UFC 124 was far from disappointing.  Submissions, KO’s and dominant performances were the highlight of the evening.  A resilient comeback was performed by the brazilian, Thiago Alves against Jon Howard.  This American Top Team has been surrounded by negative press such as his failure to make weight and poor performance against Jon Fitch in his last match up.  Thiago came out with lethal blows, precision striking and in peak condition.  This promising welterweight was determined to work hard with a great comeback or Dana White and the Fertita brothers really scared him.  Either way, his performance was great.  Although, he suffered a tough loss, Jon Howard, showed he had a tremendous amount of “heart,” by fighting through those lethal leg kicks Thiago was happy to deliver.  Without a doubt the UFC was happy with the performance of both fighters. 

What’s next for both fighters?

Thiago Alves has always been a top contender at 170 lbs, and fortunately for him, the welterweight division is stacked with competition.  A few possible for match ups, to once again, continue the trail for title contention would include fighters such as: Dan Hardy, Mike Swick, Nate Diaz, Anthony Johnson, Paulo Thiago, Diego Sanchez or Martin Kampmann.

Jon Howard is currently 4-2 in the UFC but has suffered 2 consecutive but losses.  This fighter should not worry about being cut, being that the UFC loves for fighters to be aggressive, and deliver an action-packed fight. Howard certainly delivered an entertaining fight in UFC 124 as he continued to push forward despite the brutal punishment he received. I see Howard going back to the drawing board, work on his weaknesses and, possibly, try out a different camp that will, possibly, modify his style of fighting.  As many of us know, MMA constantly changes.

Without a doubt, as Dana mentioned, the battle between Riddle and Person should have been “Fight of the Night”.  Sean Pierson did have a dominant win against Riddle butn no one can question Riddle’s heart.  In the 1st round, Pierson dropped the former TUF alumn with a straight right, as he was about to deliver a kne strike.  It was a poor attempt, byMtt, in delivering the knee strike, but he managed to get through the first round.  Pierson continued to deliver strikes but Riddle would not back down.  Pierson landed better and more powerful punches and Riddle continued to move forward, land hardly any strikes and recieved astorm of punches.  As minutes progressed, Pierson seemed to be the tired one and visible signs of damage were apparent in his facial area.  Matt, though he was loosing the fight, and continued to recieve a barage of punches, remained active and pushed the pace forward.  Action-packed until the end, Sean Pierson was the victor ofthe match and demonstrated his talent to all his fellow canadian.  Too many, including me, Mat Riddle was the winner in terms of popularity.  Win streaks are great but fighters who enjoy fighting and punching the “living daylights” out of each other are those who win crowds.  Matt proved to be ont of those fighters that day.  He has officially won me over as a fan.  Also, Dana White, along with the UFC, praise actions such as these and will keep Riddle for quite some time-no danger of being “cut.”  Afterall, Dana loves these matches.

On UFC 124, Georges St. Pierre will face Josh Koscheck, both coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12.  Josh has been doing some “Mad” trash talking throughout the show and various media outlets.  His confidence is sky-high and, according to Kos, GSP will suffer his first KO loss.  I must say, Koscheck has his hands full.  Keep in mind, GSP has only lost twice, has defeated, two of the most successful UFC fighters, BJ Penn and Matt Hughes (twice), and is enjoying a 7-fight win streak.  This Canadian fighter is just becoming stronger and stronger by eliminating any flaws in his game and overpowering fighters with his “sic” wrestling skills.  By having the best coaches on his side, St. Pierre will be ready for this fight.

But…..

What about Koscheck?  We keep on hearing about how GSP will crumble to the floor by KO once they step into the ring.  We are all well aware of Koscheck’s punching power, but his opponent has speed and a powerful takedown that can easily counter his “overhand right.”  The best strategy for Koscheck is to push forward, remain active with punches, and avoid being careless.  It would be best to avoid a ground game with GSP, being that the Canadian can, more than likely, over power Koscheck.  We shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Josh, after all, he was a successful wrestler in his college days.  Win or loose……. Koscheck has done his best to “hype” this fight.  Indeed all of Canada “HATES JOSH KOSCHECK.” With the promotion and commentary he has been pushing, will surely up the ratings.  Hell, he should get a hefty bonus for all the trash talk he’s been doing.  It’s a big obstacle for Josh and a tough opponent for GSP.  We wish the best for both fighters.

Dana White, UFC President, is known for being a blunt, outspoken promoter.  He says what’s on his mind, unafraid of anyone’s opinions.  He is known for being a dream maker and dream breaker to MMA fighters aspiring to fight in the UFC.  Recently, Dana White made it well-known to the MMA community that he is unhappy with Greg Jackson’s fighters on their performance of “safety first” style versus the more exciting style that his guys are known for.  These comments were recently made after Nate Marquardt’s loss against Yusin Okami.  Nate, the Greg Jackson fighter, threw hardly any punches in the last round of the bout, quite atypical for his style.  Nate, a former king of Pancrase champion, is known for having an energetic, active style of fighting which includes knockout power, brutal ground ‘n pound and savvy with submissions– all elements that make a fighter exciting.  Apparently, the style of Nate has gone sour and boring because Jackson chooses to go with a boring game plan.

Greg Jackson defended his style and fighters by mentioning the following:

“Here’s a quick stat for you. So there’s been 22 [UFC events] this year? We had 12 bonuses so far this year,” Jackson said in a phone interview. “So one out of every two, one of my fighters got Submission of the Night, Knockout of the Night, or Fight of the Night.”

Clearly, White has some  motive for making his negative comments towards the “Yoda” of MMA because these facts do not lie.  Of all people, Dana should have known the level of success these fighters have attained in the UFC.  One can assume that Dana’s intention is not to criticize but to steer Greg’s fighters towards a more exciting, action-packed, game plan and dispose the boring, “safety first” plan– hint, hint, GSP. In all fairness, Dana has made it known that he does respect Greg Jackson.  The UFC is strong enough to work without the Greg Jackson fighters but it would lose a large talent pool.  As mentioned before, a large portion of Greg’s fighters have received some form of honors in UFC events.  

Questions and opportunities arise once a dominant champion get’s dethroned.  Recently, BJ Penn, “The Prodigy,” or a “legend” as far as I’m concerned, blew his last opportunity to regain his lightweight title.  Franke Edgar, a native of New Jersey, beat BJ Penn twice confirming his status a champion at 155 lbs.  Several high-caliber fighters such as Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk,  and Joe Stevenson made the attempt to challenge the Hilo native but failed.  Penn has been known to go up and down in weight classes challenging all fighters that come across his path.  Not many MMA fighters are capable of performing such feat, for the exception of those who have a “legendary” status in the sport.  He is an unquestionably a superb fighter but is no longer the champion.

Franke Edgar, East Coast native, a highly underrated fighter, has accomplished a task that veteran UFC fighters have failed to achieve,  defeat BJ Penn.  Edgar has only one blemish in his record, against his next opponent, Gray Maynard.  After his loss,UFN 13,  Edgar earned a 3-fight win streak that gave him a shot at the title.  The speed of this scrappy fighter makes him a dangerous foe in the lightweight division, just ask BJ.  A true test for Gray “The Bully” Maynard whom, to this moment, has not suffered any losses (10-0-1).  Maynard, by all means, is no “slow-poke.”  He has great speed, better striking, and powerful takedowns.  Kenny Florian had no answer to Gray’s power in UFC 118.  Both Maynard and Edgar are high-caliber fighters, but who will challenge the victor of this bout?

Well, a fighter that does deserve a shot is Ben Henderson, if he beats his opponent in the upcoming WEC event.  He has been the lightweight champion in the WEC and has defended his title twice.  As for current UFC fighters, well,  to mention several names would be a daunting task.  Ken-Flo and Sherk are definitely out of the question.  Evan Dunham is a possibility depending on how much is recent loss affected him.  George Sotiropoulos, in my opinion, is not at a “Champ-level caliber.”  Possibly if he can earn a couple more W’s against a “big name,” among the lightweights just might earn him the spot.  Gomi, still a dangerous opponent maybe considered past his prime.  Although, he did KO Tyson Griffin in true “Fireball Kid” fashion.  We cannot dismiss Melvin Guillard, whom is currently on a 3 fight win streak.  Under new coaching, Greg Jackson, he can possibly break away from his one-dimensional arsenal, striking.  To find a  challenger is possible but a “true challenger” is a  bit more difficult.  Joe Silva will have his hands full.

On UFC 123, once again, we have seen the agonizing burden that is poor judging.  Our current victim of such deed is no other than the Xtreme Couture fighter, Tyson Griffin.  The split decision loss is Tyson’s 3rd loss in a row against Evan Dunham, Takonoro Gomi and Nick Lentz.  Questions if he would receive a pink slip from the “unforgiving” UFC were circulating around the MMA community.  Luckily,  It has been confirmed that Griffin will not be “let go” and will remain in the highly competitive organization.

The addition of the featherweight division, 145 lbs., has created a new option for all lightweight contenders in the UFC.  Indeed, it is impeccable timing for Tyson Griffin being that his luck appears to have ran out in the lightweight division, and his body frame will keep him at a disadvantage if he were to move to the welterweight division.  The UFC has been “shady” as far as the method the organization chooses to hand out “pink slips.”  Recently, Gerald Harris was “let go” of the organization after one loss.  Griffin has much to thank Dana White for holding on to him after not one, two but three losses.  This native of Santa Rosa, California seems to be a perfect fit  for the  featherweight division.   Many have speculated that Griffin carries some extra weight around his waist, weight that he could easily drop if he were to cut 10 pounds.  His fight in UFC 103, against Hermes Franca, one can notice the extra weight.  Regardless of what action the Xtreme Couture fighter might take, he must, henceforth, due his best to finish fights or win in a convincing manner.  It is highly doubtful that the UFC will hold on to him after fourth straight loss.  Griffin seems to be a humble fighter whom has no other desire than to remain in the UFC.  Hopefully, we continue seeing him in the octagon.

On UFC 123, the co-main event was set to promise a spectacular match of veteran vs. veteran, The Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes against The Prodigy, BJ Penn.  Both of these fighters are more legends than ex-champions of the MMA world.  Too many, this fight was predicted to be a grueling match that could easily go to either opponent.

But, in a matter of 21 seconds of the first round, Penn KO’d Hughes and left him on the canvas of the octagon.  Dismayed, Hughes, after the knockout,  was still asking his corner-man what happened.  Well, Hughes, you got KTFO!!!  It was daunting to many, as to how Matt, coming from a 3-fight win streak can loose so quickly.  Afterall, his recent victories include notorious fighters such as Ricardo Almeida, Renzo Gracie, and Matt Serra.  BJ Penn,  having recently lost two Franke Edgar twice, lost the lightweight championship belt.  Another strike against BJ Penn for this fight is the fact that he had to go up a weight class (170 lbs.) , most of his past fights have been at 155 lbs.

The outcome of this fight clearly illustrates how easy the tables can turn for a fighter.  Regardless of the end-result, these two pioneers have cemented the sport of MMA into the hearts of many fans worldwide.  Hopefully, we can see Matt and BJ a couple more times before they call it quits.

These two UFC veterans have seen it all.  Great victory streaks, championship belts and disappointing losses.  Penn and Hughes have fought twice before: UFC46, BJ Penn won and took welterweight belt from Hughes and UFC63, Matt Hughes beat Penn by TKO in the 3rd Round.  Both fighters are in their 30′s, yet they still remain highly competitive in the UFC, like a Randy Couture of sorts.

Matt Hughes was a true American champion that ruled the Welterweight Division until that fateful event, UFC 46, in which BJ Penn easily dominated “the good ‘ol country boy” from Illinois.  Matt retained his status as the champion, until St. Pierre took that away, and he also  suffered  some losses.  But, the mighty resilient Hughes is currently on a 3-fight win streak, recently defeating Ricardo Almeida, a top UFC welterweight contender.  It seems that Matt put his personal plans on hold to have this rematch with BJ.

BJ Penn, what is there left to say about this “Prodigy.” He has dominated opponents from all weight classes, despite his small frame and continues to instill fear in his opponents.  Penn is well-known for being one of the few, or only, fighters, whom has brutally punished GSP in the octagon.  As a lightweight, BJ Penn was running rampant destroying top fighters the UFC had to offer.  Well-respected fighters such as Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, and Sean Sherk had all fallen victims to this Hawaiian MMA fighter.  His championship streak ended when he stepped in the ring to face Franke Edgar.  Penn’s hopes of retaining his belt ended in UFC 118, via unanimous decision.  Still, he remains a contender, just not an immediate one for the lightweight belt.  But this uncanny fighter has the “awesome” ability to compete in the welterweight division, a weight class in which he was a previous champion.

We will see, once again, on UFC 123, BJ Penn at 170 lbs., against no other than another legend that is Matt Hughes.  Great fight!! This fight will be just as exciting to watch as the main event.

Is it all over for the Huntington Beach Bad Boy?  Should he hang the 5 oz. gloves and call it quits?  Many people are starting to doubt if Tito Ortiz can still compete in today’s UFC.

Why do these doubts exist?  Well, Tito has gone 0-5-1, not one win in the past four years.  Tito left the UFC for a while and left, in bad terms, with Dana White.  Somehow, Tito and Dana put their differences behind and renewed the Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s contract.  Upon his return, Tito fought Forrest Griffin and lost this much needed victory.  To make matters worst, Tito fought UFC 121 against Matt Hamill, a former student under Tito in the show The Ultimate Fighter 3.  Matt completely dominated the bout with his fast, well-timed punches and neutralized Tito’s wrestling abilities.

This marked the turning point in Tito’s dwindling career.  Dana White had a talk with Tito in which his future was discussed.  Apparently, the Team Punishment founder is not quite done yet and will be facing Antonio Rogerio Nogeuira in March 2011 in Abu Dhabi, according to MMA mania.

Based on his performance on UFC 121, Tito has a slim chance of beating Nogueira.  His punches were non-existent; his takedown shots were stopped, and his strategy was quite predictable.  Having just a strong wrestling background was enough to be a champion years ago, not in today’s MMA.  This fact is reminiscent of the Lesnar v. Velasquez in UFC 121.  Tito’s future looks bad in the UFC, but there is always hope in Strikeforce or Bellator.  I would definitely watch Sobral or Henderson fight Ortiz.

UFC 123 will be hosting the main event fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.  Both top contenders and ex-light heavy weight champions are eager to face each other to have the opportunity at fighting for the belt.  Jackson (30-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) recently suffered a minor setback in his loss against Rashad; winner of this bout would be guaranteed a shot at the title against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whom dethroned Lyoto Machida in UFC 113.

Rampage has talked about certain matters that lead him to loss against Rashad “Suga” Evans. He commented the following to MMAjunkie:
“I know exactly the reason why I lost that fight.”  “I knew I lost that fight before I even stepped in the cage.  The day I lost that fight was a couple of weeks before the fight even started, so it didn’t have anything to do with the movie tour or anything.”

Now training in the UK, Rampage has a clear mind and an excellent training camp.  He believes he is prepared and focused for this fight against Machida.

Lyoto Machida (16-1 MMA record, 8-1 UFC) lost his light heavyweight belt against Mauricio Rua.  In an interview with GRACIEMAG, Lyoto mentioned that he will attack Rampage’s weaknesses, such as mediocre striking and ground game.  On the other hand, he did give credit to Rampage on his wrestling and strength.

Rampage will have to change his game if he wants win this fight.  More than likely, Machida is going to score with strikes, evade and frustrate Rampage.  Unless, he adapts to Machida’s style as Rua did; Jackson will have to throw more leg strikes; combos, and submissions, techniques that he doesn’t heavily rely on.  It has been close to a decade since he last won via armbar.  He will need to shock Machida and catch him off guard.  Machida can shock Rampage with lightning fast strikes with hands, elbows, knees legs, or feet.  The brazil-native has a diverse arsenal.  Many speculate that he will adopt the same techniques he used to beat Rashad Evans.  Why not?  Rashad has a strong wrestling base with decent striking– strengths which Machida easily overcame.