Author: Vince Carey

10 Reasons UFC Will Be Mainstream in 10 Years

We’ve all heard it a million times before, and will hear it a million times again: “Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world.” As a fan of the sport, that statement tells me that the sport should be blowing up with…

We’ve all heard it a million times before, and will hear it a million times again:

“Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world.”

As a fan of the sport, that statement tells me that the sport should be blowing up within the next few years.

After all, if the fastest growing sport in the world isn’t actually gaining any fans or publicity, does that statement even matter?

Fortunately, I see a huge upswing in MMA popularity coming, and more specifically, a huge boost for the UFC.

Within 10 years I see the UFC being covered as well as the NBA and the MLB, and within striking distance of the NFL.

A little too bold? Maybe.

But if you look at the way the sport is growing, and the major moves that Zuffa has made in just the last year, it is very possible.  

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UFC 137: Does Nick Diaz Really Have a Shot Against BJ Penn?

Before I even start, I feel like I should let it be known that I’m a huge Nick Diaz fan. My desktop background is the infamous picture of Diaz giving Frank Shamrock the finger before their Strikeforce bout. I constantly throw my buddies in submis…

Before I even start, I feel like I should let it be known that I’m a huge Nick Diaz fan.

My desktop background is the infamous picture of Diaz giving Frank Shamrock the finger before their Strikeforce bout. I constantly throw my buddies in submissions and scream “209” and I am even a proud owner of a “Don’t Be Scared, Homie” t-shirt.

Obviously, I think Diaz is a hell of a fighter.

But over the last few months I’ve seen fans and MMA journalists alike try to convince me that Diaz was going to beat Georges St-Pierre, and once the matchup was switched, BJ Penn.

And with all the Diaz love that I have, I’ve had the same reaction every time: Seriously?

No one can deny that Diaz is an extremely entertaining fighter, and he is obviously talented both standing up and on the mat, but is he really on the level of two of the greatest fighters of all time?

The St-Pierre argument was mostly to convince people to buy PPVs and I understand that, but everyone saying that Diaz has a chance against Penn is insane.

Where does Diaz have an advantage against Penn? Absolutely nowhere.

If the fight stays on the feet, Penn having been called the best boxer in MMA by famed boxing coach Freddie Roach, and for good reason, is relevant.

Penn is the owner of one of the best jabs in the business and is nearly impossible to hit, but perhaps more important, he can explode on an opponent in a moment’s notice.

Watch Penn’s fight with Matt Hughes at UFC 123 to see how quickly he can take out an opponent.

If Diaz somehow drags the fight to the mat—which is unlikely considering Penn’s superior takedown defense—the fight is supposed to be even since they both have BJJ blackbelts.

People seem to have forgotten that Penn is one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, having earned his black belt in just three years and winning the world championships shortly after.

That’s not to say that Diaz can’t catch him on the mat. After all he’s a highly skilled BJJ guy himself, but it is unlikely that he can pull it off.

Throw in Penn’s wrestling ability, which he used successfully during the first round of his fight with Jon Fitch earlier this year, and there is almost nowhere that Diaz has the advantage.

Diaz is a fantastic fighter and one of the most polarizing fighters in the sport, but let’s face it—he’s not even on Penn’s level.

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BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz and the 15 Best Non-Title UFC Fights Remaining in 2011

Let’s be honest, as awesome as the new UFC 137 main event is between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz is, the card lost some serious intrigue when Georges St-Pierre pulled out of his title fight with Carlos Condit earlier this week. It’s not that fans…

Let’s be honest, as awesome as the new UFC 137 main event is between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz is, the card lost some serious intrigue when Georges St-Pierre pulled out of his title fight with Carlos Condit earlier this week.

It’s not that fans aren’t excited about the new main event, it’s a fight that most of us have wanted to see for years, but there is something about a title fight that makes fans infinitely more excited for an event.

But every fight can’t be a title fight (obviously), so we have to start looking forward to the fights with a little less on the line.

Fortunately, the rest of the year is stacked with non-title wars that will get people talking and this list is devoted to the best of them. 

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Anderson Silva and the Most Exciting Fighter to Watch in Each UFC Weight Class

Fans tune in to see great fights. It seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes it gets lost when guys like Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz cause drama in the media with their actions and words outside of the Octagon. It’s not that we don’t …

Fans tune in to see great fights.

It seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes it gets lost when guys like Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz cause drama in the media with their actions and words outside of the Octagon.

It’s not that we don’t enjoy what they do, but as Dana White once said

“People aren’t paying $50 to listen to Chael Sonnen talk for 25 minutes.”

While some guys have put on lackluster fights and still gotten a ton of PPV buys, for the most part, fans tune in to be entertained, and most of them have certain fighters they feel that they can turn to when they want to see an awesome fight.

Some of these guys dominate their opponents and leave fans staring in awe at how good they are, while others go out there and get into war after war with no regard to their own safety, possibly amazing fans even more.

Every division has a few guys that fans will make sure they watch no matter what, and I’ve tried to single out the best of those fighters here.

One quick note: I wanted to avoid putting a bunch of champions and well-known fighters on here, so if it was close, I deferred to the lesser-known fighter.

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3 Reasons Georges St-Pierre Is the Pound-for-Pound King, Not Anderson Silva

Since Fedor Emelianenko lost to Fabricio Werdum back in 2010, the MMA pound-for-pound rankings have been a constant debate over who deserves the top spot. The argument always comes down to two names, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, and for the mo…

Since Fedor Emelianenko lost to Fabricio Werdum back in 2010, the MMA pound-for-pound rankings have been a constant debate over who deserves the top spot.

The argument always comes down to two names, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, and for the most part fans are comfortable with either answer.

But recently the trend has been bucked, and fans have awarded Silva the top spot after he earned his latest impressive victory over Yushin Okami in August.

This is insane.

Not only should St-Pierre be in the discussion, he should own the top spot—but fans and journalists alike have taken Anderson’s ability to finish and made it the sole reason he is the top fighter in the sport.

Georges St-Pierre is the top fighter in the world and here are three reasons why.

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Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva and 5 Loser-Leaves-Town Fights to Book

After UFC 136 ended last weekend, it was almost as if Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo didn’t exist because MMA fans were all having the same conversation. How crazy is Chael Sonnen? Sonnen straight verbally assaulted Anderson Silva after his fight, c…

After UFC 136 ended last weekend, it was almost as if Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo didn’t exist because MMA fans were all having the same conversation.

How crazy is Chael Sonnen?

Sonnen straight verbally assaulted Anderson Silva after his fight, calling him out for Super Bowl weekend and basically creating a WWE style “Loser Leaves Town” fight, which means if Silva wins then Sonnen will leave the UFC.

But if Sonnen wins, his arch nemesis will have to leave the middleweight division forever, giving Uncle Chael full control over the division.

While it is doubtful that Dana White actually lets this happen, the whole “Loser Leaves Town” concept is a fun one, and it raises an obvious question.

What are the best “Loser Leaves Town” fights the UFC could create?

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