Author: Ben Fowlkes

The MMA Wrap-Up: Post-UFC 118 Edition

Filed under: UFCAfter an interesting night of fights in Boston, the MMA Wrap-Up returns to break down UFC 118 and ask, in its own whimsical style, will MMA fans finally recognize Frankie Edgar as the world’s best lightweight after his domination of B.J…

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After an interesting night of fights in Boston, the MMA Wrap-Up returns to break down UFC 118 and ask, in its own whimsical style, will MMA fans finally recognize Frankie Edgar as the world’s best lightweight after his domination of B.J. Penn?

You’d think that would be an easy question, since Edgar just won his second straight fight over the top-ranked 155-pounder. But if we’ve learned anything from message boards and comment sections, it’s that nothing is ever that simple when dealing when Penn and his passionate fans.

Join me for that conversation, as well as a few obligatory shots at James Toney, in this week’s post-UFC 118 MMA Wrap-Up.

James Toney Demonstrates Willingness to Put a Price on His Dignity at UFC 118

Filed under: UFCJames Toney swore that he knew what he was doing with this MMA stuff. Of course, he also said he was the most feared man in boxing, so it’s not as if his credibility was in mint condition coming into UFC 118.

Toney showed up for his m…

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James Toney swore that he knew what he was doing with this MMA stuff. Of course, he also said he was the most feared man in boxing, so it’s not as if his credibility was in mint condition coming into UFC 118.

Toney showed up for his mixed martial arts debut in Boston on Saturday night looking like he’d trained more for a competitive eating contest than a professional fight. Fortunately his conditioning (or lack thereof) never had a chance to become an issue, as former UFC champ Randy Couture took him down with ease and submitted him with an arm triangle choke in less time than it takes to make microwave popcorn.

Not that this outcome should surprise anyone. Even if Toney had diligently worked on his ground game since signing a UFC contract, there’s simply no way, in the span of a few months, that a 42-year-old boxer is going to learn to wrestle like a guy whose cauliflower ear has cauliflower ear.

UFC 118: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCUFC 118 in Boston is just a few hours away, so in order to get a perspective on the action from the people who are paid to know winners from losers, let’s examine tonight’s main card betting odds.

With one new champ defending his tit…

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UFC 118 in Boston is just a few hours away, so in order to get a perspective on the action from the people who are paid to know winners from losers, let’s examine tonight’s main card betting odds.

With one new champ defending his title against the man he took it from, and one boxing great crossing over into a brand new sport that he seems to only barely understand, you’d think there would be a vast difference in the odds on the two co-main event bouts. In reality, the two lines are more similar than you might think, and they favor neither the champ nor the big-mouthed boxer.

Let’s break it down below and see who the smart choices are at UFC 118.

Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 118 Predictions With Pat Miletich

Filed under: UFCIf you’ve heard MMA legend and former UFC champ Pat Miletich’s contributions to the Strikeforce: Challengers broadcasts or his analysis on ESPN’s “MMA Live,” then it won’t surprise you to know that Miletich had a lot of really insightfu…

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If you’ve heard MMA legend and former UFC champ Pat Miletich‘s contributions to the Strikeforce: Challengers broadcasts or his analysis on ESPN’s “MMA Live,” then it won’t surprise you to know that Miletich had a lot of really insightful things to say when I called him to play Fighter vs. Writer for UFC 118.

So insightful, in fact, that it immediately made me wonder why I was dumb enough to choose Miletich to go up against, when I’m a dismal 1-4 in this series so far.

So the bad news is that I’m up against a superior MMA mind this week. The good news is that I got to hear Miletich break down the upcoming card, which includes one fight where “The Croatian Sensation” says there’s an epic beating in store for one of the interested parties. Can you guess who?

Yeah, you probably can. But you should still read all about how both Miletich and I see the main card playing out on Saturday night.

How Do We Fix MMA’s Officiating Issues? Training and Accountability

There’s no getting around it, MMA has some problems when it comes to officiating. I’m not just talking about suspect decisions. I’m talking about baffling interpretations of the rules inside the cage, including but not limited to bizarre stand-ups like…

There’s no getting around it, MMA has some problems when it comes to officiating. I’m not just talking about suspect decisions. I’m talking about baffling interpretations of the rules inside the cage, including but not limited to bizarre stand-ups like the one that may or may not have cost former WWE star Bobby Lashley a win against Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston last weekend.

In case you somehow missed it, referee Jon Schorle (who has a bit of a history of flubbing calls) opted to stand Lashley up out of the full mount in the second round. At first it seemed as though he was doing so to check the cut under Lashley’s eye, but MMA Fighting has confirmed that Schorle actually brought the fighters to the feet because he felt Lashley wasn’t active enough from the top position.

I’ll pause a moment so you can take that in. Lashley had achieved full mount, one of the most dominant positions you can have, but he lost it when the referee decided that his occasional bursts of offense weren’t enough to allow him to maintain the position he had earned.

Should that ever happen in an MMA fight? Absolutely not, according to the sport’s most experienced referee, “Big” John McCarthy.

The Cut List: Who Needs a Win at UFC 118 to Stay Employed?

Filed under: UFCSometimes when the UFC holds an event in a new city, it relies heavily on brand recognition alone to sell tickets. After all, if you live in Jerkwater, USA and the UFC finally shows up with a Fight Night event at your local civic center…

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Sometimes when the UFC holds an event in a new city, it relies heavily on brand recognition alone to sell tickets. After all, if you live in Jerkwater, USA and the UFC finally shows up with a Fight Night event at your local civic center, you’re probably going to go just to say you were there, even if there are no major stars in the lineup.

That couldn’t be further from the truth in the case of Boston and UFC 118. Not only is a large market that only recently opened up to MMA, it’s also a place near and dear to Dana White’s heart. Boston doesn’t get a couple of TUF contestants sandwiched between local boys. Boston gets the full UFC treatment. Boston gets a title fight, a sideshow match-up, and a number one contender bout.

But, as always, just as there are stars so too must there be drifting detritus. Half the guys on every fight card go home sad, and those who go home sad too often in the UFC don’t get to come back. Let’s break down Saturday night’s lineup to see who desperately needs a win this time around.