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Now that the dust has settled and UFC 91 is over. The number one Heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko has come out openly and expressed and interest in fighting Brock Lesnar. The fight has been a suggested co-promoted fight has been offered between M-1, and Affliction Entertainment and the UFC. Zuffa has already turned down the offer.

The problem with signing Fedor to the UFC has always been disagreements over contracts and who’s ego was bigger.

“I think Lesnar fought a very smart fight,” Emelianenko told Sherdog.com on Tuesday. “It was very interesting to watch. I think one of his strengths was that — I was impressed by his speed in the fight. I think just from watching the fight, each fighter was waiting for the other one to make a mistake and I think Lesnar was very fortunate to have caught Randy and prevail.”

The apparent super fight between Randy and Fedor now looks like a thing of the past.

“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t entirely excited in fighting Randy. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. Getting in the ring with someone that, I myself, adore as a person and a fighter, I’m never as interested in getting in the ring with someone I have an emotional attachment to.”

“I would choose Lesnar, mainly for the reason I mentioned before,” said Emelianenko. “I’m very sympathetic to Randy. We hung out together. We got to know each other. I have a lot of warm feelings toward him. Based on that, if I had my choice without any outside forces involved, I would choose Lesnar.”

Feodr’s next match looks to be vs Andrei Arlovski at Affliction 2 “Day of Reckoning” on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif. The event will be co-promoted by M-1.There is no telling if Emelianenko vs Lesnar will ever happen but there is always a possiblity.

A huge win at UFC 91 for Ken-flo has put him into title contention against no other than the Prodigy.  Let me just start by saying I have never been a huge fan of Kenny but through the years have lost some money betting against him. His evolution as a mixed martial artist has been nothing short or amazing. Since working with Mark Dellagrotte and Sityodtong Kenny’s Muay Thai is as good as any one fighting in MMA today.

With the first round destruction of Joe Stevenson, Florian looks to take on a man that has beaten everyone who is anyone from 155-170. The new BJ 2.0 looks indestructible but that does not seem to put a dent in the plans of Florian.

Although no date has been scheduled Kenny will have till wait till after Penn VS GSP to challenge the 155 champ. Styles make fights and this fight looks to be nothing short of spectacular.

Both fighters have amazing bjj and striking. But most would agree that Penn is on a whole different level in his career than Florian. I expect to see a war with Bj coming out on top.

After Saturday nights loss to behemoth Brock Lesnar. The Natural goes back to drawing board to re think about his career and future options. No one quite knows what to expect from Randy. He has achieved what most in the sport could only imagine and helped to launch a multi million dollar business from the ground up. He is a pioneer of the sport and a humble ambassador.

At 45 years old fans and media question if the once great legend still has enough in the tank to compete at the top tier of MMA. Well I am here to say that I am NOT one of those fans! Randy Couture has made a believer out of me. In the post fight interview he said ” I still feel like I am getting better” I believe it. Giving up over 60 Pounds in that fight and being able to control the clinch and scrmable back to his feet from the takedown, strongly suggests that this great champ still has what it takes.

Couture is the type of person who lives for the competition and losing only one fight of his last 3 is hardly a reason to contemplate retirement. This great champ still has 2-3 fights left in him. And one of which should be Fedor. Whatever your choose to do Randy I would just like to thank you for all the years of dedication to the sport and helping to bring the sport to where it is today.

The Stage is set to kick off 2009. On January 31 George St Pierre looks to defend his title against Bj Penn.  Mark your calendar, clear your schedule do whatever you need to, but do not miss this fight. The last time these two champions met in UFC 58 2006 the result was a controversial split decision going to GSP. This left many fans including myself confused over who the real 170 pound king is.

Fans and fighters a like are hard pressed when it comes to picking a winner. Both men have excellent stand up and ground skills. I believe the fight breaks down to who wants it more. Countless debates have fueled on the internet. Now all the talking is done and we will finally know who the real champ is.

Now lets get down to the nitty gritty. What is it going to take for each fighter to win?

GSP - St Pierre has been known as a cardio machine. Coming at his opponents from all angles mixing an arsenal of strikes with takedowns. What he does best is to try and beat you at your own game. This time around GSP will have to out box and run down his opponent with pressing the pace and forcing mistakes. He needs to stay mentally focused and enforce his will (good luck to you).

Bj Penn - Serious serious SERIOUS CARDIO training is a must for him. Penn has been notorious to gassing in previous fights. Although I must credit him by saying Penn version 2.0 seems to be a new man. The prodigy will need to check St Pierre’s leg kicks and counter everything with combinations and knees. Force and engauge the clinch and work GSP from the inside. If Penn can force the takedown from the clinch he will put GSP into a position where he has not spent alot of time. Penns top game and mount is one of the best in MMA today.

There is a lot on the line for both fighters and only one can come out on top. I guess a big thanks to Dana White for making this fight happen. Maybe hes not that bad of a guy after all….hahaha

Its hard to believe that this is the same guy that trains with Mark Dellagrotte. Cote clearly lives in some fantasy world. Although it is upsetting that Anderson Silva did not dispose of this crap bag sooner, it is obvious to anyone who is a fight fan or judge; in order to win the title you have to take it! That simple. I dont see any possible way of how Cote thinks that he pressed the action. Given the fact that Silva is the taller fighter and has a longer reach. It is obvious that he would keep Cote at bay with his jab and circle around with lots of footwork and head movement. Preventing his opponent from planting his feet and getting comfortable with throwing shots. Patrick “The Poutine” Cote has displayed a complete lack of knowledge and respect for the fight game and deserves NO REMATCH! I hope he enjoys riding at the back of the bus….because that’s where he is heading.

With EliteXC down the toilet and being knocked out in 14 seconds by Seth Petruzelli (UFC reject) Dana White jokes that we will see him fighting next to a BBQ (possibly mixing it up for a chicken wing?). Although all signs point to this fighters 15 minutes of fame being up, there maybe some hope for him still. Kimbo is a very marketable and charismatic individual given the right people behind him he still could make a name for himself in the ever evolving world of MMA.

There has been no news published that indicates to a new stomping ground for this over night success. But Kimbos management has publicly stated that Mr Ferguson does want to fight and is currently looking for a new home.

Team Kimbo might be in for a shock when they deal with the UFC. Since Dana White is notorious for low balling fighters pay. Another option for Kimbo is to go over to Japan and fight in one of their organizations. the Japanese would most likely welcome him with open arms. It will likely be a while before we see the over night internet success rise to the top of the MMA world. But in a sport where anything is possible…it is also not all that unrealistic.

Well its no news that Randy Couture will be fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 November 15 2008. But there are a few things that stick out. How much sense does this fight make? Granted Lesnar is coming off a unanimous win decision from the Herring fight. He is still a long way from being a contender for the belt. Call me old school but I believe that title shots are earned and not given. Now its no secret here that the main objective for Dana and the Fertitas is money. I mean these guys throw a PPV event every 4 to 6 weeks.

Hear me out on this one. What the F*** does Randy gain by taking this fight? Credibility, Respect, Fans, Money…..the answer is NOTHING! We all saw what Lesnar did to a legitimate contender like Herring at UFC 87. Aside from the first round knockdown we saw a smoother fest with a larger man tactically out positioning a smaller opponent. Fair enough a win is a win. But to win in STYLE….that is what the fans will talk about.

A while back I wrote an article about what it would take for each fighter to pull off the win. If you have not read it you can find it here http://www.trashvent.com/randy-couture-signs-with-ufc/2008/. So I wont bore you with the same story.

The only reason Dana and Joe Silva would put this fight together is in hopes that Lesnar will be able to edge out a win and shine doubt onto the whole Fedor Vs Couture fight. We all know that Dana White has had little to no success with being able to sign the last emperor. This maybe his one chance to tell everyone that the UFC owns the biggest and baddest heavyweight in the world. I hope the natural has some gas left in the tank and pulls off the win in dramatic fashion. That way we the fans will hopefully get what we want. THE REAL SUPER FIGHT. MESSAGE to Randy Couture……WE BELIEVE!!!

According to Jeremy Lappen, Head of Fight Operations for EliteXC CBS has turned down the offer to purchase this mma franchise. Although no one knows for sure if CBS or Showtime will be planning their own fight label, one thing is for sure. The pay for mma fighters looks to take another step backwards. Although this does not come as a surprise to most people inside the mma circle, it has casued dissapointment.  The EliteXC promotion has been reporting loses since its inception. The approach to setting up the franchise was done hastily and smacked together to go against the 800 pound gorilla known as the UFC.

Looks like there will be 50+ good quality mma fighters all looking for new contracts and new homes. Dana White might have been right from the get go. Seems like the fans support the brand and not the athelete.

Well now that UFC 89 is out of the way we can concentrate on a championship match and a card that might actually be worth the 50 bucks.  The main event looks to be much more of the same stuff we have grown to love from Anderson Silva. Expect to see another dominating performance mixed with superior technical skills dished out by the spider. Although the main event maybe interesting to some the real meat and potatoes of the card look to be coming from the supporting cast.

In an interesting twist of events Diego Sanchez has been sidelined by a rib injury that seems to have come from training. Stepping into fill his place will be Josh Koscheck. Who will be facing Thiago Alves. There has been alot said about the early days of Koscheck. But I have to give credit when its due. Kos has managed to step up his game and drastically improve his striking skills since training with AKA. He seems more willing and comfortable to exchange strikes with his opponents. This plays perfectly into a match up against up and comer Thiago Alves. It would not be surprising if this match up was to take fight of the night with Thiago coming out on top with the TKO victory. In order for Kos to be successful he is going to have to push the pace and force the takedown. Smother his opponent with superior wrestling and a top game mixed with devistating ground and pound.

Another matchup that should be far from borring is Sean Sherk Vs. Tyson Griffin. Sherk is a serious vet in this mma game and has only lost to 3 people in over 36 fights since 1999, Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes and Bj Penn. All of which could easily be ranked anywhere in the top 5 best welterweights of all time.  Both men have superior wrestling backgrounds. Sherk does take the advantage in the striking department having quicker hands and looks like he hits much harder. Unforetunately for Tyson Griffin I just cant see him getting past Sherk. There is no one right now in the light weight division that trains as hard as the muscle shark. Looks like Griffin got handed more than he can chew.

Other notable fights are:

Rich Clementi Vs. Gray Maynard

Thales Leites Vs. Drew McFedries

Hermes Franca Vs. Marcus Aurelio

Josh Burkman Vs. Pete Sell

Pay per view cost $50, pizza cost $30, Beer cost $40, watching Silva slaughter another victim….PRICELESS!

Are you kidding me? This is what the UFC is offering as a main even??? Thank god its free.  The only ones stupid to buy tickets or pay for the event is the Brits. No wonder why they decided to host the event over there. That plus Michael “The Count” Bisping is the UK poster boy. Ok enough complaining lets talk about the actual fight.

Style wise we will be entertained by two standup mma fighters that like to exchange leather. From a technical perspective the fight has to go to Bisping. His standup skills are on the upper end of the food chain when compared to Leben’s. In order for him to pull off the win he is going to have to throw punches in bunches and come at different angles. Much the same as what current middle weight champ Anderson Silva did when he fought Carrot Top…oops I mean Chris Leben.

That being said the unorthodox south paw does have a punchers chance. Leben has been known to hit hard and does not mind to eat a few shots to land his own. If Leben expects to pull off the upset, and believe me this would be a huge upset. He is going to have stay out of the clinch and throw straight left hands down the pipe. If Leben does end up in the clinch by choice or misfortune, dirty boxing or body clinch take down is going to be a must. Bisping has got to be one of the most borring fighters from his back and his submission game is less than par.

To say I am not interested in watching a free event would be lying. However for either man win or lose does not seem to be very exciting given the fact that current king pin Anderson Silva would destroy either man on his worst day.