2009 MMA FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
December 27, 2009 by Matt
There are a lot of big names being nominated for MMA Fighter of the Year, but in the end, I think it’s a fairly easy call. I made my decision based on a few factors: quantity of fights, quality of opponents, type of fights (title bouts weigh more) and overall dominance. First, the runners-up…
B.J. Penn
No fighter looked more dominant than “The Prodigy” did in his wins against Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian. But Penn was throttled soundly by GSP back in January.
Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor fought only twice and won both times. He beat Arlovski and Rogers, but it’s not enough for FOY.
Gegard Mousasi
Mousasi will get a lot of mentions for FOY, but his 2008 was actually more impressive than his 2009. He beat Mark Hunt, who was on a 4-fight losing streak. He needed just one minute to KO Babalu. And he finished the year with a TKO win over Sokoudjou here in Chicago.
Anderson Silva
“The Spider” probably was the most bored fighter of the year. The Forrest Griffin fight was nonsense and Thales Leites is no longer in the UFC. The UFC needs to challenge him more in 2010.
Georges St. Pierre
GSP dominated B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves, but it’s not enough for the FOY.
Lyoto Machida
Machida beat Thiago Silva, then Rashad Evans for the LHW belt. But it is the opinion of many that Shogun Rua should be the champion after their UFC 104 fight. I agree. So I can’t give Machida FOY.
There’s just one man left that could be the “FOY”. Read more
MAYHEM VS. SHIELDS MAY TOP FEDOR VS. ROGERS
October 13, 2009 by Matt
He’s the biggest living legend in MMA and the best martial artist in the world. And he’s coming to fight here in Chicago. Fedor Emelianenko, “The Last Emperor”, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World will take on the undefeated Brett “Grim” Rogers live on CBS.
Yet, as excited as I am to see Fedor and Grim lock up in the main event, I have a feeling that Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller’s bout for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship may be the better fight. I think it might go the distance, and we’ll get to see MMA at its highest level of skill and talent in that fight.
“We’re looking forward to delivering an explosive night of world class MMA action on CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE. “We have the world’s # 1 fighter, Fedor, making his network primetime debut against an undefeated powerhouse in Brett Rogers and, with the stars lined up for the remainder of the card, it is bound to be an exciting night of television.”
Agreed. Add Mousasi vs. Werdum to the list and this is just an amazing card. Right here in our backyard.
The following four matchups are confirmed for the November 7 event:
* Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko vs. Brett “The Grim” Rogers
* Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Middleweight Title Fight)
* Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou
* Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva
More to come on this epic event here in Chicago…
MOUSASI: PAULO FILHO IS ON STEROIDS
September 8, 2009 by Matt
Gegard Mousasi spoke with Fighters.com and dropped a bombshell: he believes Paulo Filho uses steroids.
“Now he’s back in Japan and he feels like a kid in a candy store, I think.”
h/t: MMA Fanhouse
