Bloody Elbow

Ten Predictions for 2009

2008-12-02T05:29:25Z

Everyone is playing the predictions game, so here are a few that I think are locks by the end of next year. Since there will be ten thousand posts like this around the blogs at the end of this month, I'll just do it now.

1. Brock Lesnar loses the title: As much as Brock has impressed me, I just don't see how he gets by Nogueira. Nog has made a career of surviving beatings and clawing his way to submission victory. If Brock beats Nog, there are still no easy fights after that, as everyone will be gunning to take him down.

2. Chuck Liddell retires for the first time: Whether or not they change their mind on Chuck fighting Randy, I believe the end is in sight for Chuck Liddell. I say first time because I have no doubt he'll be back for a big return at least once.

3. Affliction goes under: Anyone who reads my work regularly knew this was coming. They are set up to fail, I have my doubts if we'll ever see a third show. Hopefully I'm wrong about this.

4. GSP vs. Anderson Silva headlines UFC 100: I guess you could see this as a prediction for GSP-BJ Penn, but I believe the two men will collide in July for UFC 100.

5. Tito Ortiz returns to the UFC: I think this is virtually a lock. He has no other options and the parties talk all the time.

6. UFC PPV business starts slow and ends hot: The first few PPV shows of 2009 are bare looking. 93 with Henderson and Franklin won't do well, they have nobody for Silva right now for 95, and outside of Hughes-Serra I don't know what they can headine Dayton with. Spring and Summer will then heat up bigtime leading into UFC 100.

7. Randy Couture will not retire: I don't believe he is done, and I don't believe he wants to stop fighting. You can see it in someone's eyes when they just can't get enough of competition, and I think that is where Randy is.

8. Gina Carano will become the top draw of the WEC: She sounds happy with the idea of fighting there, and seeing as Faber is apparently not a draw at all on his own, I think Gina will emerge as the star there. But is it a waste of a superstar on a network that doesn't have the penetration to make stars?

9. Matt Hughes will retire: Not really a bold pick here, I know. But I don't see him wanting to fight as a gatekeeper at 170 even if he manages to beat Serra.

10. The UFC will be in Madison Square Garden: Bob Reilly be damned, this is going to happen. The current battle is greed vs. stupidity, and unlike some I have no doubt that greed ought to and will win.

Bloody Elbow Exclusive: Mike "The Hulk" Easton vs. Chase Beebe for UWC Bantamweight Championship

2008-12-01T20:20:29Z

BloodyElbow.com can exclusively confirm that Mid-Atlantic phenom Mike "The Hulk" Easton is set to lock horns with former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe in a bantamweight title clash (the first ever for the UWC!) on February 21st at the George Mason Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. Below is the official press release:

UWC - Ultimate Warrior Challenge

MAN "O" WAR

Mike Easton vs. Chase Beebe UWC World Championship Title Fight

Washington, DC - East coast regional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) powerhouse the UWC - Ultimate Warrior Challenge announced today the signing of a fight between H.I.T. Squad's Chase Beebe and Team Lloyd Irvin's Mike "The Hulk" Easton. The bantamweight bout (135lbs) will be the Co Main Event for UWC: MAN "O" WAR, which will take place February 21^st, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, VA. The winner will be crowned the UWC Bantamweight Champion of the world.

"The UWC has always been committed to delivering the highest quality fights for metro Washington, DC and east coast MMA fans," said UWC CEO S. Marcello Foran. "That's why we are so excited to announce the signing of this bout. Chase Beebe and Mike Easton are two of the best bantamweight fighters in America – if not the world – whose styles are tailor made for each other. If there was ever a 'can't miss' fight for fans in the Washington, DC area, this is it."

Chase Beebe (11 - 3) is a four-time high school state wrestling champion now training with world renowned Marc Fiore, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler, and nine-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Matt Hughes as part of Hughes' H.I.T. Squad in Granite City, Illinois. Beebe is the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) bantamweight champion and holds notable victories over Eddie Wineland and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Rani Yahya.

Mike "The Hulk" Easton (6 - 1), a two-time UWC veteran, hails from Temple Hills, Maryland and trains with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Lloyd Irvin and UFC Fighter Brandon "The Truth" Vera as part of Team Lloyd Irvin. Easton is a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu medalist, Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling national qualifier and holds major wins over Gerald Lovato and John "The Magician" Dodson.

"Booking this fight was a no-brainer. Both fighters are incredible athletes and always do a superb job of entertaining the crowd," said Foran. "We are dying to see how Beebe's in-your-face grinding style will look against Easton's first-rate athleticism and vicious knockout power. I know whoever wins this fight will have definitively earned the title 'UWC Bantamweight Champion'."

UWC: MAN "O" WAR" will be held Saturday February 21, 2009 at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. Tickets for the event will be available via Ticketmaster and the show will be streamed live over the Internet on Sherdog.com. For more information, visit www.uwcmma.com.

The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) is the greater Washington, DC area's leader in providing fans with the best, most competitive and highest quality professional mixed martial arts (MMA) events. In addition to featuring elite fighters from the top MMA teams across the country, UWC also showcases and builds the careers of the many top pro fighters from the leading Virginia, DC and Maryland teams and gyms by giving them an opportunity and platform to challenge the very best in their highly competitive hometown area. UWC's fighters and events will serve as the catalyst for turning the Washington region into a powerful and highly-regarded MMA east coast destination.

The latest fight card for UFC 93 according to MMA Mania: Main card (Televised): 205 lbs.: Rich...

2008-12-02T04:47:14Z

The latest fight card for UFC 93 according to MMA Mania:

Main card (Televised):
205 lbs.: Rich Franklin (24-3) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
205 lbs.: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-3) vs. Mark Coleman (15-8)
185 lbs.: Denis Kang (31-10-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-5)
205 lbs.: Andre Gusmao (5-1) vs. Antonio Mendes (15–3)
155 lbs.: Nate Mohr (8-5) vs. Dennis Siver (12-6)

Under card (May not be broadcast):
170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (15–4) vs. Chris Lytle (26-16–5)
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (8-2) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-18-5)
205 lbs.: Ivan Serati (10-2) vs. Tomasz Drwal (14-2)
170 lbs.: Thomas Egan (3-0) vs. John Hathaway (9-0

Notice that the Marcus Davis/Chris Lytle bout is currently listed on the non-televised undercard. One would think, considering all the talk surrounding the fight, that this scrap would make the televised portion of the event. UFC 93 will originate from Dublin, Ireland on January 17, 2009 and can be seen on PPV.

Rich 'No Love' Clementi (40-13-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (27-5) in February: InTheGuard.tv is unable...

2008-12-01T21:40:11Z

Rich 'No Love' Clementi (40-13-1) vs. Gleison Tibau (27-5) in February:

InTheGuard.tv is unable to confirm whether the fight will be featured in the UFC Fight Night 17 or UFC 95 taking place in London.

Tibau and Clementi have two similarites before their likely meeting, both are coming from defeats and both transitioned between the UFC 170 lbs division and then, later, moved to lightweight.

Fighting the Bad Fight: New Article on the NY Regulation Fight

2008-12-01T20:58:32Z

The Times Union ran an article today on Assemblyman Bob Reilly's fight to keep MMA from becoming "legalized" in the state of New York. The juicy bits:

the soft-spoken Democratic lawmaker from Colonie, best known for giving his legislative salary to charity, remains a major impediment to the mixed martial arts industry's intense lobbying to get it legalized in New York state.

Reilly's impassioned remarks in opposition of the sport in a session of the Assembly's Committee on Tourism, Art and Sports Development last spring derailed the legislation, at least temporarily. Reilly said most constituents who have weighed in oppose it.

"I consider it brutal and savage. The lobbying and money behind it has gotten so intense since then that I feel like David against Goliath," Reilly said. "But I won't succumb to pressure."

...

Reilly railed against the caged battles once dubbed "human cockfighting." His fellow committee members, some of whom had little knowledge of the sport, voted against reporting out a bill that would have paved the way for making it legal in New York. It is currently sanctioned in 36 states.

"I'll express ignorance of this sport, but after Bob described what a vicious sport it was, it was voted down by everybody on the committee," said Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Niagara Falls. She's one of 20 members on the committee chaired by Steven Englebright, a Democrat from Suffolk County.

The last quote from DelMonte is the one that bothers me the most. The idea that people in charge of making decisions of this nature admit to being ignorant of the sport but then allow a single very biased opinion to sway them is irresponsible at best. The truth is, if you are unaware of the facts you need to get facts and not rely on one person's version of the truth to be the only information you take in.

I seriously doubt that any other situation could come up where a single opinion could be expressed and Assemblymen and women would say "well...that's all I need to hear. I'm convinced!" It's like going on trial and after the opening argument from the prosecution the judge turning to the defendant and saying "Well, you're obviously guilty because that guy says so."

Guys like Reilly take the hard and fast stance that this is about keeping a moral perspective rather than just go after easy money. The truth is that an honest moral and ethical decision is one made based on knowledge and facts from both sides of the issue.

UFC Prime Time: BJ Penn vs. GSP

2008-12-01T19:06:48Z

After failing to get the 24/7 concept off the ground for Lesnar/Couture, the UFC is on the ball early for Penn and St. Pierre according to MMA Junkie:

To hype the upcoming mega-fight between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn that takes place Jan. 31 at UFC 94, Spike TV and the UFC will roll out a three-part preview series beginning Jan. 14.

The shows are modeled after the successful “De La Hoya-Mayweather 24/7″ series on HBO that hyped a super-successful May 2007 boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. that set a record with 2.4 million pay-per-view buys.

Whereas the UFC let Randy and Brock sell itself due to star power and ESPN coverage, it appears they are going to devote significant resources to hyping and selling this show. It should be interesting to measure the UFC's ability to sell a big fight against what a mainstream press push can do. Then again, they may get both.

Quote of the Day: Der Spiegel on Dana White

2008-12-01T17:40:23Z

"White, a short, round-headed man wearing a skin-tight shirt and belt with a skull-shaped buckle, is the president of the UFC. He is 39, a former bouncer and a bellhop at a Boston hotel. He was found guilty of assault and, because he refused to pay the fine, wound up in prison. He became a boxing trainer and fled from the Mafia to Las Vegas, where he had grown up, and opened a boxing gym. White now owns a Range Rover, a Ferrari and two Mercedes, but he still has difficulty saying three sentences without the word "fuck" in at least one of them."

-- Maik Grossekathöfer, writer for Germany's largest newspaper Der Spiegel.

And White doesn't like how "Internet goofs" talk about him?

HT: MMA Experts Blog

Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 3 Video by fedor291

2008-12-01T18:55:36Z

Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 3 Video by fedor291

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda Under K-1 Rules for K-1 Dynamite

2008-12-01T17:27:18Z

Kickboxing to the ratings rescue? Notable quote:

At the press conference K-1 Event Producer Sadaharu Tanikawa stated, "Because of the 'Grand Coalition' for the first time in many years, MMA and K-1 can amalgamate and battle, therefore, this year, its daring but I am going to do K-1 vs. DREAM match-ups. There are K-1 fighters who want to challenge in the DREAM rules as well." Basically he revealed that one of the main pillars of this year's Dynamite!! is going to be fighters crossing the borders between K-1 and DREAM.

The first two MMA fighters that are challenging in the K-1 rules bouts are Tatsuya Kawajiri and Gegard Mousasi. Kawajiri will face very popular and hardcore Kozo Takeda, and this year's DREAM middleweight GP champion is taking on Japanese heavyweight star Musashi.

Both Takeda and Kawajiri attended a press conference and Takeda spoke first, "Finally again in K-1, so I am pumped up. The New Year's Eve show is where the world's top fighters gather so I want to put my life on the line. It doesn't matter who the opponent is I am just fighting hard. I am not planning to cut corners in this fight as well."

Then Kawajiri followed, "This is going to be my first K-1 rules bout, furthermore, the opponent is Takeda so right now I am only feeling fear. It may be too audacious but I am taking one step forward. With 'The Power of the Courage' I want to challenge Takeda" using this show's tag line to express his motivation for this challenge.

Takeda's fights here. Background (and his is very interesting for his success in Thai boxing) here. I don't know about you, but I am far less curious to see how the kickboxers perform in MMA than I am to see what the ratings for this event look like. First Mousasi vs. Musashi, now this. What's on the docket for the next event: Buakaw Por Pramuk vs. Hayato Sakurai?

Knees to the Head of a Downed Opponent Not Likely to Be Legalized

2008-12-01T16:31:41Z

Sherdog has the scoop:

Lembo, a former wrestler, said there wasn’t much support to allow knees to the head of a grounded opponent, a staple of the Pride Fighting Championships. He said the technique generates too much force, has too much potential to inflict serious damage and could produce ugly scenes that would boost the stigma of brutality that MMA has battled since day one.

"Hardcore fans want knees to head on the ground, and I can tell you it’s not going to happen," Lembo said. "One of main reasons it’s not going to happen is because the industry itself doesn’t want it. It’s not only the doctors who are concerned about it."

Pat Miletich agrees. The UFC’s first welterweight champion, who returns to fighting on Dec. 13 for Adrenaline MMA, was one of several fighters to lend his thoughts to the ABC.

"I don’t see a need for knees to the head on the ground," Miletich said. "That’s something that has potential for some serious fractures. Being concerned for athletes’ overall longevity and health, I don’t think that’s something that’s needed."

I tend to think there's more play here with the rule than officials are letting on. I do believe knees to the head of a prostrate opponent can be damaging past the tipping point, but I don't feel that way about an opponent who is simply down by three points of contact. In other words, the knees Kevin Randleman drove into the head of Kenichi Yamamoto are far less troublesome than a knee to the head of a fighter who gets a double leg shot stuffed and is stalling. It might be too difficult to clearly enforce a rule where a fighter can knee the head of a downed opponent with three points as opposed to four points of contact, but it's worth admitting not all knees to the head of a downed opponent are created equal.

Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) = East Coast Strikeforce?

2008-12-01T15:53:00Z

MMAJunkie.com has a profile piece (courtesy Kelly Crigger) about the metro Washington, DC promotion that's making a name for itself:

UWC rule No. 3: Showcase a mix of local talent and national names.

Local fighters are the meat and potatoes of the UWC, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for bacon bits and steak sauce. The fight cards feature East Coast products, but with a mix of young guns from nationally known camps, like Greg Jackson’s MMA, Lloyd Irvin, American Top Team, FIT NHB, and others. With that model, the UWC fans get to see solid MMA action while also having an opportunity to see marquee names that they would otherwise have to road trip to the West Coast to get a glimpse of. The UWC’s third show also had young fighters from notable gyms on the card who brought their marquee trainers with them. So while Zach Light was fighting in the cage, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was in his corner.

"We’ve been fortunate that we can have these big names like, "Rampage," "Shogun" (Rua), (Andrei) Arlovski, Hermes Franca, Carlos Condit, Urijah Faber, Brandon Vera, and others as our guest at the shows," Foran said. "We know there has to be a certain balance between entertainment and great fights." But the big names are just a means to an end.

"Their presence helps us grow awareness and gain exposure for MMA as a sport in the D.C. area -- which is really what we set out to do from the start -- while the local talent pool keeps them coming back," Foran said.

It's ingenious marketing, and the end result is a loyal fan base and a consistent stage for the mid-Atlantic fighters to get better on. "We want to build our own fighters that rise up through the ranks and become UWC champions. We want to showcase the top local guys and hone their skills before they go off and conquer the rest of the world."

I encourage everyone to read the piece. Stay tuned for fight card announcements that will make any fan of MMA take notice in the coming days.

DISCLOSURE: I am the color commentator for the UWC. I believe in the UWC, but I confess to being an employee for matters of integrity and candor.

The Case Against Not Obvious Rematches

2008-12-01T15:14:59Z

Jake Rossen makes it:

After beefing up its roster with international talent and surprisingly adept "Ultimate Fighter"-bred participants, the UFC has returned to the photocopy machine, signing or reportedly considering matches that have already been definitively decided on multiple occasions.

Exhibit A: With Chuck Liddell having stalled out at 205 pounds, reports suggest he might slide up in weight. Considering his heavy hands and vaunted takedown defense, it’s an interesting hook -- unless he fights Randy Couture, a reputed possibility for a winter or spring event.

Couture/Liddell IV would likely be the first time a fourth fight has been arranged for warring parties in mixed martial arts. It’s no wonder: Three fights give you a pretty concrete indication of who the better combat athlete is, which is supposed to be the whole point of the sport. In an odd-numbered series, you can’t split the difference. (You can, however, split open someone’s face, as Liddell did to Couture on consecutive occasions.)

A fourth encounter, while preserving one of the UFC’s draws for a future heavyweight title shot, can only prove two negatives: Either Liddell has slowed down considerably and loses, or he’s still capable of beating Couture, which is a bit redundant at this point.

Rossen also states his criteria for holding rematches:

Rematches should have clear criteria for being signed: Either the earlier fight(s) had a suspect conclusion -- errant cut, questionable officiating or judging, bad hotel food -- or the division is so void of matchups that it becomes inevitable. Athletes can easily earn a second shot, but a third -- when the first two were definitive defeats -- is pushing it.

A fourth? C’mon.

Rossen's criteria is too narrow for my tastes. He doesn't allow for a rematch in the case where the first fight was evenly matched and a pitched battle but also offered a clear conclusion. In other words, it left fans wanting more despite the clarity of the outcome.

And my feeling on rematches that aren't obvious or exactly necessary remains the same: I understand the economic reality of Liddell vs. Couture IV and I will have to watch it, but I am not exactly enthralled at the idea of watching these men fight each other a fourth time.

Dan Henderson talks Rich Franklin and more.

2008-12-01T15:38:17Z

Dan Henderson talks Rich Franklin and more.

UFC Fight Night 16 "Fights for the Troops" Predictions With Joanne of MMA Girls

2008-12-01T13:51:16Z

Takanori Gomi defeated DREAM Lightweight GP Quarterfinalist Katsuhiko Nagata via points (1-0) in...

2008-12-01T14:00:10Z

Takanori Gomi defeated DREAM Lightweight GP Quarterfinalist Katsuhiko Nagata via points (1-0) in the finals of the All-Japan Combat Wrestling Open Championships (think of Combat Wrestling as MMA without any strikes) 73 kg class yesterday.

It is quite impressive by Gomi as Nagata is an Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman Wrestling and Gomi got the point with a single leg takedown (even though that isn’t a technique in the Greco-Roman style).

-- HT: NightmareOfBattle.com

WEC 37 Preview: Joseph Benavidez Vs. Danny Martinez (video) The 4th fight on the main card.

2008-12-01T13:56:08Z

WEC 37 Preview: Joseph Benavidez Vs. Danny Martinez (video)

The 4th fight on the main card.

Does Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC Need a Cruiserweight Division?

2008-11-30T20:06:36Z

In my judgment, absolutely not. However, Franklin McNeil introduces the possibility:

A significant number of heavyweights currently tip the scales comfortably around 225 to 235 pounds. These are large men, but against Lesnar or even Shane Carwin, they'd find themselves at distinct size disadvantages.

The time might be ripe for a cruiserweight division in MMA. It is a problem boxing has already addressed.

All four major sanctioning organizations in that sport now have a cruiserweight division. But while the size difference between light heavyweights and heavyweights becomes more pronounced, mixed martial arts organizations aren't rushing to create a go-between division.

"I don't compare boxing with mixed martial arts, but certainly, the heavyweights in boxing have always been 200 [pounds] and you can weigh 400," UFC vice president of Government and Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner told ESPN.com. "At least here we have a stopping point at 265. So I don't know if it will happen.

"These fighters are getting bigger, there is no question about it. But there's very few guys who are going to fight less than 220 against a guy who weighs 265, that's for sure. You will see a lot of guys in the 230s or 240s." It is likely that most fighters who step into the cage weighing between 220 and 230 pounds can't cut to 205 pounds. They have two choices: compete at heavyweight or find another line of work. Fighters that small are capable of defeating a giant like Lesnar, but the odds would be long. In no other weight class are fighters required to overcome such odds. It doesn't seem fair.

The case for a cruiserweight class isn't necessarily theoretically dubious. The idea that there is simply too much of an internal divide between the weights of the competitors and that that divide portends safety and fairness issues is admittedly a reasonable concern. The devil, of course, is in the details.

For starters, there are simply too few overall heavyweight competitors to make splintering an already weak division appropriate. Whether we can blame stick and ball sports for taking the larger athletes is a matter of debate, but we do know all MMA organizations but the UFC do not prominently feature heavyweight action (apologies to Shigeru Saeki for repudiation of Megaton action). There are almost no meaningful heavyweight fights abroad (save for a few in the UK), even the high-end Strikeforce rarely puts on heavyweight contests and the vast majority of regional shows in North America only have a small handful of heavyweight fighters who generally work in rotation on the smaller circuit. Stratifying a division this anemic may solve the problem of gross weight disparities between fighters, but it generates a brand new set of far more troublesome issues, most notably the addition of a class with far too few competitors that would in turn deplete the limited resources for the other heavyweight class.

Second, familiarity with the world of amateur wrestling is helpful here. Just as there is a larger weight disparity in the heavyweight class more than any other division in MMA, the same is true in wrestling. Look at the weight classes for high schoolers and collegiate wrestlers in particular. You'll notice after weight cutting and rehydration you can feasibly witness a difference of up to 80 pounds between two heavyweight wrestlers. The truth is many of the problems that plague MMA in terms of the number and quality of competitors in the heavyweight class are the same amateur wrestling contends with annually. But because the heavyweight class isn't as robust in either aforementioned characteristic, it does not make sense to further compound issues by adding a middle of the road weight class.

Lastly, a 20 or 30 pound weight difference isn't as problematic at heavyweight as it is at welterweight or bantanweight. While we always seek to have fighters enter their bouts as equally matched as possible, we should recognize a 20 pound weight difference between two fighters who are 240 and 260 pounds is not an overly problematic situation. Admittedly, the weight differential between a Randy Couture and a Brock Lesnar is considerable enough to warrant some inspection, but those situations are few and far between and can mostly be mitigated with proper medical screening and officiating. So while those instances are slightly troublesome, it's not clear the addition of cruiserweight division would, on balance, improve the safety or equalize the chances of winning for the smaller fighter.

Roger Huerta and Brandon Vera bet on De La Hoya / Pacquiao - loser wears a chicken suit.

2008-11-30T20:54:08Z

Roger Huerta and Brandon Vera bet on De La Hoya / Pacquiao - loser wears a chicken suit.

Sherdog's Photos of the Week.

2008-11-30T19:58:54Z

Sherdog's Photos of the Week.

Putting Pound-for-Pound Rankings in Context

2008-11-30T19:35:18Z

In response to a Sherdog reader's email concerning Georges St. Pierre's position above Fedor Emelianenko in the site's rankings, Jordan Breen conveys his thoughts on the never ending pound-for-pound debate:

In a time-span in which Emelianenko is 7-0 with victories against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Mark Hunt and Tim Sylvia. St. Pierre is 8-1 win wins over Frank Trigg, Matt Hughes twice, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. The amount of quality fighters is of a pronounced difference. On top of that, the quality in this case is much deeper on St. Pierre's side. Welterweight is arguably MMA's deepest and most talent-laden weight class, and as a result, the fighters who become elite in the division have amassed a much greater body of work for themselves.

For instance, Fitch was universally considered the second-ranked welterweight fighter in the world when he met St. Pierre, and needed to beat strings of top-notch fighters to achieve that status. Therefore, St. Pierre isn't just beating a greater amount of his best divisional contemporaries, but beating fighters who have defeated a greater body of top fighters themselves. To greater illustrate my point, if we did a pound-for-pound top 100, the number of welterweights on the list would likely considerably surpass the amount of heavyweights. And with good reason, as the greater depth in that division allows more high-quality welterweight fights, introducing a more profound stratification and the emergence of more accomplished fighters.

Hoards of MMA fans howl that Fedor is the best fighter in the world, and he may, in fact, deserve that distinction. The problem with this assertion is obvious, however. Fedor doesn't compete against the top talent in his division with the same regularity as GSP or Anderson Silva. His case for pound-for-pound supremacy is further diminished by the perceived weakness of competition at heavyweight.

While Fedor can't bolster the number of talented heavyweights, he and his management team could choose to take more fights against top quality opponents. If the dominant Russian continues to fight top ranked fighters only on an infrequent basis, a continued slide down the pound-for-pound rankings is inevitable. The importance of rankings is questionable depending on the sport in question. However, the quest to determine a pecking order serves a vital purpose by sparking interest and debate. Just observe BloodyElbow.com's own Meta Rankings and Mike Fagan's FightLines if you don't believe rankings systems contribute to debate.

College football provides a good example. The importance of a rankings system, namely the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), is undeniable. Though many fans detest the significance of rankings and would favor supplanting the current system with a playoff, there is little doubt that the status quo is instrumental in sustaining high levels of interest throughout the entire season, even when marquee matchups are few in number. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the BCS, but I can't ignore the merits of its existence.

Getting back to MMA, rankings in some form will always have a place, whether or not the UFC, or some other promotion, is home to the majority of top fighters. Some individuals will never be able to face off due to size differences, and some won't face each other for reasons more complicated in nature. Rankings attempt to use available information to make an educated guess as to who is the best fighter. Pound-for-pound rankings are extremely tricky because many of their conclusions aren't testable. Without a doubt, great debates (and some not so great) are always products of these attempts to determine the status of the most accomplished athletes. That alone is justification enough for the existence of rankings.