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UFC 137: Why Cheick Kongo Is the UFC’s Ultimate Gatekeeper

Cheick Kongo is best known for his above average striking and his inadequate wrestling ability. He is someone who has the look and the stand-up skills of a champion, but seems to lack the talent to put it all together with some decent ground work…

Early in his career he was a middling talent, but then finally worked on his ground-game to the point where he wasn’t able to be taken down at will, and started putting wins together.

However, these wins were all lower tier fighters who are no longer with the UFC. Every time he stepped up against the likes of Frank Mir, a former heavyweight champion, or Cain Velasquez, the current heavyweight champion, he would lose badly.

At 36, it seems Kongo has found his niche in the UFC. He is tough enough to be a credible name on any elite heavyweights résumé and just flawed enough that his weaknesses can be used against him.

Kongo has done well recently against journeyman striker Paul Buentello and former kickboxer Pat Barry, but Barry has also had a mixed career with the UFC. In a fight with Travis Browne, in which Kongo got a draw, he looked terrible, and many thought he lost the fight.

Now Browne has gone on to beat Stefan Struve and Rob Broughton impressively.

Kongo barely got by Barry and if Browne’s last two wins mean anything, it seems to show what kind of heavyweights can get by the French kickboxer.

Now the UFC seems to be wanting to test Matt Mitrione to see if he is on that level. In truth it will be Mitrione’s toughest fight as his first fights have consisted of second tier fighters like Kimbo Slice and Tim Hague.

His best opponent might just be Joey Beltran, which speaks volumes of how little Mitrione has been tested. He has mostly stood up against other fighters and fought to entertaining decisions.

Against a gatekeeper like Kongo who only gets beaten by former and present champions it might be too much. Plus if Mitrione tries to strike like his teammate, and Cheick Kongo’s last victim, Pat Barry, he might find himself having to wake up to his first official loss.

Unless Mitrione can learn to take Kongo down, or do the unthinkable and beat him in a striking match, then Kongo will claim another win over an overrated heavyweight and continue to be the UFC champion of the gatekeepers.

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UFC 136: If Kenny Florian Doesn’t Take the Title It Might Be Time to Move on

I am a fan of Kenny Florian. I find that he is funny and intelligent outside of the cage and vicious and technical inside of it.He is perhaps one of the best fighters to never win a belt in the UFC. Every time he seems like he is close to g…

I am a fan of Kenny Florian. I find that he is funny and intelligent outside of the cage and vicious and technical inside of it.

He is perhaps one of the best fighters to never win a belt in the UFC. Every time he seems like he is close to getting that brass ring, it slips from his grasp.

Part of it has to do with the fighters he’s faced. Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, and Gray Maynard, in a lightweight title eliminator, are no joke. If he loses to Jose Aldo on Saturday it will just be another great fighter who Florian came up short against.

It depends on the fight, but there are many fans who believe that the young Aldo will have too much for Florian. If Aldo does win, what is next for The Ultimate Fighter alumni?

At 35 he isn’t getting any younger and he most likely can’t cut down to bantamweight. So, what is the next step?

He could continue fighting, but at this point he would only tarnish his career by continuing to try and get the title. If it doesn’t happen on Saturday, it probably never will. Florian is way to good to become a gatekeeper.

Some fans and MMA insiders have mentioned that he should become a commentator. It’s a good suggestion, as Florian has always impressed when he appears on the MMA hour and has legitimate knowledge, being a fighter himself.

However, I believe that Florian would be best served doing another job.

Dana White‘s job.

This doesn’t mean that when he retires from the cage, whether it be on Saturday or in the future, he should immediately get it. He should be put in the company and under Dana White to learn.

Florian would be perfect as the President of the UFC. He is educated, a former fighter, and polite. Dana White is what got the UFC to where it is, but in the coming years it will need somebody different to help it go on to the next level.

The other reason Florian should get White’s job is because Dana White won’t be around forever. In a sit-down interview with Joe Rogan, White admitted that in about 10 years he would like to retire. Though he is relatively young, White’s schedule is incredibly stressful and it wouldn’t be surprising if he burned out in less than a decade.

Florian might be only seven years younger than White, but being a fighter is still less stressful than being the president of the premier MMA company. He is healthier and is not as worn out as White.

He also understands how to handle media and be in the spotlight. It makes him a great candidate overall.

Of course, Florian might end up winning on Saturday and become the best featherweight title holder in MMA history.

But if he doesn’t, the alternatives aren’t that bad either.

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UFC Live: Why Demetrious Johnson Lost and the Need for a UFC Flyweight Division

Last night, Dominick Cruz easily outpointed Demetrious Johnson. Part of the reason is that Cruz is such a talent. He is so adept at creating angles and confusing his opponents that he usually wins.This time though, he was the slower man. &n…

Last night, Dominick Cruz easily outpointed Demetrious Johnson. Part of the reason is that Cruz is such a talent. He is so adept at creating angles and confusing his opponents that he usually wins.

This time though, he was the slower man. So he did the smartest thing he could. He took the much smaller Johnson down and beat him that way.

It wasn’t surprising to see Cruz win this way as he stood a towering five inches over Johnson.

Johnson’s game just wasn’t in the same league. He was faster than Cruz, but the size was just too much.

A decade-and-a-half ago this wouldn’t have been a problem. Fighters weren’t training in multiple styles of martial arts and there was a possibility that a smaller combatant could find a hole in their skills and beat them with it.

That just doesn’t happen these days. Fighters train so extensively that being the bigger guy gives a great advantage. In Cruz’s case, it was monstrous.

Normally, the answer would be for Johnson to cut down in weight and see if he couldn’t make a run for the belt there. The problem is that there is nowhere for Johnson to go. He is in the lowest weight class offered by the UFC.

Johnson could decide to drop in weight, but it would mean a drop in paycheck too as he would have to fight mostly in Japan and on a few smaller US promotions instead of in main events on cable TV.

The choice is pretty easy to make.

The UFC should make a flyweight division, though. It’s true that they shouldn’t follow boxing’s mistake and make too many divisions, but they do need to have a place for the smaller fighters who populate the fringes of the featherweight division.

It would be difficult to hype the fight as much to the common fan since most just want to see heavyweights like Brock Lesnar in the cage as pay-per-view buys show, but it’s usually the smaller guys who bring the Fight of the Night.

Johnson showed this in the first round when he beat Cruz easily when they were striking. As stated before, with Cruz’s striking, that is not an easy task. Yet Johnson made it look like it wasn’t hard at all.

Now imagine Johnson in the cage with someone who could match his speed and pace. Exciting isn’t it? And it would be a fair fight.

It also makes economic sense. Another title means more PPV buys and a legitimate main or co-main event even if it isn’t the most interesting matchup. It would be fiscally responsible and it would give a fair shot to smaller featherweights who don’t quite stack up in the featherweight division.

It would give guys like Demetrious Johnson a chance to prove that they are the best in the world on fair and equal terms.

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MMA: Why Calling Fighters "Athletes" Is an Insult to Those That Step in the Cage

Fight fans like to wonder how certain athletes in other sports would do if they made the jump to MMA. Reporters believe that a day will come when more and more athletes come into MMA because it is a lucrative option and is gaining popularity. There is some truth to this. However, it is not because all of these athletes are primed to switch over. It is because a few out of the many will turn out to be martial artists.

Athletes are impressive. They are the peak of physical excellence and are so talented at what they do that they get paid very well to do it. They are competitive and know what it takes to win and have the drive to do it.

However martial artists are not athletes. They are the men and women who have dedicated themselves to a lifestyle that permeates every part of their existence. They have learned to be the best even if genetically, they weren’t given the best traits.

Whenever a reporter or announcer makes a claim of how great an athlete a certain fighter is they make a subtle inference too.

That it’s only people with good genetics who have a chance of winning.

Not the person who has trained all their life in martial arts.

Not the person who has devoted all of their time to this pursuit.

Someone who could have been a football player or a golfer is fine.

To some degree this is true. A fighter must be able to use all four limbs effectively and have decent cardio to be able to fight.

However that is far different then having to be an athlete.

In martial arts I’ve seen athletes who were imposing and strong last less than a week. I’ve seen girls who couldn’t have been over five feet tall get their black belt.

These people will never be athletes. They will never have a football player’s sprint, or a basketball player’s jump. They won’t be able to hit a home run or score a goal.

They just will keep fighting because that is what they know how to do.

This article isn’t meant to disparage athletes. They are impressive, but martial arts takes a little bit more than genetic gifts and a drive to win to be good at. It’s the something that allows men who are undersized to beat those who are genetically superior to them.

And every time a reporter or a journalist uses the term athlete on the competitors in MMA they ignore this and make the statement that any athlete can compete.

And that some martial artists can’t.

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UFC 135, DREAM 17 and Bellator: Rating the Weekend Fights for Their Fun Factor

This weekend is stuffed to the gill with decent fights. So many, in fact, that it’s going to be difficult to rank all of them.So, in the spirit of picking the best fights, Strikeforce challengers has been eliminated.Strikeforce challengers has never ha…

This weekend is stuffed to the gill with decent fights. So many, in fact, that it’s going to be difficult to rank all of them.

So, in the spirit of picking the best fights, Strikeforce challengers has been eliminated.

Strikeforce challengers has never had the most competitive matchups, and there are plenty of other interesting options.

With that said, let’s get to the breakdown:

One star = Only use this as an aide to cure insomnia. Or a method of torture.

Two stars = Drink enough alcohol and this fight might entertain you.

Three stars = Decent fight. Just like most matinee movies, you won’t remember it three hours after it happened, but you’ll enjoy yourself while you’re watching it.

Four stars = A good fight. Something that will keep you on your toes every once in a while, and you’ll have a smile on your face the next morning as you remember it.

Five stars = Are you glad you saw this fight? It had a little bit of everything, and it will get you through Monday at work when you wonder why you need your paycheck. It might even be something you brag about watching.

Six stars = They don’t get much better than this. Your voice is a little hoarse from all the yelling, but it was worth it. It’ll be hard getting to sleep, and by tomorrow you will have read every scrap of post-fight news you can find on the web.

Seven stars = They don’t get any better than this! Ever! Forget sleep, as you won’t be getting much—if you get any at all. You will be refreshing news pages for new articles and breaking information and, by Friday, your voice still won’t sound normal.

Now that that is done, let’s get started!

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7 Reasons Why Bellator Will Never Challenge the UFC’s Position as Top Promoter

Before this year started, Bellator was considered an upstart contender trying to squeeze in between the UFC and Strikeforce. By the time it ends it will be the only American competition the UFC has.Bellator had a stroke of luck this year when the…

Before this year started, Bellator was considered an upstart contender trying to squeeze in between the UFC and Strikeforce. By the time it ends it will be the only American competition the UFC has.

Bellator had a stroke of luck this year when the UFC shockingly bought Strikeforce and essentially wiped out their other competitor. This left Bellator as the second and only option for fighters who wanted to remain on TV.

Then Spike TV finally had their contract with the UFC run out and started televising fights on their website from Bellator events that don’t make it onto MTV2.

All in all the company might have found a niche as the second best mixed martial arts organization when all is said and done.

However, they will never challenge the UFC the way Strikeforce could.

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