Countdown to UFC 100: How We Got Here

Through all the doubts and criticism, mixed martial arts has finally made it.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is upon us. The biggest event in mixed martial arts history happens this Saturday night. Two title fights and a handful of what look to be very competitive matchups. Everyone is talking about the Frank Mir/Brock Lesnar rematch and Georges St. Pierre's biggest test against Thiago Alves. 

But UFC 100 isn't about the fights. It is about the sport and how it has outlasted the media backlash and political opposition to not only survive, but prosper. No matter the outcomes of the fights Saturday, every mixed martial arts fan should celebrate. 

On Saturday, mixed martial arts has officially arrived. It's legitimate. It's a successful business and a growing sport. It's been a long, tough road for the sport so it's time to look back on 10 crucial components that allowed the sport to reach the success it is enjoying. 

1. Dana White: Say what you will about the brash UFC president, but without Dana White, the UFC would have failed. Like White has stated many times, this was his destiny. He is unconventional, ruthless and often offensive, but for some reason the style worked. 

He viewed the UFC as a league just like the NFL. In order to grow, he had to bring in the best and most charismatic fighters. You don't see top football players in the CFL and Dana White is working everyday to make sure fans don't see top fighters outside the UFC. Is it cutthroat the way he bans clothing companies and locks fighters up to iron-clad contracts? Maybe. Is it effective? Yes.

The next president of the UFC will surely be a hotshot business school graduate, and that person should do just fine. But White has laid the entire foundation and turned a no-holds barred "human cockfight," into a legitimate and thrilling sport in the eye's of the public. 

2. State athletic commissions: Yeah, they can be difficult to deal with, but they reinvented the sport into an actual sport. There's not much skill involved when there are no weight classes and people can take cheap shots below the belt. That bloodsport mentality is stupid and classless. But throw in five weight classes, strict rules and time limits for each round and you have a sport. Without the regulations, MMA would have faded a long time ago. 

3. The Ultimate Fighter: I hate watching grown men act like children as they are locked in a house and denied any form of communication, but the show put the UFC on the map. It brought the best fighters no one had ever heard of into one place and let them compete in a tournament while expressing their personalities. It's been said time and time again, but Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonner was the most important fight in UFC history. Griffin has gone on to be one of the most popular UFC fighters and paved the way for future TUF alumni. 

4. Gracie Ju Jitsu: The first time fans saw Royce Gracie take down opponents 50 pounds bigger than he was it left them in amazement. The amazement turned into a fascination for many and jujitsu became all the rage. The submission style grappling seemed fool proof and leveled the playing field. No matter how big, strong or fast an opponent was, Gracie jujitsu could always win a fight. 

5. Tito Ortiz: UFC's first true crossover star. He was in commercials, TV shows and movies. He dated celebrities, talked plenty of trash and made people interested in the sport. He was a walking, talking billboard for UFC. People either wanted to see him smash his opponent or get smashed by his opponent, but either way, people cared when Tito Ortiz walked into the octagon. 

6. The fans: Without the fans, clearly the sport would not succeed. But the main quality these fans have that is crucial to the sport is the way they accepted the lighter weight classes. Boxing fans seem to want to watch heavyweights and are still searching for an exciting heavyweight to get them interested in the sport. But MMA fans immediately took a liking to the "little" guys which has allowed the UFC to have stars in every division.

7. TapOut: I'm not a huge fan of their clothes, but it took the sport to the people. Fans would see TapOut on Tito Ortiz's shorts, then they would be able to buy a shirt. That fan would show their friends the new shirt, and all the sudden non-MMA fans buy a shirt and get interested. It's an unusual for a sponsor to mean so much to a sport, but the UFC and TapOut is a marriage that needed to happen for the sport to go mainstream. 

8. Globalization: The first time UFC stepped out of Las Vegas after it established itself, there were a lot of concerns. 60 or so shows later, the whole world wants to host a UFC event. By taking the show on the road, more people took a liking to the sport and even started training. Now fighters can come from England, Mexico, Japan, Russia, Australia or wherever. It's not just Brazilians against Americans. 

9. PRIDE: That's right, without PRIDE making waves in Japan, UFC wouldn't be half the product it is today. Competition always forces the best out of one another, and PRIDE made sure the UFC worked to put the best fights on each and every time out. Without PRIDE, UFC would not have moved with the urgency and efficiency it showed the last few years. 

10. Joe Silva: He is not as famous as Dana White, but just as important. Card after card, Joe Silva puts together the best matches possible as the UFC's booker. He has a great sense of finding the best prospects and matching them up with someone who can provide a challenge. He has done a great job overall when it comes to making title fights and is great at persuading fighters to take chances (ie Anderson Silva's move to 205 and Wanderli Silva to 185). His matchmaking is top notch and much harder than people give him credit for. 

There you have it. The top-10 reasons UFC has made it to magic number 100. Check back tomorrow for another UFC 100 special.   

March Madness: Can't Shield Off The Upset

She may not be as tough as Georges St. Pierre, but Jake Shields shocks the world and wins the welterweight tournament. 

Well it's a little late, but here are the results of the welterweight tournament. A quick warning: it's a big surprise, but there is always one shocker in March Madness and this is the weight class where it happens. 

Pool A: #1. Georges St. Pierre vs. #4. Karo Parisyan

Out of all the tournaments so far, I honestly think this is the biggest mismatch in a first round. These two have met in the past and GSP was clearly the better fighter back then. His tremendous improvement with Parisyan's lackluster showings is a combination for disaster for "The Heat." St. Pierre wins by any way he chooses. 

Pool A: #2. Josh Koscheck vs #3. Mike Swick

Now this is a matchup. Classic wrestler vs striker matchup here, but the problem is Koscheck wants to be a striker so badly that he often forgets to wrestle. I think Koscheck's ego gets the better of him as he tries to exchange leather with the super quick Swick who walks away with a knockout victory. 

Pool Championship: Georges St. Pierre vs Mike Swick

Down the road, I would love to see this matchup, but I don't think Swick is ready yet. Swick has looked a tad star struck when he fights big name opponents. I think his striking is good enough to compete with GSP, but St. Pierre's ability to get takedowns at will would be too much and St. Pierre wins via submission. 

Pool B: #1. Jake Shields vs #4. Marcus Davis

Shields draws one of the most dangerous strikers in the game with Davis, but Shields is smart enough and definitely good enough to overcome it. I think Davis comes out aggressive as always, but Shields would waste no time taking the fight to the mat and submitting Davis. 

Pool B: #2. Nick Thompson vs #3. Jay Hieron

This is a tough one to call. Hieron is a great athlete and an explosive fighter, but Thompson is veteran savvy and has fought stiffer competition. I think it's that experience that gives Thompson the slight edge as he is able stop Hieron's hot streak and walk away with a decision.

 

Pool Championship: Jake Shields vs Nick Thompson 

This is a rematch of the Elite XC Welterweight Championship match. I think Thompson makes it a closer fight than last time but Shields is still too good on the ground and no matter how much Thompson struggles to survive, Shields will catch him in a submission again.

Pool C: #1. Carlos Condit vs #4. Matt Serra

WEC champion meets former UFC champion in this intriguing matchup. Serra is a highly regarded jujitsu practitioner and has a deadly right hand, while Condit is just flat out mean. Condit's aggression is hard to handle and I think he overwhelms Serra in a flurry of Muay Thai offense. 

Pool C: #2. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs #3. Matt Hughes

The two biggest legends in the welterweight division square off. The two fought all the way back in 2002 where Hughes won a grueling contest in four rounds. This time though, it has been Hughes who has slowly digressed and I think Sakurai is still dangerous. I think Mach wins the rematch, which would lead to a hopeful third meeting one day.

Pool Championship: Carlos Condit vs Hayato "Mach" Sakurai

If this fight happened two years ago I would say Sakurai gets the victory. But Condit's youth and his will to be the best would be enough to take down the Japanese legend. Sakurai would give Condit fits early with physical striking, but Condit would get the fight on the ground and use his long limbs to lock in a submission. 

Pool D: #1. Thiago Alves vs #4. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

Johnson is a really special athlete, but Alves is a really special fighter. Johnson may be champion one day, but I don't think anyone has figured out how to handle Alves' pure power yet. He even made Hughes fall into a fetal position as overwhelmed him with powerful kicks. So I got Alves by knockout. 

Pool D: #2. Jon Fitch vs #3. Brock Larson

Larson gets underrated quite a bit, but Fitch is a monster. He is one of the best wrestlers in the division and seems to win every fight by ground-and-pound. While Larson is always dangerous on the ground, I think Fitch overpowers him and pounds out a win. 

Pool Championship: Thiago Alves vs Jon Fitch

Fitch beat the young Alves three years ago, but a lot has changed since then. Alves has started to realize his full potential and I think he gets his payback. Alves would use the same strategy GSP used when he fought Fitch and methodically pick apart the former Purdue wrestler with his excellent striking. 

Semifinal: #1. Georges St. Pierre vs #1. Jake Shields

So there are four No. 1 seeds in the finals, but I said it would be shocking and here is where it happens. I can't argue Shields is better than GSP, but there is always a shock and I think Shields has the tools necessary to pull off an upset. GSP would pick apart Shields on the feet, get comfortable and then take him down and work from the guard. GSP would make one false move and Shields secures the armbar. 

Semifinal: #1. Carlos Condit vs #1. Thiago Alves

These fighters are virtually the same, the only difference being Alves' strength. With that being said, Alves should overpower Condit over three rounds of brutal action and walk away with a unanimous decision. 

Finals: #1. Jake Shields vs #1. Thiago Alves

Shields beat GSP so you can be sure he is going to finish the job and get the championship. Alves is a dangerous striker but there is almost no one who can hang with Shields when it comes to fighting on the ground. Shields gets the takedown, works from the guard and gets his submission.

Champion: Jake Shields

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.