Author: Jeremy Botter

What’s one of the more interesting aspects of Saturday’s long-awaited fight between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans? The fact that Jones will go into the cage with the UFC itself as his sole sponsor.

Make no mistake about it: This is a landmark deal, for the promotion and for Jones. Never before has the UFC actually sponsored one of its own fighters. Never before has it invested so much financially in a fighter, at least beyond the standard contract and pay-per-view bonuses it doles out.

It’s a tricky subject. The UFC is obviously promoting Jones as one of its biggest superstars, and now it’s associating its brand even more deeply with the light heavyweight champ.

How does this news make Evans feel? He’s going into the cage for the biggest fight of his career, and his opponent is carrying the UFC’s brand. And it isn’t simply paying Jones to wear the UFC logo on his shorts—it’s created an entire clothing line, from fight shorts to track suits to hats. Jones will be covered head to toe in UFC gear for the entire fight week.

I have no idea how Evans views the entire situation, but doesn’t it seem just a little bit disrespectful?

For Jones, it’s the perfect situation. He explained his reasoning behind seeking the deal in a recent conference call:

I’ve had a goal of being sponsored by Nike for many, many years. Part of our strategy to try and make that happen one day is not be a billboard – not be sponsored by TapouT one week, and Affliction one week, Muscle Pharm next week and all these random companies. I try to look for long-lasting relationships with companies. So, a part of my brand is to keep it clean. Less is more, in my opinion. So, once FORM Athletics went down, pretty much every company in the business was looking for an opportunity to work with me. I thought it was a real honor, it was awesome, but we came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself.

I’m a big fan of fighters who prefer to keep their image clean. When Jones was sponsored by the now-defunct Form Athletics, he went into the cage with one logo on his shorts: Form Athletics and nothing else. That’s a big departure from your typical fighter, who often displays anywhere between six and 10 different logos on his shorts.

This isn’t the last time the UFC will sponsor one of its own fighters. I think this is just the first of many future stars the UFC will throw its weight behind. You’ll see more and more fighters going this route as long as the UFC makes it financially viable for them to drop their current sponsors.

Kudos to Jones and his manager Malki Kawa for venturing into entirely new territory with this deal. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the ethical side of the deal, but it’s safe to say that it adds yet another interesting aspect to one of the brightest young stars in the sport.

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Those of you clamoring for lovable comeback kid Mark Hunt to replace Alistair Overeem against Junior dos Santos next month are out of luck. 

UFC president Dana White put the kibosh on the #Rally4Hunt Twitter movement at today’s UFC on Fuel post-fight press conference in Sweden.

“They can keep rallying. It ain’t going to happen,” White said.

Fans have bombarded White’s Twitter account in recent weeks, calling for Hunt to get the title shot against dos Santos if Overeem is unable to secure a license for the fight. Hunt has won three consecutive fights, bringing his overall MMA record to 8-7.

“I have apologized and praised Mark Hunt for what he’s accomplished in the situation he was in, and I think this fight with Struve is a good fight for him. If he beats Struve, he’ll break in and start fighting some of the top five heavyweights in the world,” White said. “Anything can happen in a fight. But in reality, it’s not fair to Mark Hunt, to throw the guy right in there with Junior Dos Santos for a title shot. The guy worked his way up, he beats Struve, he fights somebody in the top five.”

“I guarantee you this: he beats Struve, his next fight will be someone in the top five that can get him closer to a title shot.”

I’m glad White put a stop to this nonsense, because I’m tired of reading about Hunt as a potential replacement for Overeem. It just wasn’t realistic. Hunt’s winning streak is one of the better stories going in the UFC today, but he still lacks the kind of signature win over a top-ranked opponent that would make him a legitimate contender.

However, I do agree with White that if Hunt beats Struve—and that’s not a lock by any means—he should be given one of the guys ranked top five or six in the division. If he wins that fight? Sure. Give the man a title shot. At that point, he’ll deserve it.

But he doesn’t deserve it just yet.

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The UFC’s debut in Sweden flew under the radar. That’s understandable, given that next Saturday night will see the long-awaited grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.

The card also aired on Fuel TV—which still doesn’t have much in the way of market penetration—making it a difficult card for the majority of UFC fans around the world to see live.

But even with all of that working against it, UFC on Fuel 2 still delivered the kind of action fights that mixed martial arts fans around the world crave. There were plenty of submissions, one crazy knockout and the continued ascension of one of the UFC’s best young prospects.

With the card behind us, let’s take a moment to look at what’s next for the winners of the six main card fights.

 

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua

It would be easy to rush Gustafsson into the title picture immediately. He’s long been considered one of the hottest prospects in the UFC, and his performances after the loss to Phil Davis—the sole black mark on his record—have been excellent. 

It’s also quite easy to compare him to Jones, given the similarities in their height, reach and unorthodox fighting styles.

But the truth is that Gustafsson just isn’t ready—not yet, anyway. He’s getting close, but he needs one more win against top competition. It’s time to move the Swede up into the rarified air of the light heavyweight division and match him with a top-ranked fighter with name value.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fulfills both of those requirements. Sure, he’s coming off the loss to Dan Henderson, but that was a close enough fight that Rua didn’t tumble down the rankings. 

We know Dan Henderson is facing the winner of next week’s Jones vs. Evans bout. Line up Gustafsson vs. Rua for a featured bout on pay-per-view late in the summer months, with the winner getting a potential title shot late in 2012.

 

Brian Stann vs. Michael Bisping

I realize Bisping is already booked with Tim Boetsch, but for the purposes of this article, I’m just going to assume he’ll win that fight.

Stann vs. Bisping is an intriguing fight on many levels. Neither guy is strong in the wrestling department, which means you’ll likely end up with a good striking battle. 

There’s a built-in storyline here, too. Stann has the obvious military background, but Bisping’s family has a deep connection with the military as well. The USA vs. England aspect is easy to sell.

There’s also the fact that Stann—with his good looks, extreme charm and American hero story line—is one of the most marketable fighters in the UFC. And Bisping, for better or worse, is one of the most hated fighters in the company. A win for Stann wouldn’t just vault him into the title picture—it would increase his stature tenfold with UFC fans.

 

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Mike Pyle/Josh Neer

Bahadurzada had quite the UFC debut with his walk-off knockout win over Paulo Thiago. Despite his status as an unknown fighter with casual fans, hardcore fans know and respect Bahazurdada as one of the most vicious strikers in MMA.

The winner of the Mike Pyle/Josh Neer bout makes perfect sense. Neer is a guy who will stand and trade punches with Bahadurzada, which almost guarantees an exciting brawl. Pyle would also provide the kind of tough, gritty opponent that Bahadurzada will eventually need to face in order to prove himself.

 

Dennis Siver vs. Bart Palaszewski

Siver’s featherweight debut got off to a rough start during weigh-ins, but he rebounded on Saturday with a big win over Diego Nunes. It wasn’t a dominant performance by any means, but Siver got the job done in a fight he absolutely needed to win.

I love striking battles, and that’s why I’d book Siver against Bart Palaszewski for his next bout. “Bartimus” is coming off a loss, but he still represents the kind of ranked opponent Siver needs to face next.

 

John Maguire vs. Rick Story

Maguire is 2-0 in the UFC and has earned a slight uptick in the quality of opponent he’ll face next. Rick Story is coming off two consecutive losses, but both of them were against tough opponents in Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann. Despite the two losses in a row, he’s still ranked higher than Maguire. And yeah, I know Story has a fight booked with Rich Attonito. I’d still like to see him fight Maguire.

The intriguing thing about this potential fight would be Maguire’s attempts to get the bout to the ground, because he certainly wouldn’t want to stand up with Story for any real length of time. If he gets Story to the mat, he’d have a real chance at pulling the upset.

 

Brad Pickett vs. Miguel Torres/Michael McDonald

Pickett remains one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, and he’s still near the top of the bantamweight rankings. He deserves a top opponent in his next bout.

Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber won’t settle their differences until July, which means the bantamweight title is likely tied up until late fall. It’s believed that Miguel Torres could secure a title shot with a strong win over Michael McDonald next week, but I don’t think Torres will want to wait on the sidelines for six months or more. 

Matching Pickett with the winner of Torres/McDonald gives you a clear-cut title contender and expands their profile with the UFC’s fanbase. That’s something the star-barren bantamweight division needs.

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By just about every metric, the UFC’s debut in Sweden was a successful one. An amped-up audience crowded into the Ericsson Globe Arena—one of the more interesting-looking venues in the world—and made a relatively minor UFC show sound like a major pay-per-view event.

They were loud and passionate, and they went home happy after hometown kid Alexander Gustafsson turned in an excellent performance in his main event win over the durable Thiago Silva.

Let’s take a look at my grades for a selection of fighters from the entire event, shall we?

 

A+

Alexander Gustafsson: It might be too soon to say that Gustafsson is ready for a fight with Jon Jones. But if he’s not, then he’s getting close. After all, there’s a reason the Jones comparisons were coming hot and heavy from announcers Mike Goldberg and Kenny Florian.

His win over Thiago Silva was a thing of beauty. The Swede moves much quicker than just about every other light heavyweight on the planet, and he used that speed with feints to utterly confuse Silva for the majority of their main event fight. His striking was crisp, and he used odd angles with great effectiveness. 

Kudos must also be given to Silva. The Brazilian continually moved forward and proved that he’s one of the toughest fighters in the division.

But Gustafsson was on a different level today, and he’s going to be on a different level against most of his opponents going forward. It’s time to move him up into the elite of the light heavyweight division and give him a top-five opponent. Personally, I’d like to see him face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

 

A

Brian Stann: I don’t know if this was the best performance of Stann’s career, but it was certainly up there. He got into a war with Sakara earlier and got the better of him standing, then finished with a nasty punch from the guard that put Sakara out long enough for the ref to stop the fight. It was a good stoppage.

And like the classy human being he is, Stann immediately began checking on Sakara’s condition rather than celebrate his win. What a man this Brian Stann is, folks. I’ve long opined that he’s the most marketable fighter on the UFC’s roster, at least to American fans. All he needs is a string of wins over top opponents.

 

B+

Brad Pickett: As he’s known to do, Pickett came out swinging against Damacio Page and put on one hell of an exciting fight. He also showed the skills that cause many to call him the most well-rounded British fighter in the game, submitting Page with a rear-naked choke in the second round. Pickett picked up his first UFC win in a memorable battle.

Reza Madadi: This man oozes charisma from every pore. He was wholly loved by the crowd in attendance at the Ericsson Glove Arena, and delivered a big win by submission in the second round. He’s intense and fun to watch, so it’ll be interesting to see how far he goes in the UFC.

 

B

John Maguire: Maguira got the win, but I would have given him a C here anyway—if it weren’t for his slick transition into the armbar to get the win. Maguire has some serious ground skills to go along with his two wins in the UFC.

Cyrille Diabate: In the first round of his bout against Tom DeBlass, Diabate looked like the same old fighter we’ve seen in the UFC, which is to say he looked great on the feet but utterly hapless on the ground. But that changed in the second and third, when Diabate used effective wrestling to control DeBlass and land accurate ground-and-pound. He’s still no expert, but he’s improving, and that’s something to be proud of.

James Head: The Oklahoma resident is included here mostly because he used the phrase “mess with the bull, you get the horns” after defeating Papy Abedi. Admittedly, Abedi didn’t offer much competition in the cage, but Head still did his job in winning with what was effectively a one-armed rear-naked choke.

 

C

Dennis Siver: Siver overcame a tough weight cut to score the win over Diego Nunes in an exciting striking battle. He wasn’t head and shoulders above Nunes, but he looked good. 

Damacio Page: Page lost the fight, but he’s included here because he teamed up with Brad Pickett to put on a hell of a fight.

 

F 

Papy Abedi: This guy simply doesn’t belong in the UFC. He offered nothing for James Head and essentially quit in a one-arm rear-naked choke. He only got this fight booking because it took place in his home country. This should be the last you see of him in the UFC.

 

Honorable Mention

Arianny Celeste: With Chandella Powell either suspended or fired (depending on who you talk to) and Brittney Palmer still in limbo, Arianny shouldered the huge burden of handling Octagon girl duties by herself.

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Those of you who have been reading my stuff for awhile know that I’m no fan of performance-enhancing drugs in MMA. With a bevy of recent high-profile failures, it’s becoming obvious that we’re nearing epidemic status.

It’s long past time for the UFC to get in front of the problem, but how?

As I’ve noted in previous posts here at Caged In, the institution of true, random testing would greatly curtail the usage of steroids and other PED.

Would it completely eliminate the problem? No.

In any athletic competition, there will always be guys willing to take the risk of failing in order to gain a performance advantage over his opponent. It’s just the way things are. We still see drug failures in Major League Baseball and the National Football League, and random testing is included as part of their Collective Bargaining Agreements.

No, it wouldn’t completely eliminate the issue. But if a fighter who’s considering taking stanozolol or testosterone realizes a UFC drug tester could, at any given moment, walk through the doors of his gym to collect a urine sample, you think it wouldn’t give him pause? It absolutely would.

Kevin Iole at Yahoo! takes things one step further, proposing heavier punishment for repeat offenders:

“The UFC should require PED abusers to agree to three random tests a year, plus tests within a week of signing a contract for a fight, one midway through camp and another post-fight.

“Even with such thorough testing, though, some fighters will beat it. Still, such a plan will greatly reduce the incidence of use and make the sport safer for those who choose to compete while clean.

“The policy should also include clear terms for future failed tests. Another positive test should mean a two-year ban from the UFC. One after that should result in a permanent ban.”

I love this idea. Absolutely, positively love it.

If the fear of random testing—and a full year spent on the shelf without earning money—won’t dissuade a fighter from taking PED to gain an edge on his opponent, then the idea that a failed test could effectively end his career in the UFC would almost certainly do so. 

There will always be fighters like Alistair Overeem. He’s a guy who has been surrounded by a cloud of steroid suspicion for his entire career.

Overeem comes into the UFC and immediately gets involved in the November debacle surrounding a urine test, then fails a random test with highly elevated testosterone levels. From all accounts, it looks as though Overeem is going to attempt to use testosterone replacement therapy as a loophole to explain his steroid failure.

And you know what the crazy thing is? He’s probably going to get away with it. And that’s not a good thing, even though I want to see him fight Junior dos Santos just as much as the rest of the world does.

I understand the UFC’s position on the institution of a random drug-testing program. They don’t want to do it because it would be costly. It would be a giant hassle to issue two or three unannounced tests per year to the hundreds of fighters they have under contract with the UFC and Strikeforce.

But the thought of MMA coming under heavy public scrutiny due to rampant steroid usage is far worse. Zuffa has done wonders in taking the sport from the underground to the tip of the mainstream iceberg. It would be a shame to see even a fraction of that work undone by a drug scandal.

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