Author: Matthew Hemphill

Strikeforce Results: Why Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Is a Top 10 P4P Fighter

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos showed that tonight she can do something better than a few of the men in the UFC.  She can beat her opposition and do it well. After beating Hiroko Yamanaka, who stepped into the cage at 12-1 with an eight-fight win-…

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos showed that tonight she can do something better than a few of the men in the UFC.  She can beat her opposition and do it well. 

After beating Hiroko Yamanaka, who stepped into the cage at 12-1 with an eight-fight win-streak tonight, she showed that she is deserving of a slot in the MMA pound-for-pound list.

Some fans might roll their eyes at this, but the fact is that Santos was able to crush her opponent in 16 seconds.  

Her opponent wasn’t a pushover, too.  Yamanaka hadn’t padded her record before facing the champ.  Instead she faced and beat the impressive Hitomi Akano who had been the last person to defeat her.

The only arguments that might be made against Santos for her inclusion on the coveted pound-for-pound list is that her opposition is lacking.

But that isn’t her fault and she shouldn’t be penalized for an underwhelming amount of talent when she has taken fights against fighters from other weight classes.  She has done what she needed to every time out to show that she deserves to be recognized as one of the best MMA fighters in the world.

The other reason is a little darker:  She is a woman.  

It is depressing, but the truth is that female combatants don’t get the same respect that their male counterparts do.  

She could have beaten every single female fighter on the planet not only in MMA but in boxing as well and there is a good chance she still wouldn’t have made it into the top 10 rankings.

It is embarrassing and it is something that needs to be fixed.

Santos has earned a coveted spot on the pound-for-pound list and though it might be on the lower edge, because of her opposition and not her gender, she still deserves it.

Because everything she earned has been in the cage as it should be.

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Strikeforce Results: Mousasi Wins, but Fails To Impress Again

Gegard Mousasi did what he needed to by beating Ovince St. Preux tonight.  He won most of the rounds and enforced his game plan which won him the decision.It’s also why he didn’t do anything to impress fans.Because he won by decision.This is a man…

Gegard Mousasi did what he needed to by beating Ovince St. Preux tonight.  

He won most of the rounds and enforced his game plan which won him the decision.

It’s also why he didn’t do anything to impress fans.

Because he won by decision.

This is a man who has been able to knock out 18 opponents and submit 10 others in his 32 wins.  He’s a former kickboxer.  St. Preux is a tough fighter who has made a name for himself in recent outings, but he should have been cannon fodder for an accomplished MMA artist like Mousasi.

Instead, it was a fight where as much as Mousasi dominated in the first two rounds, he was taken down in the final round and dragged into deep waters.  For all the finishes that Mousasi has had in his career, the man has seen the third round a decent amount of times and against good opposition.

There was his draw with Keith Jardine and his five-round loss to Muhammed Lawal.  He has been there before.

Looking at St. Preux’s list of beaten opponents, none stand out on Mousasi’s level.  In fact, a few no-names have beaten him by TKO which meant that Mousasi should have been able to follow suit.

It didn’t happen.

Mousasi was able to enforce his will on St. Preux, but he was never able to beat him soundly enough for the fight to warrant a stoppage.

It might not be a bad result, but keep in mind, this was a man that some were comparing to Jon Jones before his loss to Lawal.  Others thought he might be the head of the light heavyweight division.

He was someone who seemed to be growing and getting a bigger list of victims to his name from each passing day.

This criticism might be premature because no one can know what level St. Preux might end up at, but Mousasi was supposed to be the best.

He was supposed to be one of the future champs of the division.

Instead, he’s now struggling in fights with emerging challengers instead of wearing the Strikeforce or even UFC title.

The best way of explaining why Mousasi is a disappointment comes not from words, but from sight, and it comes in the third round of his fight with St. Preux finishing the round by choking Mousasi but failing to finish him.

For as strong and dominant as Mousasi was, for as strong as he can be, it was embarrassing.

He let a spectacular finish get away from him.

And that isn’t something champions do.

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UFC Not Having Jussier Da Silva in the Flyweight Tournament Is an Insult to Fans

When the UFC announced the flyweight division, they also announced how they would create a champion for the division.  Unlike the bantamweight and featherweights divisions, this was a weight class that was going to need to be built from the ground…

When the UFC announced the flyweight division, they also announced how they would create a champion for the division.  Unlike the bantamweight and featherweights divisions, this was a weight class that was going to need to be built from the ground up.

So when the UFC announced that it was going to have a four-man flyweight tournament to crown a champion, it made sense.

Until the participants were mentioned.

Most made sense and should have been there.  

Ian McCall has beaten some of the best flyweights in the world, Joseph Benavidez had won his last three fights including those in the UFC at bantamweight and Yasuhiro Urushitani is a good flyweight who is probably in the tournament to draw in Japanese fans, but has more than enough wins to merit being there.  

The fourth man is Demetrious Johnson, who is a great fighter, but is coming off a loss at bantamweight from a failed title shot at that weight.

It wouldn’t have been a problem to see Johnson in this tournament if he had a few wins right now or if there wasn’t a better option out there.

But there was.

The only person the UFC is missing is someone who was considered the best flyweight in the world by the name of Jussier da Silva.  Fans of the flyweight division will already know him as the man who beat Shinichi Kojima and, after his loss to McCall, Mamoru Yamaguchi.

Da Silva has a laundry list of great names that he has beaten on his resume and has earned a shot at being in the UFC.

He also has a true underdog story.

Silva is a father and now the main provider for not only his family, but for his mother as well, as his father died in 2010.  It’s been a rough climb for him.

Silva has to work at a hospital just to make ends meet and has to skip certain things like supplements that other fighters have.  Even with all of this he is still one of the best in the world at 125 pounds.

He was denied a chance to come to America and make money.  He had to accept donations just to get the money for a plane ride.

This is a man who not only earned his ranking, but deserves to be in the top promotion in the world fighting for the top prize.

Things might have gotten better for him recently because he now has fought at the American promotion Tachi Palace Fights, but even if he gets a bigger purse from being in the US it is still nothing compared to what the UFC could give him.

Silva has worked hard and struggled to become one of the best in the world.  He has answered the question that White usually gives competitors in the UFC which is, do you want to be a fighter?

Silva has shown he has and yet he still hasn’t been signed.

So now the question is: Does the UFC want to be the a promoter?

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Jon Fitch and 5 Other Fighters Who Get Hosed on by Fans No Matter What They Do

It seems that no matter what Jon Fitch does he is hated by MMA fans everywhere.  Part of it has to do with the way he doesn’t finish fights.  The man has rarely ever seen a win that didn’t see the scorecards.  Making it worse he won’t fi…

It seems that no matter what Jon Fitch does he is hated by MMA fans everywhere.  Part of it has to do with the way he doesn’t finish fights.  

The man has rarely ever seen a win that didn’t see the scorecards.  Making it worse he won’t fight teammate Josh Koscheck.  Not willing to fight the best in the world even if they train with you and then complaining about not getting title shots is not the way to make more fans.

Fitch may talk about trying to finish more fights, but actions speak louder than words and his show that he would rather win fights without risking a great lead rather than go for the glory.  It isn’t something he can be faulted for.  Fighters step in the cage to win and get paid and Fitch does both.

At the same time fans help with who get title shots.  If they are more willing to pay to see one matchup then a different one.  Fitch doesn’t seem to realize this or at the very least accept it and because of it he rubs fans the wrong way.

But he isn’t the only one.  Here are some more fighters who can’t seem to get love from the fans no matter what they do.

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UFC 142: Will the ‘Old Vitor’ or ‘New Vitor’ Show Up Against Anthony Johnson?

When fighters say that fans are going to see a new version, it is usually followed by the term “improved.”Fans will see the new and improved *insert fighter’s name* when he steps into the cage against *insert opponent’s name*.It is something that is no…

When fighters say that fans are going to see a new version, it is usually followed by the term “improved.”

Fans will see the new and improved *insert fighter’s name* when he steps into the cage against *insert opponent’s name*.

It is something that is not only old hat to MMA, but boxing as well.

Fighters say it when fans have written them off and when they are in the twilight of their career. Some say it to try and convince those who once cheered them to do so again. Most do it to psych themselves up.

At UFC 142, Brazilian fans won’t want to see a “new” Vitor. They’ll want to see the “old” Vitor. The one who resembles the young man who was so impressive in the cage that it earned him the nickname “the Phenom”.

He walked into UFC 12 at only 20 years old and with only one fight under his belt, and won the heavyweight tournament. He went on to lose to Randy Couture, but bounced back with a quick knockout win over a still very young and dominant Wanderlei Silva.

He then went on to beat Randy Couture in a rematch at UFC 46 to win the UFC light heavyweight championship. He lost by TKO to Couture in an immediate rematch.

Those were the bright spots in Vitor’s career for many years as every time out after that, he would either get beaten by top talent or dazzle fans by beating a lesser fighter in ways that impressed most fans.  

For all the talent Vitor possessed, it seemed like he just couldn’t marshal it when he stepped up to the bright lights of the biggest stage. It looked like he was doomed forever to be a “could have been” fans would debate about after his career ended.Then something funny happened that gave him a second chance.

Vitor was fighting for Affliction, a t-shirt company that decided to promote MMA events and failed quickly in this endeavor. However, he had won both fights while competing for them and when they collapsed, he found himself back in the UFC.

He is currently 1-2 and the same symptoms are showing. He was able to knock out both former champion Rich Franklin and a gamey Yoshihiro Akiyama, but lost by brutal knockout to Anderson Silva. It seems that Vitor still hasn’t been able to get over whatever it is that has kept him back all these years.

And time is running out.

Vitor is 34 and even though he is still a great fighter, age works against every man.  

The good news is that he is facing Anthony Johnson, who is a decent fighter but is making his debut at middleweight. Johnson was an enormous welterweight and it helped him win his fights. At middleweight, he won’t have as much of a size advantage and that might adversely affect him.

But in the end, it boils down to Vitor’s performance. If the “new” Vitor shows up, Johnson just may have enough strength and youth to beat him. If the “old” Vitor shows up, then he could swarm Johnson and win another crushing victory.

So come fight night, fans will have to see if the “old” Vitor shows up or if it turns out to just be an old Vitor.

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Why Strikeforce Is Going to Disappear into the UFC the Same Way the WEC Did

It was shocking to hear that the UFC was going to allow Strikeforce to continue in 2012, and on Showtime no less.  When the UFC bought their rival it seemed inevitable that they were going to be absorbed into the massive MMA machine.  Instead…

It was shocking to hear that the UFC was going to allow Strikeforce to continue in 2012, and on Showtime no less.  

When the UFC bought their rival it seemed inevitable that they were going to be absorbed into the massive MMA machine.  Instead, they are going to die a slow death.

One of the major announcements just recently made was that Strikeforce’s heavyweight division is going to dissolve.  This is detrimental to the company as it was arguably their best division.  Losing it along with most of their champions leaving to go to the UFC really hurts their product.

Dana White, the president of the company, and the UFC are smart.  Some fans would be outraged at the demolition of a company like Strikeforce if it happened all at once.  That is why White and company are taking it apart piece by piece under the nose of most fans.

It isn’t even the first time it’s happened.  Sometime after the UFC had taken over the WEC, they started cutting weight classes.  First they started with heavyweight and light heavyweight.  Then they cut middleweights and welterweights.  By that time the WEC was a shell of its former self, it was putting on great fights but only attracting hardcore fans with its fights in the lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight divisions.

After a failed pay-per-view attempt with the WEC brand, the UFC and White quickly merged the two companies together.

Whether White wanted to keep the WEC separate and create a PPV model for the brand or whether he planned on merging the two together is unknown.  The only thing fans can see is the results.

And the results show that the WEC is no more and that it started when some of the weight classes began disappearing.

It was so slow and subtle most fans probably didn’t notice.

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