According to the UFC‘s website, Gabriel Gonzaga is out of a planned heavyweight battle with Roy Nelson with Dave Herman taking his place. Meanwhile, Jamie Varner, a veteran of both the UFC and WEC, returns to take the place of Evan Dunham against Edson Barboza.

Herman (21-3) is looking to rebound from a loss to Stefan Struve that snapped a three-fight win streak. Varner, on the other hand, has won his last two tilts to improve to 19-6-1 in his career. He has recently been fighting for the XFC, along with other regional promotions, since his release from the UFC.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Barboza (10-0) has won three straight Fight of the Night awards and has triumphed over Terry Etim and Ross Pearson since joining the UFC.

Dunham (13-2) is 6-2 inside the Octagon and has rebounded from back-to-back losses to win two straight. Dunham’s defeats came at the hands of Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard while he was last seen in an entertaining effort against Nik Lentz where he won by way of a Doctor’s Stoppage.

UFC 146 is scheduled to feature a main event between UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and #1 contender Alistair Overeem. The show takes place May 26 from Las Vegas with Barboza-Dunham likely landing one of the event’s PPV slots.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

It’s a quick turnaround for Lentz, who recently fought at UFC 140, dropping a unanimous decision to Mark Bocek. Prior to that loss, “The Carny” was unbeaten in the UFC, posting five wins, a draw, and a loss to Charles Oliveira that was overturned to a no contest after it was determined that an illegal knee led to the finish. Lentz holds victories over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Andre Winner, and Drew Fickett.

Dunham is coming off a dominating decision victory over Shamar Bailey at UFC Fight Night 25. The Oregon native had lost back-to-back bouts to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard before snapping his losing streak against Bailey.

UFC on FOX 2 is scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The night will be headlined by a pair of #1 contender bouts as light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Phil Davis battle in the main event while middleweights Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz square off in the co-main event. Michael Bisping-Demian Maia will also take place on the same card.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the bout was first reported by ESPN.com.

Nicknamed “Sassangle”, the British native has racked up an impressive eight of 12 wins by triangle choke. Three of his other victories have come by way of heel hook. After going undefeated in the Liverpool local scene, Sass made his UFC debut at UFC 120 where he submitted Mark Holst with a triangle choke and earned the Submission of the Night bonus for his effort. In his most recent bout, Sass tapped out TUF alum Michael Johnson with a heel hook at UFC Live 6, Sass’ first fight in the US.

Once on the brink of a title shot, Dunham fell on hard times after back to back losses to former champion Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard. He bounced back in his last fight against Shamar Bailey though, picking him apart on the feet en route to a dominating unanimous decision victory. Dunham is 12-2 in his professional career and holds victories over notable names like Tyson Griffin, Efrain Escudero, and Marcus Aurelio.

UFC on FOX 2 is scheduled for January 28 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The event will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former champion Rashad Evans and undefeated top contender Phil Davis.

*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

The world’s top Mixed Martial Arts organization recently revealed the match-ups through their website with the handful of pairings highlighted by a battle between lightweights Evan Dunham and Shamar Bailey.

Dunham was on the cusp of contendership before falling in consecutive fights to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard in the past year, the first losses of his career. The Xtreme Couture product has gone 4-2 since signing with the UFC including wins over Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero, and Tyson Griffin.

His opponent, Bailey, made a name for himself on the most recent season of the Ultimate Fighter though was known to hardcore fans long before he graced the airwaves on Spike. He holds an overall record of 12-3 with success against John Kolosci and Waachim Spiritwolf. While known for his high-level wrestling, the 28-year old has actually finished more opponents than outpointed including four wins by way of TKO.

Other newly announced bouts include bantamweights Ken Stone looking to stop Donny Walker and explosive 145er Mackens Semerzier in action against submission savvy Mike Lullo.

On top of the latest additions, the UFC’s “Battle on the Bayou” is headlined by former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields facing proven prospect Jake Ellenberger and also features Alan Belcher making his return to the Octagon after a career-threatening eye injury with talented grappler Jason MacDonald standing in his way in addition to TUF 11 winner Court McGee against 10-1 Dongi Yang.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

While the actual affliction was left unspecified the UFC did mention a replacement for the 29-year old had already been found. According to an official statement from Dana White, Brazilian grappler Rafael dos Anjos will step in on July 2 for the sidelined Dunham and in the process return to the ring for the first time since suffering a broken jaw against Clay Guida last August.

Dos Anjos holds an overall record of 14-5 with the ground at the core of his strategy given the seven submissions and six decisions he’s compiled in his career. Prior to the Guida loss he had won three consecutive fights including an Armbar of Terry Etim at UFC 112.

UFC 132 is set for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will feature bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defending his title against rival 135er Urijah Faber, the only man to have ever beaten him. Other bouts on the card include Jason “Mayhem” Miller mixing it up with Aaron Simpson and a much-anticipated brawl between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Also scheduled for the July 2 show, respected lightweights George Sotiropoulos (14-3) and Evan Dunham (11-2) will look to rebound from recent losses when they face each other while the man who beat Sotiropoulos, Dennis Siver(18-7), takes on on Matt Wiman (13-5) with both hoping to run their current winning streaks up to four in a row.

Two of MMA’s top-ranked competitors, Fitch and Penn fought to a draw in a contendership-determining clash late last month at UFC 127 and were rumored for an immediate re-pairing shortly thereafter. The performance marked the only time Fitch hadn’t exited the Octagon with a win aside from a decision loss to Georges St. Pierre in 2008. Comparably, Penn was coming off a twenty-second knockout of Matt Hughes in his previous bout but had lost back-to-back title-fights against Frank Edgar at 155-pounds prior to his return to welterweight.

A previously announced match-up between Shane Roller (10-3) and Melvin Guillard will also be among the group set for action at UFC 132.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to multiple sources, including those close to the camps, a match-up between Ken Florian and Evan Dunham has been bumped up in date from February’s UFC 126 and will now headline a “UFC Fight for the Troops” event scheduled for January 22nd at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

News of the switch was originally reported by HeavyMMA.

Though both men are coming off defeats in their previous bouts, Florian and Dunham are still considered near the top of the UFC’s talent-packed lightweight division and are each well-rounded competitors who have found in-ring success whether standing or on the mat.

Florian is 14-5 in his career and has beaten the likes of Roger Huerta, Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida, and Joe Stevenson, while XTreme Couture’s Dunham lost for the first time in twelve total fights to Sean Sherk via split-decision last September at UFC 119 but has past victories over Tyson Griffin, Efrain Escudero, and Marcus Aurelio.

Other fights rumored for the yet-to-be-officially-announced show include Mike Swick’s return to the Octagon against newcomer David Mitchell, Texan Yves Edwards facing the hard-hitting Melvin Guillard, and Ultimate Fighter Season 10 alumnus Matt Mitrione looking to go 4-0 when he faces 12-4 Tim Hague at the event.

Aldo recently spoke with Tatame and briefly mentioned the UFC’s proposal of a match-up with “Top 10″ lightweight Ken Florian, though he explained his managers declined the bout without going into specifics about why.

“I wanna fight – it can be at WEC or in the UFC,” said Aldo.

The versatile 145-pounder did, however, go on explain his current focus on featherweight was in-part related to his training partners at Nova Uniao in Rio Di Janeiro.

“When I was fighting in the division above (André Pederneiras) thought there were many people of the gym on that division, and in my division there’s me and Marlon (Sandro),” he elaborated on the situation. “I can play pretty hard in this one and I’m the champion, so I think it’s best for me to stay in this weight division.”

Just because they won’t be fighting each other in December doesn’t mean Florian and Aldo will be left looking for future opponents, as both have since gone on to agree to other bouts in their home-promotions. Aldo will be defending his WEC title against Mark Hominick at WEC 54 in January, while Florian will face Evan Dunham at UFC 126 at the company’s standard Superbowl Weekend card on February 5th.

Florian is 8-2 in his previous ten fights with his most recent outing resulting in a decision loss to current title-contender Gray Maynard. Prior to the less-than-spectacular showing against Maynard, the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 Finalist had finished two consecutive opponents via Rear-Naked Choke (Takanori Gomi and Clay Guida).

His opponent, Dunham, was also outpointed the last time he appeared in the ring but, unlike Florian, was believed be many, including UFC President Dana White, to have been deserving of the victory based on his performance against former divisional champ Sean Sherk last month at UFC 119. The defeat was the first of Dunham’s twelve-fight career.

In addition to Florian vs. Dunham, UFC 127 is already rumored to be featuring Rich Franklin taking on Forrest Griffin, Jon Jones and Ryan Bader competing for a shot at the 205-pound title, and middleweight champ Anderson Silva defending his belt against Vitor Belfort card’s in the main event.

(UPDATE: Florian took to his Twitter account and stated he may have spoken too soon, as Dunham is not confirmed as his opponent and there are still a few other options.)

No official reason was given for the omission. However, it seems plausible the decision could indicate executives’ displeasure with the lackluster showing from Mir prior to his night-ending knee.

News of the bonuses was announced at the post-event press conference.

While no “Knockout of the Night” was given, dual “Fight of the Night” honors were handed out. Both Evan Dunham and Sean Sherk, as well as Matt Mitrione and Joey Beltran, were announced as a quartet of winners for their pair of highly entertaining, hard-fought bouts.

Meanwhile, CB Dollaway’s opening-frame Guillotine Choke of submission-savvy opponent Joe Doerksen earned him “Submission of the Night” and the seventy-thousand dollars. The result marked Dollaway’s third consecutive victory, while snapping a seven-fight win streak for Doerksen and being the first time he’d tapped out since October 2005.

Sporting an unblemished record of 13-0 during his professional career in mixed martial arts, Escudero is widely viewed as the golden boy of the UFC’s 155 pound division. The lightweight winner of the eighth season of Spike TV‘s The Ultimate Fighter, Efrain recently complimented his TUF championship in a UFC 103 mugging of American Top Team’s Cole Miller.

While Dunham hasn’t had nearly as much spotlight time as Escudero up to this point in his career, the Xtreme Couture trained submission specialist has quietly built himself up an impressive 9-0 resume, with recent UFC victories over the Per Eklund and Marcus Aurelio.

As the saying goes, “Someone’s 0 has got to go”, and only one of these two fast rising lightweight prospects will walk away undefeated this evening.

FiveOuncesofPain.com recently had the chance to catch up with both fighters just prior to their Fight Night showdown tonight, and needless to say, both Dunham and Escudero possess the utmost respect for one another.

“Evan Dunham is undefeated for a reason,” explained Efrain in this exclusive conversation with Five Ounces. “He goes out there to put on a show, and just fights. We have studied his tapes, but there’s not much to study. He’s a southpaw with a big right hand. There’s not much to him. He has a strong right and he’s an Oregon State wrestling champion, and that’s it.”

Dunham shared Escudero’s sentiments in many ways when 5 Oz. had the opportunity to gather his thoughts on the match-up.

“I think Efrain’s a talented guy, and he’s obviously pretty tough,” said Dunham. “I never really watched the show he was on because it’s on when I’m usually training, but I’ve seen a couple of those fights and he’s a tough kid. He’s got good wrestling, and he seems like he’s got a good all around knowledge of the game. In my opinion, he’s just your typical good wrestler that turned to MMA, he’s got some good submissions and he wings the punches. If he catches you with a good punch in the right spot you’re going to be in trouble, but there’s nothing that I have seen on any of his tapes or have heard from any of the guys he has trained with that had me changing any part of my game plan or anything like that.”

You’ll get no argument from either combatant as to whether or not their foe this evening is worthy of standing on the other side of the Octagon as them, and furthermore, both fighters can also agree on the fact that they contain a mutual respect for one another. However, all of that respect will be left outside of the Octagon fencing in Fairfax, Virginia. Yet another topic the similar styled up and comers can to see eye to eye on.

“I respect Evan as a person and I respect him as a fighter, but when we step into the Octagon only one man will leave the cage undefeated, and the other guy is going home with a loss,” said Escudero.

Giving an almost identical response to an unrelated question during our conversation was Dunham, stating, “Efrain has to be respected, and that’s exactly what I do. I always respect my opponents enough to train my ass off, but as soon as we’re standing across from one another in the Octagon, all of that respect goes out the door.”

The scouting reports on the pair are almost identical: Both guys are solid wrestlers with technical submission games, and both possess heavy hands. So what gives between the two? According to Efrain it will come down to his ability to take the fight anywhere he’d like.

“I think one of my major advantages is going to be that people don’t know what my game plan is,” explained Escudero. “I can take him down or I can knock him out. I’ve trained my wrestling to have it at a peak point. We saw in Rashad Evans’ last fight with Thiago Silva: His wrestling was the dominant factor in that bout.”

When told about Efrain’s belief that his wrestling ability would enable him to control the action in this evening’s bout, Dunham respectfully agreed to disagree with that statement, saying, “I don’t think so. If it was straight wrestling and we were both wearing singlets in the middle of a circled mat, and we touch our hands and go for the takedown, then yeah, he’d probably beat me in a wrestling match. But as far as wrestling goes in MMA, I don’t think he is because you have to add in the punches, the knees, and everything.

“I think that people that aren’t that familiar with my past fights think that he’s going to have a big advantage in the wrestling department, but anyone that has seen me fight before aren’t ruling me out by any means. I don’t think I’m the underdog in this fight, but I think that some people do. There are definitely a lot more people that have been exposed to him because of his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, but I think that’s all it is. Some might think that he’s going to have the upper hand, but I know otherwise.”

Either way you slice it, both of these undefeated crowd pleasers are unquestionably overflowing with confidence heading into a match-up that promises to separate the contender, from the pretender.

“I’ve pushed myself to the limit preparing for this fight and I doubt that Evan Dunham can put me in situations I haven’t been in before,” said Escudero in closing.

“I’m going to be comfortable wherever this fight goes,” finished Dunham. “If he wants to stand with me: Cool, we’ll stand. If he wants to take the fight to the ground and he’s actually successful in getting it to the ground: Even better. I know my Jiu-Jitsu is better than he is, and also, I’d like to see him try to hold me down, because I really don’t see that happening.”

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the new matchup with sources close to the fight within the past 24 hours.

Veach and Dunham both made their UFC debuts in February as short notice replacements. Veach, who trains under Matt Hughes at the H.I.T. Squad near St. Louis, MO, recorded a TKO victory over Matt Grice at UFC Fight Night 17 at 4:34 of round 1 on Feb. 7. The win improved his record to 11-0.

Dunham improved to 8-0 after requiring just 2:13 to TKO Per Eklund at UFC 95 on Feb. 21. A pro for just slightly over two years, seven of Dunham’s victories have ended by either submission or TKO. Prior to making his UFC debut, he had competed just weeks earlier having submitted Dustin Akbari with a rear naked choke at 0:40 of round 3 during Palace Fighting Championships 12 on Jan. 22.

UFC 102 is currently slated to be headlined by a bout between former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture taking on former PRIDE and interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Additional matchups expected include Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt, Wilson Gouveia vs. Chael Sonnen, and Junior dos Santos vs. Justin McCully.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news from a source close to the fight on Wednesday.

Eklund, 14-3-1, is a native of Sweden and 1-1 in two career UFC bouts. Facing Samy Schiavo at UFC 89 in his most recent bout this past October, Eklund recorded his first-ever Octagon victory following a rear naked choke submission at 1:47 of round 3. A former competitor of both the M-1 and BodogFIGHT promotions, Eklund holds notable victories over Baron and Rafael Dias.

Dunham is 7-0 in a pro MMA career that began in April of last year. Six of his seven victories have ended by either submission or TKO. He last competed just several weeks ago having submitted Dustin Akbari with a rear naked choke at 0:40 of round 3 during Palace Fighting Championships 12 on Jan. 22.

UFC 95 will take place on Saturday, February 21 and will emanate from the O2 Arena in London, England. The event will be televised on Spike TV and feature main card matchups involving Diego Sanchez taking on Joe Stevenson in Sanchez’s debut at lightweight; Josh Koscheck squaring off with the debuting Paulo Thiago; middleweights Nathan Marquardt and Wilson Gouveia going head-to-head; Demian Maia putting his undefeated record on the line again Chael Sonnen; and welterweights Dan Hardy and Rory Markham in action against each other as well.

The non-televised undercard will feature Junior dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve, David Baron vs. Per Eklund, Shannon Gugerty vs. Jeff Lawson, Justin Buchholz vs. Terry Etim, and Paul Kelly vs. Troy Mandaloniz, and Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove in addition to Dunham vs. Eklund.

And we’re back for a big pre-UFC/Affliction/DREAM edition of The DUEL. We didn’t run last week as we were a bit late and some of these statements can age very rapidly. Joining me this week is our vice-overlord Adam Morgan, he’ll be battling the always troubling and meddlesome Paul Balsom. LET US DUEL:

1. Fedor Emelianenko will submit Tim Sylvia.

Morgan: TRUE. If there’s one big, glaring weakness in Sylvia’s game it is absolutely his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and specifically his submission defense. He’s been caught in submissions by Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, and current UFC heavyweight champion Minotauro Nogueira. That would be three out of his four losses coming by way of submission and they have all come because Sylvia made simple mistakes that have cost him the fight. I expect him to make a similar mistake against the best fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. Sylvia is a threat to any heavyweight fighter in MMA right now simply due to his sheer size but his submission defense has been suspect throughout his career. I highly doubt it’s improved leaps and bounds since February when he was submitted by Nogueira. Fedor will take him to the ground and submit him and that’s a fact.

Balsom: TRUE. I know this is THE DUEL, however I cannot help but agree with my boy Adam here. Tim Sylvia is not exactly a dominator on the ground, but is actually the opposite as many of your know. He’s made his career on sprawling much smaller fighters and using that massive jab to keep his distance and only throw combos when his opponents get dazed. I’m afraid this isn’t going to hold up against Fedor. While Sylvia makes the argument that he is far better in the ring as opposed to the cage, I would argue that Fedor is much more acclimated to the ring and he will be far too much for Tim. Adam is correct when he says that Fedor’s taking down and submission of Sylvia is inevitable. We will see something much like Fedor’s fight against Choi, in that Fedor may sustain a little bit of facial damage from some elbows or punches while coming in on Sylvia for the clinch, but it won’t be long before Fedor rips big Tim’s arm off.

My Five Cents: Uh oh, last time two people were so sure of statement #1 they were positive Rampage would retain over Forrest. Not only were they wrong but their incorrect answer somehow spawned a strange chain of events. I agree with the Choi analogy, except Sylvia doesn’t hit as hard as Choi. I expect a second round sub, though I’m really worried about a cut loss and more worried about Fedor haters shouting us all down about how they were right all along over one fight. HINT: Even a Fedor win wouldn’t prove he’s the best, Sylvia is tailor-made for him. So you can’t have it both ways.

2. As previously put out there, a fight between the winners of Fedor/Sylvia and Barnett/Rizzo will actually happen at a later Affliction show.

Morgan: TRUE. And to go a step further, Josh Barnett and Fedor will face off against one another at a future Affliction card. I don’t see any way that Tim Sylvia or Pedro Rizzo win on Saturday. There has been speculation that because of the amount of money that’s being spent on this card that Affliction won’t be able to hold another event. I highly doubt that. Tom Atencio and Co. seem to have deep pockets, especially now that Donald Trump is involved and a second show seems more likely than ever before. Will the second show be Barnett vs. Fedor? It depends on the timing. If Affliction is looking at putting on monthly or bi-monthly shows then the answer is no. But if they’re looking at putting on shows every four months or so then the answer could very well be yes. Barnett vs. Fedor is the matchup that all of the hardcore fans want to see and I think we’ll finally get our wish sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.

Balsom: TRUE. Again, I agree with Mr. Morgan. However, I don’t think Josh Barnett and Fedor will face each other down the road because of Barnett’s win over Rizzo. If I had to pick a fight that I thought was more meaningful in the Affliction heavyweight division, it would definitely be the Rothwell/Arlovski fight. That should be the number one contender bout, but I think it may be better for Affliction to put Barnett in with Fedor right off the bat. Again, Morgan asserts that the Barnett/Fedor matchup will quench the thirst of the hardcore population and I would agree. I think we’ll see this fight before the end of 2008.

My Five Cents: The Donald Trump thing pretty much put out the problem of having a second show, though if this does DREADFULLY (and it might) who knows. And if they’re worried about buy rates they might throw Arlovski in there for the first title fight. Fedor/Barnett isn’t selling any casual fan.

3. The DREAM.5 LWGP final will be Shinya Aoki vs Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Morgan: FALSE. The DREAM 5 LWGP final will be Shinya Aoki vs. Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez is on a tear right now and seems to be coming into his own at the 160lb. weight class in Japan. He’s beaten Andre Dida as well as Joachim Hansen and handled himself extremely well in those fights. Kawajiri has looked dismal in his past two appearances in the DREAM ring and I expect Alvarez to push the pace, take it to Kawajiri, and make Kawajiri take the fight from him. All four of Kawajiri’s latest victories have come via decision. He’s not finishing fights like he was in 2005/2006. He seems to have lost some of that killer instinct. If “Crusher” lets Alvarez hang around too long during the fight then Alvarez will almost surely make him pay. Until Kawajiri shows me that he’s back to true form, I can’t put my faith in him. Alvarez beats Kawajiri and then goes on to face Aoki in the finals.

Balsom: TRUE. I really like Kawajiri’s odds going into this fight. Like Adam mentioned, he’s looked a little rough in the previous rounds of the DREAM LWGP, but instead of losing faith in him that makes me more confident. He was able to put out bad showings in his two previous fights and pull out wins, so he’s due for a good performance! If he even comes out looking OK, which is better than his previous fights, then I think he has the talent to at least pull out a decision victory against Alvarez. Not that it matters, but I do think a Kawajiri/Aoki final is way better for the Japanese audience than having Alvarez in the final or winning the tournament altogether.

My Five Cents: I’ve had a feeling about Alvarez from the start of this tournament. He can’t hang with Aoki but Kawajiri will be interesting. Fun Fact: Due to all of the “Kawajiri” references I had to add it to my spell check so it would stop annoying me.

—-FLIP IT—-

4. James Irvin actually believes he will beat Anderson Silva.

Balsom: TRUE. He has said it in several interviews and I pretty much agree with him; James Irvin has absolutely nothing to lose and all the pressure is on Anderson Silva. Silva’s only had 5 weeks for a camp for this fight, he’s making his debut at this new weight-class in the UFC and everyone thinks Irvin will get kicked into another dimension. All the pressure is on Silva! Even if Silva wins, but not in dominant Rambo fashion, fans could come out of this bout disappointed. The only thing Irvin can go in there and do is bring his massive frame in the cage and throw his crazy awkward flying attacks that made Terry Martin and Houston Alexander poop themselves. I’m sure his mind is at ease going into this fight, as far as people expecting him to lose, and I think that could manifest itself in a decent showing against Silva. Sure Irvin believes he will beat Silva, or else why would he be a fighter?

Morgan: FALSE. Irvin is trying to make a lot of hype for a fight that is otherwise meaningless in the grand scheme of things. He’s saying Silva’s clinch isn’t technical and that he’ll take thirty of Silva’s punches to land his ten because he has to. Because honestly, who cares about James Irvin? Not even the most hardcore of hardcores gives two shits about James Irvin and his chances against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And even if Silva does lose, it means nothing to him or the UFC. The fight is utterly meaningless. In the back of Irvin’s mind, no matter how much garbage comes out of his mouth, he knows he’s there to lose. And he knows that the likelihood of him losing is extremely high. So, no, Irvin doesn’t believe he can beat Silva. He just thinks that’s what he believes.

My Five Cents: Damn Morgan, what did James Irvin do to your family? And weight classes are overrated. Dan Henderson can hang with Minotauro and Anderson Silva will drop Irvin. Irvin does know he’s there to lose and he doesn’t even believe what he’s saying. People are obsessed with the Mike Swicks and Michael Bispings of the world dropping a weight class as if that makes them a new grand champion. BJ Penn would beat Zulu in 30 seconds or less. Bad example but my point is skill beats weight any day of the week.

5. Mike Whitehead, riding a 12-fight win streak and having never been submitted, will not be stopped by Babalu.

Balsom: TRUE. Whitehead has a history of pulling off some submissions of his own. I’m not saying he’s going to throw on a nasty first-round flying armbar on Babalu or anything. But I think that fact will result in Whitehead being able to stay away from Babalu’s submission game and keep himself on his feet, or at least stall Babalu’s submission attempts until the end of rounds. Now, Whitehead’s opponents as of late have been nowhere to the caliber of Sobral, but he has shown good things against some top-shelf opponents in the past (Sylvia, Rothwell, Jardine), so I think Whitehead does enough to stay alive, but Babalu pulls out the decision if he doesn’t gas out.

Morgan: FALSE. Whitehead’s never faced a grappler like Babalu before, end of story. Yes, I know that Babalu has been largely inactive since late 2007 but simply put, he’s one of the best light heavyweight jiu jitsu fighters in the game right now and will be a handful for someone like Whitehead to push to a decision. Babalu is scary with his submissions and Whitehead has never faced that kind of fighter before. Whitehead has faced, for the most part, creampuff competition while Babalu has spent most of his career fighting some of the best fighters in the world. Experience and technical submission acumen will win this for Babalu. He’ll stop Whitehead dead in his tracks.

My Five Cents: I’ll actually just let the commenters say who won that one.

6. After being re-signed for the short notice bout, Jake O’Brien would be released again if he loses to Cain Velasquez.

Balsom: TRUE. Because Cain Velasquez is a better wrestler than Jake O’Brien, and all that’s left for O’Brien after he gets stuffed on some weak takedowns is to stand and take a ton of shots to the face, which I’m sure Velasquez will be happy to give out. After that, O’Brien will get slammed to his back and take repeated ground and pound punches to the face and tap out due to strikes and he will be relegated to a life of obscurity outside the UFC. Does that sound reasonable?

Morgan: FALSE. It all depends on the nature of the loss. If O’Brien actually comes to fight, lets his hands go, and shows that he wants to be there and wants to finish then he could stay with the UFC even if he loses. Remember, Dana White likes fighters who come to put on a show and fight. Why do you think Chris Lytle just signed a four fight extension? The guy is 1-2 in his last three fights in the UFC but every time he comes into the cage, he comes to bang. If O’Brien finally comes out of his shell and gives Cain Velasquez a hell of a fight in a losing affair then it’s certainly not out of the question for him to remain in the UFC. If he comes out like he did in the Arlovski fight or in the fight against Heath Herring and loses, then say goodbye to O’Brien.

My Five Cents: If O’Brien “lets his hands go!?!?” Against Cain? So maybe if he gets KO’d in 12 seconds they’ll let him back? I could actually see that. And I think Lytle signed an extension because he’s awesome (note: I <3 him) but also because he’s a tremendous gatekeeper to test any new or up and coming fighters.

Well that was your DUEL for the week. Enjoy the awesomeness that is this weekend of fights.

Welcome back to another edition of The Duel. This week we have two 5 Oz. All-Stars in Sam Cupitt and Ram Maramba. Cupitt came up with an idea to disagree on each topic simply for fun but failed to do so on #5 because the simplicity of the idea was simply too much for him. He wanted to disagree but at one point he simply couldn’t follow through. While this made everyone sick we still went through with the idea and this was the result. Let us Duel:

1. Forrest Griffin will capture the UFC LHW Title this Saturday.

Cupitt: FALSE. I think Forrest has a good chance in this fight if the fight goes to the ground. Obviously if he is on top but I think he could potentially use his underrated guard game to catch a lazy Rampage in the early rounds if he gets fortunate enough. However, if Rampage decides to keep this fight on the feet then it will be a long night for Forrest. Griffin doesn’t have the wrestling to get Rampage to the mat and he doesn’t have the power in his stand-up game to trouble the Champ. All those ingredients make for some, to quote Van Halen, “real fine poundcake” if your last name is Jackson. So minus any Danny Ocean-esque heist attempts, no, Forrest Griffin will not capture the UFC light-heavyweight title.

Maramba: TRUE. Thanks for shafting me with this answer, Cupitt. I’ve spent the last few late nights boning up on my Rampage knowledge and was sufficiently convinced this will be just short of a lopsided victory for the champ. Now we gotta play this Devil’s Advocate junk. Hang on while I renounce my Catholicism and do a 180 on my 2nd amendment stance…there. Jackson wins almost all measurable categories in this matchup; he can strike, wrestle, escape, defend, run, catch and block better than Griffin by almost any standard. He’s the combine star and Forrest better hope he’s more Mike Mamula than Dwight Freeney. Griffin’s only obvious advantages are God-given size and grappling ability, a skilled Rampage has arguably eschewed due to being so good at everything else. Where the challenger has a notable edge is the ever-important factor of intangibles, a stew of grit, heart, endurance and all that other bushido stuff that is easily flung around but something very few people can claim. Griffin has that hard-nosed, Rocky Balboa aura MMA was built on, starting with folk heroes like Royce Gracie and stretching all the way in the MMA timeline through underdogs like Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Randy Couture and to a lesser degree, TUF runt Amir Sadollah. In a seeming mismatch against the engineered badass like Rampage the fairy tale conclusion is all to obvious, the worldly mutt taking down the thoroughbred in a grinding, against-all-odds epic battle. A bit saccharine for sure, but it’s a story that’s very real and quite common in recent MMA history. Griffin has proven more often than not a persistent if not imposing force. Guys like that have all day to win the fight, banking on one false move that all fighters maker sooner or later.

My Five Cents: Well played. I have to go with Rampage here, though it’s not by a large margin. I like Ram’s argument that he has the measurable categories and this fight will be up to Forrest and his intangibles. Plus Ram used my Colts’ boy Dwight Freeney as an example so he wins this by a small mile.

2. Lawler vs Smith II was thrown together too quickly and won’t be nearly as entertaining as their first bout.

Cupitt: FALSE. A fight between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith will always play out exactly the same way regardless of how much time either has to prepare. Both fighters are what I will dub for the purpose of this Duel as “instinct” fighters. They don’t have complex gameplans, they just go out there with the basic intention to hit the other dude hard over and over again and to avoid that whole ground thing unless they are in trouble. Both Lawler and Smith should be in good shape still from their first fight and Smith’s foot shouldn’t bother him too much come fight time. On July 26th, Lawler and Smith will turn up again and will once again beat the piss out of each other and we will all enjoy it thoroughly. With any luck we won’t even have to see that tacky steel worker intro, Smith got last time.

Maramba: TRUE. This one’s easier to spin, but not by much. The timing won’t kill this bout, the disparity in skill will do it this time around. Smith looked amazingly sharp in their first swing, absorbing Lawler’s punches and returning the favor with gusto. It was only a matter of time, but Lawler didn’t cut right through a one-dimensional opponent like many had supposed. Personally, I didn’t think Smith’s chin would make it out of the first round; when he not only came back for the second but actually put up some fierce resistance I was damn near shocked. This time around, Lawler knows the guy in front of him and will put him away in the 1st, again denying us the multi-round slugfest that we so desperately want and even more desperately need.

My Five Cents: I gotta go with Ram here. Obviously I phrased the query. Scott Smith, while I have a man crush on him, isn’t nearly as good as Robbie Lawler and I think it will show in the rematch.

3. Shinya Aoki will win the DREAM LWGP this month.

Cupitt: TRUE. Finally, something I can agree with. I was feeling rather negative disagreeing to everything but here’s something I can get behind. In my opinion, Aoki is the new age Sakuraba, with what he lacks in the personality he makes up for in colorful tights. He has the uncanny ability to be able to completely negate his opponent’s offense. In the words of George Michael Bluth, Aoki’s style is just an “awesome mind puzzle”. A puzzle that will bewilder the old-school stylings of Caol “insert business’ name” Uno and one that will stifle Kawajiri’s skill set or will completely baffle the most likely tired Eddie Alvarez. Aoki’s ability to force the fight to the ground via either guard pull or takedown and then completely control the pace and action in the fight is what will prove the difference against Uno and whoever he faces in the final.

Maramba: FALSE. A gimme from our friend from Oz, our NSW fairy, the 5oz. staff member who proves that the only thing better than being legal is being barely legal. Catch him on Darlingurst and Victoria every night this week, dressed up as a blood-stained Minnie Mouse spouting out MMA predictions on a stolen milk crate. Thank you for the gift of picking Aoki over fellow top contender Eddie Alvarez. I shall bow; please don’t feel obliged to curtsy. Representing their stereotypes well, Alvarez and Aoki have typical games to suit their nationalities. Alvarez has Mongo strength, hits hard and is a standout at wrestling, the martial art as American as baseball and apple pie. Aoki prefers the more esoteric, mind-over-matter art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, opting to use high-level technique to overcome strength. He has used his grappling wizardry to great success against larger, stronger fighters in the past (e.g. JZ Calvan) but the Philadelphia native is a different animal. Aoki has never seen anyone who combines his strength with instinctual technique and incredible athleticism like Alvarez, and that list includes Joachim Hansen, Mach Sakurai and the aforementioned Calvan. Even then, to attribute all of Alvarez’s success solely on his gym prowess is a mistake. His big bang performances in the Grand Prix notwithstanding, Alvarez knows what he can and can’t do on the ground. He won’t submit anyone any time soon, but he knows how to stay out of trouble, play defense and fight within his game. Aoki is pretty damn good at that too, but I don’t see him dominating the more active and aware Alvarez the way he did a more plodding, less explosive JZ. In the end, Eddie and his freshly split unibrow should take home the lightweight prize, scoring one for the underrated and overlooked lightweights here at home in the good ol’ USA.

My Five Cents: I also love Alvarez. I also love the phrase “barely legal,” yum. Then again I have a friend who I introduced MMA to and he has no idea who “Aoki” is and I always have to say “rainbow tights” for him to realize who I’m talking about. He loves “rainbow tights.” Aoki vs Alvarez please.

—-SWITCH IT UP—-

4. Ricardo Almeida will end Patrick Cote’s three fight UFC win streak.

Maramba: TRUE. It’s easy to overrate Almeida at this point in his comeback from a 4-year layoff to run his school. He looked outstanding in return fight, choking out his opponent in just over a minute, but Rob Yundt was a UFC rookie who has proven in his second fight that his neck normally out there for the taking. Cote on the other hand is still being underrated despite a 4-fight winning streak, all against known UFC commodities. Cote’s the hotter fighter by far, but Almeida’s base skill of BJJ is so much more developed than Cote’s bowling ball hands. A more sound striker would give Almeida fits; Cote isn’t that guy. “Cachorrao” is dealing with a ticking bomb as long they stay standing and Cote is well-rounded enough to stave off the Brazilian for a stretch. However, as Travis Lutter showed, once in tight on Cote it’s only a matter of time until they hit the mat, where Almeida can dictate the pace. He has so many ways more to win, granted he can keep his chin tucked long enough to work his game.

Cupitt: FALSE. I have no doubt that if Almeida gets Cote down long enough then this fight will be over pretty quickly but I’m wary as to whether Almeida can get it there. Almeida looked very good against Rob Yundt but Yundt was basically a walking submission dummy who was struck with stage fright. Yundt couldn’t have been a more tailor made opponent for Almeida in his first fight back. Cote has fought in big matches before and so he shouldn’t get dwarfed by the occasion. If “The Predator” plays it safe and sticks to picking apart Almeida a distance he should be able to secure a lop-sided decision win. This is a very good fight and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Almeida pull it out.

My Five Cents: “I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Almeida pull it out” to end your argument? Oh Cupitt. No one respects Patrick Cote’s game and this fight would probably seal his deal. Though I also don’t expect him to win, I wouldn’t say he’d lose just to say he’d lose.

5. Jesse Taylor should be allowed back in the UFC in 2008. (Editors Note: question was asked a week prior to new information).

Maramba: TRUE. This TV’d up Dana White hide-tanning was brought to you by Burger King’s Whopper Jr., as fake char-broiled as Jesse Taylor’s ass for the sake of hype-inducing dramaaaaa.” Sucks to be Jesse Taylor, having your career used as a pawn for the sole purpose of building up heat on an otherwise cold season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The good news is it was only a matter of time before they played the Prodigal Meathead Card when they needed it. Luckily for Taylor, the anti-Affliction card in three weeks needs his attention-getting mojo. The original question was should he be allowed to return this year; my answer is he never should’ve been gone. Babalu was kicked out for something replayed for the masses on YouTube, not for spitting on a bouncer and getting arrested in Florida. BJ Penn did both things and wasn’t even touched. The UFC obviously have no hard and fast guidelines for life outside the ring; for them to kick out Taylor had an air of hypocrisy. Unfortunately for him, he did at a time when the show needed a kick and the pants and his window/female terrorizing rampage was just what the doctor ordered.

Cupitt: TRUE. I know the vast majority of you readers vomit in your mouths a bit when the two duelers agree with each other but I can’t play devil’s advocate here. So, Jesse Taylor broke some shit and beat his UFC fighter chest in public, who cares? He has a problem with alcohol. A problem which the UFC and Spike encouraged over many weeks with the issuing of free alcohol and the urging of the contestants to go wild and break as much shit as they wanted. To take away the chance of being the “Ultimate Fighter” is one thing but to completely banish poor Coco from the UFC due to a public indiscretion is a bit rough. He survived the many weeks in the house without incident and earned his spot on the finale. A second chance is more than warranted. On a side note, I guess I could have disagreed with the wording of the question as Taylor was never actually a UFC fighter to begin with but that would be getting into semantics and would most likely aggravate Mr. Huckaby. I wouldn’t want to do that as I’ve heard he’s 7 feet tall and knows Krav Maga.

My Five Cents: I am and I do. And Jesse Taylor is a moron who pissed on himself. He might be back but he doesn’t deserve it and learned no lesson. I feel he should go piss on himself again to get a real feeling of who he is.

6. I know it’s early, but given the previous beatings he’s taken from his back, Heath Herring is the underdog against Brock Lesnar.

Maramba: TRUE. I’m a true believer when it comes to Lesnar and Herring is a good matchup for him. Other than his Texas roots, I don’t have much love for the Crazy Horse and his oddly assembled MMA game. He has yet to display his supposedly top-level Muay Thai in the UFC even though he had the perfect arena to do so in his last fight. His submission game is well-documented but, as Banky O’Brien showed, his wrestling needs a lot of work. Hey, guess what Lesnar’s good at? Oh yeah, he’s also the size of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Lesnar victory by Fireman’s Carry.

Cupitt: FALSE. I’m aware that Heath Herring has a hard time staying upright on windy days let alone against fighters with any form of wrestling pedigree but hasn’t Herring earned the right to not be labeled the underdog in this fight? Herring has fought for over 10 years against some of the world’s best fighters not to mention pulling off victories against very good wrestlers such as Tom Erikson and Mark Kerr. Brock Lesnar on the other hand has had two fights and in his last fight he may have looked impressive and very dangerous but there are still many questions to be answered. Cardio, submission defense and ground control are all big question marks going into a fight against a guy who has fought and beaten some of the best out there. In short, we are aware Lesnar can get Herring to the ground but we don’t know if he can keep him there and if he can, how long he can keep up the ground and pound he showed against Mir for. Question marks like that shouldn’t warrant Herring the underdog status in this fight.

My Five Cents: I gotta go with Ram here. While we knew what Mir could do to him we really don’t know what Herring can do to him from his back. More than likely just lay there and take a pounding. Of course Herring can win but his best chance isn’t very likely. Maramba, circle gets the square.

And that is your DUEL this week. Next week we will return with another set of questions dealing with breaking news, upcoming cards and another set of results.

Welcome to a special edition of the Duel. This week I have the pleasure of introducing the founder of a website titled “Five Ounces of Pain,” Mr. Sam Caplan. On the other side we have Dann from mmajunkie. It truly is a battle of titans. Let us duel:

1. It’s time for Evan Tanner to call it a career.

Caplan: TRUE. Watching Evan Tanner absorb a sustained pummeling from Kendall Grove was too much to bare this past Saturday. I’m typically not one to say a fighter needs to retire, but when Grove hit his second jumping knee to the middle of Tanner’s mush, I said enough is enough. At 37, it’s very difficult for a fighter to compete at an elite level. It’s not impossible to do, but someone such as Tanner doesn’t strike me as someone who has adopted a lifestyle that would lead to longevity. By his own admissions, Tanner has partied hard. He’s had a good run, but his peak took place during a time in the sport where salaries weren’t what they are now. He’s not going to get back what he lost and I fear that he’s hanging on for no other reason than he has no other way to generate income.

Junkie: FALSE. My man Sam is correct; Tanner’s 37-year-old body has been through a lot of abuse. As a very big Tanner fan, it was also difficult to watch his recent fight with Grove, though I commend him for going the distance. However, as someone who reads Tanner’s blogs and has been along for his rides into self-abuse, I know that Tanner needs MMA. The structure of training and competition seems to be his best medicine. It gets him focused and working toward a goal, which so far, seems to have kept him away from the bottle and many of his self-destructive tendancies. I doubt he’ll be a contender again, but he can still put up a good fight. I don’t think it’s simply about the paychecks at this point. So whether it’s with the UFC or another organization that could find him fair match-ups and market him well (Affliction and Strikeforce come to mind), Tanner probably still has some fights left him in. Fans just need to remember that he’s not the fighter he was five years ago.

My Five Cents: Good points. I was going to say true but as a huge Tanner fan Junkie is right about MMA being his best medicine. Getting beat up might actually be better for him than anything else he’d fall into.

2. The judge who scored the fight for Tanner was possibly related to Evan Tanner. More broadly, something should be done (better training, punishments, etc) to address MMA scoring problems before it turns into boxing.

Caplan: TRUE?. Huckaby, my friend, how the hell do I answer this with a “yes” or a “no” or a “true” or a “false?” Obviously Al Lefkowitz needs to be reprimanded. Maybe I could understand giving Tanner the first round and scoring it 29-28 in favor of Grove. But how the hell do you make a case for giving either the second or third round to Tanner? I mean, another judge scored it 30-26 in favor of Grove! How do you explain such adiscrepancy? Letkowitz got it wrong and his performances from this point forward need to be evaluated with great scrutiny. If he does something like this again, he should be limited to doing smaller shows and kept off UFC events. The NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL are constantly evaluating their officials. They grade their performances on a game-by-game basis so that at the end of the season they know who deserves post-season assignments and who needs to be replaced. This needs to happen in MMA, but it won’t because being a judge or a referee in MMA or boxing is abureaucratic position. You don’t get to be a judge or a referee in MMA unless you know someone on the commission. I can’t say that I have too big of an issue with that on the surface, because if I was in charge, I’d want to assign people as judges and referees that I knew had the aptitude to get the job done. But what happens is that someone they feel a sense of loyalty to starts messing up and it’s difficult to reprimand that person. I’m afraid it’s up to the Internet to keep the commissions accountable and force transparency when it comes to judges and referees. It’s hard to brush an egregious error aside if people are screaming bloody murder for a prolonged duration.

Junkie: TRUE. (To the part about something needing to be done, anyway). As much as the hardcores have complained about that decision, I’m surprised it hasn’t been a bigger issue and discussion point in the MMA community. It’s absolutely baffling how anyone could score that fight in Tanner’s favor. However, I really disagree with something Sam said: “If he does something like this again, he should be limited to doing smaller shows and kept off UFC events.” No, no, no. If Lefkowitz screws up like that again, he should never be allowed near an MMA fight again. I don’t care if it’s the UFC or some backroom-bar league; every fighter deserves competent judges. In fact, you could make the argument that it’s even more important for the young guys and up-and-comers who are looking for a big break. No one should have to endure the incompetency of someone who’s not cut out for the job. However, I do agree with Sam that the there needs to be accountability and evaluation of judges like they do in other major sports. But honestly, I don’t ever see it happening so long as state commissions supply the officials. As much as people would complain about organizations employing their own judges, at least they could then be held accountable and evaluated after each event. So when Michael Bisping is declared the winner over Matt Hamill, or when Clay Guida is awarded a split decision over Marcus Aurelio because one judge is off his rocker, at least something could be done about it.

My Five Cents: Well played. Something must be done; the age old rule that if you know an official’s name they messed something up is very true. Outside of McCarthy perhaps, you only notice the officials in MMA when there is a backlash. It doesn’t seem as though the commissions are doing anything to better inform their refs or hold them to a standard. How you both got through that without referencing Cecil Peoples is beyond me but admirable.

3. Josh Thomson will leave Friday night’s Strikeforce event victorious over Gilbert Melendez.

Caplan: FALSE. HELLO TO THE NO. Thomson is a GOOD lightweight. Melendez is GREAT. This Friday we will get to see the difference between a top-20 lightweight and a top-five lightweight. It’s going to be a good fight and one that I am looking forward to, but in the end, Thomson is just going to be outgunned. Thomson is a good wrestler with decent submissions but Melendez is black belt caliber when it comes to jiu-jitsu. Also, Melendez’s frenetic striking style will prove to be too much for Thomson to take.

Junkie: FALSE. (But I’m not so convinced that I’m going to start rhyming my prediction.) I do think Melendez is as a higher level than Thomson, but I don’t think the gap is especially huge — normally, anyway. However, with Thomson admittedly not 100 percent because of his shoulder injury, and with his nine-month layoff from competition, I just think Melendez will be too much for him. Melendez is going to win this fight with strikes, and when Thomson finally does try to take it to the ground, his shoulder is going to make it near-impossible. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing is determined in the fourth or fifth round.

My Five Cents: I’m personally not seeing a beatdown and I’m actually giving Thomson a % chance of beating Melendez. Though good note about the disclosed injury.

—-SWITCH IT UP—-

4. KJ Noons will repeat history and again stop Nick Diaz.

Junkie: TRUE. *Gasp!* I know, I know. OK, here’s why. Noons hits very hard. Everyone knows he’s done some professional boxing, yet I think people have overlooked the power he can get behind some of his punches. With the very real feud between these two guys, I think Diaz is going to want to beat Noons at his own game (and we saw how that worked out the first time they fought). In fact, Noons has been knocked out just once in 17 professional MMA and boxing fights — and that was to hard-hitting Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett. Diaz is a well-rounded fighter, but I don’t think he has the knockout power that’s needed. If I honestly, truly thought Diaz would try to get this fight to the ground, I’d give him the edge. But I don’t see that happening. Also, despite having surgery for his scar tissue, Diaz still cut easily in his fight with Muhsin Corbbrey. I see Noons getting the win via decision or, once again, via TKO due to cuts.

Caplan: TRUE. The name of this game is to score points by making compelling arguments. I should play devil’s advocate here, but I can’t fake it. K.J. Noons will not only win the rematch, but there’s a chance he could finish Diaz in the first round this time. Diaz is not helping himself by fighting so frequently and in two separate weight classes. He apparently is in some race against time, but it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy because if his weight keeps yo-yo’ing this frequently, he’ll be shot by 32. The big problem for Diaz is that his transition game is not good enough. He doesn’t have much punching power, but he’s still a good combination puncher who can score points with his fists. On the ground? We all know he’s a Cesar Gracie black belt. But there’s more to being good as MMA than just having standup and ground credentials. You need to have the middle game so you can transition from the ground to standup and vice versa. Diaz uses old school trip takedowns that aren’t going to fool anyone in this day and age that has some semblance of a takedown defense. He doesn’t have the leg attacking ability needed to take a fight where he needs it to go. So the reality is, Diaz might be a dual-threat, but because he doesn’t have the transition game, it’s fairly easy for a highly-skilled opponent to impose their will on him. And while Noons can’t hang with Diaz on the ground, he doesn’t have to worry since the fight will start on the feet — which is where Noons will end it in round 1.

My Five Cents: I can’t believe all three of us have the same unpopular opinion. Though what scares me is the Bennett fight was the only other fight for Noons where there was trash talk and animosity. I hate to say this but if Noons were to lose he’d be undefeated except in fights where he really wanted and needed to win. I won’t use the word people on ESPN use for that circumstance but you know the one. And 10pts to Caplan for using the word “dual” in the Duel.

5. Be it voluntary or involuntary, Josh Burkman would benefit from more experience before returning to the UFC.

Junkie: FALSE. Beating up a bunch of nobodies isn’t going to help Burkman. In fact, I think one of his biggest problems is that he thinks he can simply overpower his opponents. Pit him against some B-level talent, and that game plan will work — and he’ll fall right back into that bad habit. As we saw with Dustin Hazelett, an experienced opponent can simply absorb Burkman’s shots and set up submissions during the slams. Burkman just needs to learn an effective jab and work on his own submission skills. In a recent interview with us, Burkman said he’s always looking for the knockout. Seeing how he’s scored just one knockout via strikes — during his entire 15-fight career — I think it’s time to try to something new. And only facing top-level, UFC-caliber talent will force him to round out his game.

Caplan: FALSE. I’d love to play devil’s advocate here, but again, I can’t. Some fighters in the UFC would benefit greatly by going back to fight on regional shows, but a standout wrestler like Burkman is not one of them. Wrestlers dominate the regional scene because very few fighters can rival their athletic ability. A good wrestler can tear through the stereo-typical regional fighter because they can control where the fight goes via their wrestling ability. So if Burkman went down a level, he’d go into fights and win them easily because of his wrestling. But his wrestling doesn’t need much work! It’s his standup that must evolve. I think the answer for Burkman isn’t a new promotion, but possibly a new combat sport. Maybe he should take some time off from MMA and focus exclusively on Muay Thai or boxing and do some fights in those genres before coming back to MMA?

My Five Cents: One of those rare occasions where I was compelled to change my thought. He would just win boring decisions and easy gnp stoppages in the minor leagues and it would not improve his game at all. Well played.

6. The UFC 2009 video game will have a grappling engine that will satisfy true MMA fans.

Junkie: TRUE. (However, I want to say “False” since that’s just my natural response when I see “MMA fans” and any form of “satisfied” in the same sentence.) Obviously, Sam can make a much more compelling argument since he’s actually seen the game live and in action. I’m not much of a gamer, but I’m fully aware of the challenges that the ground game has presented in these types of fighting games. However, THQ has scrapped all previous code and started from scratch with help from MMA-savvy designers. Skills, especially wrestling and BJJ, are supposedly true to their characters. It sounds like everything will be pretty accurate without being overly complicated. Also, considering that there’s nothing really worthwhile to compare it to, I think the game and the grappling engine will be a hit.

Caplan: TRUE. My preference here would be to give a neutral answer, because until real gamers can play it, I would say the jury is still out. The demo looked great, but there has to be a reason why the game has been delayed for so long and is still not due to come out until Spring of 2009. However, if I have to give an answer, I will go with true, since I’ve actually seen the game. From what I saw, even hardcore MMA fans are going to be pleased with UFC 2009. The ground action was realistic and fluid. I can’t remember ever getting so excited for a video game while watching the demo. But like I said, we’re not going to know for sure until we can play the game.

My Five Cents: I don’t see how any engine would show the ground game of MMA well. I’m sure it looks great and fans will enjoy it but hitting X,O to get out of an armbar or to sweep just doesn’t seem right. I don’t know how it’s possible. Then again that’s probably the right frame of mind for someone like me to enjoy the game. Expect the worst and you might just be pleased.

Thank you to Sam and Junkie for participating this week. Next week Maramba and Cupitt will step back into the cage to discuss upcoming cards and any breaking news.

Welcome back to another edition of The Duel. This week features two spirited long time rivals in the form of me battling nokaut.com and fiveounces contributor Caleb Newby. Let the battle begin…. and don’t forget to vote for the winner (me).

1. Thiago Alves’ weight had something to do with his win over Matt Hughes.

Huckaby: TRUE. No, no, I’m not saying that’s why he won. Matt Hughes is old, Thiago Alves is young. He’s faster, has much better hands and he handled Matt’s takedown attempts easily. But it probably had SOMETHING to do with it, don’t you think? What if Alves was forced to cut all the way to 170lbs? How dehydrated and weak could he have been coming in? We’ll never know because Alves was allowed to fight big and then hilariously asked for a title shot. Somewhere at home Travis Lutter laughed at Dana White’s reaction. Yeah, I don’t think so Big T. Once you prove to him you can make 170lbs I’m sure you’ll talk but coming in so far over isn’t exactly the right way to get your goal. Come to work on time then ask for the promotion.

Newby: TRUE. What was really cool is how the entire group of us picked Hughes on the UFC 85 Pain Poll. Just wanted to point that out. That being said, of course this is true, especially with such a vague term such as “something.” It’s pretty basic physiology. When you have huge welterweight such as Alves, who has a known history of struggling to make 170, of course it is going to be easier when he doesn’t have to shed that last four pounds. If it’s been that tough for him in the past to make 170, you know it’s been hell on his body (diuretics anyone?) to lose those last few pounds. Was that the difference in the fight versus Hughes? Doubtful, but it should be enough to spare Hughes from a total free fall in the rankings, or a full out catapult of Alves.

2. Leites win over Marquardt should “count” (not meaning the win, just in future fight making, rankings and the like).

Huckaby: FALSE. To clarify, what this means is that Leites did indeed get the W for the fight but for all extensive purposes Nate Marquardt was shown to be the better fighter. Can you really rank Leites above Marquardt after that fight? Can you give him the next big match and drop Marquardt down to fighting TUFers? If they fought again wouldn’t Marquardt open all kinds on Thales yet again? Now I can see the other side, the illegal knee might have taken something away or a win is a win and should always be treated as such. I say no, Thales deserved to win the fight by scoring standards but Nate Marquardt proved to be the better fighter in my mind.

Newby: FALSE. Easy question. And to showcase my reasoning using a different angle than Huckaby, let’s go into the past for a different, though similar, example Nick Diaz’s scored a victory over Gomi at PRIDE 33 last year. Diaz won. I saw it, you saw it, everyone saw it. Then Diaz tests positive for marijuana. Now I put testing positive for marijuana in a much different category than a positive steroid test, yet the failed test led to the fight being ruled a no contest. But really, we all know Diaz won that fight, pot or no. The commission can make whatever ruling they want but Diaz was the better fighter that night. Same principle applies to Leites and Marquardt. Sure, Leites won, though as Huck said (he loves it when you call him that, trust me) Leites won on the scorecards, but Marquardt won that fight.

3. Fabricio Werdum has done enough to earn the next HW title shot after Mir.

Huckaby: TRUE. But that doesn’t mean he’ll get it. No one really wants to see Nog/Werdum II but apparently no one told Fabricio that as he’s went out and TKO’d Gonzaga and Vera back-to-back. To me that earns a title shot. Randy Couture earned a HW title shot by being retired and being Randy Couture. Gabe Gonzaga got one simply for beating Cro Cop. Nog got one just because he was Nog and he beat Heath Herring. Isn’t TKO’ing Gonzaga and Vera in consecutive fights actually MORE than you need to do in a depleted UFC heavyweight division? But the fact is Nogueira and Mir will be off filming TUF and they won’t fight until the end of the year so Werdum will probably have to win one more fight against a top talent that will fall out of the sky magically. Anyway, the question wasn’t if he’ll get the next shot, it was has he earned it. And yes, he has. And is anyone else now mildly intrigued with the idea that the groundgame of Nog/Werdum would be a stalemate but now Werdum apparently has the stronger striking? Does this not add a fun new dimension to the idea of that fight?

Newby: TRUE. This is more about the UFC’s total lack of a heavyweight division than it is anything else. Using my personal heavyweight rankings, let’s see who does deserve a shot over Werdum. Fedor (obviously). Barnett (never gonna happen). Couture (the “current” champion). Sylvia (ok, maybe not deserve a shot but you get the idea). Arlovski. Who from that list does the UFC have under contract? I thought as much. Instead, checking out the UFC’s website we’ll take a look at the highest profile heavyweights they have. Mark Coleman, Gabriel Gonzaga, Heath Herring, Cheick Kongo, Brock Lesnar, and Brandon Vera. Can you even make an argument that out of that group Werdum doesn’t deserve the next crack at the title? No, you can’t. Give that man a title shot. Who cares if Nog/Werdum isn’t the fight people are clamoring for, the man has earned it.

–Since Newby was too scared to disagree with anything I said I guess I’ll have to disagree with everything he says–

4. Michael Bisping will one day hold the 185lb title.

Newby: FALSE. By “the” I assume you mean UFC title. This was a tough one. Curses on you Huckaby for making it open ended like that too. You couldn’t have said “in the next three years” could you? Regardless, as much as I love Bisping, I have to go fiction. Anderson Silva is the king at 185 for as long as he wants to be first off. Silva has made talk that he’d retire in a couple years, which if so, is cause of celebration for all middleweights out there. But we have Silva as division king for at least two more years… someone I don’t see anyone defeating. I’d actually expect the UFC to give Bisping a title fight before then, probably soon, to capitalize on having a name opponent for Silva on a winning streak. After Bisping loses that fight he’s back to treading water with Franklin and the rest waiting for Silva to get bored and move on. And who will be looking to jump once Silva gets bored and moves on? Just Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, and potentially Dan Henderson and Paulo Filho. That’s a scary line up of top talent, plus who knows what new prospects will tear into the UFC in the next couple years. Look, I love Bisping and think he has tremendous talent and potential at middleweight, but with the line up he has in front of him, having to defeat at least two of these top fighters in a post Silva world to snag the championship, it’s just a bad bet. Sure he has a shot, but faced with the choice of betting on one horse or taking the field, unless your horse is Penn, Silva, GSP, or Fedor, take the field. Good luck Bisping, I’ll happily be proven wrong, but it’s false.

Huckaby: FALSE. DAMMIT it’s not possible here. Of course I meant the UFC you stupid bastard. Your short comings aside, you made solid arguments across the board. Anderson Silva, Anderson Silva and Anderson Silva. If he moves on you have Franklin, Henderson, Okami…. Bisping hasn’t showed any type of ability that would make you put him at that level yet. Yes, a split decision loss to Rashad is impressive but it was still a loss. I can’t make the argument he’ll be a champion based on beating an unemployed guy and a slightly above average guy at the weight class. We all know he lost to Matt Hamill and I think based on a performance like that he’ll have a long career in the UFC as more of a gatekeeper. He’ll continue to main event in England against the Sinosics and Days of the world but I think when they finally pull the trigger and put him in there with a top 10 middleweight he’ll feel the difference and come up short.

5. KJ Noons will retain his title over Yves Edwards on Saturday.

Newby: FALSE. Remember when Edwards was the unofficial UFC lightweight champ? I do, because they told us many, many times. Topsy-turvy as Yves’ has been, his switch to ATT seems to have paid off and done well for him and his jumping knee KO earlier this year was a thing of beauty. Expect Edwards to hang well enough on the feet with Noons and outclass him on the ground. Noon’s isn’t going to submit Edwards and while he certainly could knock him out, Edwards just has more ways to win this. So here’s to thug-jitsu bringing home the EliteXC 160 pound strap. Edwards, submission, round two.

Huckaby: TRUE. NOTE: Newby told me at 1pm he only had one question left to answer he was confused about. 6 hours later Adam Morgan IM’s me with a Newby IM asking who he thought would win Noons/Edwards. BUSTED. Asking for outside help in a DUEL? Truly pathetic Caleb, I mean that’s bottom of the barrel. Luckily this is the answer I was pulling to say anyway. Noons can join Kimbo and Gina as the EXC golden boys, a position I just can’t see Yves filling. Unless they want this strap to be the official Showtime title. The only two arguments for Yves here are ground game and ATT. While I believe ATT to be the top of the line, I can’t pick a guy based on his fight team alone. This leaves the ground game where I’m sure Noons has been training non-stop, both to not go there and what to do when it happens. I think Noons can keep this on the feet and be more technical than thugjitsu standing. Of course now I’m remembering the Charles Bennett fight and I’m starting to cringe a little. Atleast I have some guts.

6. Mayhem Miller’s experience will win out over Jacare’s amazing submission abilities.

Newby: TRUE. Mayhem has been in there with far, far better competition than Jacare. A quick bit of research shows that of Jacare’s 8 wins, a whopping five are against guys who have career 0-1 records. Yes, he submits everybody and it a BJJ wiz kid, but this is the first big time competition for Jacare in MMA and we’ve seen how skilled jiu-jitsu practioners fair in their first step up to tough competition. Thing is, this isn’t just a step up, it’s a giant leap. Miller may act like a clown but he is no joke. Only two losses in the last five years (to Trigg and a decision loss to GSP, which is impressive in and of itself) while compiling 14 wins in that time. So while I typically dislike breakdowns that focus on information you can discover from the fight finder, it’s relevant in this instance. I can assure you that Miller’s typical opponent hasn’t had a 0-1 professional MMA record. As they say, a jiu-jitsu black belt is great, but let’s see how you do while getting punched in the face. Give me Mayhem now. Give Jacare a couple more years and continued seasoning. Then this will be a real pick’em.

Huckaby: FALSE. Thanks for giving us their records Newby! How old is Mayhem? What’s Jacare’s real name? I have no idea where to look for this fundamental information! And I am also a Mayhem Monkey and will be pulling for my guy here but the fact is while Miller has faced better MMA competition he hasn’t faced this level of BJJ competition. How is Miller going to beat Jacare? Knock him out? What, with his amazing kickboxing skills? Oh, he’s going to full mount Jacare and pound it out? Beat him in a decision? Again, with his lesser BJJ game and K-1 level kickboxing? I give you Mayhem’s wrestling and that alone could give him a decision. That alone. Maybe he could knee him in the head alot on the ground. Either way, thank you for giving us information we could find anywhere and true insight. You sir are a professional.

And that does it for this week’s DUEL.  And again if you feel the need please vote for your victor.

Join us next week when two other 5oz contributors will step in and hopefully debate.

Sorry for the delayed posting and perhaps outdated questions but we had some communication problems. Joining me this week is special guest and professional superstar Luke Thomas from BloodyElbow and battling him is a cohort in their blogging scheme, also from BE, Mr. Michael Rome.

Let us duel:

1. EliteXC’s network debut was a success.

Rome: TRUE. The only way to really define success is to look at the ratings. They did well enough to continue on CBS, they will get more shows, and they will go on to be a legitimate number two promotion in the United States. Even though the main event was controversial, Kimbo still won, and I think there may be even more intrigue around him now since some fans will want to see him lose. Further, Gina Carano looked fantastic in her demolition of Kaitlin Young, who is no pushover. Their top stars won, and they have a rematch on the horizon following a controversial stoppage. Things didn’t go perfectly, but it certainly qualifies as a success. Finally, the strong ratings opened the floodgates for MMA on broadcast television. I suspect that by late 2009, Strikeforce, Elite XC, and UFC will all be airing major events on networks, which can only be good for the sport. A result like that is definitely worth sitting through shows like the one on Saturday night.

Thomas: TRUE. As Michael articulates, the ratings are really what matter. Whether or not they can keep these ratings high over the long run is another matter. Anyone who remembers the XFL recalls a powerful start and whimpering finish. Let’s also not forget another key element: mixed martial arts, both the sport and the sporting world, is complicated. Dana White isn’t lying when he says there’s an education process involved when it comes to understanding the sport. What EliteXC’s broadcast allows, if nothing else, is the beginning of that discussion and education process for millions of new people. Even the detractors are doing us favors because they are forcing the issue of the debate and we know, over time, it’s a debate they can’t win. With all the facts, they can’t say these aren’t talented athletes or that the sport is more dangerous than boxing or football. So, let the chips fall where they may. All this does is get the ball rolling for our ultimate goal of making MMA one of North America’s major sports.

My Five Cents: It was indeed a success and got ratings at some points nearly twice as high as the goal. Though I am seeing alot of XFL comparisons when it comes to high debut ratings and I can’t follow that. The XFL was a league with a game each week with teams from different cities. This is fist fighting in a cage every few months. The only comparison is that they’re both technically sports.

2. The NJSAC properly handled the Lawler/Smith stoppage.

Rome: TRUE. I should qualify this response by saying that I am taking everything that Nick Lembo said to Sam Caplan was 100% true. Imagine being in a doctor’s position, working on a fighter with a broken foot, and then being told repeatedly by the fighter that he absolutely could not see, and could be knocked out. The only responsible thing to do was to stop the fight. We also now know he was still seeing double and triple well after the five minutes many fans have clamored for, so I think the stoppage is for the best. Next time we see these guys fight, they’ll both be 100%, and hopefully we’ll get a decisive finish. Of all the things to complain about, I think this complaint is the least justified.

Thomas: TRUE. If they got any of the stoppages correct, it’s probably this one. The Carano-Young stoppage was questionable and the Kimbo-Thompson stoppage was downright atrocious. But with Smith, he did, in fact, admit to continued vision problems not only in the cage but even in the locker room long after the fight had ended. Look, the fact is this: Scott Smith is tough to an unreal degree. And while we admire his heart and tenacity, sometimes fighters as tough as Scott can be their own worst enemy. Competent ringside physicians need to be acknowledged when their medical expertise and judgment are relevant. And clearly, a fighter having prolonged vision problems is a serious medical issue. Maybe the fight could’ve continued, but with preventative maintenance, Smith and Lawler will live to fight another day and will do so with their health much more intact.

My Five Cents: I was actually ready to argue with both of you but you flipped me. I’m soft like that. If he was complaining in the locker room then it should have been stopped. Actually it gives us another great bout between two guys that are 100% instead of Smith getting knocked out two minutes after this happened by an unseen hook and dropping down the rankings.

3. Thiago Alves will defeat Matt Hughes to begin a new guard in the WW division. (again, meant to be posted before Saturday)

Rome: FALSE. I suspect this match will look very similar to Thiago’s fight with John Fitch. His standup is very good, and he has strong submission skills, but I think Hughes will simply overpower him with wrestling and break him down. He’s never shown particularly good takedown defense, and I think Hughes will take a 29-28 decision on his way to the showdown with Matt Serra. I suspect Thiago Alves is the next Gabriel Gonzaga, a guy we’re all going to overrate for a while because he stopped Karo, but won’t make it up to the top of the division.

Thomas: FALSE. I want to say Alves will come on blazing and put on a Thai boxing clinic, but I just don’t see it. First, it’s not as if everyone has their way with Hughes on the feet. Hughes’ striking isn’t anything to write home about, but it provides just enough cushion for him to implement his gameplan against all but the very best. Second, if there is one knock on the fighters of American Top Team, it’s their wrestling. Yes, they are all good wrestlers there, but none are great. Alves was able to avoid the takedowns of Karo Parisyan, but those hip blocking and trip takedowns from judo. And ATT actually has really good judokas, most notably, Olympian Rhadi Ferguson (Kimbo Slice’s cousin). Matt Hughes, by contrast, has freestyle leg attacks: singles, doubles, ankle picks and high crotch lifts. I don’t think Alves has anyone to train with who can mimic Hughes’ style. And then once the fight his the floor, we all know that Hughes also has serious submission skills. So while Alves will do damage on the feet and there is peril involved in getting Alves to the floor, I don’t think that’s going to be enough to stop Hughes.

My Five Cents: Didn’t mean to embarrass you two fellas here. To be fair I picked Hughes too. We bloggers are experts, EXPERTS I SAY! Let’s blame it on the weight thing and feel better about ourselves.

SWITCHING TIME

4. I’ve said it before, Faber would defeat Kid Yamamoto in a battle for #1 among FWs.

Thomas: TRUE. Yamamoto is very talented and an extraordinarily mean fighter when competing, but Faber is too much to handle. Yamamoto isn’t big enough or strong enough to muscle Faber around and while Kid certainly has striking prowess, Faber’s overall conditioning and recent history of fighting much tougher competition make him much more prepared for the tough fights. Yamamoto has been distracted with wrestling endeavors and generally fighting less than stellar competition. A few years ago this fight could have gone Kid’s way, but not anymore. Faber is the top featherweight dog and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

Rome: TRUE. Urijah Faber showed me enough against Pulver to believe he would handle Yamamoto. I don’t think Kid’s mean-spirited fighting would have much effect on the always-calm Faber, and I think he’s just too talented everywhere for Kid.

My Five Cents: I think this is the first question I’ve ever asked twice in my years of doing this. And you’re both right. Both pre and post Pulver fight.

5. UFC 85′s Vera/Werdum winner deserves the next title shot at the Nog/Mir winner.

Thomas: TRUE. Look, the UFC’s heavyweight roster is notoriously thin and while Vera hasn’t been as active as either he or the UFC would like due to legal issues, he is clearly the favorite son. He’s young, likable, a gifted striker, excellent wrestler and international BJJ champion. He has all the tools they and he needs to go places. The UFC heavyweight division, stacked just a year ago, is fractured and crumbling: Gonzaga fizzled, Arlovski is gone, Couture is gone, Sylvia is gone, Monson is gone and the list goes on from there. Werdum rebounded nicely and as aforementioned, Vera has serious star potential. Both are also legitimate heavyweight talent, something in short supply in the UFC heavyweight ranks. Lesnar could be a star down the road, but he’s not ready yet. Vera and Werdum are.

Rome: FALSE. The winner may be on his way to a title shot, but there’s no reason the winner should wait 9 months to find out the winner of Nog/Mir and then finally fight in March or April of next year. Whoever wins here needs to win one more time to get a shot. The winner could fight the winner of Herring/Brock for example, I don’t really care, but having the winner of such an inconsequential fight sit around for 9 months for a title shot is ridiculous.

My Five Cents: Luke is right in his answer and Rome is right in his reasoning. I’ve said this before, I started picking fights based on my “who does Joe Silva want to win?” formula. After Werdum/Vera that is 0-1. But I still think I’m right, they thought Vera would beat him. Crazy idea, no one wants to see Nog/Werdum II but with Werdum’s new strong standup skills could he take out Nog? I mean Nog has a chin of granite so maybe not but with the better standup and just slightly less ground game could he get a decision? I don’t know anyone that would argue that fight wouldn’t be a five round decision, exactly why Joe Silva wanted Vera to win.

6. Stopping a Kimbo/Rogers fight is protecting Rogers more than Kimbo.

Thomas: FALSE. Protecting Rogers from what exactly, a better payday and a win? While Kimbo possess clean boxing and vicious punching power, it’s clear the rest of his game is as green and rudimentary and his coach Bas Rutten admits it is. When Tim Sylvia has better and more technical escapes from side control than you, you need to seriously work on your wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Sylvia was choked by Nogueira when he hit the hip bump and rollover to attempt the escape, but ask anyone who has been training at all: at least it was the technical. Kimbo’s escapes relied on powering out of bad spots, which partly explains his fatigue at the end of the fight. But back to Rogers, he has devastating punching power as well and arguably better wrestling. He could feasibly finish the job Thompson started and do so with a lot less effort. I’m not upset with Kimbo for being where he is in the game, but when we start talking about matching him up with legitimate fighters, we have to be honest and provide sober analysis: Kimbo isn’t ready for real fighters.

Rome: FALSE. This is a joke, right? I suppose it’s possible Rogers will stand with Kimbo and make it interesting, but he can easily use his wrestling ability to take Kimbo down and pound him out. I’m shocked they are dumb enough to be considering this fight. Why? Because hardcore fans demand it? Who cares what messageboard fans think, Kimbo’s fight did over 6 million viewers, what in the world is the point of killing him? If Elite XC kills its golden goose to appease dorks online, they really deserve to go out of business.

My Five Cents: What? Brett Rogers with his zero submission wins? He has one but it was via strikes so we all know that’s a TKO despite the titling. The same way Kimbo “submitted” Cantrell. I think Kimbo will kill Rogers. Kimbo didn’t look good at all vs Thompson, I give you that, but Thompson came out as I said he would shooting for the takedown. Thompson is a better wrestler and finisher than Rogers. Rogers is a young buck and putting him in with Kimbo will only set him back. Slice, TKO, round one. Book. It.

I thank my BE brothers for participating in this DUEL. We will have another later in the week regarding the last UFC event and future events and we apologize for the delay.

And here we are with another edition of the THE DUEL!~ This week we again have the superstar known as ME, Huckaby, battling the superstar known as Randy Harrison. Again, if you care to feel free to vote on the left side of your screen for the winner of the battle. Poor Harrison does a great job and seems to get screwed over. I hope this continues as I out argue him handily in this battle.

Let’s go:

1. B.J. Penn will remain a lightweight for more than one more fight.

Harrison: FALSE. I don’t even think that he’s going to stay at lightweight for even one more fight. BJ seems to have a thing where the title that he can win is more attractive to him than the title he can defend, so I fully expect him to move up to try and win the Welterweight Title from GSP, should he get past Jon Fitch at UFC 87. BJ feels like there’s nothing left to do at this weight class for him as he beat the thorn in his side that was Jens Pulver, won the title and then eradicated the guy that he feels like he should have won the belt from in the first place. This new, motivated BJ is going to be looking to cement his place in history by winning as many titles as he can in in as convincing a fashion as possible. Buoyed by the knowledge that he nearly beat GSP in their first fight with a suspect gas tank, he must be salivating at the though of facing him now with his newfound fire for the fight game.

Huckaby: FALSE. Though I will disagree and say he’ll take the winner of Huerta/Florian (see: Florian) and then call it a career at the weight. So I feel that alone should get me the point from the voters. I personally can’t wait for Penn/GSP II, as someone brought up to me recently I thought Penn won their first fight or at the very worst it was a draw. N00bs (sorry to say that) at the time didn’t understand the hype of Penn while we had to watch him lose to GSP and Hughes and just look bad and be mocked. I believe in this Penn just like the last Penn, he’s ready for GSP. Will he win? No. Penn can’t take him down, GSP has the better striking, and GSP can get up if they’re on the ground. Penn had a better chance the first time. But I love the heart and BALLZ of Penn to want to fight the biggest and best guys possible. God bless the man, put him in the Hall of Fame.

2. Lyoto Machida deserves the next light-heavyweight title shot after Forrest Griffin.

Harrison: FALSE. It’s not because he’s not talented and not even because he has the stigma of being a boring fighter. My reasoning is that he hasn’t faced anyone on a top level in the UFC yet to warrant a title shot. Sure he’s 5-0 in the UFC and he’s beaten fighters like Rich Franklin in the past, but his only name win in the UFC is over Tito Ortiz, who ceased being a name that meant something in the division rankings at least a couple of years ago if not more. I say that if Machida can get past the loser of the Griffin/Jackson fight, then he’d be more than worthy of a shot. To me, he’s one of the most talented fighters in the world and is one of the best at Light Heavyweight, but he just needs to get one huge win against an opponent that means something in the division before I can.

Huckaby: TRUE. I can see your points but who else deserves it? I say in real life form Machida fights the loser of Rampage/Forrest and then would get his title shot. Like my friend Adam Morgan, I enjoy and will defend Machida. He dominated Ortiz, he beat (a young) Rich Franklin, (a young, over his head) BJ Penn…. Machida can confuse ANYONE. Forget Ortiz or Heath or anyone, he can do that to Rampage, he can do that to Forrest. It doesn’t matter. He might not be the most exciting but he’s amazing to watch as an MMA fan. Machida is a star and with the four other divisions being dominant (see my article later this week) I’m glad the LHW division can be fun and interesting. Give Machida a shot, let him win, and see who can figure him out first. He’s like any guy in the Mike Tyson Punch-Out Nintendo game. Let’s see who game figure him out.

3. Urijah Faber will dominate Jens Pulver on Sunday.

Harrison: FALSE. I know that there have been a lot of other guys that everyone thought was going to give Faber his toughest test and they ended up falling way short, but for some reason Jens seems like he’s at home in the featherweight division and a lot more confident there than he was at lightweight. Even when he was the UFC champion at lightweight, he didn’t seem as fully comfortable with himself and his game than he is right now. Watching the WEC preview show, Jens seems to be incredibly motivated by the chance to win a title belt in his natural weight class and I think that it’s highly likely that this is going to be a fight that pushes Faber to the brink, only for Faber to push that much further and get the win. If the question was whether Faber would win or not on Sunday, I would have had to say true, but because it’s whether or not he’ll dominate, I have to say false because Jens is going to be one of, if not THE toughest opponent that Faber has ever faced.

Huckaby: TRUE. That’s your problem Harrison, you watched the hype show. I give you, Faber is no Penn. But Jens Pulver, though UNDEFEATED AT FW, just can’t handle the best of the best in any division. Faber is special, he’s top two in the entire world and Pulver can’t match him right now. Pulver might have the standup, MIGHT, and that’s it. And I don’t see Pulver knocking him out. Faber should dominate the pace and break his will just like BJ did. Faber is stronger, Faber has more stamina, Faber has a better chin, and Faber has many less losses on his record. I know Pulver has been around but all that means is you get fluked by Joe Lauzon (or was it?). Pulver, and I like him, isn’t the top of the heap. Urijah Faber is the top of the heap and he’ll get the job done and I think handily.

—-SWITCH IT UP—-

4. Wanderlei Silva is “back.”

Huckaby: FALSE. Whew, hard to answer because I’m not sure he was ever gone. One thing is for certain and that’s a quick knockout of Keith Jardine really doesn’t prove that much. That fact of course known to the thousands of us that picked that very result. You bumrush Jardine, trade shots aggressively and you’ll win brutally. Wandy, maybe more so than anyone else right now, is a mystery when it comes to who he will fight next. There is a potential list of opponents and none of them seem right. Perhaps and the Rampage/Forrest loser? The argument of whether he was gone in the first place aside, I think it will take more than a predictable win over Jardine for everyone to come back around.

Harrison: FALSE. There’s nothing about beating Jardine that says whether Wanderlei Silva is “back” or not because he was expected to win. If he gets in against someone who actually has a chance against him and wins, then I’d say that he’s “back”. Jardine didn’t have a chance because his style, despite being an awkward style to defend against, plays right into Wanderlei’s strengths, as shown on Saturday night. He’s fought at such a high level for such a long time that people expect that high level from him every time out. When he went through his losing streak, he wasn’t losing to scrubs, so I’d be hard-pressed to say that he was ever gone, but for him to be considered “back” in terms of being in contention for the title at 205, he’s going to need a bigger name win than Jardine to get there. Whether that comes with a fight against the loser of Rampage and Forrest or it comes in a fight against another top-five LHW, he that more win in a tough fight to show that he’s got his mind, body, and most importantly, his fighting heart all working as one again.

5. Gina Carano will bring more mainstream viewers to EXC on Saturday night than Kimbo Slice.

Huckaby: TRUE. Do me a favor and go to elitexc.com right now and tell me who is pictured first in the lineup and has their profile link immediately after the fighters. That would be Gina. The pretty girl sells. Tell me the second most hit internet search that came to fiveouncesofpain.com? That girl that was on a series on NBC sells. Plenty of people will tune in and check out Kimbo but when it comes to the mainstream viewers I think the EXC commercials and site know best when it comes to marketing Carano as a star of the show that people need to see. EXC knows they have a few things going for them but first and foremost would be the star making they’ll be doing with both of those fighters. To answer the question however it’s all about Gina to bring in non-MMA fan males that might not have checked out the sport before.

Harrison: TRUE. She’s got the mainstream exposure that comes with already having been on a network television series, she’s doing something different in terms of being a woman in a man’s world, and she’s gorgeous. Once Kimbo can do any of those three, I’d be able to say that he’s bringing the mainstream viewers, but so far, the marketing of the show is heavily leaning towards Gina being the bigger star. To me, this is a brilliant move because there is actually a huge and somewhat untapped market when it comes to female MMA fans and to have Gina be the fighter that they can relate to and they can flock to watch is going to be a huge boost to the mainstream appeal of the show. To me Gina’s mainstream appeal crosses gender, but she’s going to really help bringing new female fans to the sport by fighting on this national stage. Add to this all of the men that will tune in to watch the pretty lady throw hands in the cage and she’s going to end up being the biggest star out of this show, win or lose.

6. Joey Villasenor will drop Phil Baroni to a career .500 record.

Huckaby: TRUE. May I make a suggestion? You know how before the fights they always show fighters training in the back and hitting pads to warm up? Yeah, could Phil Baroni’s trainers not do that with him? Between that and walking to the cage it’s the Baroni equivalent of running a 26.2 mile marathon. Perhaps a water station halfway down the ramp? I’ll give Baroni some props, he had Hose where he wanted him for three or four minutes and really put everything into it to finish the fight. Except he couldn’t. You have to understand Phil, we just don’t get your stamina problems. Run on a bike, jump some rope. It’s the same way we look at Shaq shooting over 10,000 free throws in his career and only hitting 50% of them. I can get 80% of mine and I have little to no athletic prowess whatsoever. What the hell is wrong with him? We just can’t wrap our minds around your complete lack of stamina and fighting an aggressive wrestler in Villasenor, while not a horrible matchup, just isn’t in Baroni’s favor.

Harrison: TRUE. I know that I’ve sounded like Huckaby’s parrot for these last three, but I have different reasons, as usual. While I think that stamina will indeed be a factor in this fight, Villasenor’s wrestling and his heavy-handed ground and pound is going to be the larger problem he’s going to have. Phil doesn’t do well on his back and that’s where Villasenor is going to keep him for the majority of the fight. Once he starts dropping in those hard elbow strikes and is able to push Phil up against the fence, it will end up just being a matter of time before the fight is over and Phil is at .500 for his career. I think that for Phil to win this fight he’s going to have to catch Villasenor early with a hard shot, and with Villasenor’s chin and his stand-up defense, I just don’t see that happening. The stamina won’t even come into play because honestly, I see Villasenor stopping him in the first or early in the second anyhow.

——–

Join us next week when two new MMA columnists battle with six new statements. Remember, if you care, to vote for the winner on the left side of your screen. We love victories.