There's a reason I didn't do any UFC 99 talk (check the comments), but the rest of the show went well:

I open the show with discussion of the Washington City Paper profile piece then go into detail about Faber vs. Brown II.

Tim Kennedy joins the show to talk Nick Thompson, back to training full time, the future of the Army Combatives program and more.

My producer Othello and I discuss the abortion that is Tim Sylvia vs. Ray Mercer and the culpability of Monte Cox in the sordid affair.

In the fourth segment, we discuss why Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg are not the top two female fighters in MMA and why Molly Qerim is significantly hotter than Gina Carano.

We end the show with a discussion of why the UFC Gyms could either be a over commercialized disaster or the types of initiatives that help bring MMA closer to the mainstream.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 WJFK. To listen live over the Internet, go to WJFK's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm on Twitter now: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

We're on Facebook, too: type MMA Nation on the search bar in the upper right hand corner. Please become a fan. We want to be on WJFK on Thursday nights and need your support.

The WEC has earned a reputation for putting on some of the best shows in MMA and this Sunday's WEC 41: Brown vs Faber 2 was no exception. You had a brutal grinding five round war for the promotion's marquee belt, six different submission wins, a thrilling split decision. And we got to enjoy two of the flashiest finishes possible in the MMA game: Jose Aldo's Flying Knee KO of Cub Swanson and Seth Dikun's flying triangle over Rolando Perez.

The two moves are basically the equivalent of a game opening kickoff return flea flicker for a touchdown combined with a game ending grand slam homerun. To see either one pulled off successfully is a rare treat for the MMA fan, to see both in one event is to go home happy.

To the best of my knowledge, both moves were first used to finish fights in Shooto. Rumina Sato pulled off a reverse flying triangle in 1995 against Isamu Osugi (an mma footnote if there ever was one) at Shooto - Vale Tudo Perception in September 1995.

To my knowledge, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai landed the first flying knee KO in modern mma history (thanks Leland!) against Ademir Oliveira back in Shooto - Devilock Fighters in Jan of 1999. It should be noted that Mach's flying knee was a leaping knee from within the clinch rather than a start of the fight run across the cage and go for broke flying knee ala Aldo. Gilbert Yvel and Yuki Kondo were other early pioneers of the move.

According to Leland's analysis of the Sherdog Fight Finder, the flying triangle is much much rarer than the flying knee KO.  Only four fights have been decided by flying triangle choke out of 62,600 in the DB -- that's .007% of fights. [Note: It's likely that there are some flying triangles that are just noted as triangle chokes). By comparison the flying knee is credited with finishing 48 fights out of 62,600 or .07% of fights.

Another thing the moves have in common other than "flying" is that they were first used in Japanese MMA and came out of second generation arts to seriously impact MMA: muay Thai and judo. I consider the first generation arts in MMA to be Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Japanese Shootwrestling and Brazilian Luta Livre. American freestyle and greco-roman wrestling were other second generation arts.

Rumina Sato was one of the first fighters to apply the high impact, high risk style of submission grappling that is rewarded by the rules of sport judo. Dave Camarillo was one of the first to apply that style to competitive BJJ and submission wrestling (I'm mentioning Camarillo because his book is a great resource for anyone considering adding flying attacks to their grappling game). Sato blazed a path later followed by legendary Japanese fighters such as  Genki Sudo and Shinya Aoki. Anyone know anything about Sato's martial arts background before he started fighting shooto? My assumption is that he started out training Judo -- the national sport of Japan.

Sakurai was one of the first Japanese fighters to successfully use knees in MMA. His use of knees proved especially effective against BJJ and wrestling based grapplers who ducked down going for takedowns. My understanding is that Mach started out from a Karate background but I suspect that some serious cross-pollination with muay Thai took place at some point in his training.

We'll talk a little bit of technique in the full entry.

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I suppose it was inevitable, but some are suggesting in the wake of last night's fantastic WEC 41 main event between Mike Brown and Urijah Faber that the broken right hand (and undetermined left hand injury) of Faber was the difference maker in last night's affair. Specifically, that Faber likely would've won had it not been for the injury. There are several major problems with this analysis, so let's unpack them here:

1. Historical precedence. The first and most notable problem with the idea that Faber's hand is an excuse for the loss is that it doesn't cohere with how these types of injuries affect outcomes in professional MMA. The reality is that hand breaks are very common and often fighters in high pressure situations (e.g. title fights) still find themselves with no alternative but to fight on. The examples of this are endless. The night before WEC 41, Joe Riggs continued to fight Phil Baroni despite cleanly breaking both hands. Let's not forget Rich Franklin broke his hand (the hand itself, not the fingers) against David Loiseau yet not only won the fight, but continued to punch with the broken hand for the remainder of his five round fight.

And for real grit and determination, it's worth observing Arthur Abraham managed to overcome a game Edison Miranda (in the video above) despite incredible unluckiness and malfeasance from Miranada. Oh yeah, and he fought with his jaw broken...in two places:

On September 23, 2006, Abraham won a decision against undefeated contender Edison Miranda despite having his jaw broken in two places. Miranda was deducted five points by landing repeated low blows as well as intentionally headbutting Abraham in the 5th round. After the Miranda bout, he was praised for his ability to finish the fight despite his injury.

It's not that hand injuries don't complicate game plans or reduce fighters' ability to function in the cage. They clearly do and, of course, the hand injuries to Faber were a factor in the loss. But we cannot offer a complete pass in this instance. It is understandable that such an injury would make defeating Brown far more difficult, but it does not allow his fans or supporters to suggest the injury is the chief determinant in the loss. While normally considered outrageous to perform athletically with such an injury, fighting with broken hands or other extremities is a requirement not really made of athletes in other sports. Fight sport, however, is unforgiving and punishing and we are not wrong to look to a fighter to persevere despite the debilitating condition (particularly in title fights). We cannot blame a fighter for being unable to win with such an injury, but we are permitted to expect him or her to adapt despite the setback. More on this later.

2. Acceptance of significant injury. The lust for blood by callous fans should now and every time be eschewed. But there are times in fight sport when we permitted to ask fighters to gut through injury conditions that inhibit their ability to perform. Specifically, title fights or other pivotal, career defining moments. It is not a lust for violence and carnage, but rather, the recognition that these seminal moments in this sport are few and far between, and that while assuredly unfair and uncomfortable, it is permissible to expect a fighter to find a way to win even with serious setbacks (to say nothing of the "it's the challenger's job to beat the champ" ideology). We have both historical precedent of fighters winning in major fights with similar or worse injuries and the recognition that the requirements of victory in MMA often call for physical exceptionalism. More than almost any sport, MMA demands of its competitors - particularly at the highest levels - a sacrifice of the body that can often seem outrageous by other sporting standards. But this isn't baseball or basketball; this is fight sport. The culture of toughness and durability in the name of victory has always been and will continue to be far more onerous in this sport than others. Tacitly or not, fighters have entered into this culture when they let the cage door shut behind them. We have to keep a humane perspective and remind ourselves fighters who could not win because they have broken hands are not weak or incapable. Far from it. They are human. But we must also remember the path to winning in MMA is often blazed through a trail of unspeakable pain by ordinary human standards. It's an onerous burden fighters have to shoulder, but its the one they entered into.

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The WEC's Reed Harris spoke before WEC 41 to The Sacramento Bee concerning his organization's continued presence in the area:

“I think we will do an annual trip here,” Harris said. “I would actually like to come more than once a year.”

MMAJunkie reports from the press conference as to why that is the case:

While official live gate numbers will be released by the California State Athletic Commission later in the week, WEC co-founder and general manager Reed Harris reported 13,027 fans attended WEC 41 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., resulting in a live gate of $818,415. [...]

The organization's previous records for attendance and live gate were set at WEC 34 in June 2008. Featuring a main event between Faber and MMA legend Jens Pulver, WEC 34 was also held at the ARCO Arena. That event scored 12,682 attendees for a live gate of $738,855.

Additionally, the WEC is looking to break their ratings record, which was also set at WEC 34, of 1.5 million viewers. WEC 34 featured a stronger promotional push on VERSUS, while WEC 41 had video blogs by Dana White. These vlogs also featured Kimbo Slice and TUF 10, perhaps channeling that hype into this event.

UPDATE: Official numbers for the event are 12,706 in attendance (10,110 paid) and a $815,415 live gate.

Photo from WEC. HT: MMAPayout.

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage

WEC 41 Performance Bonuses ($10,000 each):

Fight of the Night: Urijah Faber and Mike Brown

Knockout of the Night: Jose Aldo (pictured)

Submission of the Night: Seth Dikun

Photo via WEC. Figures via MMAWeekly.

Additional photos by WEC in extended entry.

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage

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BloodyElbow.com Staff Predictions for WEC 41: JUNE 7, 2009
ARCO Arena
Sacramento, California

Main Card Bouts:
Mike Brown (21-4) vs. Urijah Faber (22-2)

Luke Thomas: I've been championing Brown for this affair publicly for reasons of Faber's recklessness with Brown's patient defensiveness/fight-altering punching power. But I do want to give Faber his due. Faber's speed partly baits him into that creative liability situation, but it also allows him to beat Brown to the punch. In their first fight, several jabs and right straights landed before Brown ever had a chance to respond. If Faber can tweak his style enough to keep the fight at a distance and use movement and speed, he can accumulate damage and win points. My guess is the downfall in that style is the inability to put enough mustard on the punches to put away a fighter who needs one punch to blow your brains out. Over time, Brown takes it, but even Brown supporters really need to think about and remind themselves what assets Faber brings to the table as well. Brown by decision.

Kid Nate: I'm staggered that Faber is the oddsmaker's favorite in this matchup. Brown is just too big and too powerful for the wild and risk-taking Faber. I hate to see Urijah's run at Featherweight come to an end, but the upside is we'll get to see Faber vs Torres soon enough. Brown by TKO.

Brent Brookhouse:  The trick to this fight is that Brown is huge and on top of that he is so technically sound.  Faber has been able to muscle around smaller guys and use a style that leaves him open to guys like Brown.  I don't think Urijah has the kind of style of "just wait for your chance" that you need to beat Brown, he wants to gogogogogo and force an opening.  It cost him the first time around and it will cost him this time also.  Brown by TKO, round 2.

Mike Fagan:  I'm still not sure why WEC felt the need to put on Faber/Pulver II in the interim, but we're getting the rematch so all is well.  I'm not sure what changes though.  Brown's still bigger and stronger.  Faber, unless he's changed his outlook on fighting, is still the guy that's a little wild, a little aggressive, and a little too willing to take risks.  I think it'll last longer than their first fight, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this go all five rounds.  I picture Brown outmuscling Faber en route to victory.  Brown by TKO, round 3.

Eugene Schelfaut: Faber said at the pre-fight presser that he "doesn't really know" if he will be more cautious in this fight than in the first. In his rematch with Pulver, Faber showed what he can do with focus. Against Brown, however, Urijah's gameplan will recede as the rounds accumulate. The looser and less cautious Faber will then fall in the championship rounds to the grinder which is Brown. Brown by TKO, Round 4.

Leland Roling: Mike Brown has all the tools to once again defeat Urijah Faber. He'll have massive knockout power, solid takedown defense, equal if not more strength, and the ground acumen to defend Faber's ground game along with putting Faber in danger of the submission. Training at American Top Team is exactly what Brown needed to progress to this level. Faber is normally a wild and aggressive fighter, but I fear he may try to wait out Brown, which doesn't bode well for him either. Brown by TKO, Round 2.


Jose Aldo (14-1) vs. Cub Swanson (13-2)

Luke Thomas: I believe I've been saying publicly that Aldo was the favorite, but for official picking purposes, I'm liking what I'm seeing in Swanson. He's matured and improved training, earned his BJJ black belt, and appears to be really focused in on the task ahead of him. Aldo should win this, but I'll take a chance on Swanson and give him the nod. Swanson by decision.

Kid Nate: Aldo should better Swanson, who's a talented fighter, but is going to be coming up short in the skills assessment of this fight, both on the feet and on the ground. Aldo by KO.

Brent Brookhouse: Aldo is a blast to watch.  Powerful, fast hands and a ton of energy.  He's up around #7 in the division right now and Swanson is a really nice fight to "prove" he belongs there.  I don't want to sleep on Cub but this is kind of an ugly fight for him and should set Aldo up for a big fight in his next outing.  Aldo by KO, round 1.

Mike Fagan: This is a good step up for Aldo, and I think he'll live up to the hype.  Kid's just got outstanding handspeed that few people can match in MMA.  Jose Aldo by TKO, round 2.

Eugene Schelfaut: Jose Aldo has a significantly greater chance of ending this on the feet than if Swanson is able to score a takedown and play top position. Every fight starts standing up, and that is where Aldo will win this one. Aldo by TKO, Round 1.

Leland Roling: Solid matchmaking by the WEC. Aldo needed a drastic step up in competition, and Swanson provides a formidable task. Cub won't have the reaction time to contend with Aldo's powerful, quick blows. Look for Nova Uniao to continue unloading prospects like Aldo to the bigger shows and impressively score big wins. Jose Aldo via TKO, Round 2.


James Krause (10-0) vs. Donald Cerrone (9-1)

Luke Thomas: Krause is good, but Cerrone is a better version of him. Cerrone by decision.

Kid Nate: Krause should be exposed by the dangerous Cowboy Cerrone who'll be looking to get back into title contention with a showcase win here. Cerrone by submission after inflicting a beating on the feet.

Brent Brookhouse:  The thing I don't like about Cerrone is he can get a little careless which is why I'm not as high on him as many others seem to be.  Still, Krause is going to lose on the feet and while he has good submission skills I think he'll have a hell of a time A) getting the fight to the ground and B) catching Donald in a sub before he can get back to his feet.  Cerrone by dominant decision.

Mike Fagan: Another step up for a guy, but I don't think Krause will be as fortunate as Aldo.  Cerrone's gone toe-to-toe with the guy's at the top of the WEC 155 division, and he'll be too much for Krause.  Cerrone by submission, round 1.

Eugene Schelfaut: Cerrone is the more complete fighter who has faced better competition. Cerrone by submission, Round 2.

Leland Roling: If Krause was a highly-touted striker, this may go a bit different, but Cerrone's ground acumen is very good. He has a smothering guard game, and he's one of the few guys in the WEC that transitions fairly quickly to submissions. Krause will want to bring the fight to his strengths, but I fear Cerrone is better on the ground as well. Donald Cerrone via submission, Round 1.


Josh Grispi (12-1) vs. Jens Pulver (22-11-1)

Luke Thomas: I just don't see how Pulver wins this unless Grispi abandons a game plan or comes in very flat. I have much respect for Pulver, but he's got to win here tonight for any real hope of a future in the WEC or maybe even MMA. I hope I am wrong. Grispi by submission, round 1.

Kid Nate: I hate to see this fight as I think Grispi is a prospect on the rise and I don't see how the fast-fading Pulver stops him. Grispi by TKO.

Brent Brookhouse: Grispi is a real prospect and has a well rounded game.  Unfortunately I think we're going to see another crying Jens talking about retirement after this fight.  The one thing that troubles me with Grispi is the speed with which he has finished guys to this point in his career.  With prospects I like to see a high finish percentage which Josh has, but I'm always a little wary of guys with a lot of wins in under 2 minutes because it doesn't really give any insight into how they handle a tough fight that goes into the second round.  What I'll be looking for is if Jens can play it safe and push Grispi into the second round.  If he can force Grispi into a bit of a grueling fight maybe he can shake his confidence a little.  Still, you have to take Josh here considering how quickly Jens' skills seem to be deteriorating.  Josh Grispi by TKO, round 1.

Mike Fagan: Despite his nickname, Grispi's no fluke, and I think it's safe to say that Pulver's on the downside of his career.  Grispi by TKO, round 2.

Eugene Schelfaut: Pulver will come out trying to prove he is still relevant. I don't think his chin can handle any mistakes and Grispi will eventually get through. Grispi by KO, round 1.

Leland Roling: I love Jens Pulver, but I think this is a matchup in which the torch could be passed. Grispi is a bright up-and-coming prospect with youth and aggressiveness on his side. He is very well-rounded, and he has shown some dynamic striking capabilities in his short career. Jens will need to use his experience and boxing to overwhelm Grispi. It isn't very often fans take experience over such a youthful beast like Grispi, so I'll get on the Pulver warwagon for this one. Don't count on me betting on Jens though. Jens Pulver via decision.  

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage

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Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by DREAM middleweight contender Jason "Mayhem" Miller. We'll talk to Miller about his rematch with Jacare at DREAM.9, his stint on MTV's "Bully Beatdown", and more.

We'll also talk with UFC middleweight contender and coach of "The Ultimate Fighter" season 9, Dan Henderson. We'll ask Dan about his upcoming fight with Michael Bisping at UFC 100, a potential title shot rematch against Anderson Silva and more.

And, of course, lots and lots of talk about Kimbo Slice being on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 10, WEC 41 and Strikeforce talk, and much more.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 WJFK. To listen live over the Internet, go to WJFK's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields coverage

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage

When: 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT

Where: Weigh-In and Q&A Stream Link

Join us for live results and timely media.

MAIN CARD:

Mike Brown (143.5) Vs. Urijah Faber (143.5)

Jose Aldo (144.5) Vs. Cub Swanson (144)

Donald Cerrone (155) Vs. James Krause (155)

 Josh Grispi (145.5) Vs. Jens Pulver (144)

UNDER CARD:

Manny Gamburyan (144) Vs. John Franchi (145.5)

Rafael Rebello  (134.5) Vs. Kyle Dietz (134)

Mike Campbell (155) Vs. Anthony Pettis (156)

Scott Jorgensen (134) Vs. Antonio Banuelos (135.5)

Frank Gomez (136*) Vs. Noah Thomas (134.5)

Rolando Perez (135.5) Vs.Seth Dikun (136)

*- Initially weighed 137.5 pounds, but weighed in without his fight shorts following the official ceremonies and registered 136 pounds.  --MMAJunkie. 

Photo by WEC

More photos in the extended entry.

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage

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WEC General Manager Reed Harris recently told BE's Luke Thomas that this weekend's "WEC 41: Faber vs. Brown II" was tracking toward a sellout. Harris updated that information with MMAJunkie:

"It was sold out, and we actually got ARCO to open up extra seats up above," Harris said. "We're doing really well. It's going to be a huge crowd."

With the newly released seats, Harris said there are approximately 1,000 seats available for the event.

WEC 34, the previous event at the ARCO Arena which saw the first match between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver, drew a reported 12,001 spectators with a live gate of $738,855. The current layout of the ARCO Arena allows for the same attendance as WEC 34 and for a live gate to rival the promotion's highest mark yet.

However, the ratings forecast will probably not reach the mark set by WEC 34. Reed Harris, again with MMAJunkie:

Harris said he hopes to set a VERSUS ratings record with Sunday's broadcast.

"I hope so," Harris said. "We've been doing a lot of promoting.

"The last one we did was like a 1.5 or something. It was big. That's like as good as the Spike TV (UFC Fight Night) shows do. I'm hoping to do that."

The 1.5 household rating Harris cites is presumably, as I cannot find any information regarding WEC 40, for WEC 34. The promotion behind these two events, WEC 34 and WEC 41, is not the same. For WEC 34 there was a special 'Countdown'-style show on Versus which helped account for the over 1.5 million viewers. For WEC 41 there have been three video blogs by Dana White. No combination of star power alone has done half of what WEC 34 did in terms of ratings. Faber vs. Pulver II at WEC 38 was the closest with 700,000 viewers, while the original bout between Urijah Faber and Mike Brown took in 497,000 at WEC 36. Shooting for WEC 34 figures, at least in terms of ratings, seems out of place until a stronger promotional push is in place.

The extended entry contains a graph on the WEC's live gate numbers for recent events.

A table of sources and more MMA in Numbers can be found here.

WEC 41: Brown vs Faber II coverage  

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