Phil Davis looked great and reminds me of Jon Jones in not so much style but in potential. Hopefully he progresses better and gets more favorable match-ups than Rosholt, a fighter with similar amateur wrestling credentials, although Davis does seem to be more naturally gifted than the recently cut MW.

Swick, unfortunately, seems to be an ideal candidate for the non-existant 177 pound division. He hasn’t looked great at WW and started off looking downright awful but he lacks the muscle that being a contender in the MW division requires. Swick is going to have to fight a lot smarter in the future and gameplanning his opponents to effectively attack their respective weaknesses.

I would love to see Marquardt/Okami after Okami fights Linhares. Another brutish wrestler will show us if Marquardt can come back as strong as he did following his loss to Silva. Sonnen, on the other hand, will not have the luxury of being in an inactive guard when it comes to the current MW champ’s guard. Silva’s victory over Henderson shows that “The Spider” has the tools to deal with a great wrestler’s takedowns and come away with the win.

I agreed with most of the article save for the last two points. One minute into Couture/Coleman, it seemed obvious that it was going to be a short night for “The Hammer.” He had no head movement, was flat-footed, and didn’t seem interested in even thinking of shooting for a takedown. I was expecting a grueling clinch war and a ground battle between two wrestlers. Instead, I got a wrestler never known for his boxing take a pounding by someone who realized very quickly that he could tee off at will and with little repercussion. If Randy gets a title shot, it will be based on name only which is how he got his last one, to be honest. Performance wise, I would love to see Randy take on Thiago Silva or at least Rich Franklin en route to a LHW title shot.

If you look at Randy’s last 6 fights, you’ll understand why he does deserve a shot.

(w) Tim Sylvia *HW Championship
(w) Gabrield Gonzaga *defend HW Championship
(l) Brock Lesnar *got caught, and looked better than anyone else with Lesnar
(l) Big Nog *very close decision loss.
(w) Brandon Vera
(w) Mark Coleman

As stated, Randy hasn’t had an easy fight since 2000 or so. His record looks mediocre at 18-10, but if you consider the caliber and relevance of every fight he’s been in, it doesn’t look bad. Randy is also a 3 time LHW Champ, has found a way to stay competitive and relevant by evolving his game in a sport so rapidly changing that it leaves top competitors behind at a stunning rate. Randy comes from the 2nd generation UFC fighter group, and where fighters from the 3rd and 4th generation are now finding themselves obsolete, Randy keeps adapting with the game. Ultimately, that’s what’s so impressive with him.

He has definitely earned a shot at LHW. Fights against Jardine, Thiago Silva, and Luiz Cane would be pointless, as Randy would steam roll over them and hold them against the cage for 15 minutes. He’s not getting any younger, and may not have but 2 – 3 fights left in him. If he could get his way to the Championship, he would pose a lot of problems for Machida, Shogun, Rampage, or Rashad, with Rashad likely having the best chance at not falling victim to Couture’s game. Retiring on top would be the proper way for Randy to go out. He knows this, and that’s what he’s working towards.

It is a shame to see a guy like Nate lose his title shot. He has deserved it for so long. Big respect for taking on dangerous guys. He won’t duck anyone, even if it may hurt him.

It seems that cutting to 170 may be too much for Swick. He seems like he has lost some of his hand speed. . . I haven’t seen one of those incredible flurries when he throws 8-9 punches in 1 second recently. I think the idea of jumping back up is a good one.

I was scratching my head reading Cory’s take on Randy getting on title shot. I think Couture will get the next shot at the belt v. Machida (I think Machida will take the re-match. Can’t wait to see it). Randy certainly has not EARNED that shot, though. Rashad has earned it (beat a top contender), Shogun has earned it (technically beat the champ), but Randy??? It is a miracle that he didn’t lose to Vera. Vera is mediocre. Vera is probably not even a top 20 lhw. Coleman certainly isn’t top 20. Why would beating these 2 guys “earn” a fighter a shot at the belt? If Stephan Bonnar had beat Coleman a couple months ago, and also had beaten Vera, he would still have a LONG way to go in order to get a title shot.

Couture will get the title shot ONLY because he is Randy Couture, and 1.2 million or so people like myself will watch him fight just about anybody. His title shot will be all about the business: it is silly and naive to say he earned it.

2. Mr. Wonderful has some awesome matchups waiting for him in this division, I just hope he works his standup because this is a heavily standup-oriented division and the last one in the world you want to be in without some nice striking..

3. On one hand, I think moving back up to 185 would be great for Swick, now that he has grown tremendously as a fighter, and added countless more skills to his repertoire.. On the other hand, I still think he’s a force at WW, he’s just made some silly mistakes that cost him the fight.. Still, I’d like to see him move back up and get some of that power back..

4. I think it’s a bit too soon to say Nate Marquardt doesn’t have an answer for strong wrestlers.. Don’t forget who we’re talking about here.. BJJ Black Belt, World Champion, one of the most mature, experienced fighters in the division, and EASILY on of the BEST this division has ever seen.. Am I seriously the only one that thinks it’s fishy that Nate the Great got laid on for 3 rounds and didn’t even attempt a standup or a single submission? (not counting the mid-takedown guillotines) I guess I’ll have to get over my crazy thoughts that he was sick, and focus on what’s next for him.. I’m going to compare Nate to GSP.. He lost to Anderson, and came back better than ever with huge wins over top competition, and most importantly, he showed vast improvement in certain skills.. I think he’ll do the same here and be the most dangerous man this division has seen since Silva.. And, just because I can’t think of any MW’s that aren’t tied up right now, I suggest his first fight back should against Dan Miller..

5. As far as Chael being a contender to the title, sure, why not.. As far as I’m concerned, the less dangerous you think someone is in a title fight, the more dangerous they actually are.. I don’t think Chael would take Anderson down and dominate him.. Hell, even if he did he wouldn’t be able to do it through the championship rounds.. I have a hard time seeing him even get close to Anderson though..

6. Randy in no way, shape, or form deserves a title fight after last night’s SPARRING SESSION..
WITH THAT SAID, I think he’ll get one.. The LHW division is so bogged down right now.. you have Shogun fighting Machida AGAIN, then Rashad and Rampage working out the #1 contendership, Randy’s just floating around waiting for an opponent that he can beat that is significant.. Honestly, I’ll be furious if Randy gets a shot after a two win streak over Vera and Coleman, two people who WEREN’T in the title picture.. But, even if he gets the shot, do you think he can actually beat Machida? That’s just if Machida wins, which I happen to think he will.. Shogun’s an even worse matchup for Randy because there’s more power in his strikes and he’s faster paced..

I think you can also add Hague, and maybe even Gracie to the guys who will be leaving UFC after this card.

I am also big on Phil Davis, if he is handled right and continues to progress then I could see him easily being a top 10 HW in about 18 months, and a serious Champion or contender for along time.

Paulo Thiago is impressive. Most of the top guys at WW already have fights coming up, but I think fights with either Serra or Kim could be interesting in the near future. Of course a rematch with Kos or a fight with Alves could also be in the works.

Probably accurate…but not the nicest thing to scream about the women you have to sleep next to.

Apparently Mark didn’t agree.