During my Monday night sports show schedule that leads up to a much anticipated Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, I caught the last thirty minutes of Pardon the Interruption. If you aren't familiar with the show, it's a showdown between two Washington Post columnists, Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. The format of the show revolves around a highlighted stack of topics to the right of the screen. Each topic is commented on by both Wilbon and Kornheiser, and the argumentative spirit of both writers makes the show compelling in seeing the different views of both.

During the final countdown to the end of the show, it was mentioned that it was Chuck Liddell's birthday today. Although the line about Liddell turning 38 was completely ignored, the reason they seemed to bring it up was for Wilbon to pronounce his love for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. I have seen the show at other times during major UFC events in which Wilbon mentioned that fact that he likes seeing "Rampage" brawl in the cage. What I didn't expect was the next quote:

"All I want to see from that sport is "Rampage" Jackson against Kimbo Slice, wake me when that happens..."

After some chuckling regarding Liddell's recent loss to "Rampage" Jackson, they moved onto other remarks. What does a quote like this say about the status of MMA in the eye of the general public? Can we even make a generalization just based on one person saying what he thinks?

I think this somewhat confirms what some journalists and MMA purists believe wasn't the case about Kimbo Slice. He isn't a guy who is just going to simply sit on the map of the MMA scene and fight these standup brawls with subpar fighters. Eventually, he will shed the spectacle fight image and be popular enough for someone to think about pitting him in some big fights with well-known fighters that aren't Internet video legends. People want to see him fight the best.. already! One of the more interesting things that comes out of that quote is that Kimbo Slice is much bigger than many of the stars of the UFC in the mind of the casual fan. Sure, there are casual fans out there that know about the UFC in detail, but there are certainly many fans who feel the same way as Wilbon. They want to see the brawling Kimbo Slice. It's interesting because when he first came into the sport, people labeled him as just a sideshow and that there wouldn't be a lot of potential revenue to gain from him.

That idea may be obsolete, and we may need to start paying attention to the impact that streaming media and Kimbo Slice has had on his popularity. Will they bring in a circus environment? Only time will tell.

The UFC has done it again. This time, it’s the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division that will be put on hold for The Ultimate Fighter. Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will be coaching against the man who got his start in the UFC on the show, Forrest Griffin.  The two coaches will then meet inside the Octagon for the UFC’s Light Heavyweight crown sometime over the summer. This is the seventh installment of the popular UFC reality television show that launched the UFC into the mainstream. Didn’t the UFC learn its lesson? What about the rest of the division?

It’s about damn time

Finally, the UFC is going to tap into the ultimate marketing machine: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Rampage is easily one of the funniest MMA fighters of this generation. Put him in front of a microphone or camera, and he lights up like a kid in a candy store. The UFC was able to obtain the rights for Jackson’s services when they purchased the World Fighting Alliance. They did the smart thing and immediately restructured his contract.

The problem is that the UFC should’ve been hyping him way before his fight with Chuck Liddell. We saw him dismantle Marvin Eastman, and then he was pushed into a fight with Liddell. In my eyes, the UFC brass felt that Liddell would get his shot at redemption and avenge the only loss he had left. Basically, the UFC didn’t know what they had. Rampage is the key to even greater success for the UFC. They have needed a champion that was funny, charismatic, and an absolute monster in the ring. While Liddell was a monster in the ring, he doesn’t have the playful demeanor of Rampage, and he doesn’t connect with people on a personal level. Rampage does that, and he does it well. The Ultimate Fighter series is made for someone like Rampage. He’s going to get plenty of face time, and he’s going to be able to show the people at home what he’s really all about.

Forrest isn’t camera shy either

Forrest Griffin also has a huge fan base, and he has been winning even more fans over with every fight. Griffin has an "everyday guy" kind of personality. He’s a hard working fighter that relies on his toughness and durability. I think Forrest will provide a perfect counter to Rampage on the show. I could see this season being full of quips and some hilarious one-liners. I think Forrest can match Rampage in terms of personality and hilarity. Forrest is a likeable guy, and I’m glad to see the UFC get away from the “coaches hate each other” format. It was fun for a while, but it was getting old and stale. Rampage and Forrest should provide for some hilarious antics.

Where does the division go from here?

Rampage has an injured hand, and won’t be fighting for a while anyways. Outside of Griffin, there isn’t another clear-cut contender. You could make a case for Ryoto Machida, one I wouldn’t argue with, but I don’t think he’s been marketed correctly by the UFC. The next couple of events are going to make the picture a little bit clearer.

At UFC 79, we have the long awaited fight between former UFC champion Chuck Liddell and former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva. Both fighters are coming off back-to-back losses. Liddell lost his belt to Rampage and followed that with a defeat to Keith Jardine. Silva, on the other hand, has been knocked out in consecutive fights. The first was to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, the other to Dan Henderson. Another interesting point about this fight is that Silva has previously defeated Rampage twice. The first time was by TKO, and the second was by a brutal knockout. Could Silva be thrust into an immediate title shot with a victory over Liddell? I think so, and if the UFC marketed it correctly, it could be a huge money making fight. So, what happens if Liddell wins? If Liddell takes the fight with Silva, he will need at least 2 more fights before getting a shot at the title. If he does get past Silva, I could see him fighting the winner of Machida/Sokoudjou. If he loses another fight, he should seriously think about hanging up the gloves.

Soko-WHO?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, you should get yourself prepared. Sokoudjou is a former Pride FC veteran who holds two knockout victories over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. That may mean nothing to some of you, but to the hardcore MMA fans, Nogueira (the younger brother of the HW) and Arona were both in the top ten of the light heavyweight division at the time. For a little perspective about the unknown commodity that is Sokoudjou, when the betting lines opened for his fight against Nogueira, he was listed at +1200. That means if you bet $100 on Sokoudjou, you would’ve taken home $1,200.

Sokoudjou is a judo practitioner who has dynamite in his hands. He is strong, agile, and quick. He showed great takedown defense against Arona, but Sokoudjou has been stopped by strikes once in his young career. Sokoudjou is still a relative unknown, and he could be just another flash in the pan like Houston Alexander, albeit against much better fighters. Either way, he’s getting a tough test for his debut in the UFC. It’s a move that I’m not sure I entirely understand.

My biggest complaint has always been the match making in the UFC. The mainstream fans have no idea who Sokoudjou is, and putting him against one of the most defensive and elusive fighters in Machida just doesn’t make much sense to me. Why not give him a fight to showcase his skills? They could have used this fight to build him up some more, and give him some confidence in the cage. On the other hand, Machida is a bad fight for just about anyone. I think the UFC is hoping that Sokoudjou can push the pace and force Machida out of his comfort zone. It’s something that nobody else in the fight game has been able to accomplish, and it will be interesting to see if Sokoudjou can. Like I said earlier, I could see the winner of this fight getting a shot at Liddell if he takes the fight with Silva. Jardine is also another possibility. 

Houston, we have a problem!

There is also the question of what to do with Houston Alexander? It’s obvious that his ground game is lacking, and that was completely evident in his loss to Thiago Silva. What about a rematch with Jardine? I know, rematches are overdone in the UFC, but this one makes a little bit of sense. Jardine was well on his way to a title shot until he was derailed by the unknown Alexander. So what does the UFC give him as a consolation prize? That’s right, a fight with Chuck Liddell. However, Jardine proved all the doubters wrong and was able to win a split decision victory over "The Iceman". With Jardine being a fight or two away from a title shot, there aren’t a whole lot of fights that make sense for him right now. At least the UFC will be able to market the fight with Alexander, and I guarantee you that Jardine will be a little more prepared. 

The rest of the group

There is an abundance of fighters still remaining in the 205 lb. weight class, and there are a few guys that could be a few fights away from a title shot. How could I write about the light heavyweight division and not talk about Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Shogun is rehabbing from a knee injury that he suffered in training for his fight with Forrest Griffin. Griffin went on to stop Rua with a rear naked choke in round three. It was very apparent that this was the Shogun we weren’t used to seeing. He looked lethargic, telegraphed his takedowns, and didn’t have the killer instinct we all know and love.

There are a multitude of fights that could make sense for Shogun. The first fighter that comes to mind is Michael Bisping. Bisping loves to stand and trade, and I think he would make a good fight for Shogun. It would give Shogun some credibility with the mainstream fans, and it would send Bisping packing to the middleweight division, which is where he belongs. There’s the possibility of a Tito Ortiz fight as well. The anticipation (if there ever was one) for a rematch with Rashad Evans has worn off, and I would like to see Tito get back into the Octagon with some legitimate competition. 

I briefly mentioned Rashad Evans, but I don’t know what the UFC has planned for him. He looked terrible against Bisping, and I don’t think he will ever make a dent in the division. How about a fight with up-and-comer Thiago Silva? Silva is from the Chute Box camp and will bring excitement to every fight. It would be interesting to see how Rashad would do against a guy who has good striking skills and a good ground game.

There’s also Kazuhiro Nakamura. He recently lost to Machida at UFC 76, but he’s a gamer and has been in there with the best of them. He’s fought the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, Shogun, Dan Henderson, Murilo Bustamante, Igor Vovchancyn, and Kevin Randleman. Any fight that involves Nakamura, I’ll watch. A fight with Thiago Silva wouldn’t be bad either, although I think Nakamura might have a slight edge. 

Didn’t the UFC learn its lesson?

I think the UFC has made the right choice with this season. Rampage is injured and likely won’t be fighting for a few months. Plus, the man needs to be on television. And, unlike the welterweight division, this division only has one, maybe two, contenders. I think it’s a smart strategy to sit back and let the division unfold. However, we may only get to see the light heavyweight title defended twice in 2008. Barring another freak injury, this season should play out nicely. I know I previously disagreed with the UFC hinging a division on a reality show; however, this time it actually makes sense. Now as long as Dana doesn’t go promise another fighter a title shot in the meantime, everything should pan out nicely. 

Closing Thoughts

I’m really looking forward to a season full of Rampage. I sincerely hope that this works for the UFC and Rampage. He’s a bright guy and he’s a star in the making. Griffin will use this opportunity to the best of his ability as well. I can see him taking it a lot more seriously than Rampage, but Forrest will still be Forrest. What do you guys think? Do you agree with the UFC’s coaching choices? How about the UFC locking up another division for TUF? What if one of the fighters gets hurt? Let me know what you guys think.

Saturday morning, I woke up knowing that UFC 75 was most likely going on in England at the very moment I stepped out of bed. Normally, I would rush downstairs to the computer, immediately check the results, and brag to the MMA fantasy leagues how well my picks "owned" everyone. But not for UFC 75. Since it was a free event on SpikeTV and I had been shelling out cash to see all the other notable MMA events such as Art of War, ShoXC, and UFC 74, I was glad to save a little coin to see the event on tape delay. I grabbed a cup of coffee, some breakfast, watched some television, some college football, my beloved Northsiders, the Chicago Cubs, and then finally settled in for UFC 75. During the day, I received some phone calls from friends talking about the event coming up that evening. A few decided to drive down and got there about an hour before the event started. As I sat outside cooking up some brats on the grill, holding a beer in my hand, an unbelievable question shot through my ears. "Who the hell is Dan Henderson anyways? "Rampage" is going to kill this guy, I don't even know who the hell Henderson is, must be some shitty can." It was amazing to me. I was completely dumbfounded by the question. I proceeded to explain that Dan Henderson was an Olympic team wrestler in Greco-Roman. He had an unbelievable record of 22-6 in his entire MMA career with notable wins over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Kazuo Misaki, Murilo Bustamante, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Murilo Rua, Renato Sobral, and Gilbert Yvel. He's the current welterweight and middleweight PRIDE Champion, first MMA fighter ever to hold both titles at the same time.¹ To my surprise, my buddy didn't really care. He'd never heard of him, therefore he declined to really let a guy of this caliber into his world of MMA. He just figured Quinton would destroy him in the first round. He didn't know who any of those notable wins were except for Wanderlei Silva, and my friend hasn't really seen any footage on him either. He just knows through hearing me speak of him that he's a great fighter. What's the problem here? My buddy is a typical casual MMA fan who's directly in the demographic that the UFC is aiming for. He's a bit amped for the fights, but I'm unbelievable nervous about the light heavyweight championship. I know the two guys are unbelievable fighters, I've seen nearly all of each fighter's past fights, and I know what's on the line here. He has no clue, no real excitement, and completely discounts Henderson due to the fact he hasn't seen any of his fights, and knows nothing about him. This brings me to my big question: What is the UFC doing wrong in their marketing department?

UFC 75 Unified Belt? Where?

The big question when Dan Henderson was given the title shot against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was what was going to happen to the PRIDE belt now that Zuffa, UFC parenting company, had bought PRIDE Fighting Championships. First, it was that the belts were not on the line.² Then a few days later, the belts were going to be unified.³ It seemed the rumor went back and forth, back and forth. Finally, it was assumed that the belts would be unified and MMA would have it's first undisputed Light Heavyweight champion of the World. Did anyone really see that? No. Once the post-fight interviews were over, there was no passing of the guard, or belt, no big extravaganza that we used to see at the PRIDE Grand Prixs with the musical score blaring and the streamers falling from the rafters. Henderson didn't even come out with the PRIDE belt on. None of his entourage was carrying it, the commentators didn't even mention it. Why was it not a factor all of the sudden? Dana, can you answer that?

Two ideas come to mind. First, the whole PRIDE acquisition and organization could just be a huge confusion to the casual MMA fan. The UFC may be trying to stray from the boxing arena with the IBF, WBA, WBF, the list goes on. Instead of confusing fans with the thought of two organizations, one being acquired by another and now there being a type of "playoff" to determine who will be the champion under a combined organization, the UFC decided to create all this hype in the MMA media, but ultimately leave it out when it mattered the most. Secondly, maybe the UFC really just didn't think the U.S. audience really cared. As a hardcore fan of MMA, I loved PRIDE. PRIDE was an organization full of spectacular fighters, spectacular knockouts, and spectacular events. I feel the same way about the UFC, and I was very excited when Zuffa bought PRIDE. But the excitement is no longer there for me anymore. The fight was great, but the UFC really acted as if it was just another day, another dollar made. They shoved Dan Henderson aside and touted Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. I love Jackson's skill, his fighting, his personality, but I really thought the UFC dropped the ball by shoving Henderson aside like that. For such a meaningful fight, the UFC made it far from that.

Personalities

What can be done to really make the UFC's marketing more educational to the fans? What can be done to make the fans really learn the game, learn who the fighters are, learn how important some of these fights can be, and ultimately make the fans even more excited about the events? One huge idea that has already been brought up in the MMA community is the idea that these fighters are not showcased enough. Personalities are not shown enough. When we get a dose of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, we love it. Stephen Quadros did an interview with Jackson during his show on the Sherdog Radio network awhile back, and he noted that he found it odd that many people did not know how unbelievably funny Quinton is, and charismatic he is when people are around him. He was very funny during the post-fight interviews, funny during his radio interviews, and overall just a likeable guy outside the ring. But a lot of people don't know that side. They say "Man, he looks like a bad dude, a real crazy lunatic..". Fact is, he may look that way, but he is a serious professional MMA fighter who works hard and respects many of his opponents. Why isn't the UFC marketing his personality more? Chuck Liddell was successful with the MMA faithful for knocking people out. That was all he did, he knocked people out, and everybody loved him for it. He's soft spoken and not very outlandish when speaking in interviews. So, what happens when you market a guy that not only knocks people out, but is funny, likeable, and generally good for the sport? I'm going to stretch an idea and say that probably ten times the revenue that Liddell has brought in over the years.

The List

I compiled a small list of ideas I had in my head of things that the UFC could do to really amp up marketing, educate fans, and educate fans on the new fighters coming in from PRIDE. Fact is, they haven't done really any good marketing of these guys coming over from PRIDE. They really dropped the ball on it. Instead of really capitalizing on them, I have friends of mine who ask me who Crocop is still to this day even though he's fought in three UFC fights. On to my list:

1. More Personal Fighter Profiles
Didn't they have an "Inside the UFC" show you ask? Yes, they did. But it got cancelled. Fact is, the UFC needs to have some sort of show on SpikeTV every week that highlights a different fighter every week. The NBA has a show like that, the NFL has an entire network devoted to football that has shows like that, NASCAR has shows and a network devoted to that, hell, even the NHL had a show that was actually very good that went in-depth with teams during the season. The UFC had a show like that, but it was axed due to ratings. It's time for a resurrection with some new production value. I've heard rumors about a show in the works called "UFC Lifestyles". Idea doesn't sound bad, but please, don't make it like MTV Cribs, I know the same company that owns SpikeTV owns MTV Networks.

2. UFC Unleashed with a Twist
Instead of doing UFC Unleashed with crappy commentary that just introduces what the next fight is, why don't you take a suggestion from FSN and produce a PRIDE FC/UFC show just like what Jay Glazer and Frank Trigg hosted. The show could show older UFC and PRIDE fights with commentary from the hosts on their impact on MMA, their possibly bearing on upcoming fights in the UFC, and they would also showcase the skills of PRIDE fighters coming into the UFC on SpikeTV. It's an idea I can't believe the UFC has yet to take advantage of since they have the PRIDE FC Fight Library. This gives a lot more exposure to PRIDE fighters coming over.

3. Tune up every PRIDE Fighter
Give all the PRIDE guys ample time to adjust to the Octagon. I know, I know, you want your superfights now, but these guys aren't going to perform their absolute best without some type of tune up. If they lose the tune up, then obviously they weren't going to be doing much in the Octagon anyways. I'm tired of hearing the excuse that the UFC could lose their investment. Listen, every investment has risk. Signing a PRIDE fighter to a UFC contract is a big risk, but you have to be willing to give him some type of tune up before the big name fights can happen. In Mirko's case, a bad investment.

4. Pre-UFC event analysis shows
Sunday morning, the NFL has 4 hours of damn analysis shows on ESPN, ABC, CBS, NFL Network, it's ridiculous. Why can't the UFC have a little hour long show before the event hyping up the fights, going over styles, what to expect, maybe some predictions, analysis of each fighter, etc? Some fans watch these fights expecting a one-sided beatdown. If the UFC would actually somehow show each fighter's strengths, it could make the fight more meaningful in the casual fan's eyes. For example, my buddy has seen Robbie Lawler fight, but never seen "Ninja" Rua fight. For that reason, he doesn't care about the title fight in the EliteXC card this weekend. He's much rather looking forward to the Nick Diaz fight. If he actually knew what to expect from "Ninja", I think he'd be much more excited to see the fight. I think it would really spread the word about the UFC more, and get more casual fans really talking about styles and techniques, just like Sunday armchair quarterback fans do.

5. Major network participation, even if it is small
I'm sure Dana is working on this, but major network participation would be key. Getting a UFC Fight Night like event on ABC, CBS, or NBC would be unbelievable. With the  recent ratings that UFC 75 got, I don't know if it's a huge push to actually gain network television's bandwidth when SpikeTV sufficiently did the job, but even getting sports networks to highlight the regular events would be a great push into getting the fights, results, and events seen by the average sports fanatic. ESPN sometimes shows the major title fight highlights, but we need more than that on Sportscenter with more frequency.

6. A little confetti
Would it hurt to make a title unification bout actually meaningful? Pull out the stops. I enjoyed the big runway that fighters got to take during the PRIDE events, but we don't absolutely need that. When Fedor Emelianenko won the Heavyweight Title in PRIDE, and the streamers came down as he was hoisted onto the shoulders of his corner men while he had blood running down from his eyes, as a fan, you could actually see a bit of emotion. He knew he had done something great. That was just for the PRIDE belt. At UFC 75, Quinton unified the belts, and all that happened was some funny comments and the event was over. Come on! You can make a celebration without creating a ridiculous environment.

And for a bit of fun, my wishful thinking list...

Bring in the screaming PRIDE girl
For that old nostalgic calling, Lenne Hardt needs to be signed by the UFC and brought over to scare the casual UFC fans.

Just Bleeds Guy on payroll please
Sherdog's very own Jordan Breen brought nostalgia back during a show where he wanted to know what happened to the Just Bleeds Guy, shown here. He's obviously the numero uno fan of the UFC. When he gets out of jail in 2013, have a contract ready for him.

That's all the ideas I have for right now. I'm somewhat tired of these PRIDE guys getting no love from the UFC. As a hardcore MMA fan, I miss PRIDE very much, but was very excited at the prospect of these super fights occurring in the UFC. But having casual MMA fans have no clue who these guys are even after the Countdown shows and All Access shows is amazing to me. Obviously the marketing just isn't cutting it. Yeah, the UFC had awesome ratings for the SpikeTV show, but it was on FREE TV, and it was on an otherwise boring night of sporting events. Get the marketing tank going and bring more of a personal feel to the fighters and to the sport.

There are several points that can be argued against these ideas, the main one being that the shows got low ratings when they were around. I found one thing to be particularly odd when reading Jay Glazer's article in FIGHT! Magazine. NFL players were asking him about PRIDE fighters and UFC fighters while at camp. Obviously the PRIDE FC show on FSN was hitting their demographic and educating those guys into who those fighters were. That's the aim here. To educate fans, and in turn, make them more excited, amped, whatever you want to call it, but more intelligent about the fight game. I think in the long run, this will make the sport even more successful. Basketball, Football, Baseball, we've all played those games, we know from experience about those sports, but MMA is much different. It isn't something you play when you are a little boy, or at least not a mainstream sport. We can't all be experts and understand it. The aim of this article is to give some suggestions on how the UFC can market toward that demographic.

THE BREAKDOWN: DAN HENDERSON VS. QUINTON JACKSON

Dan "Hollywood" Henderson comes into this fight with a 22-5 record with his most recent win over Wanderlei Silva at PRIDE 33: The Second Coming to win the PRIDE Middleweight Championship Belt. He became the only MMA fighter to ever hold two belts simultaneously and only the second fighter to actually attain two championships in two different weight classes, PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight.

He also won the RINGS Tournament in 1999, in which he fought three consecutive fights in one night against Gilbert Yvel, "Minotauro" Nogueira, and Renato "Babalu" Sobral. He has a consistent record with big wins over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, and Murilo Bustamante in his most recent fights.

Henderson is a member of Team Quest, which has gyms in Portland, Oregon and Murietta, California. The California location is ran by Henderson himself. Team Quest trains fighters such as Matt Lindland, Ed Herman, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Rameau Sokoudjou, and Gabe Ruediger. In the past, fighters such as Randy Couture, Evan Tanner, Nate Quarry, and Chris Leben were all members of Team Quest. Randy Couture is actually credited by Dan as to getting him involved in MMA.

With this impressive resume of experience and accomplishments, Henderson obviously has a well rounded MMA skillset. Henderson is best known for his strong standup skills even though he has a very strong wrestling background. He was involved in the '93 NCAA Championships and was a member of the '92 and '96 U.S. Olympic Wrestling squad in Greco-Roman Wrestling. Even with this incredible background, Henderson has won by knockout in 10 of his 27 bouts and only won by submission once. He has 11 fights that headed to decision in which he won. His 5 losses were mostly lost by decision except for two losses to "Minotauro" Nogueira via armbar.

So what does all this statistical analysis say about Dan Henderson? Obvioulsy he has a strong standup game. He also has very good cardio considering he has had many of his fights go the distance. Not to be compared to Chuck Liddell, Henderson does have similar traits to the former UFC light heavyweight champion. He seems to be using his wrestling primarily to escape the ground game or for body control on the ground to pound out opponents. He rarely tries to position himself for the chokes much like other wrestlers try to do.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is fresh off his UFC title win over Chuck Liddell with a huge knockout victory in the first round that stunned the MMA community. Before that fight, Rampage had started to train with Juanito Ibarra and claimed that he was in the best shape of his life. Juanito's training regiment was featured on UFC: All Access before UFC 71. With a notably better
trainer in Rampage's corner, Rampage looks to be coming off one of the biggest wins in his career and into a dead standup matchup with Dan Henderson.

Rampage's resume is also fairly impressive with notable wins over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Arona, "Ninja" Rua, Matt Lindland, and Chuck Liddell twice. His highest achievement in the ring was his title matchup with Wanderlei Silva at the Middleweight Grand Prix known as PRIDE Final Conflict in which he suffered a devastating loss via knee strikes.

Striking is Rampage's game. He has very heavy hands and packs a lot of power into his fists. He's physically very strong and able to pick up opponents and slam them at will as we've seen in the Arona and Sakuraba fights. He is so physically strong that he is very hard to control on the ground and is able to easily break from guards and escape to his feet. Rampage has proved even in losses that he has some skills that some MMA fighters cannot match up against. His chin is unbelievably strong. In both the "Shogun" Rua matchup and the Wanderlei Silva matchup, he took an unbelievable amount of knees to the chin and face that didn't drop him immediately. Especially in the Shogun fight, Rampage remained on his feet until the end of the fight after taking a brutal beating. It should be noted however that in that fight, he suffered a broken rib early in the fight and really was unable to keep going, but kept fighting nonetheless. He's also shown a decent ability to escape chokes, especially in the Matt Lindland fight.

Recently in an interview with Stephen Quadros, Rampage also stated that he has been training with Brandon Vera and Cheick Kongo for an added element to his striking game. I believe this is most likely to prepare for Henderson's power punches.

PREDICTION

Historically, I would think this fight may go to a decision because due to the high amount of bouts that both fighters have had go to a decision, but that wasn't in five round title matchups. Also, both of these fighters have heavy hands and that doesn't make for a particularly long fight.

Henderson has had 4 out of his last 5 fights go to decision, which tells me that his fists have been avoided for the most part recently. It's obvious that his heavy hands are more avoidable that MMA fans would be led to believe. Gono and Chonan absolutely got steamrolled by Henderson's aggressive advance which equaled brutal knockout victories in both bouts. If Henderson can be more aggressive in this bout than in previous bouts, he may be able to do the same thing that Wanderlei and Shogun were able to achieve in their matchups. If the bout becomes a standup fight in which both fighters are trying to pick each other apart, Rampage may have the advantage considering his chin has been proven much more than Dan's.

Rampage is a very underrated fighter. He has excellent takedowns, excellent defense, and he can really do damage in the clinch. Henderson has proven in the last few fights that his style is basically roaming the ring and landing huge punches. His standup really isn't much but his huge guns looping at your face. I'm going to pick Rampage in this matchup via TKO/KO in the 3rd round.

THE BREAKDOWN: MIRKO "CROCOP" FILIPOVIC vs. CHEICK KONGO

Mirko will be coming into this bout with a 22-5 record, fresh off a loss to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 via a brutal headkick in which CroCop later admitted that the ground game that Gonzaga used on CroCop led to blurriness in his vision and resulted in reacting late to the kick. After the initial shock of the loss, Mirko was quoted as saying he wasn't training very hard at all, and didn't train in a cage setting whatsoever. In response to his loss, Mirko has brought in Gilbert Yvel and Remy Bonjarsky as striking coaches and Dean Lister as a BJJ expert as well as setting up an Octagon in his basement. He will no doubt be heavily prepared to fight in the Octagon and most likely have his striking at 100%.

CroCop's resume is extensive and very impressive. He has beaten Josh Barnett three different times in his career, as well as devastated Wanderlei Silva in an openweight Grand Prix, beaten Coleman, Randleman, Aleksander Emelianenko, and eventually lost to decision to the great "Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. The loss was still very impressive because Mirko's ground game shined in the matchup. He was able to fully avoid the brunt of Fedor's attack, but he did lack a crisp standup game in the fight. Fedor dominated the world renowned striker in the standup department during the 2nd and 3rd
rounds to cement the decision victory.

Mainly a kickboxer, Mirko has been training in Brazilian ju-jitsu, and his new trainer, Ivan Hippolyte, is a legendary Muay Thai champion. Could we possibly see Mirko add the knees to a clinch in the UFC? It's quite possibly he's added some big skills to his game with his already devastated standup kicks. He also has a very good boxing game. He's very quick, and moves in and out of range from his opponenet. Counter punching is his specialized way of boxing against opponents and it can be definitely seen in his fight against Wanderlei Silva in which he caught Silva with a stiff jab while Silva tried to aggressively move in on Mirko.

On the UFC 75 Countdown show, Mirko stated that in his last fight when Gonzaga knocked him out that "shit happens" and that's all he can really say about it. He looked to be training very hard in elbows, defense, and in the cage. He looks to be in better shape for this fight as well, and a bit bigger strength wise.

Cheick Kongo is 10-3 with a recent win over Assuerio Silva at UFC 70. He has been training out of the Fimeu Gym in Paris, in which in his UFC Countdown interview considers it to be one of the best gyms around. He has been training in MMA since he was 5 years old and began with Muay Thai, Kendo, and Karate. He also have some Greco-Roman wrestling training to supplement his standup game.

Kongo hasn't had many notable wins in his career. His last fight against Assuerio Silva was his most notable win and it was fairly lackluster. Kongo primarily kept the fight up, which was a good strategy, but had a few chances to rain punches down on Silva. He respected Silva's ground game and was fairly hesitant because of it. Kongo has been training at Big Bear with Bisping and Jackson, so we should most likely see some improved counter punching and striking from the French man.

PREDICTION

Mirko is coming into this bout off a devastating loss. He's most likely going to head to London, England with the mindset of showing the UFC what he worth and what he's improved on. Mirko's recent interviews and press coverage of his camp have only solidified the fact that he's serious about winning this matchup. Bringing in two premeir strikers and a world class ju-jitsu fighter who has seen the cage helps tremendously in his ground game and cage awareness. He also stated that he has been extensively working on elbows and defending against the elbows. His trainer, Ivan Hippolyte, is also a legendary Muay Thai fighter. He will be perfect practice for Crocop to get familiar with Kongo's style of fighting.

Kongo's best chance is to use his powerful striking to catch Crocop. Crocop has demonstrated numerous times that his boxing tactics are fairly crisp. He's a very quick jabber and moves in and out of range a lot. He also feasts on looping punchers. If this fight goes late and Kongo begins to gas, look for a straight punch knockout. Otherwise, I look to see Crocop win via a kick in the 1st or 2nd round

THE BREAKDOWN: MICHAEL BISPING vs MATT HAMILL

The hype surrounding this fight has grown and grown over the past few weeks in this much anticipated matchup between the TUF 3 contestants. Bisping obviously ended up winning the Ultimate Fighter. Hamill, on the other hand, was not allowed to fight after he suffered a concussion before the TUF 3 semifinals. He has stated numerous times that he thinks he would have won the Ultimate Fighter had he not been injured. This has fueled the fire between both of these competitors.

Bisping is primarily a kickboxer, but has a bit of ju-jitsu in his game along with some strong striking skills. He has won a good number of his fights via ground and pound, but hasn't been tested extensively in the Octagon. His last win was against Elvis Sinosic in which he did show some resilence in the ring. He took a heavy knee and recovered and also was able to pull away from being submitted in the 2nd round. He has a perfect 13-0 record in MMA, but did record a loss in a kickboxing match against Cyrille Diabate at one point in his career. Diabate was the man who suffered a head stomp loss to "Shogun" Rua in PRIDE at one point.

Training out of Big Bear with "Rampage" Jackson, Brandon Vera, and Cheick Kongo, look for much improved striking from Bisping. I imagine his trademark aggressive style and throwdown attitude will be seen throughout this fight.

Hamill is a completely different fighter than his counterpart. Hamill is a Division-III NCAA Wrestling Champion with some standard ground and pound abilities. His most recent victory was over Rex Holman, who was a Division-I Wrestling Champion at Ohio State. During his interview on the UFC Countdown show, Hamill said that fight was a turning point for him because it proved he could hang with wrestler with better credentials and win.

Hamill's training has been extensive in the boxing arena. He trains at his own gym in New York state and is taking full advantage of training with Kimdu Bethel, a 3x Boxing Champion,  according to Matt Hamill's website. It looks like he's stacked on the striking training to silence his critics. Hamill comes into this bout with a 3-0 record in MMA, but against very unproven opponents. It will be interesting to see how Hamill plans to counter Bisping's aggressive style along with his heavy hands.

PREDICTION

This very well could be the upset pick of the event. Hamill's wrestling ability is vastly superior to anything Bisping can offer on the ground. If Hamill can manage to get past an initial onslaught by Bisping or neutralize it with a takedown, he may be able to control the fight. Hamill has stated that during the show, he took all the training seriously and was criticized by Bisping for that. He also thinks because of that, and the fact that he manhandled Bisping in wrestling drills during the show that he will be able to takedown Bisping.

To be honest, I'm going to take a safe prediction and pick Bisping via TKO 1st or 2nd round. I will probably lay some money on the Hamill upset however because I feel he looked much stronger during his TV interview, and Bisping had flashes in the Sinosic fight where he could have lost, especially after the knee to the head. Bisping's standup may be so much improved that Hamill just won't be able to compete with it, and I'm sure "Rampage"'s camp trained him well in takedown defense. It will be a very interesting matchup to say the least, the classic ground fighter vs. standup fighter.

THE BREAKDOWN: HOUSTON ALEXANDER VS. ALESSIO SAKARA

Houston Alexander, out of Omaha, Nebraska, is coming off an upset victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 71. He showed the world that he had unbelievably heavy hands and was able to pound Jardine with punch after punch ending the bout just :48 seconds into the first round. Alexander is primarily a Muay Thai fighter with a heavy emphasis on Boxing. He also has stated in an interview with Gary Alexander of the Ultimate Podcast that he has a ground game that people will be very surprised with. Alexander just recently got back into the MMA game this year with a couple of wins in a smaller organization in March. He was on a layoff for 2 years before that but stated in an interview with UFCJunkie that he had fought over 200+ amateur MMA fights. Many call this "bullshit", but Alexander insists he fought a majority of them in Sioux City, Iowa.¹ 

Alessio Sakara comes into this bout off a win over Victor Valimaki at UFC 70 in a impressive first round knockout. Alessio is primarily a Brazilian ju-jitsu/Boxing fighter from Brazil. He also holds an amateur boxing record of 6-1, mainly fighting in Italy and Brazil.² Sakara comes into this bout looking to prove that Alexander is a fluke, but this matchup is proving to have the makings of a slugfest. Sakara is very good inside, scoring many heavy uppercuts against opponents. He has a good takedown defense and is great a dodging punches.

PREDICTION

This fight is definitely a decent test for Alexander. It isn't a step up in competition however. It really looks like the media hype over Alexander in his last fight has caused the UFC to be tentative in matchmaking Alexander. He should be tested though. Sakara has heavy hands, and some ground game to boot. Look for this fight to be a standup war, but Sakara may be able to really push the pace with his excellent boxing skills. This is another bout that may have the makings to be an upset. Alexander is favored to win slightly, but I believe Sakara's superior boxing skills and heavy inside presence may be able to lift him to the victory. I'd pick Alexander based on his power and extensive boxing experience, but you may want to make a play on Sakara to win. I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Sakara for the upset in the 1st round...

UPDATE: Sakara did an interview saying he was going to come out and just try to outbox Houston Alexander, so I'm picking Alexander via KO in the 1st round.

UNDERCARD BRIEFS

Paul Taylor vs. Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis

Marcus Davis is quite the mystery. He compiled a 17-1 boxing record in the New England circuit before suffering a huge knockout loss that literally caused him to quit boxing. He then became excited for the new challenge that MMA presented and here we are now with Marcus sporting a 11-3 record with 4 fights under his belt in the UFC. Marcus sports impressive boxing skills and knockout abilities along with an 8 fight win streak leading into the fight with Paul Taylor. Taylor will be coming in with an 8-1 record and fighting on his home soil in England. He hasn't fought any huge names in MMA, but has fought recently some fighters with fairly decent records, a step up from the fighters he was going up against early. Taylor looks to have some power and ground skills, but he is definitely a fighter that looks to stand and fight. Davis has much more superior boxing. When you are considered one of the top boxers in the U.S. and on the verge of breaking into the big time like Davis once was, it's very hard to pick Taylor winning a standup fight. Davis via TKO/KO in the 1st.

Gleison Tibau vs. Terry Etim

Both of these guys have very good ju-jitsu backgrounds, but Etim is coming into this fight undefeated with 10 wins, 9 by submission. Etim also has only went into the second round 3 times in the 10 fights, winning most of his fights via submission in the first round. Tibau is fighting out of American Top Team, and is very versed in submissions as well. He does like to throw the leather though, and this makes me believe he is more of the complete fighter in this matchup. Etim hasn't fought very good competition, and wasn't that impressive in his last victory. Look for Tibau to finally show his skills on the ground in this fight. Tibau via submission in the 2nd.

Tomasz Drwal vs. Thiago Silva

Both fighters in this matchup have impressive records, but haven't fought really any top notch competition. Silva has just come off a win over James Irvin. Silva has some impressive standup skills and just like any fighter out of Chute Box, has great kicking ability with knockout power. Drwal also has impressive knockout ability, but did that against a lot of guys who've been knocked out a lot. Look for Silva's superior Muay Thai fighting and black belt in ju-jitsu to shine in this bout. If Drwal's standup actually stuns Silva, this fight can be won on the ground by Silva. Drwal has a puncher's chance in this bout with his knockout power though and may be worth laying a small bet on. I'm actually going to take Silva by submission instead of KO because I think he will try to avoid Drwal's standup. I watched a few of Drwal's fights and he won those via KO, but they were somewhat unimpressive in that the competition he fought was simply bad at defending themselves.

Naoyuki Kotani vs. Dennis Siver

Kotani is primarly a submission fighter with an impressive 13 submissions out of his 17 wins. He was able to take Tavarez the distance in his last bout in which he lost. It does prove that his escape techniques and style were able to fend off an excellent ju-jitsu fighter. Siver is also a submission fighter with some knockout power. His last bout was very unimpressive losing to Jess Liaudin via submission in the first round. Look for this fight to hit the ground quick, and for Kotani to win via submission in the 1st round. Siver seems to have a weakness against superior submission specialists, and Kotani has had some very good experience in the past against guys like Aurelio.

Anthony Torres vs. Jess Liaudin

Anthony Torres was a contestant on Ultimate Fighter 2, losing to Luke Cummo early in the show, but has since won his UFC debut over Pat Healy via submission by rear naked choke. Jess is coming into this fight with a 11-8 record, hardly impressive, but he is on a 4 fight win streak. Jess has some impressive ju-jitsu skills that don't compliment his record. Jess has also looked in much better shape in his current four fight streak than he has in previous fights. With that said, I think Liaudin comes in takes this via submission in the 2nd round.

Most writeups sourced Wikipedia.org for data, and various Google searches turned up videos on each fighter, Sherdog.com for fight records.