Nick Diaz: A fighter who actually fights

Nick Diaz: Strikeforce Champion and #1 WW

   While other top welterweights are perfectly content with using their opponent as a makeshift mattress for twenty five minutes, its refreshing to see someone like Nick Diaz who is ready willing and able to put every ounce of himself on the line, and risk not only his personal well being, but his professional standing, to both put on a show for the fans and to demonstrate his abilities as a mixed martial arts fighter.

   So after notching his ninth consecutive victory and going undefeated since 2007, will Nick Diaz finally get the respect he deserves and be ranked as a top three welterweight in the world of MMA?

   Its possible, though whats more likely to happen is that the Zuffa obsessed media will continue to diminish his accomplishments while under ranking him to a baffling extent. Currently Diaz is ranked at #7 by MMA Weekly and the consensus-driven Bloody Elbow, and at #9 by the borderline mentally ill shills of Sherdog.

   A person of intelligence may deduce that if a fighter as accomplished and skilled as Nick Diaz is ranked so low, then those above him must be that much better, and what a monstrous welterweight scene that would make for if true. Unfortunately, especially for the reputations and integrity of those sites mentioned, that’s not really the case. Take the UFC’s Thiago Alves’ recent history of having won only one fight since 2008, and suffering two defeats in that time, and compare it to Diaz’s previously mentioned unbeaten streak going nine strong since 2007 and it becomes downright puzzling why the major media outlets all have him ranked as a top five welterweight, with those silly people from Sherdog again ensuring their place at the forefront of the shill-pack by ranking him at #3.

   So, going 1-2 in over two years will get you a top three ranking? Wow, that one win must have been over a true God-like legend of the sport for it to carry such weight, right? Well, actually… no, not at all. Thiago Alves decisioned the then 14-5 John Howard at UFC 124, who himself was coming off a defeat to unranked Jake Ellenberger. Apparently this trumps by leaps and bounds the accomplishments of Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.

Nick Diaz fighting... are you taking notes, Jon Fitch?

   All sarcasm aside, following every event it becomes more and more blatantly obvious that aggressive bias controls the rankings of the MMA media. When Dan Hardy, who is 0-2 since 2009, is being ranked above Nick Diaz, as he is at Sherdog, its time to put down the kool-aid, splash some cold water on your face, and recognize shills for what they are. Fighting under the UFC banner does not grant one special acclaim, and no amount of twisted logic or purposefully obtuse journalistic trolling can justify ranking Diaz outside of the top three, and a strong case can be made that he deserves the number one spot, as the current consensus number one Georges St. Pierre has done nothing as of late but reinforce his reputation as an ultimate wrestler who is scared of a fight. MMA is a fight sport, and fighters who do just that, fight, should be rewarded for the risks they take in high profile fights. Laying on or pawing a limp jab at an opponent for five rounds is simply not as remarkable as performances like the ones Nick Diaz continuously puts forth.

Nick Diaz finishing an opponent... are you taking notes GSP?

   Nick Diaz is at least top three, and possibly even deserving of the number one rank in the welterweight division. How the media reacts to Diaz’s win will be interesting to note, as in the build up to the fight many hacks attempted to push a hoax that Evangelista Cyborg Santos was not a legitimate opponent, so its quite possible that the memed marching orders may already be in place to yet still discredit Nick Diaz’s place as a top welterweight. An eye needs to be paid to the media discourse in the coming days to see if they will stay lock-stepped in their traditionally Zuffa-centric ways, or if a glint of journalistic integrity has somehow survived their historically hoodwinkish ways.

Top Turkeys of 2010

   Used as an idiom the term “turkey” refers to one who is a loser, a failure, a dud. So as the year 2010 drifts into history’s past, we will take a moment to reflect on some of the bigger flops of the previous year, highlighting their misadventures in the world of MMA.

- Gold Medal: Chael “The Criminal Turkey” Sonnen -


   For Chael Sonnen 2010 started off so well, he had just capped a three fight win streak with a dominating victory over Nate Marquardt, earning him a shot at Anderson Silva’s middle weight belt. Although the turkey in Sonnen just couldn’t allow him to use this momentum for positive purposes, and instead he would quickly begin to establish himself the premier villain of MMA. In an interview with Pro MMA Radio during the build up to his championship bout with Anderson Silva the super-callous Sonnen, unbounded from even the most basic forms of human empathy, would actually mock and deride world renowned cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong as a drug fiend and cancer fraud, saying, “Lance Armstrong cheated, he did drugs, he gave himself cancer… he made himself the victim and then went out and profited like fifteen point some million dollars from this ‘hey poor me’ campaign.”

  With this Sonnen revealed himself as a despicable human being, but he wasn’t through trashing his own reputation as he would just days later on Jim Rome’s radio show out himself as a bold faced liar when he denied having ever said anything about Lance Armstrong, sticking to his phony story even after Jim Rome confronted him with the audio of his exact words.

 "Lance Armstrong cheated, he did drugs, he gave himself cancer..."

                                        -Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen claimed he would retire Silva, he did not.

   Come fight time Chael Sonnen had already been exposed as a person lacking any semblance of a conscience, but now it was time for him to prove to the world that his turkey tactics were just as prevalent in the cage. Labeling Silva a “dirt bag” and promising to “retire” him, Sonnen’s harsh pre-fight trash talk would blow up in his face as during the final round Sonnen would tap to a submission for the eighth time in his career, reinforcing his inability to grasp even basic submission defense. A turkey in his personal life, a turkey in his professional career, the embarrassment continued to mount when following his spectacular failure in the fight Chael Sonnen tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, serving as yet more proof to who the real “dirt bag” is.

   By this time any man with even an ounce of dignity would surely shut his mouth and retreat from the public eye, right? Not this turkey, not by a long shot.

   Through multiple public embarrassments Sonnen’s loud mouth would only increase as he cemented himself an elite Zuffa shill by openly ridiculing some the sport’s premier fighters in Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem while also professing his unflinching love and fanatical loyalty for his boss, Dana White. Sonnen has shown himself to be quite the brave talker, although when confronted by Wanderlei Silva, the lion quickly turned lamb as he was cowed into submission, not by joint locks this time, but through sheer verbal battery.

   He thus far been proven a low life, a loud mouth, a liar, and a cheater, so how could this ultimate turkey get worse, you ask? Well, how about a nice dose of white collar criminality.

   The cherry atop this shame sundae came just days into 2011, but nevertheless must be included on this 2010 list due to the immense magnitude of its repercussions, when Chael Sonnen pleaded guilty to money laundering and defrauding thousands of dollars from real estate ventures. He is expected to face multiple years of probation with his UFC career in jeopardy. In addition to being a lying mouthy choke artist who can’t back his trash talk, Sonnen is an admitted white collar criminal fraudster. Chael Sonnen would do best to quiet his loud mouth and permanently withdraw from the public eye. His reputation as the ultimate turkey of MMA is irrefutable, and there is no coming back from such complete and total failures, not only as an MMA fighter, but as a human being.

- Silver Medal: Brock “The Paper Tiger Turkey” Lesnar -


   2010 can be described for WWE wrestler turned MMA wannabe Brock Lesnar as nothing but a shattered illusion. The year started with smoke and mirrors swindling many into believing the hype of Brock as the prime example of a new breed of heavyweight monster, but it ended with Lesnar left battered and without his championship belt, questioning whether or not he would continue in MMA.

   In his first fight of 2010 against Shane Carwin this supposed monster of heavyweight MMA was spanked and slapped throughout the entire five minutes of the first round, nearly being stopped with punches on multiple occasions. Though its true that being beaten does not reveal a lack of heart, it is also true that taking punishment in such a pitiful manner does not become a champion. It wasn’t until the one dimensional brawler Shane Carwin expended his three ounce gas tank that Lesnar was able to secure a poorly applied arm triangle choke which forced Carwin to tap. After the fight the myth of Lesnar was broken beyond repair in the eye’s of all but the most ardent fan boys and media shills. A phony fighter with a glaring inability to absorb punishment had been proven beyond any unbiased doubt. This would be the beginning of Lesnar’s free fall from grace, as his next challenger would fully capatalize on the many weaknesses revealed in the Carwin fight.

   Relatively unproven prospect Cain Velasquez made short work of Lesnar and finished him inside of the first round with absolute ease. During the short fight Lesnar showed the composure of a scared chicken as he flailed, twisted, and turned in a failed effort to avoid taking more punishment, ultimately ending the fight by frantically yelling “NO, NO, NO, NO” in verbal submission to strikes before the referee called the fight, hardly the reactions of even an average fighter, let alone a champion. This wild and desperate plea for his beating to relent stands in stark contrast to Lesnar’s self proclaimed status as the “toughest S.O.B. around” following the Carwin fight.

   Dave Meltzer reported that after being flogged by Velasquez Brock Lesnar was questioning his future in MMA. This entirely unproven neophyte once undeservedly touted, and in some cases still so by shameless media whores, as one of the world’s finest was nearly run out of the sport following a beating, showing a complete lack of fighting spirit, a complete lack of pride. Velasquez left Lesnar with a scar under his left eye which will serve as a permanent reminder that full contact combative sports is no place for a man with the fight and fortitude of a neutered puppy, or, in this case, a scared turkey.




- Bronze Medal: Shinya “The Weeping Turkey” Aoki -


   2010 was to be the year Shinya Aoki established himself as the undisputed #1 lightweight in the world of MMA. His first fight of the year saw him fighting on American soil for the first time as he challenged Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight championship belt, a fight which would determine the world‘s best lightweight. What resulted was five rounds of Melendez domination, as Aoki offered absolutely no signs that he belonged in the same cage as Melendez. After the fight Aoki would return to Japan a defeated man, left beaten and sobbing tears from his swollen eyes, a far cry from his over the top antics and disrespectful behavior following his submission of Mizuto Hirota just a few months prior, a fight in which he flipped Hirota off after breaking his arm and subsequently claiming he was “fine with breaking it.”

   In the following months Aoki would somewhat redeem himself by stringing together three victories in a row, however, it was during the final day of the year 2010 when Aoki would undoubtedly earn himself the title as one of 2010’s top turkeys.

   On Dynamite!! 2010 Shinya Aoki was tasked with fighting Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima, a cross dressing K1 kick boxer, in a special rules bout which would see alternating rounds of K1 and MMA rules. During the first round of the fight, which was under K1 rules, Aoki, a man who has actually openly expressed disdain for fighters who refuse to take risks, put forth one of the most cowardly displays in combat sports history as he flopped, ran, shot for illegal takedowns, and nearly hopped over the ropes to avoid the attacks of Nagashima. He did everything but fight as he drained seconds off the clock. His shameless embracement of cowardly tactics being so blatant that they drove the typically respectful Japanese crowd to shower him with boos, though ultimately they worked as Aoki survived the K1 round and successfully made it to round two, the MMA round. After immediately shooting for a double leg Aoki was meant with a Nagashima knee to the head and instantly his misery was put to an end as he lay unconscious on the mat during the round he was supposed to dominate.

   After the embarrassing in-fight display Aoki was so showered with jeers and mockery that he erased his twitter account, revealing that even online this turkey runs from fights.

The MMA Haus will return soon....

The MMA Haus will return soon...

UFC 124 Round Up

- St. Pierre in Another Snoozer -

GSP is afraid to take chances

   In the build up to this fight much ado was made of a supposed “fiery and passionate” Georges St. Pierre. Multiple articles on Sherdog and Yahoo Sports were written on it, and commentators like Joe Rogan and Kevin Iole even pointed out how this was allegedly the angriest St. Pierre we had seen, and it would surely translate into a monstrous performance driven by a desire to punish the trash talking Josh Koscheck.

   Well, surprise surprise, all of that turned out to be nothing more than the standard pre-event hypebole from the usual suspects of Zuffa shillery. What the fans saw during UFC 124’s main event was the lamentable sight of what was once an exciting MMA fighter that has since been gelded by Greg Jackson’s style of decision based game planning.

   Fans around the world sat with folded arms, patiently waiting for the champion Georges St. Pierre to boldly defend his title from the trash talking challenger who had disrespected his French-Canadian ethnicity during pre fight build up, but nothing significant ever materialized. Instead the fight unfolded as a twenty five minute jab-a-thon with all the urgency of a dark match on a regional card. This did not feel like a championship fight between two elite fighters. Koscheck couldn’t do anything and St. Pierre had no interest in doing anything. Even in fighting a half blinded opponent after Koscheck’s eye swelled up almost immediately, St. Pierre refused to turn up the heat. When any other fighter would have pounced on his opponent’s weakness, St. Pierre, in classic Greg Jackson style, simply stayed the course and rode out a steady as she goes decision, disappointing fans around the world in the process.

   The old Georges St. Pierre who mauled Sean Sherk, trashed Jay Heiron, and pounded Travis Galbraith is gone, replaced by a meek imposter. The once wild boar with its aggressive instinct, razor tusks, and fiery eyes has become a bloated pink bellied pig, fat and lazy off the slop of farmer Jackson. If a steady pay check is what St. Pierre wants, perhaps a nine to five desk job may be more appropriate, and a lot safer for a man seemingly terrified to take a risk in a sport that is supposed to be inherently risky.

- UFC Heavyweight Roster Proven A Joke... Again -

34 year old Internet Troll Sean McCorkle

   As if bringing in Sean Gannon based off of a youtube fight video wasn't bad enough, the UFC stooped even lower by signing internet troll Sean McCorkle, and now that he has been thoroughly spanked by Stefan Struve, a fighter who struggles against even sub-par opposition, as demonstrated in his knockout defeat to Roy Nelson, lets see if Zuffa will send him back to internet forum flaming where he belongs.

   The UFC heavyweight division is in a miserable state, and what an admission of this fact the co-main event of UFC 124 was. A clash between thirty four year old internet troll Sean McCorkle and Stefan Struve, whose notable victories are over no names like Christian Mooecraft and Chase Gormley, is what passes as a co-main event in the UFC nowadays? How absurd that these are the kinds of heavyweights that are being tailored for a title shot while simultaneously UFC president Dana White is verbally attacking rival organization Strikeforce as a “minor league promotion.” I guess a stable which includes MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, MMA and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum is of lesser renown than one consisting of a hodgepodge of WWE wrestlers, untested paper tigers, aging internet trolls, and obese pro wrestling wannabes.

   By now it is abundantly clear that any heavyweight MMA fighter who wishes to prove himself great must do so by fighting competition outside of the UFC, as it is impossible to prove anything of significance against the likes of the current UFC heavyweight roster.

- Matchmaker Joe Silva Again Plays the Fool -

Joe Silva's Incompetence Sabotaged Oliveira's Career

   UFC match maker Joe Silva has once again proven himself a fool entirely incapable of properly grooming a potential star. Just as he threw the rising prospect John Hathaway to be torn apart by the crafty Mike Pyle, he again repeated this lunacy by prematurely matching a young prospect with loads of potential against a grizzled veteran fighter. Charles Oliveira in his two previous UFC fights demonstrated a unique dynamism that the majority of fighters simply don’t have, a mixture of seamless striking and grappling which is as appealing to the fans as it is effective in the cage. So what does Joe Silva do with this potential star? He matches him up against the worst possible opponent for him at this point in his career.

   Jim Miller is a top tier grappler, both offensively and defensively, with a strong wrestling base and competent striking. While Oliveira had much hype surrounding him coming in, he had not faced anyone with even close to the skill set of Jim Miller. This fight really could not have gone any other way. At this point in his career Oliveira does not have the power to knockout Jim Miller, he does not have the grappling to submit him, nor does he have the wrestling to dictate where the fight happens, so how did Joe Silva think this fight would be competitive? This is not how you treat a young prospect with potential star qualities, this is how you treat a one-and-done body brought in as a showcase opponent. So because Joe Silva is an incompetent matchmaker, Oliveira must now attempt to bounce back from being dominated by an established veteran at such a pivotal point in his young career.

- Enough of TUF -

TUF continues to ruin the sport

   Danzig’s knockout of Stevenson was an awkward back pedaling jab that seemed it would have struggled with the cracking of an egg, but it was enough to win this fight which epitomized what so many UFC fights are nowadays, a clash between two TUF alumni with names bigger than their abilities. Joe Stevenson and Mac Danzig are regional show quality fighters who get opportunities on the main card because the common fan is familiar with them, and this name recognition may help to push a few more pay-per-view sales. This is fine if you are a Zuffa big wig that gets a cut of the PPV cash, but to the MMA fan who pays to see high level fighters, its an outrage that this is what gets pushed by the self proclaimed “super bowl of MMA.”

   It raises an important question: How many times can an organization promote c-level fighters before that organization becomes a c-level promotion?

- In Summary -

Strikeforce is gunning for the UFC

   Overall, UFC 124 was yet another paint by numbers event. The majority of the UFC has become staler than week old bread. Too many events, too many TUF’ers, too much hesitation, too much decision based game planning, simply put: Just too much. It is vital at this point in time for Zuffa to scale back operations and have events only once a month, although this seems unlikely with the WEC merger, and instead fans will probably be subjected to more filler and a whole new division for TUF losers to water down.

   In order to maintain some level of relevance, Zuffa must weed out sub par TUF fighters and totally rework their abysmal heavyweight roster. If they want to bill themselves as the world’s elite MMA organization, then they had better start proving the title, and a stable full of TUF rejects is not going to cut it. The fact is that TUF has proven itself a complete failure in terms of producing high level talent, instead generating gatekeepers at best, and utter wash outs at worst.

   Strikeforce has long since surpassed the UFC in the heavyweight division, and now is making tremendous gains in other divisions as well. The passed five UFC’s combined could not match the excitement generated by Strikeforce’s latest event, and with the next UFC card scheduled to be headlined by a twenty five minute fight between perennial snoozers Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, its hard to see anything but further disappointment in the UFC’s future. The hardcore fans have long since known this, but one has to wonder what will happen when the casual fan discovers it.

Weekend Roundup: UFC Plods as Strikeforce Shines

- The UFC -

Rock Em Sock Em is a child's game on par with Garcia's technique

   Zuffa loves to pass low level brawlers off as elite mixed martial artists, and continuously gives sub-par fighters like Leonard Garcia the spotlight to showcase their utter lack of technique. Tonight saw the poster boy for this flailing style put on a cringe inducing performance as he winged wild punches at his opponent, each one loopier than the next. In response, Nam Phan would cover up and circle, peppering Garcia with the occasional jab. Undeterred Garcia kept trudging forward looking like a windmill in fight shorts. At one point the fight became so absurd that UFC color commentator Joe Rogan opined that Garcia appeared to be throwing rocks rather than punches, his flailing style being so wild and devoid of any semblance of technique. It wouldn’t be such an egregious act if this were a rarity in Zuffa’s promotions, but more and more it is becoming the rule rather than the exception. And the truly unfortunate aspect of this, the rotten cherry atop this embarrassing display by Garcia, was that he was actually rewarded with the decision victory. This must be discouraging to fighters of actual skill, to see these school yard brawlers not only continuously brought back by Zuffa even after losing, when others like Gerald Harris and so many more have been cut immediately after a single loss, but to now have to watch these flailers routinely garner blatantly unjust decisions. Lets hope it does not drive talented fighters to windmill tactics.

   Yet another lamentable aspect of the flailing fighter is in how the common fan has been force fed by Zuffa into accepting them as exciting examples of mixed martial artists. The UFC has provided two options, if you want excitement, you must turn to flailers such as Leonard Garcia, Forrest Griffin, Chris Leben, or any number of the irrelevant no names they bring in for short stints, and if you want technique, you must look to snoozers like Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Frankie Edgar, or any number of the lay-n-pray blankets they bring in from collegiate wrestling gyms across America.

Meet some of the UFC Windmills

   And that’s what the UFC has become, you want some sorry excuse for excitement? You get Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan. You want technique without fire? Here’s a couple of fighters in Demian Maia and Kendall Grove who can’t utilize their talents in an appealing or effective manner. You want some mundane mixture of the two? Grab a pillow and watch Rick Story and Johnny Hendricks. You want two irrelevant neophytes more fitted for a regional show‘s under card? Here’s Jonathan Brookins and Michael Johnson. How outrageous that this is what passes as elite level mixed martial arts in the minds of so many. On this particular UFC it was especially abhorrent how the televised card was filled with tedium as the dark matches contained two fine examples of both technique and killer instinct, with both Nick Pace and Pablo Garza finishing their opponents in dominantly exciting fashion. Ninety-nine percent of the casual fan base, however, will never see their efforts because the UFC insists on pushing the predictable brawlers. Thankfully, however, Strikeforce is providing an excellent alternative for the true MMA fan.

- Strikeforce -

   As the UFC drunks were yelling for body bags while watching human windmills, Strikeforce’s audience was privileged with an amazing night of dynamism and excitement, packaged in the wrappings of beautiful fistic technique. Paul Daley is what Leonard Garcia wishes he was. If Daley had demonstrated the skill level of a Leonard Garcia he would have embarrassed himself for fifteen minutes and been deservedly showered with boos after the final bell. But that didn't happen, and instead, Daley, with his shockingly brutal knock out of Scott Smith, showed what powerful and exciting combative ability executed in an effective manner can do. How very refreshing it is to see a talented fighter confidently using the cage as a platform to showcase the fruits of the hard work he puts in day after day in the gym. Daley trained for the fight as a knock out artist, and when given the opportunity to prove himself, he rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion.

   As devastating as Daley’s knockout victory was, it certainly has competition in how Robbie Lawler dispatched of former UFC #1 contender Matt Lindland. Lawler initially dropped Lindland with a beautifully placed counter right hand, and without a moment’s hesitation followed it up with a powerful punch to his dazed and grounded opponent, leaving him unconcious for several minutes. Not a single fighter on the UFC’s televised card even hinted at such an ability. This is yet another example of how an emphasis on technique and the focused willingness to utilize it is what produces truly memorable moments in MMA. As if the two previous knockouts weren’t enough, Strikeforce came through with an incredible main event between two relevant fighters which ended in yet another amazing knockout as former two division Pride champion Dan Henderson put to sleep former UFC #1 contender Babalu Sobral with a shattering ground and pound barrage. What better way to end an event than with three contenders for knockout of the year, and all from elite fighters, rather than irrelevant journeymen.

   It must be acknowledged that these three marvelous knockouts were all the result of focused determination and skill, and the capacity to implement them in the cage. There was no flailing. There were no loops. There were no windmills. And there was certainly no impotence in imposing one‘s will on the opponent. Only deliberately placed strikes by high caliber fighters. Perhaps Dana White should think twice next time he goes head to head with rival promotion Strikeforce, and consider making an effort to promote high level mixed martial arts of quality. What a contrast between the UFC’s offering of an awkward mixture of plodding decisions, vapid technique, and nugatory fighters, and Strikeforce’s brilliant showcase of high energy relevant fighters demonstrating technique as effective as it was explosive.