or Chuck Liddell but nothing came together.

The card could get a nice boost if a rumored fight between BJJ ace Demian Maia and former “unofficial” WEC Middleweight Champ Chael Sonnen. This fight will join Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia and the possible main event of Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson.

An intriguing heavyweight bout between Shane Carwin and Gabriel Gonzaga could still make it on the card but more likely will be saved for UFC 96.
 
UFC 96 – to Chuck or not to Chuck

Dana White has said that the main event for UFC 96 could include Chuck Liddell or not. They seem to be playing a wait-and-see game.  Liddell has already said that he wants a rematch with Keith Jardine but the UFC doesn’t seem interested in putting that fight together.

There could be several reasons they aren’t interested in the rematch. 1) They don’t think the fight would generate enough interest. 2) They want Liddell to remain marketable and a loss to Jardine would be a near death sentence. 3) If Liddell loses they want to set up the winner as a title contender and Jardine doesn’t fit the bill. Probably all three apply to some extent.

Enter Shogun Rua. Jeremy Botter has reported that if Shogun comes out of his UFC 93 fight against Mark Coleman unscathed he could be Liddell’s next opponent. The turnaround would be quick – only 5 weeks – and if Rua had any medical suspensions the fight would be unlikely.

Another option for Chuck could be the loser of Franklin- Henderson. This match is also on the UFC 93 card so the loser would have the same five week turn around. It has been speculated that Liddell could have fought Wanderlei Silva, win or lose at UFC 92, but Silva’s KO loss left him momentarily unconscious so a medical suspension likely nixes a March rematch with Liddell.

So the wait-and-see approach will likely continue until post-UFC 93. If all options fail they may just postpone a Liddell fight until April through June but Chuck has said adamantly he doesn’t want to wait that long to fight.
 
Could Couture-Nogueria finally happen?

Rewind the UFC calendar far enough and a Couture-Nogueria seemed like a foregone conclusion. Now it might actually come to fruition. Randy Couture has said he wants to put fights together that are intriguing and fighting the PRIDE Legend might fit the bill. For the record Nogueria has expressed interest in a fight with the current UFC hall-of-famer.

Speaking with Five Ounces of Pain,  Nogueira confirmed:

“I would accept the fight with Randy Couture. It would be a nice match. He lost his last fight, but he is still a legend. It would be a great promotion.”

Couture has said he is also open to dropping to the light heavyweight division where several intriguing matchups are possible. Despite that, Couture seems most interested in getting a rematch with Brock Lesnar. A win over Nogueria would probably be enough to garner that rematch although the winner of Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga may contest that notion.
 
Okami a No. 1 contender

After recording another decision win, this time against Dean Lister, Dana White said, “Yushin Okami will be getting a title shot. Definitely,” While the fight was overshadowed by more exciting fights at UFC 92, Okami seemed to do enough to solidify his spot in the Middleweight Division.

The only question is will Okami be fighting Anderson Silva, or will Silva have vacated the division by then? Okami holds a victory over Silva, albeit a DQ win due to an illegal kick by Silva. While Okami has an impressive 7-1 record in the UFC his fights are considered boring. Despite that, it’s hard to deny his winning record. 
 
 UFC back to Chicago

When asked during a recent chat with AOL Fanhouse about a possible return to Chicago, White responded by simply saying “July.”

The UFC was last in Chicago for UFC 90 and the bizarre main event that featured Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote.  Fans booed during the fight and left  bewildered due to the anti climatic finish to the show. It seems like the UFC would like to repair their reputation in the windy city.

It has been rumored that UFC 100 will take place July 4 so while the Chicago event could be UFC 101, it seems more likely it would be an Ultimate Fight Night card.
 
You’re Tito Ortiz Fix

Also on AOL Fanhouse, White said of Ortiz:

“I have no intention of bringing him back. I don’t think he’s at the level for the UFC anymore. But I never say never either.”

So Dana White, what are you saying? 
 
That’s all for now MMA fans – See you in 2009.

Brian has been an avid fan of MMA ever since he saw Randy Couture beat Vitor Belfort back at UFC 15. In 2008, he decided to embark on a new career by combining his love of MMA and writing. Brian received his M.B.A. from Texas Tech University and currently resides in New York City.