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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.

If you are a fan of the shooter genre COD “World at War” is an absolute must. I am completly new to the franchise and have no experience with any of their previous titles but I can tell you that playing this game has set the bar for what shooters should be. High paced action and realistic graphics makes for an incredible gaming experience.

I found myself at EB games yesterday trading in a copy of Star Wars “The force unleashed” and was faced with quite the decision. Gears of war 2 or COD world at war. I initially walked in with my mind made up…knowing that I wanted to buy COD. But after a 5 minute conversation with the sales clerk I found myself waivering from my original descision.  Dont get it twisted I am a huge GOW fan. However something about this COD really had me interested. I think it is the appeal of shooting the Japanese. I know its sick and twisted but you have to understand that my family lost everything in the war due to their occupation in Asia. I have since forgiven them with the introduction of sushi into western culture. That and for hosting some of the most incredible MMA fights during PRIDE FC.

Ok back on topic. If you are already a fan boy/girl then you already know about the multiplayer functionality and earning your stripes for better weapons. That aside I am drawn to the story of single player. I am not quite sure how long this will last but for now I feel like I have gotten my 60 dollars worth.

Oh…one more thing once you do finish the game there is some crazy multi you can play with your friends to kill nazi zombies. I know sick huh? But its true. Does not get much better than that. WW2 and zombies…what else can you ask for?

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

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!!!

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.

Of all the divisions the UFC has to offer middleweight seems to be the least competitive. Please do not twist what I am saying. The worlds mma p4p fighter is a middleweight in the UFC, however there is no one in the Octagon today, that will be a threat to his throne.  Saturday October 25 looks to be another lopsided beating delivered by no other than the spider. There is no one at 185 that can come close to matching the skill or determination of this guy.  Anderson’s  athleticism and natural abilities are far beyond what most can classify. That being said heavy underdog Patrick “The Poutine” (oops i meant predator) Cote looks to ruffle some feathers.

To quote the best mma announcer today (Joe Rogan, seriously every other mma commentator could learn from this guy) Styles make fights. Stylistically speaking there is nothing special about this fight. Both men like to stand and trade. And in every department of standup or ground game Anderson has this fight covered. I expect to see a fight clinic being showed by Silva with Cote standing around and taking notes. To be fair this was the only legitimate contender the UFC could produce at 185. Looks like we are in store for much of the same in the near future. As there is no one that can touch Silva at 185.

Although the exact date has not been released the grudge match between these two welter weights has been confirmed. This should be an interesting matchup since both fighters are recovering from injuries. Hughes from the knee injury and Serra from the herniated disc.  Styles make fights but so does hatred and this fight lacks neither one.

Hughes is a wrestler with tremendous top game and good ground and pound mixed with some submissions. Serra is no slouch off his back and has excellent submissions being a Renzo Gracie bjj black belt. Both men seem to have improved striking skills. With all the talent they posses the injuries both have incurred lead me to believe we are in store for a slug fest. Mobility in the knee of Hughes will have some effect in how well he shoots for a takedown and Serra must still be suffering from some loss of flexibility.

The Terror has been quoted as saying he wants to spend more time wrestling in the training room. I do not know if this is a mistake but I feel he should stick to what he is good at. Takedown defense and a brawl and sprawl seems to work well against Hughes. Proven by guys like Georges (rush) St Pierre  and Thiago (the pitbull) Alves. Serra definitely has along way to come if his striking skills are ever going to compare to any of those fighters, but he does have some heavy hands.

I hate to give predicitions since mma has this funny way of always proving me wrong. But I can say this with confidence, the UFC marketing machine will hype this fight and as long as the fighter show up we should be in store for some fireworks.

Looks like the Trump has managed to get his fat head and sticky hands into the world of MMA. Although I do not blame him for wanting to get a piece of the pie, I don’t know if I exactly like the idea of having his involvement in a sport that has yet to be appreciated by the baby boomers. We all know that comb over Trump does bring some assets to the ring. Money, the Trump Taj Mahal and an over the top Reality TV personality. But he also brings some negatives. What the hell does this guy think he knows about MMA and what we the fans are really looking for when we watch the fights.

The other day I saw an interview with the Don on TV. He was giving a press conference, talking about his plans with Affliction all of a sudden he stops to take a phone call from no other than Andrea Arlovski. Staged you say? No…Mr Trump would never try to pull something like that. Of course he would this is what this idiot is famous for! Fans who like watching the sport want to see big fights. The whole reason MMA evolved was to see styles vs styles fights. That way there would be a clear cut answer to who reigns supreme in a full contact fight. We are not looking for another WWE and we sure as hell are not excited to see another Vince Mcmahon. Trump offers nothing to the sport accept fat pockets to perhaps take on the UFC.

News flash to Donald Trump… stick to what you are good at that means wearing makeup on your down sliding reality show ‘The Apprentice” or raising funds to develop commercial property.  If you really are here to make the sport better, start by putting fights back in the cage and developing serious weight categories. Another plus would be to look for some cross promos.

The return of Randy Couture. After 11 months of litigation, lawyers and sticks and stones. The Natural and the UFC have reached an agreement. Terms have been reached by both parties. Casual and hardcore MMA fans alike will be tuning into watch Randy Couture Vs Brock Lesnar on November 15^th 2008. Couture now 45 has apparently signed a 3 fight deal with Zuffa. One of the conditions for Randy to return to the octagon was the UFC aggressively seeking to set a match between the number 1 ranked Heavy weight Fedor Emelianenko and Captain America. Depending on how the schedule plays out the 3 fights could possibly spread out over the course of the next 2 years. In order for any fighter to be fully prepared for a fight and proper weight cut it takes time. Time is definitely not on Randys side. Considering Fedor has signed an exclusive US deal with rival promotion Affliction the possibilities for the match up may never materialize. There is always a chance but a slim one at that. Dana White has been quoted as saying “Couture is going to fight November 15 he’s going to fight Brock Lesnar in the biggest fight in UFC history. The rest of the heavyweight division will be figured out in December. I would be f—king horrified if Affliction is still in business by January. They’re going to burn a lot of cash in the next couple of months, believe me. Good luck to them and I’ll be sitting here waiting to see what happens.”

The question is….does this fight make any sense? Well there are two schools of thought that come with this. On the one hand you have a main stream personality like Brock Lesnar that is obviously a freak by nature. Granted he does have a great wrestling pedigree and his appeal to grab the audience from WWE has to be on the minds of Zuffa Corporate. On the other you have a highly decorated MMA fighter like Randy Couture who is also an accomplished Greco Roman wrestler who is arguably in the prime of his career. If anything the natural has much more to loose and a super fight with Fedor Emelianenko may not be that appealing to casual and hardcore MMA fans if Randy loses.

We all know that styles make fights. Stylistically speaking the upper hand has to go to Randy on pure experience alone. But after watching the demise of a season Vet like Heath Herring at the hands of rookie Brock Lesnar one is left to believe that Lesnar is a force to be reckoned. I believe the secret to Randy’s success will come striking from odd angles, good foot work, lots of head movement and circling away from Brocks right hand. Similar to what he did with Tim Sylvia.

In order for Brock to be successful he will have to clinch with Randy and press that weight against him to tire the natural out. Lesnars striking ability is not on the level to use things like leg kicks and boxing to keep Randy at bay. If Brock can somehow manage to take Randy down lay in his guard or half guard and use his weight to his advantage, it’s going to be a long night. Randy’s sub game is average at best.

When the fight takes place and if Randy fans will demand the super fight between Fedor and Randy to sort out who the number one heavy weight in the world is. If Lesnar wins what happens to the division? Could he hang with Fedor? Will Randy’s stock fall? A lot of unanswered questions. But hey….this is MMA after all.