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

March Madness: The Welterweights

Will Georges St. Pierre be able to celebrate a "First Round March Madness" tournament championship?

Three champions crowned and two more to go. It's always easy to get off track with the actual March Madness happening, but I will do my best to give this welterweight tournament the attention it deserves.

The clear No. 1 in this field is Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. Just as the case in the heavyweight and middleweight divisions, St. Pierre is one of those freak athletes with an uncanny ability to exceed in every area of mixed martial arts. 

The Canadian has shown signs of mental weakness before though, as was the case in his loss to Matt Serra. He will face some stiff competition in this tournament and these men are capable of dethroning him. 

Six fighters from outside the UFC will be involved in this tournament with two of them gaining No. 1 seeds, showing once again there is top talent the UFC could still sign. 

Pool A

#1. Georges St. Pierre

#2. Josh Koscheck

#3. Mike Swick

#4. Karo Parisyan 

Pool B

#1. Jake Shields

#2. Nick Thompson

#3. Jay Hieron

#4. Marcus Davis

Pool C

#1. Carlos Condit

#2. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai

#3. Matt Hughes

#4. Matt Serra

Pool D

#1. Thiago Alves

#2. Jon Fitch

#3. Brock Larson

#4. Anthony Johnson

Here is the breakdown of each pool.

Pool A: Clearly St. Pierre is the best welterweight in the world right now and if he keeps improving at the rate he is going, he might be the best of all time. Koscheck is a little controversial at the two spot, especially with his recent loss. His tremendous athleticism and wrestling always makes him a threat. Swick is a special talent with blinding hand speed. Parisyan is a top judoka, but his last few performances have been uninspired and he is lucky to make it.

Pool B: I can't say enough about Jake Shields. His wrestling and jujitsu are top notch and his striking keeps improving. There is a reason he always has a championship on his waist. Nick Thompson is 14-1 in his last 15 fights with his lone loss coming to Shields. Jay Hieron is making noise and dominated the IFL. His athleticism is starting to shine through. Marcus Davis is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet and knocks almost everyone out. 

Pool C: The nickname "Natural Born Killer" is no joke when talking about Carlos Condit. It's hard to describe how violent Condit can be. It has to be seen to be appreciated. "Mach" Sakurai is a true legend of the sport and is still competitive despite getting up in age. At 34-8, he has to be respected. Speaking of legends, Matt Hughes is the greatest of all-time. He's not the fighter he once was, but 42-7 gets you a 3-seed in my book. Serra has always been underrated and as former champion, he deserves a spot in the tourney. 

Pool D: Thiago Alves is the No. 1 contender and I don't know if you have seen his leg kicks, but he could knock a tree down with those kicks. He is a dangerous threat to St. Pierre's title. Jon Fitch is one of the best wrestlers in MMA and is one of the toughest and most conditioned athletes. Brock Larson could seem like a surprise, but he is 24-2 and has only lost to Fitch and Condit. That's impressive. Anthony Johnson is in the tournament based completely on potential and athleticism. I'm not sure I have ever seen a bigger welterweight. 

The snubbed: As previously stated, Johnson is in the tournament on potential and Parisyan on reputation. Two men who could make an argument to get in the tournament are Paulo Thiago and Dong Hyun Kim. Thiago surprised everyone with his win over Koscheck and is 11-0 now. He could be a future star. In my opinion, Kim won the fight against Parisyan, but at least it was overturned to a no contest instead of a loss. I think Kim has all the tools to challenge for the title one day. 

Results of the tournament will be up later tonight. 

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.