After this past week's fireworks-filled "UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson," the remainder of the week was fairly quiet.
But while MMA observers wait for tonight's "WEC 39: Brown vs. Garcia" to see if the current champ can earn his first defense or the explosive challenger can wrestle the belt away, there are many more topics to consider in the world of MMA.
Tim Sylvia's upcoming boxing match, the UFC's 205-pound division, Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and the reality of a "lucky punch" were just a few of the topics discussed by MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) readers in our latest installment of "The Sunday Junkie."
Check out all the submissions below, and to learn how to submit to next week's edition of our reader-feedback feature, scroll to the bottom of the page.
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SYLVIA VS. MERCER COULD SIGNAL THE END FOR "THE MAINE-IAC"
Tim Sylvia will soon step into the (boxing) ring as he faces former WBO world champion Ray Mercer in what is sure to be a disastrous career move. Sylvia will go toe-to-toe with a man that has over two decades of experience in boxing. And though it's unlikely the over-the-hill Mercer will ever again fight for a title, it's important to note that his seven losses have come to the likes of Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Shannon Briggs and Wladimir Klitschko. Mercer should have very little trouble fending off a sloppy and awkward Sylvia, who has zero pro boxing experience. Is Sylvia's manager Monte Cox looking after his client's best interest? Or is he looking to squeeze out what profit he still can while the blood still runs through Sylvia's veins? Boxing fans will laugh and MMA fans will cringe as we see a giant nail be driven in the coffin of Sylvia's career.
"kam300"
Canada
CAN "THE DRAGON" WITHSTAND A "RAMPAGE"?
Lyoto Machida is an amazing fighter. I've stuck up for him frequently in the "boring-or-impressive" debate, and he continues to win every time he steps in the cage. However, 51 percent of respondents in the recent "Inside MMA"/MMAjunkie.com poll thought Machida would hold the UFC light-heavyweight belt this time next year. That's pretty high with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the picture, whose only (UFC) loss was a controversial split decision. Although it's not crazy to think Machida could be the champ next year, Jackson is a better wrestler and is patient during a fight. Getting sucked in by his counter-attacks, patient is something Machida's opponents haven't been. Look at Jackson's win against Liddell. He was patient and barely threw anything; it was pretty boring until the knockout. Sure it would be a boring fight with both Jackson and Machida looking to counter, but that may be how you have to fight "The Dragon."
Michael Harmon "Godannar Junkie"
Davis, Calif.
FOR CHASE BEEBE, WAS THERE MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE FOR UWC MISHAP?
This past week Chase Beebe was scheduled to fight Mike Easton for the vacant UWC bantamweight title at Ultimate Warrior Challenge's "Man 'O' War" event. But Beebe failed to show up for the weigh-ins the day before. According to his camp, he suffered a knee injury that hampered his ability to cut weight. His camp informed the promoters about the trouble cutting weight two days before the weigh-ins. But then he didn't even show up for the weigh-ins. I personally think the reason he didn't make the cut was because he wasn't going to cut for that fight. He was cutting the weight for the DREAM grand prix, which takes place March 8, two weeks after the UWC event. A knee injury that the UWC couldn't verify kept Beebe out of the fight, but will likely be OK in time for his fight at DREAM 7. Just seems really fishy to me.
Simon "Castellammarese" Stevenson
Widnes, England, U.K.
MUCH ON THE LINE FOR LESNAR VS. MIR II
There is a lot more at stake than just a belt in the upcoming rematch between current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim champ Frank Mir. Coming off of a dominating performance against the veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a fight that shocked most of the MMA world, Mir now has a chance to truly validate his resurrection as 'The' premier fighter in the heavyweight division. A second win over Lesnar for Frank Mir diminishes all the talk of a first fight "fluke" and silences the growing Lesnar bandwagon. On the other hand, if Lesnar defeats Mir -- especially in dominating fashion -- we would truly have a seemingly unstoppable beast on our hands. Lesnar is massive, he is agile, and he has a work ethic that is second-to-none. A win over Mir solidifies an undisputed champion that will have contenders pondering, "How do we derail this train?"
"MMAffliction"
Lexington, Ky.
WILL THE UFC'S FUTURE STARS SHINE AS BRIGHT?
These past few years in the MMA world seem to have gone by far too quickly, as we have witnessed the rise and fall of the UFC's biggest superstars such as Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, and debatably Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The one consistent factor being that time that is against every competitor in their small window of opportunity in the sport. Fans abroad are rooting for the overiaged, once-deemed-undefeatable icon, but eventually a new champion must not just be crowned, but also built up over years of exposure. When will be the next time we will see the abilities of Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre replicated? The UFC needs to continually fulfill this responsibility to the fans. In the meantime, people should appreciate the talent in the current day in age. Because after all, who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Kyle Urquhart
Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
UFC's LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT BELT NOT STAYING PUT FOR LONG
The most talent-rich division in the UFC is arguably the light-heavyweight class. The division is a true shark tank full of high-caliber talent. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, Lyoto Machida, Keith Jardine, Jon Jones -- the list of great contenders goes on and on. Now that Rashad Evans is champion, he will be thrown in with the best fighters that the 205-pound division has to offer. The light-heavyweight belt has been held by four different people in the last 19 months. If history has taught us a lesson, it's that Rashad Evans won't hold on to his title that much longer. The list of talent is far too long, and there are many more young, rising stars. Expect to see the light-heavyweight championship belt to be on a lot of different waists for many years to come.
Andrew "vice" Walters
Coral Springs, Fla.
THE LUCKY PUNCH: MORE FICTION THAN FACT
There's an excuse I keep hearing called the lucky punch. It's something people say when their pick loses the fight. He stunned him with a "lucky punch," he knocked him out with a "lucky punch." Do these people actually think the punch wasn't intended to hurt? Do you think maybe they didn't practice striking in the months leading up to the fight? The whole concept makes no sense. A week ago Josh Koscheck fought Paulo Thiago. During the fight Thiago's striking looked very sloppy and made Koscheck look like a striking powerhouse, landing some very big shots. Then Koscheck got knocked out. There are countless other examples (Faber vs. Brown, Serra vs. St. Pierre, etc.). The point is just because someone is considered a better striker then their opponent doesn't mean they're not vulnerable to getting hit. There are no lucky punches, just opportunities to land a great shot.
"Regulator"
Toronto, Canada
UFC SPOKESMAN
As a huge mixed martial arts and MMAjunkie.com fan I notice that many people have a problem with UFC President Dana White. Now this is nothing new, however I am here to throw out a new idea. What about appointing someone UFC spokesman? Most companies have a spokesperson already, and as the UFC continues to grow I see no need for White to continue to do radio interviews and countdown shows. I suggest that White completely takes himself out of the spotlight -- no press conferences, no video blogs, nothing. In his place I suggest the UFC hires Bas Rutten or Randy Couture to be the official spokesman of the company. Either one of these gentleman would make a fine choice as they have represented our sport well for years now. I think the UFC would benefit by letting White focus on his job as president and letting the spokesman, fighters and announcers sell the product.
"bigdmmafan"
Denver, Colo.
MAIA'S GREATEST STRENGTH WILL BE HIS DOWNFALL
The fact that Demian Maia has the strongest ground game in the UFC's 185-pound division is beyond debate at this point. However, he has yet to face truly elite competition (Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, etc.). When he does, it is likely that his reliance on his ground game will be his downfall. Maia was the lesser striker in his fight with Chael Sonnen, who nonetheless succumbed to Maia's superior submission skills. However, it won't be that easy when Maia takes his next step up in competition. A superior striker with elite takedown defense (i.e. Marquardt) should be able to nullify Maia's greatest strength and turn the fight into a stand-up war, where Maia's inexperience will be a huge liability. Maia needs to work on the weaker aspects of his game if he wants to be well-rounded enough to succeed at the sport's highest level.
Mike Burten
New York, N.Y.
THE REAL REASON WHY YUSHIN OKAMI CONTINUES TO BE PASSED OVER
The Yushin Okami love is getting old. It is not surprising that the UFC is not giving him a shot against "The Spider." Okami holds a notable winning streak with three-straight wins in the UFC while amassing a 9-1 total record in the organization. The only loss in his current run is Rich Franklin. But not only did Okami not beat Franklin, he has shown no notable improvement in any department since the loss. People want to see Andeson Silva avenge his 2006 disqualification loss, but even he has not been interested in facing Okami. While known for his standup, Okami could not beat Franklin (who Silva has destroyed twice). There is no reason to give Okami a shot when there are many people who have shown incredible games that play to Silva's weakness (his ground game and wrestling). Give Silva someone who will give his name more exposure. Okami is not at his level yet.
"Mulletbum"
Wayland, Mich.
DAN HARDY READY TO MOVE UP A CLASS
After seeing Dan Hardy's performance against Rory Markham at UFC 95, I was very impressed with his fight plan. He basically knocked out Markham cold, and it was fun to watch. I like Markham, but also I like seeing knockouts in MMA. When Hardy landed those devastating strikes, it immediately became time for him to fight some legitimate contenders in the UFC. Anthony Johnson should be the first person on the list. Having those two bang it out for a top-10 spot in the 170-pound division would make logical sense. I would not put Hardy against elite-level fighters like Jon Fitch, Karo Parisyan or Josh Koscheck, but after seeing Koscheck lose at UFC 95 anything is possible. So Joe Silva lets see "The Outlaw" fight some future contenders and we all will see how good he can really be.
Carl Jalsevac
Ontario, Canada
CARLOS CONDIT COMING TO THE BIG SHOW
On April 1, live from Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., "The Natural Born Killer" makes his much-anticipated UFC debut on Spike TV at "UFC Fight Night 18: Condit vs. Kampmann.The welterweight division is a very strong deep for the UFC with the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and others. Even with Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez moving down to 155 pounds, this division is still stacked. Don't forget the No. 1 contender Thiago Alves, who will get his shot at St. Pierre's belt at UFC 100 later this year. But now added to that mix is Condit, who brings to the UFC an eight-fight winning streak dating back to July 2006. So my question to MMA fans around the world? Can Condit make an impact on this already-seep division and shake things up a bit?
Wayne Park
Sterling Heights, Mich.
