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UFC 137 Results: What We Learned from B.J. Penn vs. Nick Diaz

In the main event of UFC 137 in Las Vegas, Nick Diaz flashed his boxing skills and his irascible temperament—the two attributes that make him famous—en route to a unanimous decision victory over a battered B.J. Penn, who indicated after the…

Here’s what we learned from the bout.

What we’ll remember about this fight:

If this truly was the swan song of B.J. Penn’s illustrious career, that will be the overriding headline. Penn’s left eye swelled shut after the fight, a testament to the beating he received from Diaz, who was returning to the UFC after a five-year absence.

Still, Penn went out on his shield. Despite the barrage he took, he still has never been knocked down in his entire MMA career. That’s pretty freaking impressive.

What we learned about B.J. Penn:

We learned that, uh, he may be retiring. Penn’s career has followed a cyclical path, in which his motivation to train and to fight waxes and wanes like the Hawaiian moon. He appeared exhausted in the later stages of the fight, and confounded by Diaz’s standup onslaught. Though he was able to return fire and bloody Diaz, he didn’t always seem fully present.

After the fight, in speaking with Joe Rogan, he said “I’m done,” noting that he didn’t like the idea of going back to his family “looking like this.”

That said, he has thrown around the R word before, so time will tell.

What we learned about Nick Diaz:

That he’s good. Really good. Diaz used his six-inch reach advantage to stay out of Penn’s range, while landing those trademark tumbling combinations to B.J.’s face and body. As Penn wore down, Diaz seemed to hit his stride, dropping his hands as he stalked Penn down and cornered him against the fence.

After the fight, he called out “where you at, Georges?” and told Joe Rogan he thought Georges St-Pierre was faking his injury and was “scared” to face him. If it was a ploy to get the title shot, it probably worked. But after dominating Penn like that, Diaz probably didn’t need extra head games to convince the UFC of his worthiness.

What’s next for Penn:

If he rethinks retirement, a rematch with Jon Fitch seems reasonable.

What’s next for Diaz:

He asked for it, he got it. He’ll face St-Pierre early next year for the welterweight title.

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The 15 Most Overlooked Fighters in MMA Today

It’s a lot easier—for me, anyway—to follow team sports than it is to follow an individual sport like MMA. Even if you can’t name the backup right guard for, say, the New Orleans Saints, you can still root for them without much&nbs…

There’s more to being an MMA fan. It’s not as easy as picking one favorite and stopping. You can’t just click over to your favorite guy and then chillax, as that one favorite is probably only going to fight four times a year tops. Plus, the fight cards are selected for you; it’s not a full or near-full menu every time. And that’s to say nothing of weight classes or the guys who fight on free events versus the guys you have to pay to see. You get the idea.

So if you really want to know what’s going on in the world of MMA during any given event, you pretty much have to know who everyone is. That’s why I find that the average MMA fan is far more likely to know who the No. 10 featherweight contender is than the average football fan is to know who the starting receivers are on any roster outside their home team’s division. Not to say one is more knowledgeable than the other; I’m a member of both camps, after all. It’s just different.

That said, there are still some guys who fall through the cracks, even among devoted fans. Whether it’s because they’re in a smaller promotion, lack charisma or simply don’t get the high-profile fights they seem to deserve on paper, these are the 15 most overlooked fighters in the sport today.

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The 25 Best Featherweights in MMA History

When you’re talking MMA, talking about the best featherweights in history is a bit of a misnomer as far as phrases go. After all, there’s only been a 145-pound (or thereabouts) division in MMA’s major leagues for a few years now.Still…

Still, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been great fighters, great fights and great champions, both in the UFC and in various promotions around the world.

What follows are the 25 best featherweights to ever put on the MMA gloves.

For the record, these are guys who fought at or around 145 pounds. They are also guys who did most of their fighting (and has most of their success) at that weight class.

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MMA: The 15 Most Spectacular Ring Entrances in History

Movie stars know it. Ditto the debutantes. It’s one of maybe three things that make famous-for-nothing socialites famous. Yep. There’s nothing else like a great entrance.Scoff all you want, but it means something in MMA, too. You can write it off …

Movie stars know it. Ditto the debutantes. It’s one of maybe three things that make famous-for-nothing socialites famous. Yep. There’s nothing else like a great entrance.

Scoff all you want, but it means something in MMA, too. You can write it off as meaningless histrionics that have nothing to do with THE FIGHT, MAN, but doing so disregards the marketing (read: business) end of the game.

Throughout history, fighters and promotions have sought any means of distinguishing themselves from the faceless hoard. And yeah, of course in-cage success is the quickest and most effective means to that end. But it’s not the only one.

The great ring entrance is a bit of a dying art. And that’s a shame, because a great entrance not only helps a fighter market himself, it amps up the crowd in his favor.

Pride was the absolute master in this area. Yes, I am aware that promotion is defunct. But that happened in spite of the rabid fanbase it developed in large part through its unapologetic, and undeniably fun, sense of theater. Not to belabor the point, but if you’re one of those who think the UFC has nothing to learn from the promotion it “beat,” then I have some light reading assignments in the areas of history and business that I’d like to recommend to you.

All right. Diatribe complete. Here are the 15 fighters who, for various reasons, did it best when it came to ring entrances. One final caveat: This is about the total package; not just the songs. Songs are a separate list if you care to delve further.

Thanks for reading.

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The 25 Lowest Low Blows in MMA History

It happens at least once or twice on every MMA fight card. An inside leg kick goes awry and catches an unsuspecting opponent in his sensitive area. The action stops, the fighter goes to one knee, lets the pain subside, collects himself and tells the ref he’s ready to continue. The perpetrator offers an apologetic glove touch, and we’re back in business.

This list is not about one of those times. These are the lowest low blows in MMA.

Low blows can take many forms. Sure, we all love our groin-shot highlights, but low here means more than just corporeal geography. It means underhanded. Shady. Dirty. Cheap. These aren’t accidents or isolated incidents. They were undertaken with bad intentions, or at least a sustained disregard for rules and decorum.

There are many varieties of lowness represented here, including illegal attacks, blows before and after the bell and more. Oh, and there are also lots of groin shots. Please enjoy.

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UFC 136 Fight Card: Leonard Garcia and the 10 Most Fan-Friendly Fighters in MMA

The sport of mixed martial arts is a lot like the cutthroat restaurant business. Both involve their fair share of yelling, beefy guys in shorts, lots of blood, lots of curses and nicknames flying around. And the girls! Don’t forget about the…

Maybe the closest similarity, though, is the importance of presentation. You can serve the thickest, juiciest steak in town, but who’s going to want it if you serve it on a garbage can lid?

Same holds true for MMA, a sport trying desperately to carve out its own niche in the crowded mainstream sports market. The cup runs over in terms of athleticism, competition and personality. But if, at the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of brick-headed jerks lying on top of each other, that’s not going to make your business overly attractive to certain very large segments of the general population.

That’s why these 10 guys are worth their weight in gold. They’re the most fan-friendly fighters in MMA today. These are the guys who will stop at nothing to put on a show to be remembered by the ticket-buying public.

Near the head of the pack is Leonard Garcia, who at UFC 136 this Saturday faces off with Nam Phan.

This list covers active fighters only. In the name of doing something different, I’m going to try and tabulate fighters who are fan friendly both inside and outside the cage. As you’ll see, it’s very interesting how often the two sync up.

There are plenty of guys who just missed the cut. Anyone you’d like to see on the list who didn’t make it?

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