Ultimate Fighting Championship

The State of Competition in Divisions with Dominant Champions

Every once in a while such a dominant champion comes around that everyone else in the division just looks childish. I should amend that statement, because it seems pretty common. With Ronda Rousey, Renan Barao, Jose Aldo, George St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones all experiencing very little adversity in their respective careers, one might think the dominant champion is a theme that will always dominates the MMA landscape. All of the aforementioned fighters have, with very few exceptions, convincingly defeated all comers for a long time in their respective divisions, which gives an impression of “another level.” This is a coveted position, one defined by being leagues ahead of your potential and actual opponents. This perception in turn leads me to my subject of choice: the level of competition among the rest of the field.

In particular, I’d like to discuss the light heavyweight division, which is full of yesterday’s standouts and a few up and comers. Whereas a champ like Jose Aldo has a tendency to fade in the latter rounds of a championship fight, and George St. Pierre has to rely on his wrestling to grind out increasingly boring decisions, Jon Jones has made every single one of his opponents look bad. Even the one loss on his record comes from illegal elbows brutalizing Matt Hamill. No other fighter has been as consistently dominant as Jones to date. Even Anderson Silva ran into some major adversity in his bout with Chael Sonnen.

The top end of the light heavyweight division is filled with superstars: Shogun, Machida, Evans, Jackson, Henderson, and to a lesser extent (yet of near equivalent notoriety), Sonnen, Gustafsson, Mousasi, Griffin, Texeira, and Davis. Jonny Bones has either already handily dispatched, or is likely to handily dispatch, all of these names in short order. He holds convincing victories over the first four on that list, as well as a few others of lesser standing (but still notable in their own way). Names such as Ryan Bader, Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hamill, and Vladimir Matyushenko. His ascendency has been nothing short of miraculous, as he’s not only dominated, but in most cases dominantly finished these opponents, who by all rights aren’t exactly pushovers.

To what do we owe this tyrannically unstoppable reign of fiery death amongst 205 pounders? Obviously there’s the matter of Jones’ unbridled athleticism and uniquely suited physique. At 6’4 with an 84″ reach, it’s hard to debate that the length and effective use of range isn’t a major part of Jones’ success. Not only that, but he also possesses immense physical strength for such a lanky frame. He easily controls high level wrestlers on the ground and against the cage, a la Bader, Hamill, and Matyushenko. This tranquil, almost lackadaisical, regulation of the grappling game showcases that “next level” strength and athleticism which no one has yet been able to capably counter. That’s why it’ll be very interesting to see how he fares against Chael Sonnen, who is undoubtedly the most accomplished and aggressive grappler Jones will have faced to date.

I fully expect him to dominate that match as well, but I think it will be very exciting to see how he will stuff the American Gangster’s takedowns, and if he can’t, how he’ll create scrambles to avoid being smothered.

The only spots of trouble Jones has been involved in thus far in his career, are against Lyoto Machida in the first round of their outing, and in a near submission against Vitor Belfort. These two crafty Brazilian veterans are the only ones who’ve been able to even present the idea of adversity to Jones; which leads me to an important point: Jones is younger than all of his competition. Jones is arguably still peaking in his physical and technical prowess. At the still-ripening age of 25 years, he hasn’t stopped growing yet, hasn’t finished polishing his striking, and his grappling/submission games will likely improve as well. His opposition on the other hand, is largely on the downslope of their respective careers.

Let’s examine some of the past and present top light heavies who either had or will have legitimate shots at the belt, shall we?

I refuse to talk about Rashad Evans until he redeems himself for the Nogeira fiasco.

So who’s left? Where is a legitimate challenger? Davis and Gustafsson are on the horizon, but everything they do well, is something that Jones does demonstrably better. Not only that, but he’s younger than both of them. They both would need to train in some kind of anime time compression chamber to reach Jones in just one of the many aspects that he outpaces them in. And even if you do give them a year’s worth of high intensity training at 10x Earth’s gravity, they’re still going to have shorter reaches.

The point I’m trying to make here is that even though Jones is truly the best light heavyweight in the world, considering the fact that all of his most credible opponents are in their decline, this may not be as impressive as it sounds. Of the new breed, Jones is certainly a stand out, but I wonder how he’d do against these guys in their primes, Shogun especially. If the Shogun that stomped the Pride Grand Prix back in 05 ever made it to the UFC…well, it’s always fun to play with hypotheticals.

I’m not questioning the caliber of these athletes. They are most assuredly the best of their time period, but that period is rapidly ending, and field is becoming rather narrow in both light heavyweight and middleweight. But the dominance of both Jon Jones and Anderson Silva begs the question – what kind of competition are they really up against? With Silva having consistently and convincingly cleared the field at middleweight with his superior striking and cage control, combined with the fact that so many of the recent middleweight contenders keep coming off of fluky performances, it makes it seem like the level of competition simply isn’t as high as in the lower weights.

GSP has been dominant at welterweight for a while, but with how close he was to going out against Condit, and the extremely impressive performances that the top ten in that weight class have been putting out, there’s a very real sense of uncertainty to his continued supremacy. Welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight all shape up to be a gang of ravenous wolves at the top. Every one of the top 10 in these weight classes seem like they have a decent shot of putting together a successful title contention, and the top 5 in each look as if they could actually capture gold.

Rory McDonald, Chan Sung Jung, Ricardo Lamas, Johnny Hendricks, Carlos Condit, Gray Maynard, Gilbert Melendez, Frankie Edgar, Anthony F*****G Pettis. Which of these names doesn’t seem like they couldn’t potentially be champion? It’s a shark tank down in these weights, where one mistake means the champ turns to chum in a hurry.

From middleweight up, there is a much clearer pecking order. In middleweight itself, I see that as especially being the case, and at light heavyweight, I expect that scenario to become much clearer as the aging fighters continue to decline, while the up and comers continue to be three steps behind Jon Jones. Until he pops up to heavyweight (hopefully putting on some weight below his waist in the process, I’d hate to see his legs snap into pieces against a leg kick with 240+ lbs. behind it), don’t expect Jones to face anything but less-than-sincere threats to his throne.

UFC Fan Expo Returns to Vegas July 5 and 6

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® EPISODE 11 RESULTS

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® EPISODE 10 RESULTS

Statement from Alex Caceres regarding his positive drug test and suspension

Interesting Ultimate Fighter 18 Twist: Co-ed Housemates

Ronda Rousey is quickly ushering in a new era in MMA history. The former Olympic Judo medalist has been unstoppable thus far; amassing a perfect record of 7 fights, all ending in the first round via armbar submission, and none with much adversity. She recently became the first women’s UFC champion, as well as one of two of the first women to ever compete inside the octagon. Now in an attempt to further the exposure of women’s MMA, along with the winner of Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano this coming April 13th, Rousey has also been named a coach for the next season of the Ultimate Fighter, which will feature the first ever co-ed class of applicants to the school of hard knock(er)s.

This intriguing new dynamic will add an interesting estrogen-ous flavor to the traditionally testosterone ridden UFC mansion. And one can’t help but wonder how this will affect the behavior of the often juvenile male portion of housemates. Will the traditional uncomfortably drunken arguments between cast members be tempered by the presence of women? Could having some nearby femininity somehow appeal to the masculine sense of chivalry? Perhaps the pranking on season 18 will include an “Animal House” style panty-raid.

With male and female bantamweight contestants cohabitating for the duration of the competition, it should be expected that a new and more complex picture of these fighters as human beings will emerge. Much of the attitude and behavior of the ultimate fighter casts in years past has been shaped by isolation. Fighters separated from their families and support systems have only themselves and their competition to relate with. However, with women in the picture these fighters will for the first time have direct human contact with people they can look to as something other than competition. Rivalry extends deep in this show, with even teammates eventually pitted against each other for the grand prize. With members of the opposite sex in close proximity to one another, the collective psychology of the fighter’s is bound to make a drastic change.

And of course, this opens up an avenue to romance that wasn’t really present before. With amazingly beautiful superstars like Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, or even Gina Corano at the top of the WMMA heap, the idea of a mish mash of well-conditioned and attractive male/female roommates becomes quite tantalizing. A fact I’m certain isn’t lost on the executives at Fox. Furthermore, the idea of such a group living and working together for months at a time being completely devoid of sexual tension is somewhat far-fetched.

With UFC President Dana White’s recent proclamation that every single thing that happens in the house will be “caught on camera,” the imaginations of the voyeuristic must be going wild. Add this to the recently improved production value of the show brought on by the collaboration with Fox, and a very interesting outline of sports entertainment begins to emerge.

The best case scenario: the actions and interactions of male and female fighters begin to breakdown stereotypes and gender expectations. We begin to see these men and women simply as people at the height of physical perfection looking to perfect their art and strengthen their minds and bodies.

The worst case scenario: the show descends into a more violent version of big brother.

We still get to see fights regardless, so I’ll tune in. It might be fascinatingly flirtatious or disgustingly disastrous, only time will tell. Either way, I expect to see a healthy ratings boost for the UFC’s signature flagship programming.

The Ultimate Fighter 17 Episode Nine Results

TUF 18 Tryouts to Welcome Men and Women

Diaz crashes press conference, asks for rematch, calls out Anderson Silva

No…really.

Just when you thought the insanity ended with his definitive loss to the Welterweight Champion (which should have closed the chapter on this drawn out saga when St Pierre’s hand was raised at the end of 5 rounds) – that’s not what went down.

Oh, where to begin. Just over 30 minutes after “retiring” from MMA in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Nick Diaz stumbled into the UFC 158 Post-Fight Press Conference and rambled about everything from not getting the proper training camp for the fight, to his ability to beat GSP and perhaps even Anderson Silva.

Moments after he sat down, Diaz told St Pierre to his face: “I’d like a rematch, I think I can beat you.” Here’s a question for Nick that no one had the guts to ask: if you can beat him, why didn’t you? But there’s no sense in trying to apply logic to the words and actions of the MMA veteran who is known for his antics outside of the cage, as much as he is for his abilities in the cage.

Besides, even though less than an hour had passed since he received a beating from GSP, the novelty of their feud had already worn out by the second round of their lackluster fight. Though it was not the beating that the champ had promised to deliver, it was nonetheless another masterful performance by one of the best athletes in the history of MMA. St Pierre used effective in-and-out striking and takedowns to dominate Diaz.

With his 8th straight title defense, the road doesn’t get any easier for the champ, who will now face off against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Hendricks earned the title shot with his impressive victory over Carlos Condit marking his 6th straight win in the ultra-stacked UFC Welterweight Division.

As for Diaz, who knows what will become of him. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the drug test results come back. Whether he stays or goes, it’s doubtful that he’ll be able to talk himself into a match with the number one pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva. Then again, if he does get to fight Silva, surely he will receive the beating that GSP promised him.

Johny Hendricks to face GSP in a title match

After his Fight of the Night victory over Carlos Condit at UFC 158’s Co-Main Event, heavy-handed wrestler Johny Hendricks will finally get the title shot he’s begged for in his last several-post fight interviews.

Johny’s done a heck of a lot more than beg for it though. Currently riding a 6 fight win-streak which includes a pair of first round knockouts over both Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann, he knows he deserves a shot at the champion, and he’s not afraid to say so.

In the most exciting fight on the card, perhaps the most exciting we’ve seen from either Condit or Hendricks, Dana White was so impressed he immediately granted Hendricks a title shot.

“I’m just excited. I finally got the top and I finally get to fight (St. Pierre)” Hendricks told the press at UFC 158’s post-fight press conference. “I want to finish GSP, I have better wrestling and I hit harder, that’s a proven fact.”

Hit hard he does. In a match which saw neither fighter willing to play it safe, Hendricks tested Condit’s chin time and again with his heavy handed attack. But it was Johny’s left hand which gave out first, and he may have broken it in the fight.

When asked if he thought the injury would affect his preparation for the fight with the champ: “Not at all. I feel great, and I can’t wait to get home and start training. I’ll hopefully take Monday off and get back into the gym on Tuesday.”

No date has been targeted for the match as of yet; however Dana White did state his intentions to host the fight in Las Vegas.

Ronda Rousey To Coach The Ultimate Fighter 18 Opposite Tate/Zingano Winner

HISTORY WILL BE MADE ON SEASON 18 OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®, AS WOMEN MAKE THEIR DEBUT IN THE REALITY SERIES

Male and female bantamweights (135lbs) are invited to try-out for season 18 on April 15

In a move set to make history, The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) announced Saturday evening that it will feature women as coaches on the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter®, its long-running reality series. Newly minted UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, will coach opposite the winner, and eventual title contender, of a fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano set for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on April 13 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Earlier this year, the UFC announced Rousey as the first-ever female fighter signed to the organization. She cemented her position as UFC champion and baddest woman on the planet with an impressive win against Liz Carmouche at UFC® 157 in Anaheim, Calif.

On April 13, former Strikeforce bantamweight women’s champion Miesha Tate will square-off against highly touted, undefeated contender Cat Zingano in the second women’s bout in UFC history. The winner will ultimately join Rousey as coach to the newest class of bantamweights – living and training together – vying for the title of The Ultimate Fighter and a six–figure contract with the UFC.

Tryouts for season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter will take place on Monday, April 15 in Las Vegas, Nev. All TUF™ 18 candidates must be at least 21 years old, have the legal ability to live & work in the United States, and have a minimum of three professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights – holding a winning record (with verifiable records).

Tryout details will be released on Monday, March 18. TUF 18 is expected to debut in the fall of 2013.

Meanwhile, tickets for season 17’s The Ultimate Fighter® Finale are on-sale now. To purchase tickets to the April 13th event at Mandalay Bay Events Center, or for more information, visit the Mandalay Bay Events Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com, or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Catch all new episodes of this season of The Ultimate Fighter 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

Reranking the 170s in the aftermath of UFC 15welterw8

UFC 158 was quite Welterweight heavy, with the final 3 bouts of the night featuring 5 of the top 7 ranked UFC guys in the division. The fights went more or less exactly how I expected them to (they usually do on Saturdays), so you’ll definitely want to just accept everything I say as gospel. If I’m ever wrong about something, I’ll let you know.

• 1.) Georges ” Rush” St Pierre
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The Hall of Famer-to-be and Greatest Welterweight in the History of Weltering Weights, Georges St Pierre did against Nick Diaz what he has been doing for 6 years now – whatever the hell he wanted to.

Diaz appeared to let GSP take him down early, perhaps believing that he would be able to control the ground through his unorthodox scrambles and guard game, but quickly found himself suffocated by GSP, who is better at keeping his weight on top of his opponent than anyone I’ve ever seen. And when GSP had a moment, GSP struck with elbows, punches and knees.

Once Diaz WAS able to start stuffing the takedowns, a very rare feat against Rush, GSP was able to get his jab through at will…Diaz did some damage on the feet, and was the better striker on the feet, but GSP’s jab was enough to prevent any kind of Stockton momentum, and allowed him in time to get his ground game going again.

For half the fight they boxed, and for half the fight they grappled – and GSP looked incredible at both. Nick Diaz has always said (and has always been correct) that the only way to beat him is to either run away from him, or hold on for dear life. That changed last night. GSP fought Diaz, and he clearly beat Diaz. If there was any doubt of that whatsoever, it should have been erased when Diaz immediately raised GSP’s hand at the conclusion of the bout.

There’s really no argument here. GSP is #1, sans discussion or debate, until someone at least gives him a real challenge.

• 2.) Johny Hendricks
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This selection also doesn’t leave a whole hell of a lot of room for debate. Hendricks has the wrestling, he has the one-punch nuclear bomb, he has the record, and he has the victims. All that’s left now is to face off against the greatest the division has ever seen.

Against Condit, Hendricks rarely really had anything approaching “technique” standing, reloading and throwing that vicious left over and over and over. Several got through, and Condit should get all the respect in the world for standing in there, because they were absolute jackhammers. What Condit couldn’t stop, though he was never really seriously damaged by it, was the takedown (and Suh-LAAAAM). The total game of Hendricks, as contrasted against Condit, an experienced veteran and champ who does everything well, really made a statement.

This is your top UFC Welterweight contender. No doubt.

• 3.) Carlos Condit
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I actually still wanted to put Diaz here again, but it’s just not supportable. Condit had an absolute knock-down (literally) drag-out (literally) war (figuratively, bordering at moments on the literal) with the best one-punch finisher in the game, who happens to also be a highly accomplished, elite amateur wrestler. Condit was strong throughout the fight, and was able to recover from being rocked more times in 15 minutes than the Whiskey A-Go-Go has in the last 50 years.

Condit had no answer for the takedowns of Hendricks, and I thought Nick clearly beat him in their fight, but I think he provides a better match-up for GSP than Hendricks or Diaz. Hendricks seems to me to be a rough-hewn GSP on Bear DNA, while Carlos is just a killer (natural born even) with a sick set of strikes and subs, and all the heart and toughness you need from any good fighter or raging musk ox. He’s not the wrestler that Hendricks is, and he isn’t the boxer that Diaz is, but as a FIGHTER, there is little left to be said about Carlos Condit that hasn’t already been said by his work in a cage.

• 4.) Rory MacDonald
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  UFC

I like this kid A LOT. Big body, big power, total all-around game, Canadian, and only 23 years of age, MacDonald has been referred to more than once as the next generation’s GSP. He is a figurehead for that new generation, whose style isn’t “wrestling” or “boxing” or “jiu-jitsu”, but only “mixed martial arts”.

MacDonald has been red-hot in the almost 3 years since his only professional loss as a fighter (to Carlos Condit in the Fight of the Night for UFC 115), defeating Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle, Che Mills, and BJ Penn in succession. He hasn’t had any easy outs in the UFC, but has earned a 5-1 record in the world’s largest promotion. Combined with his 9-0 pre-UFC record, MacDonald is now 14-1, and on the short list for title contention.

MacDonald was supposed to rematch Condit at last night’s show, but pulled out with an injury. It will be interesting to see if his next fight is a title eliminator, or just another elite showdown at the top of the class.

• 5.) Nick Diaz
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I know, I know…he supposedly retired again last night, he “lost” to Condit, and GSP dominated him.

Nick Diaz is still one of the top welterweights on Earth. While he was dominated by GSP, joining the club known as “I Fought GSP”, he DID stuff the GSP takedown on several occasions after the 2nd, and he DID do some damage to the champ. As noted before, there are 3 ways to beat Nick Diaz – run away from him, hold onto him, and being Georges St Pierre. Beyond that, you’re still talking about a Cesar Gracie black belt, and what even the champ acknowledges is the best boxer in the entire sport.

There is, no doubt, a lot of schadenfreude following his domination last night, but what GSP did to Diaz doesn’t close the gap between all of the other 170s on Earth and the Stockton bad boy. He may be socially angkward, and he may not have a UFC title to his credit, but Nick Diaz is probably ranked a little low even at #5.

• 6.) Jake Ellenberger
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• 7.) Ben Askren
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• 8.) Demian Maia
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• 9.) Tarec Saffiedine
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  Strikeforce (Signed to UFC)
• 10.) Robbie Lawler
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= Champion (duh)

Live Blog for UFC 158: St Pierre vs Diaz

And we are live with UFC 158: St Pierre vs Diaz. Feel free to comment on the fights below.

Say, if you’ve had laproscopic surgery in the last week, raise your hand. I bet if you raised your hand, you farted. Got my gall bladder out Tuesday, and it’s like Saddam on the Kurds every time my torso or limbs move more than 4 inches at one time.

I say that to say this – what that story is, this card should be the polar opposite. I say this before almost every show, but I so mean it this time – this is a fantastic set of fights.

Ricci for the win off the bat. 1-0, here I come.

By the way, if you have Cox cable, as I do, I hope you’re enjoying the porn pay-per-view menu on all UFC 158 channels.

Round 1

Ricci throwing early, tries a head kick, Fletcher mostly countering with kicks.

A lot of feeling out for the first 90 seconds. Ricci lands a nice body kick. A lot of exchanges, but not much effect.

Fletcher has good timing and length, and it seems to be starting to balance Ricci’s speed.

This card has featured more spinning strikes than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s like ballet, but with blood and Bruce Buffer. Rubber baby bumper something something.

Canadians love to boo fights. This hasn’t been particularly entertaining so far…nut shot! Now we’re cooking with nads. Break.

Ricci recovers from the nut shot, and promptly lands a left hook.

Fletcher keeps spinning. Reminds me of this dude that used to hang out at the redneck bar I frequented in Frederick, Maryland.

Round ends with everyone saying “eh”.

I have it 10-9 Ricci after 1

Wee.

Round 2

Ricci lands a head kick, and then follows with the takedown. He’s in Fletcher’s guard against the fence. He passes, and is trying to punish Fletch.

Ricci transitions to back, and then drags him down from the side. Fletcher finally wall walks his way up, but he got busted up some.

Ricci holding Fletcher to the cage with underhooks, and Fletch is leakin.

They break, and exchange somewhat at full range.

Ricci is definitely crisper on the feet now.

Fletcher doing a lot of work with the low kicks, but not sure how much effect they’re having in this fight. The first round had the warming uncertainty of total inaction, but this one is Ricci’s.

I have it 10-9 20-18 Ricci after 2

Round 3

There’s ice on the mats. Why are people so worried about immigrants from the south, when Canada is sitting up there unchecked?

After a breif exchange, Ricci has Fletcher to the cage. Fletcher switches it with underhooks, and gets put right back. One mo gain, and Ricci lands some shots as they break. Body kick lands for Ricci. And a left. Fletcher is running low on time, halfway through the third.

After this fight, Fletcher will need some spin doctors. It would be a lot funnier if you were here. And drunk. And not terribly intelligent.

Ricci drags him back to the cage.

And then drags him down. And then gets on top of half-guard, and starts reigning down shots after a few.

Ricci gets to his back in a scramble, and has hooks in. He’s mostly attacking with short punches early. Ricci switches to armbar immediately after Rogan tells him to, and Fletcher gets to top and lands punches as the fight ends.

I have it 10-9 30-27 Ricci after 3

• After 3, the judges score it 30-27 30-27 30-27 for the winner, Mike Ricci defeats Colin Fletcher by Unanimous Decision

Nick Ring, right?

Round 1

Yeah, Nick Ring. 2-0, I’m on my way.

Ring opens with leg kicks. Both guys bouncing around out there. Camozzi landing hooks, Ring landing leg kicks. And so it goes.

Ring has his hands on his hips. Almost baiting Camozzi, and Camozzi makes him pay with a big left that sends Ring into a backpedal.

Camozzi has really found his range, and he’s hurting Ring a little.

Ring with the front kick to the body. Nick just rocking leg kicks with his hands down. And Camozzi hits him again. Empiricism.

Camozzi lands a fe shots rushing in. Ring probably ha smore total strikes, but this seems to be trending Camozzi’s way with a minute to go.

Camozzi with two good leg kicks. They clinch up a bit, Ring throws a knee, they break. Round ends. End message.

I have it 10-9 Camozzi after 1

Round 2

And my computer shuts down as the second round begins. Awesome.

Pretty even trading for the first 2 and a half minutes of the round, which is what you just missed.

They’re definitely throwing. Ring much cleaner standing this round. Working his jab.

Ring getting two-for-one on the exchanges, Camozzi needs to switch things up. He’s becoming stationary for everything Ring is trying, and Camozzi is now also leaking. Fah-rum the nose.

Camozzi trying to throw big, but Ring has him totally spaced where he wants him.

I have it 10-9 Ring 19-19 after 2

Round 3

Camozzi seemed irrationally confident between rounds. For once, a fighter’s corner was straight, and told him this was a close fight.

Mo leg kicks fo Ring. Over and over.

Jabs and leg kicks, get you some. Camozzi is game, but he’s having trouble getting close. He lands a left, and then another. I like him pressing forward. He clinches Ring up, and is controlling his back. He takes Ring to the cage, and they quickly break.

Camozzi starting to land some big shots. Lands a left. And another.

Ring tries for a single. He didn’t try hard. Master Yoda would be sooo pissed, ya’ll.

They are straight trading with 30 to go, but it’s a lot slower than earlier. Camozzi with another left. Camozzi misses with aflying knee as time expires.

I have it 10-9 29-28 Camozzi after 3

• The judges score it 29-28 28-29 29-28 for the winner, Chris Camozzi defeats Nick Ring by Split Decision

Nate. The. Great. Criminally underrated (but I’m picking Ellenberger)

Round 1

Marquardt with the first strike, a leg kick about 30 seconds in.

They trade leg kicks, and Nate falls down backing up. He pops right back up.

Marquardt lands a leg kick, catches an Ellenberger kick, and charges forward with strikes.

Big right lands for Ellenberger.

More leg kicks.

Ellenberger lands a huge right low and left to the chin, and Marquardt drops to his knees. Ellenberger swarms him, and that is all she wrote.

• Jake Ellenberger defeats Nate Marquardt with 2:03 remaining in the 1st

Jakey want bonus. Jakey want fight bonus.

I got Hendricks here. Condit is super tough, but he ain’t been hit like he’s gonna be hit.

I also like Hendricks’ wrestling against Condit’s jiu-jitsu.

Round 1

I’m excited. Manbearpig-excited.

Hendricks lands a left early, and swarms forward. Condit gets out of there.

Hendricks with another big left, he swarms again, picks Condit up and slams him, and just walks away. Oh my.

Another left. Condit with a big right, and then a head kick. Hendricks rushes forward swinging, goes for the double, and completes the takedown.

Hendricks just holding Condit down by the hips against the cage, and Carlos wall walks up. They scramble, and Condit moves to triangle attempt. Hendricks quickly out.

Hendricks in Condit’s guard. Condit the more active, with elbows, and sweep attempts.

To butterfly guard. Hendricks stands up after a Condit hammer fist from his back.

Left uppercut, two left hooks, and Hendricks slams Condit again. Condit back up, dragged back down.

Hendricks gets to a front headlock from his knees. He knees Condit to the head twice as they stand, and breaks.

Flying knee for Condit, and Hendricks is again swarming Condit with lefts. Condit uses a kimura to take Hendricks’s back, and he gets up on Hendricks’ back, with hooks.

They break, and Condit lands a big front kick to Condit’s face. The last ten seconds are just bombs from both guys, punctuated by a last second takedown for Hendricks. Wow.

I have it 10-9 Hendricks after 1

No, I mean WOW.

Round 2

They both kick early in the second. Hendricks lands a right, Condit with a flying knee, Hendricks with a big body shot.

Condit jabs, throws a head kick. Hendricks just throwing lefts, and he grabs a double again. Hendricks slams Condit again, Condit goes to kimura again. After some scrambling, Condit gets up, and they separate. Condit with the right.

Another two big lefts for Hendricks. Holding double against the fence again, dumps Condit again. 7 for 7 on takedowns.

Condit back up, Hendricks holding him to the cage. Knee lands for Condit, and they break. Condit walking Hendricks down to the cage, and is landing some nice combos, and another flying kee, which Hendricks catches, and carries Condit across the cage, slamming him in the middle.

Hendricks in top of half-guard, Condit attacking his arm. Condit gets to his feet, and out. Condit with another right.

Front kick for Condit. Another, Hendricks grabs him again, another dump takedown.

Condit gets halfway up, Hendricks pulls him back down. Condit gets up, and the round concludes.

I have it 10-9 20-18 Hendricks after 2

I have it 20-18, but this is one hell of a close fight.

Round 3

Hendricks’ left hand is hurt. Uh oh.

Condit head kick. Hendricks jumps in with the left again. Condit working head kicks and crosses, Hendricks jumps in on the single, gets the takedown.

Hendricks on top in Condit’s half-guard, and Condit is very active from the bottom. Hendricks doing work from top with his right.

Condit gets to full guard, and is pounding on Hendricks from the bottom.

Condit to kimura again, uses it to stand. Another big left for Hendricks, who has just been throwing haymakers all fight. Condit misses a kick, and Hendricks gets his back standing.

After some clinchwork, Hendricks completes the takedown. Condit attacking from bottom again, and Hendricks gets up again. Gigantic right lands for Condit, and Hendricks just grabs him. Hendricks gets to back, Condit breaks it off.

Head kick for Condit, and then some combos, straight into another takedown. Condit holding Hendricks’ neck, but he’ll letit go soon. He moves to armbar, and the back to striking from the bottom, and Condit is up. Condit lands a big left, and start bashing on Hendricks, who grabs Condit and picks him up again, but no slam this time. Condit again diving for kimura, Hendricks again puts him down, Condit again gets up, they again finish a round with wild abandon.

I have it 10-9 Condit 29-28 Hendricks after 3

• The judges score it 29-28 29-28 29-28 for the winner, Johny Hendricks defeats Carlos Condit by Unanimous Decision.

So, there’s your Fight of the Year. Unless…

Here we go. Yes.

• The judges score it 50-45 50-45 50-45 for the winner, Georges St Pierre defeats Nick Diaz by Unanimous Decision to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship

What did I tell you? The EXACT opposite of surgery farts.

TUF 17 Powerhouse Zak Cummings visits with MMALockup

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The Ultimate Fighter Episode Seven Results