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. 

A DREAM come true

I must apologize for not updating yesterday, but a snow day is a dream come true for a college student so I had to take full advantage. 

A dream come true for a fight fan is good, old-fashioned grand prix. The Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion, Pride, was famous for its grand prix, especially the open weight tournaments that gave fans exciting matchups that pitted fighters from one weight class against another. 

With Pride defunct, DREAM has taken over as the country's flagship fighting organization. It has already offered some memorable matches with fighters such as Joachim Hansen, Eddie Alvarez, Shinya Aoki and Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti. And as Japan's flagship promotion, it is ready to pay homage to Pride by holding a 16-man featherweight grand prix. 

This should be a great tournament for all MMA fans, considering the featherweight division is often overlooked. If DREAM runs this tournament correctly, there could be multiple fight of the year candidates within this single tournament. 

The grand prix is scheduled to begin March 8th at DREAM 7. There have been talks of making the featherweight weight limit 138 pounds instead of the usual 145 pound limit. This would be a clear advantage to the Japanese fighters, especially Norifumi Yamamoto, but the good international and American featherweights should still be able to cut to that weight. 

So far there have only been three confirmed participants. Arguably the best featherweight in the world, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, is confirmed and was reportedly offered a first-round bye. Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Chase Beebe has been confirmed as well as the always tough Takafumi Otsuka. Two world-class fighters and a gatekeeper have already been confirmed for the tournament, and while it's a nice start, I am hoping for more. 

I will offer a list of a few fighters I think should be included in the 16-man featherweight grand prix.

1. Urijah Faber — When talking about the best featherweight in the world, it always comes down to "Kid" Yamamoto or Urijah Faber. If Faber and Kid ever met, it would be one of the most anticipated fights in Japan's history.

2. Miguel Torres — The current WEC Bantamweight Champion seems to be an unstoppable force and is very well-rounded. He fights at 135, so a jump to featherweight should be just fine. I think Torres would be a favorite to win the grand prix if he was included. 

3. Jeff Curran — I think Curran's wrestling could give a lot of fighters fits in the grand prix. He is always a tough out and would make it very hard for whoever he fights to stay 100 percent throughout the tournament. 

4. Masakazu Imanari — Considering all the fighters I just mentioned are under contract for WEC, I think this could be the most likely addition. Imanari is pretty inconsistent, but when he is focused, he is one of the toughest competitors in the division, especially on the ground.

5. Joe Benavidez — Faber's protege was supposed to fight "Kid" last year until Yamamoto went down with an injury. This 9-0 prospect is the future of the division and would be a dark horse to take home the trophy. 

6. Yoshiro Maeda — How could you not put in the man who pushed Torres to the limit? He is a tough competitor and you know anytime he steps in the ring you are going to see a great fight. 

7. Rani Yahya — Yahya is a handful for any fighter when it goes to the mat. 11 of his 12 wins have come by submission and in a division full of strikers and wrestlers, that could be deadly.

8. Fredson Paixao — He hasn't fought in more than a year, but if anyone is better than Yahya on the ground it's this guy. Paixao has had a great career to this point at 8-2, but he hasn't fought since 2007. This would be a great way to get back in the mix. 

9. Mike Brown — The current WEC Featherweight Champion has been on a great run lately with an eight-fight win streak including victories over Yves Edwards, Jeff Curran and most recently Faber. He could ride his streak to the top of the featherweight world.

10. Jens Pulver — Yes, I just said he should consider retiring, and no, he couldn't win this grand prix. But he is the founding father of this division and it would be a shame not to see the legend compete. Give him a chance to pull off a Rocky type upset. 

Now, none of this will ever happen and I know that — that is why it is a dream. But if for one tournament only, promotions could ease up and let its fighters go abroad, this would be the tournament to make. I can always have a dream, but either way, the real DREAM should have a great grand prix. 

Mosley likes his Margarito shaken, stirred and on the rocks

Saturday night's fight between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley was a collision I was looking forward to for a long time. I viewed plenty of their old fights as I tried to play out scenarios in my head for how their meeting would transpire. I decided it would end with a ninth round knockout after a close fight for the first five rounds.

I was right...but also completely wrong. The fight ended with a ninth round knockout, but it was Mosley who walked away with the welterweight championship after one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen in a boxing ring. 

"Sugar" Shane looked good as new and implemented one of the most brilliant gameplans. I thought Mosley would need to jump in close, fire off a combination and jump back out to make Margarito chase him. 

Instead, Mosley let Margarito walk right in. And when the Tijuana Tornado would start to close the distance, Mosley would double or even triple up his jab and then unleash lightning fast combinations with plenty of power behind the closing shot. 

The fight may have been Mosley's best performance and the Los Angeles crowd knew it. The crowd was extremely pro-Margarito, but Mosley slowly won the crowd over. Exchanges at the end of the third, fifth and eighth rounds were some of the most dramatic moments of the fight. 

Mosley knocked down Margarito in the eighth round right as the time was expiring. Margarito barely got to his feet and then smiled at Mosley as if to say he knew his title was slipping away. At the beginning of the ninth, Mosley came out and got Margarito on the ropes. Margarito stood and accepted his defeat as Mosley unleashed one last combination as the towel was thrown in. 

Mosley looked unstoppable and I am confident saying he is the true champion in the welterweight division. It was one of the best fights in recent years and if you get a chance to check it out, do so immediately. 

One Punch Wonders

For all the weeks of intense training top-level mixed martial artists go through to prepare for a big fight, there is still a chance a fight could last no longer than a few seconds. Affliction 2 was a perfect example of what can happen with one punch. The two best fights of the night were ended with one big shot. 

In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko retained his WAMMA Heavweight Championship with one perfectly placed right hand to the chin of Andrei Arlovski. The Freddie Roach-trained Arlovski displayed beautiful boxing, using a crisp jab and good angles to keep the unbeatable Emelianenko off balance. 

Arlovski stunned Emelianenko early with a good right and stayed patient, making sure not to rush into a powerful shot from the champion. Later in the round, Arlovski had Emelianenko stumbling again with a powerful kick to the body, but this time "The Pitbull" rushed in. Arlovski went airborne, looking to score with a superman punch, but a quick right hook from the champion landed right on the chin and Arlovski went to sleep immediately. 

Clearly, Arlovski trained hard for this fight and looked great. But one punch can get the job done and Fedor Emelianenko continues to build his legacy to mythological proportions. 

Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort also showed the power of the punch with his very impressive win over Matt Lindland. Belfort showed his hand speed with a beautiful left jab, right hook combination that landed cleanly on Lindland. "The Law" hit the canvas and it took one more punch for Belfort to get the win. 

Belfort looked tremendous Saturday and a middleweight title shot should be in the works for him as he seems to have returned to form. Lindland had a scary moment as he struggled to get to his feet and seemed totally disoriented, but I give credit to the great medical staff on hand as they tended to Lindland immediately and kept him safe. 

Three strikes and he's out?

Featherweight powerhouse Urijah Faber and MMA legend Jens Pulver met for the second time Sunday night and unfortunately for "Lil Evil," the result was the same. 

Faber showed why he is considered the best featherweight in the world (even though he lost the title to Mike Brown in November) by putting Pulver away with efficient striking and a guillotine choke. 

The loss means Pulver has now lost three consecutive fights in the WEC, which would make one think how much he has left. Pulver is a 34 years old, which is still fairly young, but he has fought 31 times. I think there are still good fights left in "Lil Evil," but I don't think he will ever be champion. If he is satisfied to just compete, he should continue. If he wants to be champion, he should probably walk away and focus on coaching since he is a natural in that aspect.

The other main event for WEC on Sunday night was Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner vs Donald Cerrone. Let me just say, Cerrone must be built of granite. I had no idea he could take that type of punishment and I don't think Varner did either. 

Varner retained his championship after a split decision, but there will definitely be a rematch. After an unintentional knee to the side of the head, Varner was awarded a 5-minute recovery period. The champion said he could not see, so the fight was stopped and it went to the scorecards where the judges awarded Varner the decision. 

The crowd booed Varner for being unable to continue, as the knee seemed to barely graze his head and many believe he stopped the fight because he could not throw his punches as effectively after he broke it earlier in the fight. Varner is tough as nails and so is Cerrone. The two will meet again and I expect another war. Hopefully Varner will be ready for another go by June. 

San Diego Slugfest

Last night the city of Los Angeles was rocked with two great fighting events. Tonight, San Diego will host another mixed martial arts event when World Extreme Cagefighting presents a double feature with the rematch between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber and a lightweight title fight between champion Jamie Varner and red hot Donald Cerrone.

This is not as strong of a card as recent WEC events, but that is understandable since this is the first time it will not have any middleweights or light heavyweights on the bill. The card is still interesting enough for the top two fights and a few prospects filling out the undercard.

The main event of the evening pits Faber against Pulver in a rematch of their classic featherweight title fight back in June. The California Kid displayed tremendous striking against Pulver throughout all five rounds. To Pulver's credit, he was able to take everything Faber had to offer, but it was still shocking to see such a feared striker get picked apart on his feet. 

Faber's win over Pulver was convincing enough to make me believe that there is no way he is going to lose this fight. He just lost his title to Mike Brown in a shocking knockout loss, which will make him even more hungry to prove he is still the most dominant 145 pounder in the world. 

Pulver, on the other hand, has lost four out of his last five bouts. He is still young at 34 years old, but he doesn't seem to have the same aggressiveness he once possessed. He has never lost three fights in a row in his career, but this fight will probably make that happen. I don't know if Pulver will walk away from the cage if he loses, but if he does, he is going to be a great coach. 

While I am certain Faber will win, I am still interested in how it will play out. In the last fight, the two pretty much slugged it out for five rounds, but since Faber just got knocked out, I think he might opt to use his tremendous wrestling to take Pulver to the mat. 

The explosive first fight was great to see, but I think a competition on the ground could be just as exciting and would give the matchup a fresh look. However, the only way Pulver could win is by hitting a one-hitter quitter much like Mike Brown did to Faber. Pulver still has pop in his punches, but I just don't see it happening. 

Faber wins via 2nd round TKO stoppage

The other main event is a five round matchup between WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner and Donald "The Cowboy" Cerrone. These two guys love to stand and bang and both of them never seem to lose. This could be an instant classic if it goes all five rounds. 

Varner is 15-2 and is riding a four-fight win streak with all three of his WEC bouts ending in a TKO. Cerrone is 9-0 in his blossoming career with eight of those wins coming via submission despite his preference to trade leather. 

Both fighters are red hot right now, which means the winner will be determined by the fighter that sticks with the correct gameplan and doesn't get suckered into turning the fight into a brawl like many young fighters do. Cerrone is going to want to stand and trade, but he should be looking to jab and then shoot all night long. 

If Cerrone puts the fight on the ground, his chances of winning are significantly higher. If he gets caught up in the moment and the adrenaline and opts to box with Varner, then he will come out on the losing end. 

Varner is so crisp with his jab and his footwork that most opponents, especially opponent's in their first title fight, cannot hang with him. Cerrone has power, but he keeps his hands low and throws wild punches off balance. Varner will pick him apart all night if he tries to box. 

Varner is also a decent wrestler though, and if it does hit the ground, I expect he would be able to scramble to his feet. I think Varner wins by knockout or decision and if Cerrone hopes to walk home with the gold, he needs to go for the submission and get the fight on the ground.

Varner retains title via 4th round knockout

In the undercard, WEC regular Charlie Valencia will welcome Seth Dikun in his debut. Valencia has been losing a lot lately, and at 5' 3" tall he is a little too short to keep competing a featherweight division that keeps getting tougher and tougher. Dikun seems like a good athlete and I expect him to pull out a nice win in his debut. 

Hiromitsu Miura is back in action after his great title fight with Carlos Condit. Look for Miura to rebound with another crowd-pleasing performance over Edgar Garcia.

The other two prospects to keep an eye on are Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo. Cruz is a promising featherweight at 11-1 and has a slightly tougher test against the gritty Ian McCall. 

Aldo, a lightweight, brings a 12-1 record into his match against Rolando Perez and has looked good in his first two WEC appearances. 

Forecast in LA: Bloody with a chance of a Tornado

If you live in Los Angeles and you feel the earth beginning to rumble underneath your feet, don't worry, it's not an earthquake, it's probably just Antonio Margarito. 

The Tijuana Tornado returns to the ring tonight for the first time since his epic fight with Miguel Cotto in July to defend the Welterweight Championship against Shane Mosley. Margarito is headlining a wild night of fights in Los Angeles with his highly anticipated mach with Mosley happening just 30-miles away from Affliction 2. It's sure to be on the bloodiest nights in Los Angeles. 

Margarito captured my heart and support after his tremendous fight against Cotto, so this has been a match I have been looking forward to for quite some time. Mosley has solidified himself as one of the finest boxers of this generation, but as he pushes 38 years old, this could be his swan song. 

If Mosley loses, I would expect him to look for another fight against a fairly big name because he is still good enough to go out on top. If he wins, I think he might call it a career, though many experts think he will continue to fight for at least two more years regardless of the outcome.   

But the storylines outside of the ring are nowhere near as intriguing as what will be told in the ring. This is a classic matchup of power vs speed. Margarito will walk right through punches to deliver his crushing body blows while Mosley will jump to the inside and fire off lightning fast combinations before retreating outside of striking distance.

In many ways, I see this fight going similar to the Cotto/Margarito fight. I think Mosley will start off strong and win the first three or four rounds. By round five, I think he will start to slow down and Margarito will start to deliver the punishment. 

Both fighters have their weaknesses though. Look for Mosley to keep his right hand low, really low. When Mosley gets in a rhythm with his jab, which he is sure to do, he gets a little too loose and starts opening his stance really wide when he throw his jab, leaving his right hand down near his knee. If this happens Margarito should look to throw a left hook as Mosley jabs. The hook will do major damage whether it lands to the body or the head. 

For Margarito, he tends to forget about his jab. He tends to have a height advantage against his opponents and he will again as he stand two inches taller than Mosley at 5' 11." But if Margarito fails to use his jab, he will be unable to keep Mosley on the outside. "Sugar" Shane should then be able to jump inside and hit his patent combinations at will. 

Though Mosley has never been knocked out in his career, there is a first time for everything and I expect that first time to happen tonight. Margarito will work a lot to the body and slow down Mosley throughout the fight, eventually scoring a knockout in the later rounds. 

Antonio Margarito retains Welterweight Championship via 9th round knockout

On the undercard of Margarito/Mosley is the return of Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero. Guerrero lived up to his nickname the last 11 months as he was nowhere to be found because of contractual problems with Goosen. Now that Guerrero has finally severed ties with Goosen, he is ready to debut at junior lightweight under the Golden Boy banner. 

The two-time featherweight champion was one of the most promising boxers before having to sit out a year, as he had one of the most impressive victories I have seen when he knocked out red-hot prospect Jason Litzau in one of this three title defenses. All his defenses ended with his opponent staring at the arena lights. 

Guerrero should be even stronger and faster at his new weight class and I am hoping for another exciting knockout over Edel Ruiz (31-21-4) . 

I have not seen any of the other fighters on the undercard but Ring Magazine has tagged Matt Korobov and Adrien Broner as two fighters to keep an eye on. 

Affliction Preview and Picks

Another big weekend of fights is on tap with Affliction 2, Antonio Margarito vs Shane Mosely and WEC 38. That means I have plenty of picks to make and I will start with Affliction 2. 

The second installment on mixed martial arts action from the clothing company seems like a winner. Oscar De La Hoya is helping promote it, Tito Ortiz is commentating and one of the biggest heavyweight matchups of all time is headlining the card. The event had its road bumps though.

The company has been rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy, though owner Tom Atencio firmly denies it. They also struggled to sell tickets for the event and the general consensus is the pay-per-view purchases won't be enough to offset the financial losses the event will most likely accumulate. 

If that wasn't enough, it received heartbreaking news just a few days ago when Chris Horodecki was not medically cleared by CSAC to fight Saturday. I was looking forward to Horodecki getting back in action, especially against a quality opponent like Dan Lauzon.

But if this is the last card Affliction puts on, then it is going down in a blaze of glory. Though I think Affliction's new financial backer, Donald Trump, might be able to throw some cash at them if they need it.

Anyways, this isn't an economics class, so lets get to the picks that will be the sure money makers for all you gamblers out there. 

Jay Hieron vs Jason High

Hieron has had a lot of praise lately, and while he has improved, I think he may be getting a little overhyped. However, the Xtreme Couture member draws an inexperienced fighter in Jason High. High is 5-0 with a win over tough Kevin Burns, but Hieron's athleticism and experience should be enough to get the win. 

Hieron via unanimous decision

Paul Buentello vs Kiril Sidelnikov

This is going to be an exciting fight. Buentello loves to go for the knockout and Sidelnikov is Fedor Emelianenko's protege. Though Buentello has faced much better competition and is much more experienced, every future star needs a breakout fight and I think that's what this will be for Sidelnikov. Here is the upset pick.

Sidelnikov via 1st round knockout

Antonio "Minotoro" Nogueira vs Vladimir Matyushenko

This should be a war. Nogueira, the brother of the former UFC heavyweight champion, is a jujitsu ace and is tough as nails. Matyushenko was dominant in the IFL and is also a tough out. I expect Matyushenko to put Nogueira on his back and try to ground and pound, but Nogueira's jujitsu will be too good. The fight will get back on the feet where Nogueira should put Matyushenko down. 

Nogueira via 3rd round knockout

Josh Barnett vs Gilbert Yvel

Yvel is dangerous on his feet, but for some reason I just don't get excited about this matchup. Barnett will look to shoot alot and secure his share of takedowns and probably put Yvel away with some tough work and ground-and-pound offense. Yvel's only chance is a perfectly timed kick on a Barnett shot, but I think this one is pretty much decided. This is the sure bet. 

Barnett via 2nd round TKO stoppage

Vitor Belfort vs Matt Lindland

This is tough. Lindland is maybe the best wrestler in MMA, but he only has two fights in the last two years and is 38 years old. Belfort can be a phenom, like his nickname suggests, but he loses focus at unpredictable times. Lindland trains very hard, but Belfort has confidence with a three-fight winning streak going. If it's on the feet I think Belfort, if it's on the ground it could go either way. Time to make a decision. 

Belfort via 2nd round knockout

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Renato "Babalu" Sobral

This is probably not right of me, but anytime I think of Babalu I think of him getting knocked out by Jason Lambert. I know Sobral is a great fighter, and people have jumped on his bandwagon again, but I'm not ready to. I know he really wants to fight Tito Ortiz and the only way to do that is win, but I think Sokoudjo is too explosive of a striker and will knock him out. 

Sokoudjo via 1st round knockout

WAMMA Heavyweight Championship: Andrei Arlovski vs Fedor Emelianenko

I am beyond excited for this fight. Arlovski is a Chicago guy and brought in legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach. Emelianenko is...well...he is Emelianenko. This one will have fireworks throughout and while I think Arlovski will have his moments, Emelianenko has no quit. When asked about Arlovski's training with Roach, Fedor just smiled. Not in a cocky way, but in the way you know he has it won. There is something very scary and unexplainable about him. 

Emelianenko retains title via 3rd round knockout

"Pac" it in

If you're a boxing fan, you have already heard the news about the highly anticipated fight between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton being cancelled. The projected May 2 fight was axed after Pacman declined to sign the offer sheet from Hatton's camp by the Wednesday deadline. 

Let us take a moment to mourn the loss of this fight.......OK, that's enough, now it's time to rip these coddled superstars for being spoiled and once again turning their backs on boxing fans. 

There is no denying boxing has lost some of its popularity and some of it can be attributed to the inability for promoters to pull off the big fights at the right time. This was a chance to book an important match with both fighters still close enough to, or even in, their prime. But that evil color green reared its ugly head once more and the dollar sign delivered another knockout punch to boxing fans. 

While both fighters are to blame, the brunt of the blame should fall on Pacquiao. His win over Oscar De La Hoya has inflated his ego as well as his price to step into the ring. The pride of the Philippines did not get his fair share for fighting the Golden Boy, I will give him that, but he shouldn't take it out on the fans. 

Hatton's camp offered Pacquiao a 50-50 split on the purse, not a bad deal considering it would net Pacquiao a minimum of $12 million, which is the most he would have ever made in his career. Considering $12 million was the base, I have no idea why Pacquiao wanted to push the purse split higher. 

Pacman reportedly wanted a 60-40 split, which is ridiculous considering Pacquiao is moving up in weight to challenge the Super Lightweight Champion. 

I can understand Pacman wanting to have the "superstar split." After all, he was pretty much robbed when he agreed to fight De La Hoya on a 68-32 split in the Golden Boy's favor. However, Ricky Hatton fights have drawn some of the biggest crowds in recent years as he drew 57,000 in Manchester and 30,000 in Las Vegas. 

The guaranteed sold-out crowd along with the pay-per-view purchases should have been enough for Pacquiao to agree to a 50-50 split, but Hatton's camp budged a little near the end of negotiations and offered a 52-48 split for Pacman. Still the offer wasn't good enough as Pacquiao's camp said they would not even begin to listen until a 55-45 offer was on the table. 

So Hatton grew tired of the stubborn superstar and the deal was pulled Wednesday night, leaving both fighters scrambling for an opponent. Hatton said he would still like to fight May 2 and he has quite a few options. Matches with either De La Hoya, Juan Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez or David Diaz could be pursued. 

Mayweather is very unlikely as they have already fought once and it was clear Pretty Boy Floyd was the better man. It is also unlikely because one reason Pacquiao may have backed out of the Hatton fight was because he had his eyes set on a match with Mayweather in the fall. Risking a loss to Hatton in the spring would make the Mayweather fight much less attractive. 

But if Pacquiao were to fight Mayweather in the fall he would have to take a 60-40 split or even another 68-32 split in Mayweather's favor as he is the biggest draw in boxing. Pacquiao said he pulled out of the fight because he thought he could get his 60-40 split fighting Edwin Valero or Juan Manuel Marquez and make just as much money. He might be able to get his split, but it would not even come close to the money he could make with Hatton. 

It has been estimated the Hatton/Pacquiao fight could have brought in close to $57 million. And after the promoters, managers, venue and networks all get paid, I would still split that 50-50. 

There is still one last hope this fight could be back on. That one last hope is Bob Arum. Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, is one of the best, if not the best promoter in boxing. When he found out Pacquiao turned down the deal, he set up a face-to-face meeting with his star boxer to find out what in the world he was thinking about. 

Arum is a very powerful man in boxing and when he takes time to fly to the Philippines to meet with a fighter, you know he is serious. Arum saw his dollar signs fly out the window when Pacquiao shrugged off the contract, so I still have hope Arum can convince Pacquiao to wake up and take the deal within the next week. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this is why they are called prizefights and not boxing matches.

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. 

     

I hope Obama doesn't like alphabet soup

It is one of the most exciting days of my young life as Barack Obama is now officially the president of the United States of America. President Obama (it's nice to finally write that) has high expectations after promising change we can believe in throughout his campaign. 

While he must focus on actual problems like war and the dying economy, he has given some lighthearted interviews talking about changes he would like to see in sports. On the top of his list is a playoff for college football, which I would like to see, and making the basketball court bigger for NBA games. 

I'm sure Obama isn't losing any sleep over college football or basketball, but if sports fans can ask for change from their new president then I would like to make an official request on behalf of all boxing fans. Please Mr. President, unify the sanctioning bodies and let us have undisputed world champions in each weight class. 

Every boxing fan I have ever talked to has one major problem with the sport and it is the multiple world champions. Between the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO there are enough belts to clothe the NYPD. I believe great boxers should be awarded with championships, but the meaning of the title is diluted when more than one man can claim to be the world champion. 

Ring Magazine decided it would be the judge of the "true" world champion and started crowning fighters in each division "The Ring Champion." While they do a decent job of choosing the true champion in each division, their selections must be scrutinized since the magazine is owned by Golden Boy Promotions, meaning they could favor fighters in their stable. 

Much of the national media recognizes the Ring Champion as the true champion of their respective division. 

But as long as the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO exist, there will always be an "alphabet soup" of champions. So until President Obama brings the change boxing fans can believe in I will do my best to find the real world champion in each division. 

I will give my selection for World Champion in each division from Lightweight (135 lbs) to Heavyweight. While there are weight classes below 135 lbs, I believe the best boxers are able to work their way up the weight divisions to at least 135 pounds (ie. Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez). 

However, there are tremendous boxers below the 135 pound division and I will classify those boxers as the best of the rest. So here goes my attempt at giving you the true World Champions until our new president can demolish all those evil sanctioning bodies. 

Best of the Rest

1. Ivan Calderon  2. Vic Darchinyan  3. Israel Vazquez  4. Chris John  5. Edwin Valero 

All five of those men are tremendous boxers in their own right and very decorated. Darchinyan is the only unified champion in boxing right now. Chris John is a pure winner with a record of 42-0-1, but Edwin Valero is the man to look out for as he makes the move to lightweight.

Lightweight (135 lbs): Manny Pacquiao

Pacman is possibly the best boxer in the world right now, and for the time being he is in the lightweight division. Juan Manuel Marquez is probably the best fighter in this division for the long haul with Pacman expected to move up to super lightweight.

Super Lightweight (140 lbs): Ricky Hatton

Hatton's only loss is to Floyd Mayweather, so he is one of the best around at 45-1. However, with a possible matchup against Pacquiao in the future and the emergence of Timothy Bradley, Hatton could be thrown off his throne.

Welterweight (147 lbs): Antonio Margarito

The Tijuana Tornado blew through highly regarded Miguel Cotto to claim the welterweight crown last year. I expect Margarito to stay atop the welterweight division for a while as he should beat Shane Mosley in their match this Saturday.

Super Welterweight (154 lbs): Paul Williams

Williams seems to be ready to move to middleweight permanently, but when he fights at 154 pounds he is a beast. His large frame is a huge advantage and his only competition in this class is Vernon Forrest and maybe Sergei Dzindziruk.

Middleweight (160 lbs): Arthur Abraham 

The sexy pick in this division is Kelly Pavlik, but after a loss to Bernard Hopkins in a non-title match, I have to go with Abraham. The Armenian champion has eight successful defenses, including one where he fought with a broken jaw. He is very underrated. 

Super Middleweight (168 lbs): Mikkel Kessler

This is an unimpressive division at the moment, but Kessler is still the king though he hasn't fought anyone noteworthy since losing to Joe Calzaghe. Hopefully Allan Green starts finding top fights and takes the championship. Or Carl Froch could emerge.

Light Heavyweight (175 lbs): Joe Calzaghe

Calzaghe currently calls this division home, which makes him the champ since he is 46-0 and has looked good doing it. I don't think he has many fights left though, so after he leaves this division belongs to Chad Dawson and Zsolt Erdei.

Cruiserweight (200 lbs): Tomasz Adamek

This division belongs to David Haye if he wants to come back down from heavyweight, but until then it is Adamek's. Adamek is very good, but this is a tough division. Johnathon Banks might be the next great champion. 

Heavyweight (unlimited): Wladimir Klitschko

This is an easy call as there are no other heavyweights close to the same league as Klitschko. He is completely dominant and an eventual challenge from David Haye might be the only thing to stop him. Chris Arreola is promising, but still too young.

So President Obama, crown these men the true world champions and then let the pieces fall as they may. It's time boxing fans get true world champions to cheer for (or boo). 

The First Round

Just like a boxer in the 10th round of a championship fight, this blog is picking itself up off the canvas and is ready to make a comeback. The blog formerly known as "Beatdowns, Boxing and Basketball" is back as "The First Round." The blog will be entirely dedicated to the sports of boxing and mixed martial arts. 

After studying the fine art of blogging under the tutelage of Luis C. Medina, (chief blogger at "The Big Dead Sidebar") I feel prepared to run a successful blog of my own. All great blogs include the readers so I will do my best to take suggestions and encourage you to voice your own opinions through the comments. 

Like most weekends, there was a lot of action on the fight scene so I will do my best to wrap up a weekend full of fights that could have world title implications in the future. 

UFC 93: No title fight, no problem

Some big matches with some shocking performances made for a pretty satisfying night of fights considering there was no title on the line. Three different weight classes had significant fights that should lead to interesting matchups down the line.

205 pounds of danger and 205 pounds of disease

If you want to see some of the best of what the light heavyweight division has to offer, watch the Rich Franklin vs Dan Henderson main event from UFC 93. If you want to see some of the worst, then watch the co-main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mark Coleman. 

Franklin and Henderson had a great fight that resulted in the former PRIDE champion winning a split decision. Henderson was just crisp enough on his feet for the first two rounds and dominant on the ground. Franklin was great in the third round, but didn't do enough in the first two. Throughout the fight though, there was no lack of technique or conditioning as both men proved why they are considered two of the best fighters in the world. 

Shogun was once considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. On Saturday, he looked like someone who had put on too many of those pounds as he inexplicably gassed halfway through the second round. Shogun needed a convincing performance after losing to Forrest Griffin his last time out and suffering a bad ACL tear. Instead, he was satisfied just toying with the 44-year-old Mark Coleman (who gassed halfway through the first round.) 

Shogun knocked Coleman out with a nice uppercut in the third round, but it looked like he was throwing punches in slow motion. I will cut Rua a break for his showing since it is his first fight back from major knee surgery, but if he wants to be a contender again he will need to do much more. The light heavyweight division is deep and the title seems to change hands on every defense. Rua will get run out of the UFC if he shows up like he did on Saturday. 

Time to recognize "The Talent"

Middleweight Alan "The Talent" Belcher seems like a gatekeeper. He has enough talent to push a fighter to the limit, but the great ones should beat him. It turns out he is better than that. Belcher shocked me yet again Saturday with a slick rear-naked choke victory over highly regarded Denis Kang. Kang dominated the first round and was living up to his anticipated debut, but like always, Belcher remained calm. He came out in the second and the fight hit the ground where Belcher made a beautiful transition to Kang's back and sunk in the choke. 

Belcher has enough Muay Thai skills to knock anyone out and enough patience on the ground to work a submission. I don't see him dethroning the seemingly unbeatable Anderson Silva, but matches against some of the top fighters such as Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt and hopefully Patrick Cote should be on the horizon. 

In other middleweight action, Rousimar Palhares dominated another tough veteran in Jeremy Horn. His jujitsu is some of the best I have seen in the middleweight division and I think he could be a contender in a year or so. It may be a little early, but I would love to see him fight submission ace Demian Maia.

 

Punching a hole to nowhere

Marcus Davis had another great display of boxing en route to his win over former professional boxer Chris "Lights Out" Lytle Saturday. The win pushed Davis' record to 6-1 over his last seven fights. Even though he has wins over tough opponents such as Lytle, Pete Spratt and Paul Taylor, there does not seem to be room for Davis in title contention talk in the competitive welterweight division. 

To be fair, Davis lost his last "step up" fight when Mike Swick took a unanimous decision back in June. I think Davis should get another shot at a top name. Maybe Jon Fitch would be too much, but since Fitch is coming off a loss to Georges St. Pierre, it could be good for both fighters.

The Boxing Scene: A shooting star and a falling star

If you haven't already heard about WBC Welterweight Champion Andre Berto, then now is the time to watch him rise. The young, promising fighter past the test Saturday. The test that either stops the career of a potential star or vaults that star into the million dollar fights. Berto passed that test with a statement. 

Going into the 11th round with former world champion Luis Collazo, Berto knew he had to win the next two rounds convincingly. The young Haitian dug as deep as he could inside himself and boxed brilliantly in the 11th and the 12th for his second successful defense. When Berto had to leave it all out in the middle of the ring, he did. That quality is not found in a lot of fighters and it makes me think a matchup with the likes of a Zab Judah could be sooner rather than later. 

He's not your "Buddy"

Two-time world champion Buddy McGirt was a great boxer and like in many sports one would think the next generation would continue to build on that legacy. James McGirt Jr, son of Buddy, seemed like he could carry the name into the 21st century. Going into Friday's matchup with Angel Hernandez, McGirt Jr. was 18-1-1 with his only loss coming to the tremendously talented Carlos De Leon. 

The draw on his record was a disappointment as he should have had no problem with Marcus Upshaw, but instead had an embarrassing performance on Showtime that resulted in a draw. McGirt had his chance for redemption with a televised bout on ESPN 2 against the pudgy Hernandez. But McGirt didn't deliver. Instead, the much shorter Hernandez got on the inside and pounded to the body of McGirt the whole fight. 

McGirt probably thought he could unleash a knockout hook to Hernandez, and while he did land good shots, it would have been much smarter to use his jab and keep his range. But at the end of the day Berto is one step away from a huge paycheck and McGirt is one step away from the exit.