MMA and the UFC in particular are exploding in popularity. As evidenced by the highlights on Sportscenter now, the sport is ready to go mainstream. I love boxing, and Jake will probably keep you guys up to date on it, but MMA needs its due. Lets just hope it doesn't get too WWF on us. And lets hope they build their fighters and find a few superstars to fill the seats. Dana White is hoping this first fighter can be that guy...
Heavyweight Champion (205-265):
Sugar Rashad Evans: Explosive athlete. Appeared on the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, winning the heavyweight class. Sugar Rashad was a National Junior College wrestling champion before wrestling at Michigan State. 18-0-1 MMA record, while fighting some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Decision victories against Bonnar and Bisbing, KO wins over Griffin and Liddell. Only blemish was a draw with Tito Ortiz. Tested fighter who occasionally appears to be out of shape, but manages to win none the less. Explosive striker, and excellent wrestler. (Liddell KO / headkick video)
Middleweight Champion (170-185):
Anderson “the Spider” Silva: Straight finishes fights. This man is a ninja, and arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Even though he is relatively new to the UFC, he is by no means new to MMA fighting (23-4). He is a primarily known for this Muy Thai skills, but no one has found a weakness in his game yet. He is been virtually unstoppable since arriving in the UFC, and seen the 3rd round only once. Wins over Leben, Lutter, Franklin (2), Henderson, Irwin (fought at 205lbs). Arguably the most skilled striker in MMA today. Its as good as over once he locks in the Thai Clench.
Welterweight Champion (155-170):
Heavyweight Champion (205-265):
Brock Lesnar: Physically, Lesnar is the equivalent of Lebron James rookie year in the NBA. The man is still pretty raw, but physically he is a freak. 6’3’’ 265lbs of straight power. He put together a pretty impressive resume prior to entering MMA. He was a 2 time All-American college wrestler (106-5, one of those losses to New England Patriots guard Stephen Neal), WWE wrestler, made final cuts for the Minnesota Vikings (DE). In 3 UFC fights (2-1), that one loss to the revitalized and interim champion Frank Mir, in Lesnar’s MMA debut (knee bar submission). Man’s fists are the size of 16 oz boxing gloves.
Frank Mir (Interim): Personally not a huge Mir fan, however, his skills are undeniable. He is primarily known for his grappling/ground game, but in demonstrated very impressive striking in his demolition TKO of “Big Nog”, making him the first MMA fighter ever to finish “Big Nog”. Mir is as cocky as they come, but with a 12-3 MMA record, with some impressive wins on his resume including Tim Sylvia(snapped his arm), Big Nog, and Brock Lesnar, who can blame him.
Light Heavyweight Champion (185-205):
Frank Mir (Interim): Personally not a huge Mir fan, however, his skills are undeniable. He is primarily known for his grappling/ground game, but in demonstrated very impressive striking in his demolition TKO of “Big Nog”, making him the first MMA fighter ever to finish “Big Nog”. Mir is as cocky as they come, but with a 12-3 MMA record, with some impressive wins on his resume including Tim Sylvia(snapped his arm), Big Nog, and Brock Lesnar, who can blame him.
Light Heavyweight Champion (185-205):
Sugar Rashad Evans: Explosive athlete. Appeared on the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, winning the heavyweight class. Sugar Rashad was a National Junior College wrestling champion before wrestling at Michigan State. 18-0-1 MMA record, while fighting some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Decision victories against Bonnar and Bisbing, KO wins over Griffin and Liddell. Only blemish was a draw with Tito Ortiz. Tested fighter who occasionally appears to be out of shape, but manages to win none the less. Explosive striker, and excellent wrestler. (Liddell KO / headkick video)
Middleweight Champion (170-185):
Anderson “the Spider” Silva: Straight finishes fights. This man is a ninja, and arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Even though he is relatively new to the UFC, he is by no means new to MMA fighting (23-4). He is a primarily known for this Muy Thai skills, but no one has found a weakness in his game yet. He is been virtually unstoppable since arriving in the UFC, and seen the 3rd round only once. Wins over Leben, Lutter, Franklin (2), Henderson, Irwin (fought at 205lbs). Arguably the most skilled striker in MMA today. Its as good as over once he locks in the Thai Clench.
Welterweight Champion (155-170):
George “Rush” St Pierre: Possibly the best athlete in the UFC, arguably one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Demonstrates a scary combination of speed and power. Looks much larger than 170lbs. Holds an impressive 17-2 MMA record with victories over Parysian, Hughes, BJ Penn, Sherk, Serra, Koschek, Fitch. Basically he has beaten the highest quality of fighter in each of his UFC fights. Pushes the pace, rarely fails on a take down, athletically is on another level than his opponents at this weight class.
Lightweight Champion (145-155):
BJ “the Prodigy” Penn: The most flexible fighter I have ever seen. Fights at 155, but will be fighting George “Rush” St Pierre (Jan. 31, 2009) at 170lbs. World renound BJJ fighter, he was the first American born black belt World Jiu Jitsu Champion. Skill set extends far beyond just his incredible ground game. Penn is an excellent striker (just ask Sean Sherk), and an iron head. Holds a 14-4-1 MMA record including wins against Din Thomas, Pulver, Hughes, Stevenson, and Sherk.
Lightweight Champion (145-155):
BJ “the Prodigy” Penn: The most flexible fighter I have ever seen. Fights at 155, but will be fighting George “Rush” St Pierre (Jan. 31, 2009) at 170lbs. World renound BJJ fighter, he was the first American born black belt World Jiu Jitsu Champion. Skill set extends far beyond just his incredible ground game. Penn is an excellent striker (just ask Sean Sherk), and an iron head. Holds a 14-4-1 MMA record including wins against Din Thomas, Pulver, Hughes, Stevenson, and Sherk.-------
Nice breakdown Richie. I decided to throw in one more youtube for the casual fans trying to get a handle on who's who in the MMA game.
WEC Featherweight Contender - Urijah Faber
The WEC is owned by the UFC. It focuses on lighter weight fighters and holds the majority of their events in California. I wanted to let you know about Urijah Faber, a kid in the featherweight that doesn't even hold the title. Faber got caught and knocked out by Mike Brown in November but that almost doesn't even matter. Faber is 21-2 and dominant in that 145 lb weight class. Lauzon trained with him a little last year when Faber was training to fight Pulver, and he was telling me the guy is just unreal. Very explosive striker, can wrestle, well rounded, and even tapped Lauzon once when they were sparring. And Im pretty sure the only person who taps Joey is BJ. Anyway, Faber will get the title back and if he goes on another long win streak I wouldn't be surprised if they throw big money at him to make a run at the UFC lightweight crown. (which would be hard because hes such a natural 145) Peep the highlight.
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