“UFC, HERO*S, EXC, TUF 6, and my challenge to Mauro Ranallo”

Note: the following column will contain some spoilers for the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter 6. It will NOT contain the winner of the first fight.

UFC 75.6 million

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world and 5.6 million people watched this accomplishment. He took a solid, though not altogether memorable, 25-minute unanimous decision. I suppose it was fitting that two guys that made their reputations fighting in PRIDE would be involved in the final PRIDE 205 lb fight.

Can we appeal this one?

Matt Hamill loses to Michael Bisping after a decision that was controversial. I keep hearing people say either, “I had Hamill winning” or “I had Hamill winning the fight, but I could see a Bisping decision.” Outside of one rather infamous website, I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone that picked Bisping to win the fight – besides the two judges. ufc.tv ran a poll that saw 90%+ say Hamill won the contest; this is impressive as I had no idea that 10% of the people that visit ufc.tv were related to Bisping.

The report of my death was an exaggeration

MMA in Japan isn’t dead, yet. K-1’s MMA group, HERO*S runs a show this Monday and it’s loaded with fighters like Sakuraba, THE DONGER~!, KID Yamamoto, and four of the better lightweights around.

After a failed attempt to make the Japanese Olympic wrestlig team, Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto returns to the sport that made him famous. One of the smallest fighters in the sport is eerily similar to heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko: his ground and pound is unreal, he’s exceptional in all facets of the game, and his only loss was a fluke blood stoppage that took place in under a minute. Unlike the Russian though, KID is one of the most charismatic stars in the game and a legitimate mainstream draw in Japan. KID dominated the featherweight division before moving up to lightweight where he continued to look nothing short of amazing. However; fighting men 20 lbs heavier will eventually catch up with a fighter, and, recognizing this, HERO*S created the 138 lb division just for KID. KID’s opponent is Bibiano Fernandes. Bibiano is a world-class submission grappler, and he’s likely to be knocked out in the first round because KID is just that good.

Hardcore fans will be paying close attention to HERO*S as it also features the final two rounds of its lightweight tournament. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Gesius Calvancanti square off in one bracket while Caol Uno and Chute Boxe representative Andre Dida occupy the other two slots. With two fighters in most people’s top 10, a longtime veteran in Uno, and a striker in the mold of Wanderlei Silva, this could easily produce 3 incredible fights. Gesius and Shaolin is one of the toughest fights of the year so far to pick. I have literally gone back and forth numerous times each day on who I think will take this one, ultimately settling on Shaolin by decision. Either way, I believe the tournament champion comes from this fight. Officially, I’m predicting Shaolin by decision over Calvancanti and second round rear naked choke over Caol Uno.

Yes, something IS going on in Japan!

I’m a little bit country, you’re a little bit – New York City?

The Ultimate Fighter is back and the first episode doesn’t disappoint. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as TUF 5’s premier episode, but I can’t see people not loving it. The quality of fighters isn’t what its been in the past, and the debut doesn’t do a lot in terms of showcasing new personalities (there is no Corey Hill barking like a madman), but the animosity between the coaches rivals any other season.

Matt Hughes and Matt Serra lead their respective teams and this is the definition of a proxy war, with Joe Scarola and Mac Danzig as first set of puppets. Danzig is the most well-known fighter on the show, having fought for King of the Cage and PRIDE. Scarola is a student of Serra’s and one of his best friends; Scarola was the best man at Serra’s wedding. Hughes immediately starts playing mind games, hinting that he’ll pick Scarola just so Serra can’t have him. Serra takes the bait and picks Scarola with his first selection, much to the amusement of Hughes who didn’t think Scarola was a top pick.

Because Serra got the first pick, Hughes got to make the first matchup. To further the mind games, Hughes goes right for the jugular and matches Danzig, his second pick and fourth overall, up against Scarola. I won’t spoil anything other than to say that you’ve got to see this to believe it.

Note that The Ultimate Fighter has moved nights, now airing on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. I will also have a great deal more to say about TUF 6 on my radio show, Five Star Radio, found at f4wonline.com. I’m a whore, I know.

I’m sorry, but KenFlo is the single worst nickname in the history of MMA…

Fight fans have become spoiled but it’s not our fault: Spike and the UFC keep giving us MMA and who are we to reject it? Airing right before the TUF 6 premier is another installment of UFC Fight Night. The headlining fight is Kenny “KenFlo” Florian taking on TUF 4 alum, Din Thomas. Florian, despite having a cringe worthy nickname, has an odd habit of winning fights. He’s not physically gifted and while he’s competent on his feet and on the ground, he never comes across as a threat. And, yet, he keeps winning. On paper, Thomas should take this. His standup is crisper, he has a great deal more experience, and his ground game is good enough that it should nullify Florian. I’m not a big Florian fan, but I find it hard to pick against him because, with a few exceptions (always against men much physically larger), he simply wins. For that reason, and that reason alone, I’m going to say Florian pulls off a second round submission victory. He shouldn’t, but he will.

The undercard for the Fight Night features a whole slew of really competitive, entertaining bouts, featuring guys of whom no one has heard.

Kuniyoshi Hironaka, a Japanese fighter with outstanding ground and pound, takes on Thiago Alves. I’m going with the upset and saying Hironaka wins by decision.

TUF 5 winner, Nate Diaz returns to the Octagon. I think he’ll tap out Junior Assuncao in the first round. Diaz, like his brother, is the real deal.

In the fight with the most hype so far, Terry Martin, fresh off his arrest in the great city of Chicago, will fight Chris Leben. Martin likes to throw heavy bombs and Leben has been known to do the same. This could break down into a great deal of clinch work, as Leben likes to work from that position, but I’m hoping it stays standing and the fans get a show. For that reason, I say Martin wins with a first round knock out and makes a serious name for himself in the 185 lb division.

Finally, Nate Quarry returns to the UFC after a several year layoff dealing with serious back issues. He’ll face Pete “Drago” Sell. These two met before and the outcome left a lot to be desired. The official record says that Quarry won with a first round knock out in 42 seconds. It was a questionable stoppage at the time, with many feeling the ref jumped in too soon and that Sell was far from finished. This fight should clear up any confusion. Back injuries are a pain in the ass to recover from, and a near two-year absence from the sport is an eternity, but I’m still picking Quarry by decision.

I’ll punch Mauro Ranallo in the face if I have to, I mean it

EXC is back and hopefully some of you read this before it takes place. Robbie Lawler takes on Ninja Rua in the main-event in what should be an entertaining standup war. I say Ninja by knockout.

Nick Diaz, promising to not get caught smoking pot again, has found his NSAC imposed suspension at an end. He should knock out Mike Aina in the first round.

Charuto Verissimo and Jake Shields clash. Shields by decision.

But the fight I really care about is the one featuring the amazing, the beautiful, the vivacious (why not), Gina Carano. EXC announcer, and all round cool dude, Mauro Ranallo has publicly made it known that he’s going to win her heart. I’m glad it’s Mauro going after her, and not some heavyweight killing machine, because at least I stand a chance of taking the Canadian mouthpiece out! Mauro, if you’re reading, you and me, buddy, winner gets Carano (no, she has no say in this). Seriously though, Carano is a great fighter and has a wonderful personality. No, really, I mean it. Yes, she’s attractive, and has a real charisma about her. She is an outstanding representative of the sport.

By the way, just for Bryan Alvarez, and so I don’t get another lashing for not making all my picks clear:

HERO*S Picks: KID Yamamoto over Fernandes
Shaolin Ribeiro over Calvancanti and Uno
Sakuraba over Shibata
Kharitonov over Overeem
The Donger~! over Galesic

UFC Fight Night Picks:
Florian over Thomas
Hironaka over Alves
Diaz over Assuncao
Martin over Leben
Quarry over Sell.

EXC Picks:
Ninja over Lawler
Diaz over Aina
Shields over Verissimo
Me over Ranallo

I also want to thank John Pollock and everyone at the Fight Network for having me as a guest on the station’s radio program. I had a blast and I apologize, in advance, for tanking your ratings. {plug}