Author: Jeremy Botter

Fedor KO’s Rizzo: Does He Deserve One Last Shot at the UFC?

It was academic, really. From the moment the opening bell rang in St. Petersburg, Pedro Rizzo looked like a beaten man. And perhaps he was. He was, after all, facing an iconic national Russian hero, fighting in front of his own people and his pres…

It was academic, really. 

From the moment the opening bell rang in St. Petersburg, Pedro Rizzo looked like a beaten man. And perhaps he was. He was, after all, facing an iconic national Russian hero, fighting in front of his own people and his president.

Rizzo was tentative, circling cautiously, ever wary of Fedor Emelianenko‘s power and his icy, unyielding stare. Emelianenko caught Rizzo with a power jab early, and you could see Rizzo’s already-crumbling resolve break down even further.

From there, it was over. Emelianenko dropped Rizzo to the canvas with a thundering punch and followed it with several brutal strikes on the ground before referee Yuji Shimada called an end to the mauling.

Emelianenko celebrated as only he can: by calmly hugging his beautiful wife and young daughter while standing around as stoic as a statue. In other words, business as usual.

But what’s next for Emelianenko? He gave no hints as to what his future holds in his post-fight interview. He said in the weeks leading up to the fight that this might be the end of his illustrious career.

I sure hope not. After his much-maligned run in Strikeforce, the legendary heavyweight has rattled off three consecutive wins. Sure, they’ve been over sub-par competition. Nobody will confuse Rizzo with a top-25 heavyweight at this point in his career, and the same can be said for his previous wins over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii.

But Emelianenko, if he chooses to continue, is not done. Not as a fighter, and not as an entertainment draw.

I’d like to see him get a run in the UFC. It’s one of the few things MMA fans around the world have wanted for years and never gotten. And there may be no way for Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and the shadowy figures that run M-1 Global to ever come to a deal.

If they can’t, it’s a shame. Because Fedor may not be able to compete with the absolute best the UFC has to offer, but why not give him the chance to find out? 

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Jon Fitch: Does He Deserve the Heat Aimed in His Direction?

I’ve been thinking about Jon Fitch lately.Bear with me, because I know that opening sentence sounds a little weird. Fitch has been out of the limelight for some time now, ever since his knockout loss to Johny Hendricks sent Dana White scrambling with g…

I’ve been thinking about Jon Fitch lately.

Bear with me, because I know that opening sentence sounds a little weird. Fitch has been out of the limelight for some time now, ever since his knockout loss to Johny Hendricks sent Dana White scrambling with glee back at UFC 140 in December. 

White has never been Fitch’s biggest fan, as you can see from the following comments he made just prior to UFC 140: 

The problem with Jon Fitch is you hear the same thing from everybody about Jon Fitch: if I want fall asleep sleep and I can’t get to sleep at night, I’ll put in a Jon Fitch fight. Whatever you think – Jon Fitch is one of the best 170-pounders in the world. And yes, he’s in the hunt for a title again, but everybody – find one person that will tell you they love a Jon Fitch fight, it’s the most exciting thing they’ve ever seen and they just get so excited for it.

As White goes, so goes the fans. Most of them, anyway. White’s take-no-prisoners style has turned him into the tastemaker for an entire industry over the past 10 years. So if he says Fitch is boring? Fitch must be boring. 

But he’s right. There isn’t a UFC fan alive who will tell you that they get all hot and bothered to see Fitch face another welterweight, even if that other welterweight has a history of exciting fights.

That is because Fitch has the ability to blanket anyone, take them out of their game and turn a fight into the kind he likes. Which is to say, a slow-paced, grinding, soul-sucking affair that leaves his opponents exhausted and the fans miserable.

The ultimate answer to the Jon Fitch question, I think, is all dependent on how you view mixed martial arts and the UFC by extension. If you’re the type who would like to see a little more emphasis on sport and less on pro wrestling theatrics, you’re probably fine with Fitch’s game.

If you’re a crossover WWE fan who started watching all the way back when Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut, you likely don’t care about sporting aspects at all.

Me? I fall in both camps.

I think we need a little bit of promotional muscle and hype put behind certain fights, to give them that “big-fight feel” and make them seem a little bit more special than the average monthly pay-per-view.

Silva vs. Sonnen 2 is a perfect example. Without Sonnen’s hype job before the first fight—and if he’d stopped running his mouth with the first loss—we likely wouldn’t be staring at one of the biggest rematches in UFC history coming up next month. It would be just another Anderson Silva fight.

But at the same time, I think more weight needs to be given to the sporting side of mixed martial arts.

I think there needs to be a place for the likes of Jon Fitch, and I think there needs to be a place for him to do his work—no matter how boring it may be—without being made fun of by everyone, from his boss to the fans.

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Ronda Rousey Says Women Will Eventually Fight in the UFC

Ronday Rousey is, by a wide margin, the biggest name in female mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, she’s stuck fighting in Strikeforce.Eighteen months ago, this would have been fine. But now, with Zuffa having sapped much of the life from the secon…

Ronday Rousey is, by a wide margin, the biggest name in female mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, she’s stuck fighting in Strikeforce.

Eighteen months ago, this would have been fine. But now, with Zuffa having sapped much of the life from the second-largest MMA promotion in the world by cherry-picking fighters, it’s a company seemingly devoid of direction and anticipation.

A fight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (formerly Santos) is still a possibility, but Cyborg is currently serving a 12-month suspension after failing for stanozolol in December. And even if Cyborg is allowed back in the company after her suspension is up, there’s no certainty that she’ll be able to make 135 pounds and no real indication from Rousey that she’d be willing to move up to take the fight.

What’s the future for females in mixed martial arts? UFC president Dana White has slowly relented on his proclamation that women won’t fight in the Octagon, and most of that is due to Rousey. There is no question that Rousey has the kind of superstar potential that could see her eventually headline UFC pay per view events or FOX television cards.

But it feels like we’re still a long way from seeing that come to fruition. Rousey, though, believes it will eventually happen:

“I think it’s a distinct possibility. Women are tough. Women are clever. We’re going to find a way to get everywhere. You can’t stop us. We’ll be there at some point.”

You have to admire Rousey’s confidence. It’s one of the things that helped turn her into a star. 

Will we eventually see Rousey and other females participating—and potentially headlining—UFC events? I think so. And if it happens, most of the credit should go to Rousey for her efforts in getting female fights spotlighted.

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Alistair Overeem Taking Voluntary Drug Tests in Nevada Is a Good Thing

I know I’ve been tough on Alistair Overeem in the past. I felt— and still feel, to this day—that he was solely responsible for the controversy surrounding his missed drug tests at the end of 2011 and his actual test failure a few months ago…

I know I’ve been tough on Alistair Overeem in the past. I felt— and still feel, to this day—that he was solely responsible for the controversy surrounding his missed drug tests at the end of 2011 and his actual test failure a few months ago.

But I have to say, his proclamation that he’s in Nevada today to take a voluntary drug test is a great decision. Overeem tweeted the news this morning:

 

 

Overeem also had a message for UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, who boldly proclaimed last week that he would request that Overeem submit a blood test before receiving a title fight upon his return from suspension:

 

 

What do we make of this? Is it a public relations stunt designed to earn Overeem some goodwill with the UFC and its fans? Possibly.

But even if it’s a PR move at heart, it’s still a good move. Voluntarily taking and passing multiple drug tests in Nevada over the next few months will prove that Overeem isn’t using his suspension and time away from the Octagon to go even heavier on the juice.

I’m still not sure I buy Overeem’s proclamation that he’s a clean fighter, because eight months of evidence is pointing the opposite direction. And despite my belief that Overeem deserves a title shot upon his return from suspension, I still think he has plenty to prove, both in the court of public opinion and to the UFC and the commissions that support them.

But regardless, this is a wise decision. Kudos to Overeem for stepping up and doing the right thing.

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Tim Boetsch Discusses Michael Bisping’s Running Shoes & Hector Lombard

I wanted to see Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch just as much as the rest of you, which is to say: hardly at all.There’s nothing wrong with the fight, per se. It just wasn’t all that intriguing. Boetsch hasn’t really made his mark on the middleweight di…

I wanted to see Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch just as much as the rest of you, which is to say: hardly at all.

There’s nothing wrong with the fight, per se. It just wasn’t all that intriguing. Boetsch hasn’t really made his mark on the middleweight division just yet, even with the win over Yushin Okami, and I’ve wanted to see Bisping in more high-profile fights for awhile now.

But Boetsch vs. Hector Lombard? That’s an idea I can support.

Both of these fighters are primed to explode with violence at any moment. There’s always a chance that Boetsch could suddenly hulk up and cave your face in with backwards uppercuts, the way he did to Yushin Okami at UFC 144.

And Lombard? Well, dude loves stalking people and punching them in the face. I can get behind this fight.

Boetsch told Full Contact Fighter that he was far more interested in what Lombard brings into the cage: 

It certainly changes the dynamic of the fight. I won’t have to bring my running shoes to catch Hector that’s for darn sure. He’s going to bring the fight to me. It changes a lot about the fight.

Yes, Lombard is going to bring the fight to you, Tim. But that may not be a good thing. At least not for you.

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UFC on FX 4: Does Hatsu Hioki Deserve a Shot at Jose Aldo with a Win?

By almost all accounts, Hatsu Hioki is the number 2 featherweight in the world.Sure, he didn’t look great in his UFC debut against George Roop back at UFC 137. Hioki earned a split decision, but many onlookers—and I’ll include myself in that grou…

By almost all accounts, Hatsu Hioki is the number 2 featherweight in the world.

Sure, he didn’t look great in his UFC debut against George Roop back at UFC 137. Hioki earned a split decision, but many onlookers—and I’ll include myself in that group—believe Roop did enough to win the fight.

Before the Roop fight, many considered Hioki a shoo-in as the next opponent for Jose Aldo, but that went out the window after his dreadful performance.

He rebounded against Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144, looking much more like the Hioki who made a name for himself fighting in Shooto and Sengoku. Palaszewski is a tough opponent for anyone, and Hioki nearly dominated him from bell to bell. It appeared that he was once again in the driver’s seat for a title shot against Aldo.

Hioki was indeed offered a shot at the Brazilian, but curiously turned it down. He felt he wasn’t ready just yet and wanted another bout or two before taking on one of the world’s best fighters. 

His next opportunity in the Octagon comes Friday night, when he takes on Ricardo Lamas on the Fuel TV-aired preliminary portion of UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida.

The question I’m attempting to answer today is this: Does Hioki deserve a featherweight title shot if he’s able to beat Lamas?

It’s an easy answer. Hioki was the most deserving featherweight contender before he stepped foot in the UFC last year to face George Roop. Since November of 2007, Hioki has strung together a 14-1-1 record, often against some of the better featherweights Japan had to offer.

He owns victories over the legendary Rumina Sato, Masanori Kanehara, Ronnie Mann and Marlon Sandro. A win over Lamas would give him three wins in the UFC.

The UFC’s featherweight division is almost devoid of true contenders for the belt. We know Koch will get his shot when Aldo heals up and is ready to return. Chan Sung Jung is in the mix. Charles Oliveira is slowly making his own case as a contender. But none of them have been able to put together the kind of record that Hioki has over the past six years. 

The only downside to a Hioki title challenge is that, for the most part, he’s a virtual unknown to UFC fans. But there are no true main-event superstars in the division. Aldo is the best-known commodity around, but he hasn’t proven himself to be a pay-per-view draw. Jung is popular among UFC fans but has never come close a UFC pay-per-view main event.

Sometimes, the rules of sport must outweigh the entertainment aspect of mixed martial arts. Hioki may not be the most popular guy on the roster, and he likely won’t attract many PPV buyers when he challenges for the belt.

But there is no question that he’s the most deserving candidate. 

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