March Madness: Fear The Stretchy Pants

Shinya Aoki makes people bend in mysterious ways. It's no wonder fighters fear him and his stretchy pants and it's no wonder I consider him the best lightweight in the world.

When 16 fighters with this much talent square off against each other, anything can happen. But there is one man who I think is the standard for consistency when it comes to dominating opponents and that is Shinya Aoki. 

Gumby wins this tournament after some tough battles and once again, fighters must learn to respect the stretchy pants. 

Pool A: #1. BJ Penn vs #4. Joe Stevenson

We saw this fight happen last year and it wasn't a pretty sight. Penn made Stevenson spout blood like Old Faithful Gyser. I think Penn uses that violent streak of his and tears up Stevenson on the feet. Penn's boxing is top notch and would overwhelm Stevenson again as Penn gets a knockout. 

Pool A: #2. Sean Sherk vs #3. Josh Thomson

These are two physical, strong wrestlers going head to head. Thomson relies more on his speed when wrestling whereas Sherk is all about the power. I think its a very close contest, but I would expect Sherk to win a decision as he should be able to hold the dominant position for most of the fight. 

Pool Championship: BJ Penn vs Sean Sherk

We have also seen this matchup once before, and once again, it was all Penn. I think Sherk would waste a lot of energy trying to take Penn to the mat, but Penn's superior balance and striking would keep Sherk off balance and Penn would win with another knockout.

Pool B: #1. Shinya Aoki vs #4. Jamie Varner

Varner knows how to strike and box very well, but he is pretty helpless on the ground. Aoki on the other hand is not very good on his feet and has a suspect chin, but he never has a problem getting his opponent to the mat even though they try their best to avoid it. Aoki catches Varner in an armbar for a submission victory.

Pool B: #2. Diego Sanchez vs #3. Gilbert Melendez

This is a dream matchup. Both men have cardio through the roof and love to fight at a fast pace. Both men would definitely have their moments of greatness in the fight, but in the end, it has been Sanchez who has folded under the pressure of highly regarded opponents more often. I think Melendez pulls out a razor thin decision. 

Pool Championship: Shinya Aoki vs Gilbert Melendez

This would be a fun match in theory, but the problem is Melendez would have to take the fight to the mat so he could use his ground-and-pound. Once the fight hit the mat, Aoki would have little problem working off his back and securing a triangle choke for the victory. 

Pool C: #1. Eddie Alvarez vs #4. Tyson Griffin

The best American fighter no one has heard of could make his name in the U.S. with a win over one of UFC's hottest prospects, Tyson Griffin. Both are strong in wrestling, but Alvarez has beaten some of the best in the world and he would use that experience to outclass the tough Griffin and show the UFC what they have been missing. 

Pool C: #2. Joachim Hansen vs #3. Takanori Gomi

Both men just want to hit people hard so this fight would be a barn burner. The Fireball Kid was the best in the world at one point, but Hansen seems to be more in his prime while Gomi is beginning to fade. I think Gomi tires late in the fight and Hansen wins by knockout. 

Pool Championship: Eddie Alvarez vs Joachim Hansen

Hansen is a tremendous striker and a tough guy, but he has a ceiling and there isn't much he can do about it. If Alvarez has a ceiling, he hasn't shown it yet. I think this is another grueling fight, but Alvarez manages to win by decision just like the first time these two met. 

Pool D: #1. Kenny Florian vs #4. Mitsuhiro Ishida

Ishida is about as tough as a 4-seed can get, so this is tough for KenFlo. Ishida's best quality is his relentlessness, but that won't be enough to overcome Florian's efficiency. KenFlo has proven to be a student of the game as he is one of the best at finishing fights, whether its on the feet or on the mat. Florian gets a submission victory. 

Pool D: #2. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti vs Tatsuya Kawajiri

BJ Penn may be nicknamed "The Prodigy," but it is Calvancanti who has the most potential. Kawajiri has the power to floor anyone, but Calvancanti is so well-rounded he always has an escape and a way to win. I think JZ gets the win by submission. 

Pool Championship: Kenny Florian vs Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

These are two of the most well-rounded fighters in the game, but I think Calvancanti's athleticism is too much. Florian is a very smart fighter, but he can be limited athletically and that is a big hurdle when facing JZ. I think the pace is too fast and JZ wins by decision. 

Semifinal: #1. BJ Penn vs #1. Shinya Aoki

This is the fight everyone wants to see. This might be the best matchup in all of MMA regardless of weight class right now. Two world champion caliber jujitsu fighters squaring off. Penn has a huge advantage on his feet, but no one finishes submissions like Aoki. Penn hits Aoki with a big shot that sends him to the mat, but Aoki scrambles and submits the man who is impossible to submit. Aoki wins by the skin of his teeth. 

Semifinal: Eddie Alvarez vs Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

The two best prospects in the lightweight division go head-to-head. At this point, the only two things separating these two is submissions. I think Calvancanti is a little more skilled when it comes to putting opponents away on the mat. Alvarez has power and great ground-and-pound, but he is still open to getting submitted and I think JZ does just that and gets the win. 

Final: Shinya Aoki vs Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

JZ would get another crack at Aoki, but I think the result remains the same. The first time they met, the fight was ruled a no contest after JZ was disqualified for illegal elbows. The second time they fought, Aoki won by decision. This time, I think Aoki wins by submission. JZ struggled to contain Aoki on the ground and this time he gets caught.

Champion: Shinya Aoki  

March Madness: The Lightweights

BJ Penn lets everyone know he is the No. 1 overall seed in the "First Round March Madness" lightweight tournament. His armpit probably doesn't smell good though. 

Well, I got swept up in the NCAA March Madness tournament on Friday and Saturday, which stopped me from finishing my fictional "March Madness" tournaments. But I have saved the best for last as the lightweights square off. 

The lightweight division has the most talent by far on a global scale. While the UFC likes to tout its light heavyweight division, if it signed the international fighters in my tournament the lightweight division would easily be its crown jewel. 

Unlike the middleweights and welterweights, a clear No. 1 does not exist. BJ Penn is obviously a dominant fighter, but Shinya Aoki is the best jujitsu practitioner in mixed martial arts. There are masters and there are Brazilian national champions, but Aoki is in a league of his own when it comes to submissions. 

Aoki doesn't technically have a championship, so Penn is awarded the No. 1 overall seed. The lightweight division is so stacked though that Jamie Varner, who is the WEC champion, is a No. 4 seed. When world champions are ranked that low, you know its the toughest division in mixed martial arts. 

Pool A: 

#1. BJ Penn

#2. Sean Sherk

#3. Josh Thomson

#4. Joe Stevenson

Pool B: 

#1. Shinya Aoki 

#2. Diego Sanchez

#3. Gilbert Melendez

#4. Jamie Varner

Pool C: 

#1. Eddie Alvarez

#2. Joachim Hansen

#3. Takanori Gomi

#4. Tyson Griffin

Pool D: 

#1. Kenny Florian

#2. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

#3. Tatsuya Kawajiri

#4. Mitsuhiro Ishida

As always, here is the breakdown of each pool.

Pool A: Penn is clearly one of the best fighters in the world, even though he was demolished by Georges St. Pierre. When it comes to fighting at 155 pounds though, there are not many who can hang with him. Sean Sherk is the strongest man at lightweight hands down and that makes him difficult for anyone to handle. Josh Thomson is aggressive and one of the hardest guys to beat because he won't ever give up. Joe Stevenson is a great wrestler and jujitsu player, but he has struggled since moving up in competition. 

Pool B: Aoki is the best jujitsu practitioner in mixed martial arts in any weight class. He has earned the nickname "Gumby" because of his mind boggling flexibility. Diego Sanchez is a huge 155 pounder. He started his career at middleweight, so he packs some power and pushes the pace. Gilbert Melendez has been tagged as the fighter to lead the lightweight division into the future, but Thomson and Ishida slowed him down. Jamie Varner is the WEC champion and a tremendous striker, but needs to keep fighting tough competition like Donald Cerrone. 

Pool C: It is a crime — a total, complete crime — that Alvarez is not in the UFC. He is a top American fighter making his name overseas and would be easy to market, unlike some of the top Japanese fighters. Joachim Hansen fights only the best and is a super dangerous kickboxer. Takanori Gomi was considered the best lightweight in the world, but recent losses have made him fall from grace. Tyson Griffin is a cardio machine and a great wrestler. 

Pool D: Kenny Florian is the No. 1 contender to the UFC title and a great Muay Thai fighter that knows how to finish when it hits the mat. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti is one of the smoothest fighters I have ever seen as he transitions from striking to grappling with ease. Tatsuya Kawajiri is a strong, strong man and lives up to his nickname of "Crusher." Mitsuhiro Ishida is tough to put away with most of his fights ending in a decision. 

In such a talented weight class, there are many fighters that could have made an argument to be included so I will just list them off instead of giving reasons. 

The snubbed: Roger Huerta, Nick Diaz, Clay Guida, Spencer Fisher, Gray Maynard, Hermes Franca, KJ Noons and Chris Horodecki among many others.

Results will be posted later.

Don't "Rush" To Conclusions

The historic UFC 94 card has come and gone. It was the first time two champions from two different weight classes faced off against each other in the UFC, it brought in a staggering $4.3 million at the gate and was one of the company's most purchased pay-per-views. 

The results of the fights will have, and in many ways have already had, tremendous implications for the fighters' futures; especially BJ Penn and Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. 

The main event between these two champions was hyped more than any fight in UFC history with the three-week program, "UFC Primetime." And while the fight was an impressive display of skill and athleticism, I thought it failed to live up to the epic battle it could have been. 

St. Pierre dominated Penn from the opening bell until Penn's brother waved the fight off before the beginning of the fifth round. The fight was a major difference from GSP's split decision victory over Penn in 2006. 

On Saturday, GSP once again displayed his wrestling prowess by securing multiple takedowns on Penn and impressively passing the guard of the jujitsu black belt at will. In 2006, GSP seemed content to fight in space, which gave Penn a much better chance to get good shots off while the fight was standing.   

Saturday's performance solidified GSP as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and possibly the best athlete in mixed martial arts. But two myths have already been started by the mainstream mixed martial arts media. One claim is that Saturday's victory makes GSP the best fighter in the world and the other claim is that Penn could be done. 

I was surprised how dominant GSP looked against Penn, but I also know he should be ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva is clearly the best fighter on the planet. His combination of Muay Thai and jujitsu, along with his power, makes him the most dangerous fighter in the world. He has gone 8-0 in the UFC with all of his wins coming via KO, TKO or submission. He also moved up to the 205 pound weight class and knocked out James Irvin in one minute. 

The No. 2 fighter in the world is WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko. The 32-year-old Russian does not seem to be slowing down as he has won his last four fights in the first rounds, including a submission victory against Tim Sylvia and a knockout over Andrei Arlovski. 

St. Pierre is a great fighter and I believe he is the third best fighter in the world, but he still has plenty to prove to be considered the best. A win over the very dangerous Thiago Alves will be another big step forward for St. Pierre. 

As for Penn, he has nothing to hang his head about. He moved up in weight and fought a dominant champion. "The Prodigy" is still young and still extremely skilled. He belongs in the lightweight division and there are plenty of qualified challengers for his title. Matches with Kenny Florian, Tyson Griffin and Roger Huerta would all be interesting to see and there are plenty of promising challengers on the way up. I know Penn loves the megafights, but being a dominant champion in the lightweight division could give him the legacy he seeks. 

So no, GSP is not quite the best fighter in the world yet, and Penn is not on his way out the door. His hunger to compete and win is still too strong to walk away from the sport this early. 

UFC 94 Quick Hits

• Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida had a crazy knockout victory over Thiago Silva with one second left in the first round. Machida is a perfect 14-0 and should get the next shot at the light heavyweight title. Yes, even before Quinton Jackson gets a shot.
• Jon "Bones" Jones looks like the real deal. I picked him to beat Stephan Bonnar, but he looked more impressive than I expected. Once Bones gets his cardio to championship level, he will be tough to beat.
• They should have named this UFC 94: Split Decision. Five matches ended in a split decision. It's a little unnerving to think judges see the same fight that differently. 

St.Pierre/Penn: The Force from the North

The story of Georges St. Pierre is a familiar one. St. Pierre grew up in Quebec, Canada with not much money. He was picked on at school and took up karate to learn how to defend himself. As he grew older, he worked odd jobs such as being a bouncer and a garbage man while he chased his dream of being UFC champion. 

Nearly 20 years later, GSP climbed to the top of the mountain — a true rags-to-riches story.

The UFC Welterweight Champion has earned some of the highest accolades from his peers and the media. Many consider GSP to be one of the top-5 pound-for-pound fighters in the world if not the best fighter in the world. At only 27, he is a two-time welterweight champion with wins over Matt Hughes, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk and of course BJ Penn. 

There is only one question that surrounds GSP and that is his mentality. He puts so much pressure on himself to not only win, but to win in dominant fashion, that sometimes he has not been able to handle adversity.

There is no question GSP could be the most dominant fighter in the UFC. He is the most athletic fighter in the organization's history and he has the drive and the skills to stay on top for as long as he wants. Tonight will the be the toughest test of his young career, but his history shows he could come out on top.

A "Rush" of Hype

St. Pierre got his first taste of mixed martial arts when he won his first amateur bout at the age of 16. It didn't take long for GSP to make his debut in the professional ranks and he didn't disappoint as he won five straight fights and a welterweight championship before making his UFC debut. 

Once he did make his UFC debut, he did not disappoint. St. Pierre drew the feared Judo practitioner Karo Parisyan for his first UFC fight. St. Pierre won a convincing unanimous decision in an eye opening upset. GSP then had an impressive knockout over Jay Hieron which led to his first shot at the welterweight championship against Matt Hughes.

With only seven professional fights under his belt, Hughes was too much of a challenge to overcome. Hughes showed why he was considered the best fighter in the world when he secured an armbar and forced GSP to tap with one second left in the first round.

The loss fueled GSP to work harder and the improvement was visible right away. St. Pierre racked off wins against tough opponents including Jason Miller, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk and finally BJ Penn. His wrestling seemed to improve by leaps and bounds every time out. 

The impressive streak of wins led to a rematch with Hughes for the welterweight championship. It would be the match that made GSP one of the most feared and respected fighters in the world.

Pound for Pound 

On November 18, 2006, GSP was back home in Quebec, Canada ready to face Hughes again. St. Pierre did not disappoint his hometown fans as he had a dominant performance against the welterweight champion. GSP hit him with crisp and quick strikes on his feet before winning via TKO in the second round. 

After the Hughes fight, everyone expected GSP to begin a reign of dominance over the welterweight division, much like Anderson Silva's dominance in the middleweight division. GSP's first defense was against the mandatory challenger, yet huge underdog, Matt Serra. Virtually all experts expect GSP to dominate, with only the chance for a submission keeping Serra in the fight. 

Then GSP became acquainted with Serra's right hand. Serra rocked GSP with a looping punch early in the first round and then jumped all over the champion to win by TKO just three minutes in to the first round.

The loss was devastating to GSP, but the Canadian came back stronger and better than ever before. His first test back was against wrestling powerhouse Josh Koscheck. GSP surprised everyone when he dominated the national champion wrestler at his own game, securing takedown after takedown on his way to an easy unanimous decision. 

GSP then went on to completely dominate Hughes and Serra to reclaim the championship. His finest performance to date may have been against Jon Fitch in his most recent defense. Fitch was 8-0 in the UFC when he finally met GSP. It was expected to be a hard fought battle, but St. Pierre dominated the fight, winning every round. At times he seemed like an elite professional boxer and at other times, an Olympic wrestler. 

The rematch with Penn could solidify GSP as one of the best welterweights of all time even though he is only 27 years old. The Canadian has been training with the best camp in the world, which is Greg Jackson's crew in New Mexico. GSP will also be going into the match with his newly acquired Brazilian Ju-Jitsu black belt. Another dangerous dimension to an already seemingly complete fighter. 

St. Pierre/Penn: The Pride of Hawaii

By now, any fan of any sort of fighting knows the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts is coming up Saturday. For the first time in the history of the UFC, it will pit two of its champions against each other. 

And not just any two champions, but two fighters considered to be top-5 pound-for-pound fighters. Lightweight Champion BJ "The Prodigy" Penn will move up weight classes to face Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre in a rematch from 2006. 

This will be the first part in a four-part series that will conclude Saturday before UFC 94. Here is a list of things to expect: 1. BJ Penn feature 2. GSP feature 3. The first meeting 4. Predicitions

The rise of a "Prodigy"

BJ Penn was born in Kailua, Hawaii on December 13, 1978. He grew up in a family where his father and three brothers, along with himself, sported the name Jay Dee Penn. To help differentiate between one another, BJ adopted the name "Baby Jay" since he was the youngest and has gone by BJ ever since. 

As far as his fighting career goes, it started when he was 17. After training under Ralph Gracie and Andre Pederneiras for five years, Penn earned the nickname "Prodigy." 2000 was his breakout year, becoming the first non-Brazilian to win the World Ju-Jitsu Championship in the black belt division. He was 22 years old. 

The world championship brought immediate hype to Penn, and before he even made his UFC debut, he was considered one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. Penn exploded onto the scene in May 2001, knocking out Joey Gilbert. The same Joey Glibert who boasts a 16-1 professional boxing record and competed on The Contender. Yeah, that's an impressive debut. 

The win already had fans talking about an eventual showdown with lightweight king Jens Pulver. Penn had two more explosive wins that year against top fighters Din Thomas and Caol Uno. His violent finishes earned him a shot at Jens Pulver, one of the most anticipated UFC fights since the organization switched ownership to Zuffa.

The result of the fight with Pulver would lead fans to tag Penn with a stigma he carries to this day.

 

After a five round war with Pulver, Penn lost a majority decision and was clearly the more tired of the two. From that fight on, fans questioned Penn's stamina, and people still point to Penn's stamina as his only true weakness. 

Penn would go on to fight three more times in the UFC, defeating Paul Creighton, Matt Serra and fighting to a draw with Caol Uno. Penn left the UFC after the fight with Uno because the organization suspended the division. Even with all of his tremendous performances, I would say his greatest moment is when he called out Satan, and then later called him a coward for not ever showing up. 

From "Prodigy" to "Present"

Penn started his post-UFC career with questions swirling all around him. People did not know if he would be able to fight in marquee matches outside of the UFC and establish himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. Penn answered that question in his first fight out. 

The "Prodigy" beat the man considered to be the No. 1 lightweight in the world, Takanori Gomi, via rear naked choke. While that was an impressive performance, the world just got a preview of what Penn had in store next. 

With no lightweight division in the UFC, Penn decided to move up to the welterweight division and challenge the man considered to be the best fighter in the world, Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. Most people, including me, thought Penn had a snowball's chance in hell against the much stronger Hughes. Four minutes into the fight, Hughes was tapping from a rear naked choke and Penn was having the welterweight title strapped around his waist. 

Unfortunately, he never defended the title because he could not agree on a new contract. All Penn did after that was go to Japan and beat Duane Ludwig and then moved up again in weight class and beat Rodrigo Gracie as a middleweight. 

Penn bit off a little more than he could chew when he challenged light heavyweight Lyoto Machida, who is 50 pounds more than Penn's natural fighting weight. Penn lost a unanimous decision. 

That impressive streak of fights changed Penn from a prodigy of his sport to the master of his sport. 

Becoming a champion

For as dominant as Penn was throughout his young career, he only won the one title and never defended it. UFC brought back its lightweight division and Penn came back with it, though he opted to stay in the welterweight division, which proved to be a mistake. 

Penn suffered back-to-back losses against two of the best fighters in the UFC, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. His loss to St. Pierre was debatable, but his loss to Hughes once again showed Penn lacked stamina in championship contests. 

Penn dropped back down to his home in the lightweight division and immediately avenged his loss to Pulver. The performance was one of Penn's most inspiring, reassuring fans he was still the man to beat. Penn went on to have brutal and beautiful wins over top ranked fighters Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk , becoming lightweight champion along the way. 

Penn has never looked better. His boxing is some of the best in all of MMA and he is still one of the best submission artists in the game. His legacy could be made Saturday night. 

HBO spikes...well...Spike

A big time fight should be every TV stations' dream. The nature of a fight already has all the drama one could ask for. A fight is a battle of wills, a measurement of a person's heart and willingness to overcome adversity. 

But it can be hard to master the art of translating all the emotion and drama of a big fight through a television screen to someone sitting on a couch. HBO, however, did master it with its tremendous show, "24/7."

The show has previewed some of the biggest fights in recent years and does a spectacular job not only hyping the fight, but showing the human side to athletes commonly seen as  ultra warriors. The best of the series was the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather fight. But other great boxers such as Joe Calzaghe. Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton and Roy Jones Jr., have been profiled as well. 

HBO raised the bar on how to cover a big fight, so with the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history set to happen Jan. 24th, the UFC was willing to give its best shot at mimicking "24/7."

On Jan. 14, the UFC debuted the first episode of a three-part series called UFC: Primetime, a show created to build up the mega fight between Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn. There was a lot of things to like about the first episode, especially the way it was able to show just how hard it is to be a top-level mixed martial artist.

Whether it was GSP going from training with the national wrestling team to hitting the mat with jujitsu masters, or GSP going from the weight room to the boxing ring, it became clear that it takes a tremendous amount of work and dedication to be the UFC Welterweight Champion. 

But what about being the UFC Lightweight Champion? This is where the show goes off the rails and becomes significantly inferior to HBO's "24/7."

BJ Penn, who is known for his uncanny natural ability as much as he is known for his lack of training, is shown as a fighter with all the riches of being a naturally gifted champion that has nothing better to do but hang out on the beaches of his native Hawaii. The trouble is, he is much more than that.

While Penn is criticized for his dedication to training, there is no doubting he is taking this fight very seriously. In his fight against Joe Stevenson, he slept in a high-altitude bubble just to increase his stamina. That level of dedication will only grow for a fight he has been waiting years for.

So while Penn is hitting the gym and training, we only get to see the laid-back personality of the lightweight champion. Meanwhile, the show portrays St. Pierre working harder than anyone else at his craft until he becomes the best, much like a modern day Rocky.

That would be fine if it was true, but it is obvious to see UFC is forcing this good guy vs bad guy story. Penn is the champion that is too confident, while St. Pierre is the champion that has never lost sight of where he came from. Great drama, but it comes across phony and forced. 

UFC should stop trying to create storylines and portray the fighters for who they really are, just like "24/7" showed how Roy Jones Jr. had to struggle with his age or Manny Pacquiao struggled with media attention he had never seen before. 

Penn brings some of it on himself as he always was a charismatic individual. Saying things like "I am going to kill you," in reference to his fight with St. Pierre, will bring attention to more than his training ethic. I have no problem with them showing that side of Penn, but they also need to show the side of him that works and trains like a champion fighter. 

The first episode portrayed Penn in such a negative light, that the lightweight champion actually cut off the taping and interview session for future Primetime episodes and no longer wants to participate in the show.

Primetime can do for UFC what "24/7" did for HBO, but it will have to get away from the Rocky III theme and start letting the fighters true personalities fully shine. There is nothing more dramatic and powerful than a big fight and I hope the UFC just lets that natural drama come through.