Author: Steven Rondina

Aldo vs. Pettis: Exciting for Fans, Bad Idea for Featherweight Division’s Future

As recently as seven months ago, I was ruthlessly criticizing the lack of depth in the featherweight division. I don’t know precisely when it happened, but the 145-lb division has evolved in a profound way. It’s not just because of the arrival of vario…

As recently as seven months ago, I was ruthlessly criticizing the lack of depth in the featherweight division. I don’t know precisely when it happened, but the 145-lb division has evolved in a profound way.

It’s not just because of the arrival of various lightweights. The additions of Clay Guida, Frankie Edgar and Jeremy Stephens certainly help, but they were really just part of the featherweight division’s rise. The real turning point was when, beneath everyone’s notice, a legitimate hierarchy of fighters developed that allowed stars to be built.

This wasn’t the case when Erik Koch found himself in a title fight with featherweight champ Jose Aldo after beating Jonathan Brookins (which, by the way, was Brookins‘ first fight after winning The Ultimate Fighter season 12). It is now, though—what we have seen over the last few months is Ricardo Lamas assert himself as a legitimate top contender, with Cub Swanson, Chad Mendes and Chan Sung Jung hot on his heels, and Clay Guida and Dennis Siver just behind.

Because of that, while a match like Jose Aldo vs. former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar made sense six months ago, it is not necessary now. That, however, is precisely what we’re getting in the recently-announced featherweight championship bout between Jose Aldo and former WEC lightweight champion, and current UFC lightweight top contender, Anthony Pettis.

Anthony Pettis is an amazing talent. He should be universally regarded as one of the best strikers in MMA today—with wins over top-10 lightweights including Donald Cerrone, Joe Lauzon, and champion Benson Henderson, he is as deserving of a title fight as anybody in the UFC today.

Cashing those chips in as a featherweight makes sense for a variety of reasons for Pettis. Now that he is finally through an injury-plagued 2012, “Showtime” seems to be healthy for the first time in a good while. After getting denied a title fight at 155 lbs before, a guaranteed payday in a guaranteed title fight on a guaranteed date must be appealing.

On top of that, he claims that he only needs to cut a few pounds to make 155 lbs, which would make clearing the featherweight mark an easy task. Last but not least, this keeps Pettis clear of high-level wrestlers that have a serious size advantage on him, like Gray Maynard (who has been calling Pettis out lately) or Jim Miller. Pettis, if you’ll remember, was badly out-wrestled by Clay Guida not all that long ago.

Still, even though it is a great opportunity for Pettis, it is not great for the featherweight division as a whole.

Ricardo Lamas has a four-fight winning streak over Matt Grice, Cub Swanson, Hatsu Hioki and Erik Koch. Hioki and Koch, by the way, were both lined up to fight for the belt in 2012, and Swanson is currently ranked as the No. 6 featherweight in our rankings. Suffice it to say, he has done more than enough to earn a crack at Jose Aldo.

With a legitimate pileup of fighters with skyrocketing stock just behind Lamas, there is no reason to have another lightweight cut the line.

Unfortunately, as we have seen with Johny Hendricks, winning a bunch of fights over top-10 fighters does not mean anything until you have the drawing power to back it up. That is the pickle Ricardo Lamas finds himself in—with the UFC opting to bring in established lightweights rather than letting featherweights get media exposure, it is a predicament that will persist longer than necessary, which will hurt more than just Lamas.

So, while fans are all undoubtedly salivating at what will likely be a high-flying, fast-paced battle that has more kicks than a Rockettes show, this fight does come at the expense of the numerous rising stars in the featherweight division. The UFC will reap the short-term benefits, but it hurts one of their hottest divisions in the long-term.

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Georges St-Pierre: Champ Showing Lack of Media Savvy in UFC 158 Build-Up

Georges St-Pierre is a near perfect human. He’s smart, he’s articulate, he’s an incredible athlete, he’s a nice guy. For the first time ever, St-Pierre finds himself at odds with fans and he just doesn’t seem to know how to handle it. He finds himself …

Georges St-Pierre is a near perfect human. He’s smart, he’s articulate, he’s an incredible athlete, he’s a nice guy. For the first time ever, St-Pierre finds himself at odds with fans and he just doesn’t seem to know how to handle it.

He finds himself in an uncharacteristically not-enviable position over his upcoming matchup with Nick Diaz. The controversy, of course, comes from Diaz receiving the title shot after a year away from the sport due to a failed drug test following his loss to Carlos Condit, rather than Johny Hendricks who is riding a five-fight winning streak, including three wins over top-10 fighters.

With GSP facing criticism that is perhaps harsher than anything he’s faced before, he has been at a loss for words and, in many ways, struggling with rationalizing this turn of events. At UFC on Fox 5, GSP sounded off (you can check it out here):

“I believe Diaz is the number-one ranked [contender]. His fight with Condit was very controversial. When I saw the fight, I gave it to Condit…I do feel bad for Johny Hendricks, but put yourself in my shoes. Diaz is the big fight. It’s been waiting for a long time…When Hendricks fought [Josh] Koscheck, I gave the fight to Koscheck. For me, for motivation…I fought Koscheck before…I would have given it to Koscheck.”

He reiterated that sentiment at last week’s press conference.

Once again, Georges St-Pierre is very smart, and quite media-savvy. He knows what the staggering majority of fans already know…that quote up there and any of his attempts to brand Nick Diaz as the true top contender are total crap.

He knows it’s silly to question Hendricks’ split decision win and Diaz‘s unanimous decision loss in the same breathe. He knows that, beyond question, Johnny Hendricks is the top contender in the welterweight division. He knows that there’s a huge logical hole in saying he doesn’t want to fight Hendricks because he lost to Koscheck, but wants to fight Diaz who lost to Condit.

There is absolutely, positively no way Georges St-Pierre believes there is a reality-based case for him to be fighting Nick Diaz right now, rather than Johny Hendricks.

That, however, does not mean Georges St-Pierre should not fight Nick Diaz. Like the single mother who works every day to provide, St-Pierre has earned himself that fancy pair of shoes. Damn the consequences.

It is easy to forget, given his relative youth, but come January 31, Georges St-Pierre will be celebrating his ninth anniversary as a UFC fighter. During this time, champions like Tito Ortiz, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Randy Couture and BJ Penn have given Dana White fits over contract disputes. Champions like Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Matt Lindland, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Don Frye have taken up prominent roles with the UFC’s competition.

St-Pierre has never had that sort of ugly, public run-in with UFC brass. He has not even given the UFC the headaches they had with Anderson Silva from 2008 through 2010, or the trouble seen with Jon Jones surrounding UFC 151. Georges St-Pierre has enough clout to have a hand in steering his matchups.

Not total control by any means. If Diaz wasn’t a bigger draw than Hendricks at this point, this fight would not be happening. The same goes for if Diaz wasn’t a strong opponent.

That said, the UFC is giving Georges St-Pierre what he wants, and he needs to stop dancing around about that. Georges St-Pierre wants to fight Nick Diaz instead of Johny Hendricks and there’s no shame in that. Now he just needs to admit it, something Dana White is making no bones about.

So stop it, Georges. Stop trying to rationalize it. Stop trying to make excuses.

Just come out and say “I want Nick Diaz, and I have earned the opportunity to pick a fight with him if I feel like it.” There is no arguing with that.

Sure, it still stinks for Johny Hendricks. That said, the UFC owes Georges St-Pierre some favors. We shouldn’t get too grumpy about him finally calling them in.

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Anthony Pettis Will Face Winner of Henderson vs. Melendez for Lightweight Belt

At long, long last, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will be getting his crack at the UFC lightweight championship. Via UFC Tonight on Twitter:
#Breaking: @danawhite says “no doubt about it” @showtimepettis will face the winner of @bensonhenderson…

At long, long last, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will be getting his crack at the UFC lightweight championship. Via UFC Tonight on Twitter:

This comes on the heels of Pettis’ impressive performance in a first-round TKO of Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 Saturday night. Now he’ll get to face either Benson Henderson or Gilber Melendez for the UFC lightweight title. 

For those that don’t remember, Pettis beat Henderson, the current UFC lightweight champion, at WEC 53 to become the final champion of the popular promotion. The fight was incredibly close, until Pettis landed the famous “Showtime Kick,” where he leaped off the cage and cracked Henderson with a kick to the jaw. Henderson survived the round, but Pettis found himself getting the nod from judges at the end of a fight that is widely regarded by fans as one of the greatest fights of all time.

This was supposed to lead to a shot at the winner of the championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard—a bout that ended with a draw. This meant Pettis would not be able to fight for the belt, and he instead faced Clay Guida, losing by decision.

As Henderson climbed to the top of the 155-pound pile, though, Pettis found himself remaining on the short list of contenders because of his WEC victory. Now, riding on three impressive victories including two highlight-reel knockouts, Anthony Pettis will finally get his shot at gold.

Pettis will have to wait until after UFC on Fox 7 before knowing who will face him for the belt, though. The card is headlined by the aforementioned bout between Henderson and Melendez, Strikeforce’s final lightweight champion.

Both fights promise to be exciting, so keep an eye on us here at Bleacher Report to find out when and where the fight will take place.

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Eddie Alvarez Denied Injunction, Will Not Fight at UFC 159

Eddie Alvarez is a hot commodity these days. Hot enough, in fact, that the former Bellator lightweight champion has been embroiled in an ugly legal battle with his long-time promotion as he attempts to leave for the UFC’s greener pastures. After much e…

Eddie Alvarez is a hot commodity these days. Hot enough, in fact, that the former Bellator lightweight champion has been embroiled in an ugly legal battle with his long-time promotion as he attempts to leave for the UFC’s greener pastures.

After much excitement, the court date has come and gone with the judge ruling against Alvarez’s request for an injunction, according to MMAFighting.com.

Alvarez was penciled in to fight at UFC 159, which is headlined by the light heavyweight championship bout between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, coaches on TUF 17. The frustrating hurtle that prevented Alvarez’s UFC debut is a clause in his contract that allows Bellator to match any offers from competing promotions.

According to president Bjorn Rebney, Bellator matched the UFC’s deal “word for word.” Alvarez, however, filed suit because he claims Bellator is not matching the deal dollar for dollar.

This is likely an accurate allegation by Alvarez given the buyrate-driven nature of Alvarez’s UFC offer, which gives him more money based on the popularity of pay-per-view events he appears in. The fact that Bellator exclusively appears on cable TV makes this a hard act for Bellator to follow.

This does not even go into sponsorship and endorsement deals, which would certainly be more lucrative with the UFC.

Still, Alvarez will remain with Bellator for at least a little while longer. This is undoubtedly a disappointing hit for the fighter, who was actively trying to join the UFC. This does not doom Alvarez’s chances of joining the UFC in 2013, mind you, but stalls his potential debut until, at least, the end of April.

It was slipped in the proceedings that Bellator could be planning a lightweight title fight between Alvarez and current lightweight champion Michael Chandler. However, it is unlikely a Bellator pay-per-view event would match the numbers the UFC consistently pulls.

Keep reading Bleacher Report for more developments surrounding Alvarez.

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Bellator 86: Ben Askren Defeats Karl Amoussou by TKO Via Doctor Stoppage

In the de facto main event of Bellator’s second Spike TV card, Ben Askren once again defended his welterweight belt. This time from Frenchman Karl Amoussou. Amoussou won the Season 6 welterweight tournament to set up this title shot by submitting Chris…

In the de facto main event of Bellator‘s second Spike TV card, Ben Askren once again defended his welterweight belt. This time from Frenchman Karl Amoussou.

Amoussou won the Season 6 welterweight tournament to set up this title shot by submitting Chris Lozano, out-pointing David Rickels and forcing Bryan Baker to tap. Askren, however, is one of the top wrestlers in the welterweight division, courtesy of his background with the United States Olympic Wrestling Team.

While Amoussou actually criticized Askren for this, labeling him a “lay-and-prayer”, there is no question that his distance-focused style has served him well. Askren owned a 10-0 MMA record entering the fight, and defended his welterweight belt from both Jay Hieron and Douglas Lima with his powerful wrestling.

Tonight was no different as, aside from a brief heel hook scare in the second round, Askren maintained top position and laid punches onto the Frenchman from bell to bell. A well-placed elbow opened up Amoussou in the second round and constant punishment eventually forced his eye shut. The doctor would call the fight to a close between the third and fourth rounds.

This is a rare finish for Askren, who has not scored a TKO since his professional MMA debut in 2009. Before this fight, his last non-decision victory came when he choked out Ryan Thomas with a guillotine at Bellator 14 in 2010.

This advances Askren to 11-0 in his MMA career, and 8-0 in Bellator. Askren‘s next opponent will be Season 7 welterweight tournament winner Andrey Koreshkov.  

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Bellator 86: “King” Mo Lawal Wins Bellator Debut, Knocks out Mysiala in Round 1

“King” Mo Lawal was successful in his Bellator debut, beating Przemyslaw Mysiala via first-round knockout. Lawal’s Bellator debut was hyped very thoroughly. The former Strikeforce champion appeared in many of the advertisements that plugged…

“King” Mo Lawal was successful in his Bellator debut, beating Przemyslaw Mysiala via first-round knockout.

Lawal‘s Bellator debut was hyped very thoroughly. The former Strikeforce champion appeared in many of the advertisements that plugged Bellator‘s move to Spike TV, and he was the subject of an hour-long documentary following last week’s card, which explored his recovery from a near-fatal staph infection and his transition from Zuffa also-ran to Bellator superstar and professional wrestler.

All that hype, in combination with his wins over the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Roger Gracie and Lorenz Larkin made it hard to give Mysiala a chance.

Mysiala, in spite of his serviceable 16-7 record fighting on the European MMA scene, was clearly an easy opponent for Lawal. Six of his seven losses have come via knockout, and Lawal is a finisher, and Lawal is a nightmare matchup for him stylistically.

Lawal threw jab after jab, catching Mysiala again and again. As Mysiala slowed from the constant punishment, he threw a combination. Lawal found his chin, and put the Pole onto his back. The ref quickly stepped in and waved the fight to a close.

While both Lawal and Bellator big wig Bjorn Rebney are both certainly pleased with the results, the fight was not an especially amazing performance by the former Strikeforce champion. Lawal never shot for a takedown (a serious concern, given his previous knee troubles), and his stand-up, though effective, was technically questionable as he frequently dropped his guard and left his head exposed.

Still, Lawal remains the favorite in the tournament and will almost certainly become the Bellator light heavyweight champ with little resistance.  

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